Samuel L. Jackson Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the endless filmography of Samuel L. Jackson-whose latest project "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" hits theaters tomorrow.  

Samuel L. Jackson's Filmography Ranked:

55.The Legend of Tarzan (D)

54.Big Game (D)

53.Freedomland (D+)

52.The Incredibles (D+)

51.Avengers: Age of Ultron (D+)

50.The Man (D+)

49.Glass (C-)

48..xXx: State of the Union (C)

47.Unbreakable (C)

46.Oldboy (C)

45.Unicorn Store (C+)

44.Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones (C+)

43.Basic (C+)

42..xXx (C+)

41.The Spirit (C+)

40.Iron Man 2 (C+)

39.Soul Men (C+)

38.Chi-Raq (C+)

37.Captain America: The Winter Solider (C+)

36.Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace (C+)

35.Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (B-)

34.Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith (B-)

33.S.W.A.T. (B-)

32.Formula 51 (B)

31.Jumper (B)

30.Deep Blue Sea (B)

29.Spider-Man: Far from Home (B)

28.Robocop (B)

27.Shaft (2019) (B)

26.Shaft (2000) (B)

25.The Long Kiss Goodnight (B)

24.Coming to America (B)

23.The Hitman's Bodyguard (B)

22.Kill Bill: Volume 2 (B)

21.Captain Marvel (B+)

20.Snakes on a Plane (B+)

19.Kong: Skull Island (B+)

18.xXx: Return of Xander Cage (B+)

17.Black Snake Moan (B+)

16.The Avengers (A-)

15.Coach Carter (A-)

14.Die Hard with a Vengeance (A-)

13.Out of Sight (A-) 

12.Jackie Brown (A-)

11.Kingsman: The Secret Service (A-)

10.True Romance (A)

9.Juice (A)

8.The Hateful Eight (A)

7.Menace II Society (A)

6.The Other Guys (A)

5.Jurassic Park (A)

4.Do the Right Thing (A+)

3.Django Unchained (A+)

2.Goodfellas (A+)

1.Pulp Fiction (A+)

Top Dog: Pulp Fiction (1994)

The seminal entry in Quentin Tarantino's gem-filled filmography is what every movie should strive to be: something that combines clever, confident storytelling, strong acting and characters that hook the audience in with a seemingly infinite level of entertainment and rewatch value. Pulp Fiction may not be the only film that possesses this rare combination, but there's nothing else that I've seen that has had a stronger representation of these traits. 

Lowlight: The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

The Legend of Tarzan sunk the big blockbuster remake/reimagining machine to new shameless lows that arguably haven't been met since. David Yates' spectacular $180 million faceplant manages to tell an exceptionally cheesy and convoluted story that sees a now dignified King of the Jungle (Alexander Skarsgard) return to his animal-filled home to stop the treacherous plans of a treacherous Belgian diamond miner (Christoph Waltz) in the most boring way imaginable, making it a real landmark effort in the faction of cinema that doesn't want to be mistaken for something compelling or competent.  

Most Underrated: Menace II Society (1993)

As terrific as Boyz n the Hood is, its elevated status in the pop culture zeitgeist has led to the suffocation of other standout works from that era that covered similar thematic territory. Chief among these unfairly overlooked films is The Hughes Brothers astonishing 1993 debut. Menace II Society offers up one of the grimmest and unflinchingly honest depictions of  what's it like to be a black teenager growing up in a poor neighborhood in America ever put on film. It explores things like the inescapable scars that come from living in a domestic warzone, the vicious cycle of drug use, crime and violence that stem from being stuck in poverty without any real opportunity to get out of it and how some people aren't fortunate enough to get a chance to atone for the boneheaded mistakes they committed during a time in their lives where such things are to be expected in such rich, visceral detail that it should open up the eyes of plenty of individuals who still think the "American Dream" isn't a whole hell of a lot harder to achieve when you're poor and not white.    

Most Overrated: The Incredibles (2004)

Dull, unfunny and loaded with grating characters, The Incredibles is a joyless betrayal to the winning combination of charm, wit and emotional resonance that Pixar is known for.

Best Film I Forget He Was In: Goodfellas (1990)

It's a testament to Jackson's longevity and talent that's he's been able to put together such an expansive filmography that now spans five different decades. One of the great side effects of being such an in-demand actor for so long is that his appearances in certain films-particularly from the early stages of his film breakthrough-can get lost in the shuffle. For me, the biggest title that falls under that little umbrella is a humble little project called Goodfellas. While Jackson has gone on to play significantly bigger parts in movies (Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained) with comparable legacies, getting to say that you were apart of one of the most iconic crime/mob movies of all time before "making it" in Hollywood has to be really cool.   

Film That Benefited the Most from His Presence: Snakes on a Plane (2006)

The roots of modern day memes/internet shitposting can at least partially be traced back to Snakes on a Plane. There was such a steady stream of jokes floating around blogs and message boards in the weeks after this movie was formally announced during the summer of 2005 that the studio decided to capitalize on this unexpected wave of buzz by ordering reshoots that added new scenes (the "I've had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" line that this movie is best known for was a direct result of these reshoots). There's only one reason that this project ended up living up to its insane pre-release hype and his name is Samuel L. Jackson. The dedication and joy that Jackson displays in being the engine of such a purposefully stupid project allows it to achieve the levels of B-movie fun fans hoped for when the news of its existence first surfaced online.

Strongest Case Against American Remakes of Non-English Language Films: Oldboy (2013)

If the American version of Oldboy was an original project, it would be perfectly fine. Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen turn in good-to-great performances in the leading roles and Spike Lee brings his usual supercharged energy to the director's chair that ensures things never boring. The harsh reality is that this Oldboy is nothing more than a significantly watered down and completely needless updating of a bold South Korean classic that is among the most intelligent, shocking and downright unnerving mystery thrillers ever made.