Top 10 Most Iconic Movie Tattoos

10. GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

It's right there in the title. Might be the most thought of movie in relation to tattoos. I wouldn't feel right about leaving this one off the list. Plus, that dragon is pretty rad.

9. THE ILLUSTRATED MAN

I'll be honest, I have never seen this movie, nor had I even heard of it until I was trying to jog my memory with a little research and I stumbled upon this cinematic tattoo wizardry. That is some serious ink, especially for a movie in 1969. Kind of makes me wonder how the public consciousness soaked in this level of ink back then. With a quick glance at the film's synopsis, this full body art is a curse in the story. Dude was born in the wrong decade. People would pay good money for that curse these days.

8. SIN NOMBRE

While tattoos are incredibly ubiquitous now, there is a rich film history with tying tattoos into gang life. Possibly the best depiction of one's dedication to that lifestyle is with Lil Mago in Sin Nombre.

7. THE SALTON SEA

Dark, compelling and artful, this film is well worth a watch. And there may not be a better example of tattoos being on full display for a movie's cover/poster.

6. STARSHIP TROOPERS

This is a fun one because not only does it portray the camaraderie of getting matching tattoos, but we also get to see Hollywood writers take a guess at what getting a tattoo will be like in the future. What did they come up with? A robot tattoos you with a laser of course!

5. MOANA

A nice presentation to young viewers, normalizing the idea of significantly sized tattoos. Really hope to see more representation of tattoos in animated films to give their characters…more character.

4. FANBOYS

This was a tough one, but Seth Rogen's giant Jar Jar and Young Annakin tattoo in this one barely edged out Randy Quaid's Big Boob Lady tat in Kingpin to represent on this list for the LOL category.

3. SNATCH

As long as we're looking for representatives for specific tattoo categories, let's move on to our “Best in Badass” category. In the movie Snatch, Brad Pitt's Pikey character is silly, and perhaps a borderline buffoon. In the first scrap we see him in, he's taking a beating from a much larger man…then, he takes off his shirt. It's as though in that moment, we begin to understand through his tattoos that there is much more to his character than we had previously realized. Or maybe a shift happened with his character in that moment because we got to see Brad Pitt in his prime tear his shirt off. Either way, these tattoos were doing something good.

2. THE MATRIX

If you don't already know this movie well, I hope it's been cozy in the shade of that rock you've been living under. The story and ideology within this film has a far reach. Many people actually view their entire realities differently because of The Matrix. Maybe we do live in a simulation? I think it's beautiful that the first bread crumb that Neo goes after, the first step he takes in the direction of salvation for all, is following this simple, little, white rabbit tattoo.

1. MEMENTO

The world of body art is reaching more and more people. Some are fanatical about the medium. To those fanatics, tattoos may even feel like necessities. This mind-bending movie takes us through the story of a man with a rare memory disorder, whose tattoos are genuinely necessary for him to complete his life's mission.

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Movies have played a very influencial role in my creative style. From the color palettes of Tarantino, to the captivating illustration of Studio Ghibli. I wanted to explore a topic that combined both my love of tattooing, and my appreciation for film.

Can you think of one that deserved to be on this list? I want to hear it!

Let me know in a comment below!