From indie classics like Do the Right Thing to blockbuster mega hits such as Infinity War, Samuel L. Jackson has cemented himself as one of the most recognizable actors of modern American cinema. But for every great movie he’s been in, he’s also played a part in some truly atrocious, yet nonetheless entertaining titles. And so on that note, here are his best and worst films, according to IMDb’s rating system.
Let’s start with the worst and work our way to the top from there. First up we got a movie called Def by Temptation. Released in 1990 and directed by a guy named James Bond III, it stars Jackson alongside Kadeem Hardison and Bill Nunn, both of whom have since become household names in their own right. The story of an “evil succubus” preying on young black men in New York, it’s a hodgepodge of genres that has mostly been forgotten as the years went by.
Some other films that make up Jackson’s worst, according to IMDb, include the 1998 drama Kite, which tells the story of a sex slave who becomes an assassin to avenge her past; the awfully-titled XXX2: The Next Level, a mindless action flick whose script was so bad even Vin Diesel passed up on it; and Farce of the Penguins, an animated spoof on the beloved nature documentary March of the Penguins which could not be saved even by Sam’s narration.
With those garbage dumps out of the way, it’s time for the best. A fair amount of Jackson’s highest-rated films hail from the MCU, in which the actor portrays a role that has since become synonymous with him: agent Nick Fury. What are Sam’s best Marvel movies according to IMDb, though? Well, the last two. First up we got Avengers: Endgame, which boasts a rating of 8.4, one that’s topped just barely by Infinity War‘s 8.5.
Other pictures that rank among Jackson’s best include Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, in which the performer gives life to a hitman-turned-priest named Jules, as well as Django Unchained. Also directed by Tarantino, this movie takes place in the American South, and follows a freed slave on a quest to save his wife from their former owner. Last but not least, we got Martin Scorsese’s crime drama Goodfellas, in which Samuel L. Jackson plays a small but poignant part.