Jeffrey Wright Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly column where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Jeffrey Wright-whose latest project "American Fiction" releases in NYC/LA theaters Thursday and begins its nationwide expansion on December 21st.

Jeffrey Wright's Filmography Ranked:

19.Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (D+)

18.Broken City (C-)

17.Asteroid City (C-)

16.Lady in the Water (C+)

15.Casino Royale (C+)

14.Rustin (B-)

13.Quantum of Solace (B-)

12.The French Dispatch (B-)

11.Cadillac Records (B)

10.Shaft (B)

9.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (B)

8.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (B)

7.Hold the Dark (B)

6.The Ides of March (B)

5.No Time to Die (B+)

4.Source Code (A)

3.The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (A)

2.Game Night (A)

1.The Batman (A+)

Top Dog: The Batman (2022)

Melancholic, full of vivid world-building and brilliantly written, directed, shot and acted, The Batman is a stone cold masterpiece that raises the bar for all future superhero adaptations. The next installment-which is set to begin shooting early next year-can not arrive soon enough.   

Bottom Feeder: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

They really don't make a whole lot of manipulative tearjerker Oscar bait trash like this anymore!!! As much as this movie made me cringe with the way it uses 9/11 to serve its completely absurd fictional story, it ultimately worked as the film was nominated for Best Picture, so kudos to the makers of this film for pulling off a successful hustle. 

Most Underrated: Source Code (2011)

Are there more "complex" and "thought-provoking" original sci-fi films out there than Source Code? Sure, but there aren't many that can match it in the entertainment value department as Duncan Jones packs a whole lot of suspense, twists and fun into its relentlessly propulsive 93-minute runtime. Bonus points go to Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Wright for turning in excellent performances in a movie that really didn't need great acting to succeed.   

Most Overrated: Casino Royale (2006) 

Daniel Craig is right up there with Sean Connery as my pick for the best James Bond and there are multiple entries that he led that I believe are elite entries in this franchise. However, I also think his first go-round as Bond is wildly overrated. Nearly everything in Casino Royale from the torture scene to Mads Mikkelsen's performance as the villain were overhyped to oblivion and the whole idea of the climax of a Bond movie being a fucking card game continues to bother me after all these years.