Lance Reddick Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series 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 the late Lance Reddick-whose final project "Ballerina" releases in theaters tomorrow. 

Lance Reddick's Filmography Ranked:

16.Jonah Hex (D+)

15.Oldboy (C)

14.White Men Can't Jump (C)

13.The Domestics (C)

12.Don't Say a Word (B-)

11.Angel Has Fallen (B-)

10.White House Down (B)

9.Faults (B)

8.Little Woods (B+)

7.One Night in Miami... (B+)

6.Godzilla vs. Kong (B+)

5.The Guest (B+)

4.John Wick: Chapter 2 (A-)

3.John Wick (A-)

2.John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum (A)

1.John Wick: Chapter 4 (A)

Top Dog: John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Does the recent confirmation that Lionsgate is at least trying to make John Wick 5 happen cheapen the success of John Wick: Chapter 4 a bit? Absolutely. The film works exceptionally well as a swan song for the character as it's a sweeping epic that puts a bittersweet bow on his inevitably doomed journey back into a dangerous world that he had hoped he'd be able to leave behind for good until fate had other plans for him when the idiot son of a Russian mobster killed the dog that his late wife left behind for him and it sucks that Lionsgate's desire to improve the long term outlook of their balance sheet is canceling it out. Despite this unfortunate reality coming to pass, I also can't sit here and pretend that Chapter 4 still isn't the best entry of this tremendous franchise and one of the best action movies I've ever seen.     

Bottom Feeder: Jonah Hex (2010)

This may just be a case of wishful thinking or full-blown delusion, but I do sincerely believe that there is a version of Jonah Hex that would've worked. Josh Brolin hits the right slick antihero notes as the titular Confederate soldier-turned-bounty hunter that gains the ability to speak to the dead after being revived by the "Crow People" (a Native American tribe that primarily lives in Southern Montana) following an attack by his vengeful former general (John Malkovich) that killed his entire family and left him with a prominent facial scar and the pulpy supernatural western vibe it's going for gives it a unique identity that is inherently cool. The version of Jonah Hex that first debuted on cinema screens 15 years ago this month, on the other hand, kinda sorta really fucking stinks. Animation vet Jimmy Hayward directs with negative flare, the performances outside of Brolin's are all bad (joining Malkovich in the supporting cast are Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Wes Bentley, Michael Shannon, Aidan Quinn, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Reddick) and at just 81 minutes long, the entire movie feels cartoonishly rushed.      

Most Underrated: Little Woods (2019)

Before Nia DaCosta was getting thrown under the bus by Disney for the financial failure of The Marvels and being handed the difficult task of directing a 28 Days Later sequel that immediately follows one directed by franchise co-creator Danny Boyle, she burst onto the scene with the indie drama Little Woods. Tessa Thompson does career-best work as a parolee struggling to get by doing odd jobs in her small hometown on the Washington/Canada border that is forced to return to her ugly past life as a drug runner to secure enough cash to prevent her late mother's house from being foreclosed on and pay for the abortion that her estranged half-sister (Lily James, also great)-who is a single mother that is also struggling financially-wishes to have but can't afford. While the ending is probably a bit too clean for an otherwise raw, bleak story, everything else here is honest and compelling enough to solidify Little Woods as a pretty great movie.        

Most Overrated: N/A

Televison is where Reddick made his biggest impact as a performer as he consistently racked up everything from lead roles in acclaimed series (The Wire, Fringe) to recurring roles (Oz, Corporate) to memorable guest turns (American Horror Story: Coven, Lost) from the late 90's until his death in March 2023. His tendency to land work on the small screen is the primary reason he avoided having a movie appear here as his relatively limited film work came almost exclusively in tiny indie movies and genre movies that weren't shooting for the stars. In fact, I would argue that the John Wick movies are the only works of his that were well-received/widely seen enough to earn the overrated declaration and that is obviously the last thing word I would use to describe any of those 4 magical films. Kudos on a hell of career Mr. Reddick. Your always welcome presence on the big and small screen is sorely missed.