Samuel L. Jackson’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

The best Samuel L. Jackson movies and TV shows prove that he is one of Hollywood’s most popular and beloved actors as he has become almost a character himself. Jackson had early success as a theater actor before he got a chance to move into movies with small roles in Spike Lee’s School Daze and Do the Right Thing. From there, he skyrocketed to the top of Hollywood, with his first major breakout role in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction as Jules Winnfield.

That performance made him a major star and he never looked back. Jackson has appeared in the Star Wars franchise as Mace Windu in the prequel series and took on the overarching role of Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he has appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the MCU’s entire run. He also appeared in giant franchise movies like Unbreakable and Jurassic Park, and he steals the scene in every movie he appears in.

10

Changing Lanes (2002)

Doyle Gipson

Changing Lanes (2002) - Poster

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Changing Lanes

R

Changing Lanes depicts a tense day in New York City where a minor car accident escalates into a ruthless confrontation between an attorney, played by Ben Affleck, and a businessman, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Roger Michell, the film explores themes of ethics, revenge, and the moral complexities of modern life, highlighting the personal conflicts and consequences that arise from their increasingly vindictive actions.

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Release Date

April 12, 2002

Main Genre

Drama

Cast

Ben Affleck
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Toni Collette
, Sydney Pollack
, William Hurt
, Amanda Peet
, Richard Jenkins
, Dylan Baker
, Kim Staunton
, John Benjamin Hickey
, Michael McGrath
, Bruce Altman
, Jennifer Dundas
, Joe Grifasi
, Tina Sloan

Director

Roger Michell

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Most people expect to see Samuel L. Jackson either full of anger or yelling obscenities in his movie roles. However, he took a very different approach in the 2002 drama thriller Changing Lanes. The film stars Jackson as Doyle Gipson, a man battling alcoholism who is racing to a custody hearing with his estranged wife concerning their son. Ben Affleck stars as Gavin Banek, a Wall Street attorney. The two are in an accident, and Gavin offers up a blank check and leaves Gipson stranded. This causes Gipson to lose custody of his son.

Critics praised Affleck and Jackson’s performances as well as the script, which smartly played with morally ethical dilemmas.

Gavin seeks revenge against Gipson, which causes him to retaliate, and soon they are doing everything to destroy each other. The movie was an interesting watch and ended up as a minor box office success while receiving mostly positive reviews. Critics praised Affleck and Jackson’s performances as well as the script, which smartly played with morally ethical dilemmas.

9

Django Unchained (2012)

Stephen Warren

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9.3/10

Django Unchained

R

Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx’s Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino’s revisionist Spaghetti Western. 

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Release Date

December 25, 2012

Runtime

165 Minutes

Main Genre

Western

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio
, Jonah Hill
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Jamie Foxx
, Kerry Washington
, Christoph Waltz

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Distributor(s)

Sony

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Samuel L. Jackson starred in several Quentin Tarantino movies, but the one where he played the most against type came in the 2012 movie Django Unchained. In this film, Christoph Waltz plays a bounty hunter named King Schultz who kills some men transporting enslaved men. He frees Django (Jamie Foxx) with the agreement that Django helps him find his target, and in return, he will help Django find his wife.

This leads them to find Calvin J. Candle, a plantation owner played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Samuel L. Jackson plays Stephen, the extremely loyal house enslaved man who believes that neither Django nor his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) deserve to be free and helps his master do what he can to stop them and keep everything as he feels it should be. Django Unchained received five Oscar nominations, and Jackson won the Outstanding Supporting Actor award at the Black Reel Awards.

8

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Louis Batiste

Eve's Bayou - Poster - Samuel Jackson & Lynn Whitfield

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Eve’s Bayou

R

Eve’s Bayou is a drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons, exploring the complex dynamics within an affluent African-American family in Louisiana. Jurnee Smollett stars as Eve, a young girl who witnesses tumultuous events surrounding her father’s infidelities, played by Samuel L. Jackson. The film delves into themes of memory and perception, magnifying the impact of personal and familial secrets.

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Release Date

November 7, 1997

Main Genre

Drama

Cast

Jurnee Smollett
, Meagan Good
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Lynn Whitfield
, Debbi Morgan
, Jake Smollett
, Ethel Ayler
, Diahann Carroll

Director

Kasi Lemmons

Samuel L. Jackson starred in the Southern Gothic drama Eve’s Bayou in 1997. The film starred Jurnee Smollett as Eve Batiste, a 10-year-old who discovers her father, Louis (Jackson) having sex with a family friend. However, Eve’s sister Cisely (Meagan Good) convinces her that she must be wrong. After Cisely says that their dad tried to sexually assault her, Eve goes to a voodoo priestess and asks for a fatal curse to be put on him.

The film received positive reviews, with praise going to all the actors involved, especially the young Smollett. Jackson was also great as the evil and sometimes terrifying father, alternating between being a loving dad and being someone who could honestly hurt the people he loves the most. Time Magazine named it one of the 25 most important films on race in a 2008 article.

7

Jackie Brown (1997)

Ordell

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10/10

Jackie Brown

R
ThrillerDramaCrime

Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime thriller directed by Quentin Tarantino. Pam Grier stars as a flight attendant who outsmarts the authorities, her boss, and a ruthless killer after smuggling cash for a gunrunner. The movie counts with an all-star cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Robert Forster, Michael Keaton, and Bridget Fonda.

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Release Date

December 25, 1997

Runtime

154 minutes

Cast

Bridget Fonda
, Michael Keaton
, Robert Forster
, Pam Grier
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Robert De Niro

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Distributor(s)

MiraMax

Jackie Brown remains Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film. It is a twist on the classic Akira Kurosawa movie Rashomon, as it shows a crime from different points of view. Pam Grier stars in the film as a flight stewardess who is asked by Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell Robbie to illegally transport money between the United States and Mexico. When the ATF and LAPD intercept Jackie with the money and drugs, they arrest her.

Jackie on a moving walkway in Jackie Brown

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However, they give her a chance to turn on Ordell to lessen her sentence. This then leads to her teaming with a bail bondsman (Robert Forster) and an ATF agent (Michael Keaton reprising his role as Ray Nicolette from Out of Sight) to bring down Ordell. However, Jackie has plans of her own, which she pulls off in a brilliant manner and in which Tarantino shows from everyone’s point of view. Jackson earned a Golden Glove nomination for his performance.

6

The Incredibles (2004)

Lucius Best / Frozone

The Incredibles Movie Poster

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16

8.4/10

The Incredibles

PG
AnimationAdventureActionFamily

Pixar’s The Incredibles tells the story of a super-family forced to conceal their powers. Years after superheroes were outlawed, the superpowered Parr family live a normal life. However, after his secret vigilante work uncovers a conspiracy that points to the rise of a new supervillain, Mr. Incredible must rely on the help of his wife Elastigirl and their children, Violet and Dash, to save the world from the evil Syndrome.

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Release Date

November 5, 2004

Runtime

115 minutes

Cast

Sarah Vowell
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Craig T. Nelson
, Spencer Fox
, Holly Hunter
, Jason Lee

Director

Brad Bird

Distributor(s)

Disney

In 2004, Pixar made a superhero movie with The Incredibles. An original idea not based on any previous comic book property, The Incredibles tells the story of a family of superheroes who are forced to hide who they are since being an active superhero has been outlawed by the government. They were kept in hiding with funding from the government, but when Bob loses his job, he finds a chance to be a hero again.

Jackson is fantastic in his performance because he brings his entire personality into the role and it is impossible not to see Jackson when Frozone is on the screen.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Bob’s best friend, Lucius, who is a former hero known as Frozone. When Bob is tricked into taking on his superhero persona as Mr. Incredible again, he quickly learns it was a trap. Frozone helps Bob’s wife and kids (all of whom have powers) save the day. Jackson is fantastic in his performance because he brings his entire personality into the role and it is impossible not to see Jackson when Frozone is on the screen.

5

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Nick Fury

Captain America 2 Poster All Characters

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12

8.8/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PG-13

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, follows Steve Rogers as he adapts to contemporary life while confronting a new adversary, the mysterious Winter Soldier, amidst internal threats to S.H.I.E.L.D. The film explores themes of trust and loyalty as Rogers teams up with allies to uncover hidden conspiracies.

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Release Date

April 4, 2014

Runtime

136 Minutes

Main Genre

Adventure

Cast

Chris Evans
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Scarlett Johansson
, Robert Redford
, Sebastian Stan
, Anthony Mackie
, Cobie Smulders
, Frank Grillo
, Maximiliano Hernández
, Emily VanCamp
, Hayley Atwell
, Toby Jones
, Stan Lee
, Callan Mulvey
, Jenny Agutter
, Bernard White
, Alan Dale
, Chin Han
, Garry Shandling
, georges st-pierre
, Salvator Xuereb
, Brian Duffy
, Zack Duhame
, Adetokumboh M’Cormack
, Christopher George Sarris
, Aaron Himelstein
, Allan Chanes
, Joe Russo
, Christopher Markus
, Stephen McFeely
, Pat Healy
, Ed Brubaker
, D.C. Pierson
, Danny Pudi
, Bernie Zilinskas
, Branka Katić
, Angela Russo-Otstot
, Jon Sklaroff
, Chad Todhunter
, Abigail Marlowe
, Jeremy Maxwell
, Emerson Brooks
, Evan Parke
, Ricardo Chacon

Director

Joe Russo
, Anthony Russo

Expand

Samuel Jackson first appeared in the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie’s post-credit scene. When he showed up and told Tony Stark about the “Avengers Initiative,” it set the MCU into motion. Jackson has played Nick Fury in several MCU movies, with his first major role coming in The Avengers. However, when looking at all his MCU roles, Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains the best of the best.

Year

Movie/TV Show

2008

Iron Man

2010

Iron Man 2

2011

Thor

2011

Captain America: The First Avenger

2012

The Avengers

2013-2014

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron

2018

Avengers: Infinity War

2019

Captain Marvel

2019

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home

2021-2024

What If…?

2023

Secret Invasion

2023

The Marvels

This film sees Captain America’s childhood friend Bucky Barnes back as a Hydra-controlled assassin known as The Winter Soldier. Hydra wants to take over the country and have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., so they target Nick Fury. Jackson proves here why he is more than just a figurehead in the MCU and the film shows that these movies are a lot more than just superheroes punching each other, as this is an A-grade espionage spy thriller.

4

Unbreakable (2000)

Elijah Price / Mr. Glass

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7.3/10

Unbreakable

PG-13
Drama Sci-FiMysteryThriller

M. Night Shyamalan presents Unbreakable, a superhero thriller that sees Bruce Willis star as David Dunn, a man who survives a train derailment completely unscathed. Now discovering that he has superpowers, he is invited to meet a man who may know more about his unique condition working at a comic book shop. What begins as a discovery of who he is and why he has these powers turns into David assuming the role of a reluctant hero in an ordinary world.

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Release Date

November 22, 2000

Runtime

106 minutes

Cast

Charlayne Woodard
, Bruce Willis
, Spencer Treat Clark
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Robin Wright

Director

M. Night Shyamalan

Distributor(s)

Disney

In 2000, Samuel L. Jackson teamed up with director M. Night Shyamalan to create what became his most beloved cult movie. While The Sixth Sense is the movie that made him a star, Unbreakable is the film that Shyamalan fans talk about the most. Bruce Willis stars as David Dunn, a normal guy who survives a train derailment that kills everyone else aboard the train. He soon learns he has superpowers and is almost indestructible.

Year

Movie

2000

Unbreakable

2019

Glass

Jackson plays Mr. Glass, a man who has been studying people he thinks might be superheroes. He was born with a condition that causes his bones to be brittle and he breaks them all the time. The juxtaposition between him and an unbreakable hero finally gives him his purpose in life – to be a supervillain. It is a great look at comic books and the tropes involved in one of Shyamalan’s best movies and one of Jackson’s most nuanced performances.

3

Jurassic Park (1993)

John “Ray” Arnold

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9.8/10

Jurassic Park

PG-13

Huge advancements in scientific technology have enabled a mogul to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John Hammond has invited four individuals, along with his two grandchildren, to join him at Jurassic Park. But will everything go according to plan? A park employee attempts to steal dinosaur embryos, critical security systems are shut down and it now becomes a race for survival with dinosaurs roaming freely over the island.

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Release Date

June 11, 1993

Runtime

127 minutes

Main Genre

Action-Adventure

Cast

Sam Neill
, Laura Dern
, Jeff Goldblum
, Richard Attenborough
, Bob Peck
, Martin Ferrero

Director

Steven Spielberg

While Jackson only had a small supporting role in the movie, Jurassic Park remains one of the best science fiction movies ever made. Directed by Steven Spielberg and using CGI when it was in its infancy to create the most realistic-looking dinosaurs to ever appear in a movie, Jurassic Park changed everything about filmmaking from that point on. The plot was simple. A company brought dinosaurs back to life using DNA and a group of people get trapped in a park when they get loose.

Jackson is good in his role, although it is a very small one, but this movie was one of the most important that the actor ever appeared in

Jackson plays Ray Arnold, one of the scientists working at the park and someone who the deceptive Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) knocks out to turn off the sensors to release the dinosaurs into all areas of the island. Jackson is good in his role, although it is a very small one, but this movie was one of the most important that the actor ever appeared in over his illustrious career.

2

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Jules Winnfield

Pulp Fiction Movie Poster

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51

8.5/10

Pulp Fiction

R

Quentin Tarantino’s classic tale of violence and redemption follows the intertwining tales of three protagonists: hitman Vincent Vega, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and Vincent’s business partner Jules Winnfield.

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Release Date

October 14, 1994

Runtime

154 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

Cast

John Travolta
, Bruce Willis
, Ving Rhames
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Uma Thurman
, Christopher Walken
, Tim Roth
, Harvey Keitel
, Eric Stoltz
, Rosanna Arquette

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Distributor(s)

Miramax Films

Expand

The movie that really made Samuel L. Jackson a star to the world was Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. This was Tarantino’s second feature film and it was a massive success as well as a cult favorite the second it hit theaters. The film had a ton of quotable dialogue, some shockingly violent scenes, and was shot in a style that no one had ever attempted before. Leading the way were John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield.

Split image of Samuel L Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction and Major Warren in The Hateful Eight

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Samuel L. Jackson is the perfect actor to deliver Quentin Tarantino’s dialogue. He’s played a bunch of memorable roles in Tarantino movies.

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This was the movie that really helped solidify Jackson’s on-screen persona for years to come. Pulp Fiction helped create the character that would become Nick Fury in the MCU. He has some of the best lines in the entire film and delivers some of the best stories and monologues found in any Tarantino film, and that is a high compliment. This was also the movie that ensured Tarantino would always find a role for Jackson in his projects.

1

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Mister Señor Love Daddy

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9/10

Do the Right Thing

R
DramaDocumentary

Do the Right Thing is Spike Lee’s Oscar-nominated film starring himself, Giancarlo Esposito, Bull Nunn, John Turturro, and Ossie Davis. The comedy drama revolves around Spike Lee’s young character Mookie, who is stuck in Brooklyn on the hottest day of summer, where bigotry and hate build before exploding into violence.

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Release Date

June 14, 1989

Runtime

120 minutes

Cast

Danny Aiello
, Ossie Davis
, Ruby Dee
, Richard Edson
, Giancarlo Esposito
, John Turturro
, Spike Lee

Director

Spike Lee

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Do The Right Thing is probably Samuel L. Jackson’s most important movie. Spike Lee cast Jackson in two of his earliest roles, and the biggest one was in this film, and fans never really saw him at all. Jackson plays the radio DJ Mister Señor Love Daddy. He opens the movie by talking about how hot it is outside, which leads to the riots, and then at the end, he dedicates a song to Radio Raheem after the young man’s murder.

Do The Right Thing is an important movie, one that explores racial violence and how the smallest thing can set it off while also looking at how authority figures don’t really care about justice but just a way to end violence with possibly more violence. The Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry in 1999 and Samuel L. Jackson was a small part of the movie’s tremendous success.