Most movies have one. Without the mentor (oracle, sage, priest, confidant), the hero wouldn’t be able to get their shoes tied, much less punch their way through a buried coffin. Here’s a list of some of the best movie mentors of all time:
The non-Star Wars Top 5:
Pai Mei
Kill Bill, Vol. 2, 2004Â
Pai Mei is easily the nearest thing to evil on the list, and if it weren’t for all the evil he’d have ranked much higher. He’s a White Lotus priest, very wise, very knowledgeable, but he’s also a misoginyst and a racist. And he gets pissed when he nods to someone and the complement isn’t returned. But he did teach Beatrix the Five-Pointed Palm Exploding Heart technique she would eventually use to kill Bill, which evens out things a bit. Pai Mei’s been in more movies than just Kill Bill, too. He’s based on the historical figure who founded the Bak Mei fighting technique.  Â
Wise words: “It’s the wood that should fear your hand, not the other way around. No wonder you can’t do it, you acquiesce to defeat before you even begin.”
Mr. Miyagi
Karate Kid, 1984
You know the line by rote: “Wax on, wax off.” Everyone does. Because Mr. Miyagi brought kung fu to the suburbs and made it cool. It was Ralph Macchio that made it lame (this wasn’t the only movie he did that to. How can you possibly make the blues lame?). Kids all over America were wishing an old guy from the Far East would move to their neighborhood after watching Karate Kid. All I found was Sam the scrap metal guy, but he taught me how to use a bow staff and sais pretty well.
Wise words: “Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything.”
Rafiki
Lion King, 1994
“Asante san, a squashed banana, wewe nugu, mimi apana.” Loosely translated (according to Disney) from Swahili, the song Rafiki sings when he finds long-lost Simba: “Thank you very much. A squashed banana. You are a baboon and I am not.” Masterfully voiced by Robert guillaume, Rafiki leads Simba back to his Pride and to his rightful place as king of the Pridelands, without ever telling him that was that he was going to. He just planted the suggestion and let Simba make up his own mind. Oh, and he kicks a little hyena butt in the process.Â
Wise words: “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or… learn from it.”
Morpheus
The Matrix, 1999
In the end, Morpheus was right. Neo was the one. All he had to do was teach Neo to live outside of the Matrix, which he did, with lessons built within the construct. In a way, everyone wants to take the red pill, just to see what more there is. Neo is the embodiment of all the nerd dreams of all time, that there is more to life than this, that they can come out of their darkened rooms, wan and disheveled, and be a savior to mankind. That behind the scenes, they are just as significant as the popular kids. It’s a message a lot of kids took to heart. The Matrix taught relevance to the nerd nation.
Wise words: “Neo, sooner or later you’re going to realize just as I did that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”
Chiun
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, 1985
Teaching the arts of the House of Sinanju, Chiun is often funny and always critical. He loves soap operas, which he considers America’s finest contribution to the arts. He’s critical of the red meat Americans eat. He tells Remo that he “moves like a pregnant yak.”  More wise words from Chiun:
“I can say ‘rat droppings.’ That does not mean I want to eat them.”
“Breathe out… slowly… do not gulp. If you do not breathe correctly, you do not move correctly. Pitiful. I can see the deadly hamburger has done its evil work.”
“The trained mind does not need a watch. Watches are a confidence trick invented by the Swiss.”
“Professional assassination. It’s the highest form of public service.” Â
The Star Wars clutch:
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Star Wars, 1976
Introduced mysteriously as “Crazy old Ben” who lived in the desert, Obi-Wan, played by the then venerable Sir Alec Guinness, gave Luke what every SciFi-loving kid wanted in the seventies: A lightsaber, a cause, and a ticket to outer space. Guinness lenta thespian’s hand to a genre that had up to that point been dominated mostly by B-list actors. There’s no kendo swordfighting art in his method, but he teaches Luke to feel the Force, to trust in it, and let it guide him, right before he sacrifices himself to Vader, his one-time pupil. Who was the better Obi-Wan, Alec or Ewan? I think most people would say they both played the character well. I would.
Wise words: “Who’s the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?”
Yoda
The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
In the first three Star Wars films, Yoda was the wise-old sage and nothing more. He could teach things, but he looked all but crippled with his tattered little robes, wobbling around on his wee little cane. But that was before Attack of the Clones came out, where we saw Yoda stagger into a room to confront Dooku, and then start wheeling around the room, flipping and twirling with his little green lightsaber spinning an arc like a lightning bolt. Yoda became significant in that moment, much more than he’d ever been before.
Wise words: “Do or do not… there is no try.”
Qui-Gon Jinn
Star Wars Episode I, 1999
Possibly the greatest Jedi master of them all. Sure, Darth Maul ran him through, but Qui-Gonn added a lot of soul to the Jedi master class. I imagine Qui-Gon as being the field tech who never had a taste for being a supervisor and stayed in the field his entire career. He could have been in the Council, but he chose to keep training the padawan Jedi of the future. Leave it to Liam Neeson to play a mentor on this list, too; he’s played this kind of role before… (Batman Begins, Gangs of New York, Kingdom of Heaven) and done well with them all.
Wise words: “Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Trust your instincts.”
This is an open list; if I missed any who need to be included, let me know.
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