Samuel L Jackson is the highest-grossing actor of all time thanks to his appearances in an exceptional amount of (often brilliant) films. As of 2020, his total has surpassed 100 and the films he has been a part of have reached $8.6 billion. This is even more impressive when you remember that Jackson’s career only started in the 70s, and didn’t really begin so soar until the early 1990s. Since then he has become a fan-favorite and a mainstay in the work of many directors.
We’ve consulted IMDb to come up with a ranking that compares the five best films he has ever had a prominent part in, to the five considered to be the worst.
BEST: Django Unchained (8.4)
Django Unchained is considered to be one of Tarantino’s best ever films. It was a poignant and dramatic tale of a freed slave, but it was Jackson’s role that was perhaps the most interesting.
He played Stephen, a black man who was, technically, a slave, but was treated almost as an equal and exercised a position of power over the other slaves. His portrayal was incredibly convincing and managed to turn charming old age into something truly sinister.
WORST: Def By Temptation (4.6)
Before Goodfellas, Samuel L Jackson landed an important role in a film that couldn’t be further from the quality of Scorsese’s masterpiece. Directed by James Bond III (no, not the secret agent, an actual man called James Bond III) and starring Kadeem Hardison and Bill Nunn next to Jackson, the film was a flop that has since been forgotten about almost completely.
BEST: Avengers: Endgame (8.4)
Avengers: Endgame was the highest-grossing film ever made upon its release in 2019. Its exceptional ensemble cast is so impressive, that its actually rather easy to forget that Samuel L Jackson has played Nick Fury in a multitude of Marvel films.
He doesn’t have a major role, but the very fact that he is now known as the on-screen face of Nick Fury forever makes it something notable that will be taken into the future of cinema.
WORST: Kite (4.4)
Based on a censored animate from 1998, Kite was a controversial failure. The story is centered on the journey of a sex-slave into a life as an assassin, which sounds like something Tarantino could pull off, but very few others could handle. This was obviously true, as despite having Jackson attached to the film, it was universally panned.
BEST: Avengers: Infinity War (8.5)
Avengers: Infinity War has almost the exact same cast as Endgame, with Jackson taking on the exact same role here. He is often shown to be the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D, despite often being a relatively background character.
Jackson had a nine-film contract with Marvel to play the character, but he obviously enjoyed his time spent pretending to be a superhero, as he has so far shown no signs of retiring the role by continuing to appear without being under contract.
WORST: XXX2: The Next Level (4.4)
The sequel to XXX was originally set to be a follow-up to the well-loved if slightly over-the-top XXX film. However, original director Rob Cohen left the project and Vin Diesel dropped out after disliking the script. Both made a good decision, as the Ice Cube-starring action film made no sense and ruined all of the great visuals of the previous film by loading them with CGI.
BEST: Goodfellas (8.7)
Goodfellas is arguably Martin Scorsese’s most impressive masterpiece. The film was released before Jackson had become a huge household name, so his role is that of the minor, quickly-killed Stacks Edwards.
In a film full of overt racism, he plays a well-respected black man, who you might forget is actually based on a real-life man of the same name, and associated with the Vario crew.
WORST: Cell (4.3)
Despite being based on a Stephen King novel and starring two great actors (Samuel L Jackson and John Cusack), Cell was a disaster. Bizarrely, it was the storyline and acting that received the most crippling response.
BEST: Pulp Fiction (8.9)
Pulp Fiction puts Samuel L Jackson into one of his most quotable roles of all time, starring as Jules Winnfield opposite John Travolta’s Vincent Vega. Interestingly, the part was written with Jackson in mind, despite Paul Calderon initially becoming a frontrunner for the role.
Jackson obviously managed to get Tarantino back on his side and took on the iconic role, gaining an Oscar nomination in the process.
WORST: Farce Of The Penguins (4.1)
There is almost no way to view Farce Of The Penguins and expect it to be good. It mocks the well-known March Of The Penguins documentary and somehow got Jackson on-board to provide narration. Of course, it was (intentionally, to be fair) terrible.
