Samuel L. Jackson has more screen credits than nearly any other living actor. While Jackson made brief appearances in classic films like Goodfellas and Jurassic Park, his career really took off in the mid-1990s thanks to a series of successful collaborations with filmmakers like Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino. A staple of franchises, Jackson has appeared in recurring roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Kingsman, xXx, and Shaft franchises. Despite his popularity, Jackson is so well-known that his talents are occasionally taken for granted.
Jackson has only received a single Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Pulp Fiction; it's a rather shocking disparity considering the many great films that he’s appeared in. While he’s certainly one of the coolest actors ever and has many blockbuster roles, Jackson has done a lot of great work in character dramas, forgotten genre projects, idiosyncratic comedies, and other films that have been overlooked. Here are the ten most underrated Samuel L. Jackson movies.
10 ‘Sea of Love’ (1989)
Directed by Harold Becker
A brilliant erotic crime drama that gave Al Pacino one of his best roles, Sea of Love featured Jackson in one of the earliest roles of his career. He stars as a criminal who is given the opportunity to flee justice when he is approached by the hard-edged New York City police detective Frank Keller (Pacino). The scene is critical to the film; it emphasizes that Keller is a sympathetic character willing to give people another shot and allows Jackson to work alongside one of the greatest actors of all time.
Sea of Love proved that Jackson could be a scene-stealer, even if he had a somewhat limited amount of screen time. It proved to be a consequential role that proved he could work on prestige projects with stacked casts. The film itself is a steamy mystery that is both salacious and sadistic, and it stood out in comparison to the more superficial erotic thrillers that dominated the 1990s.
Sea of Love
RCrimeDocumentaryDramaMysteryThriller Release Date September 15, 1989 Director Harold Becker Cast Al Pacino , Ellen Barkin , John Goodman , Michael Rooker , William Hickey , Richard Jenkins Runtime 1139 ‘Menace II Society’ (1993)
Directed by The Hughes Brothers
While it may have suffered from comparisons to other “hood movies” like Do The Right Thing and Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society is a powerful coming-of-age drama that established the Hughes brothers as accomplished filmmakers. The film chronicles the life of the young drug dealer Caine (Tyrin Turner) as he grows up and experiences gang violence, drugs, and police brutality. Jackson appears in a terrifying cameo flashback as Caine’s abusive father, who uses threats and intimidation to get what he wants.
Jackson’s appearance in Menace II Society is crucial to the film’s story, as the history of Caine’s upbringing gives insight about his struggles later in life. Menace II Society is an uncompromising film that evoked significant controversy upon its initial release for its frequent graphic content; nonetheless, the commitment to authenticity by Jackson and the entire cast makes it a vital, if uncomfortable, watch.
8 ‘Trees Lounge’ (1996)
Directed by Steve Buscemi
While he is best known for playing profane and eccentric characters, Jackson is often a far more sensitive actor than he is given credit for. Steve Buscemi’s underrated directorial project Trees Lounge showed a different side of Jackson, as he had a small part as a friendly local man that frequents a bar. Trees Lounge is a slice-of-life movie that doesn’t go out of its way to exaggerate its stakes; Jackson fits perfectly within this tone, as he treats the film with the authenticity that it requires.
Trees Lounge signified Jackson’s interest in independent cinema, which became an important part of his filmography moving forward. While the success of Die Hard With A Vengeance and Pulp Fiction turned him into a globally recognized star, Jackson admirably still managed to appear in smaller projects like Trees Lounge that had less broad commercial prospects.
7 ‘The Negotiator’ (1998)
Directed by F. Gary Gray
He delivered a standout supporting role in Die Hard With A Vengeance, but The Negotiator was the film that proved that Jackson was an action lead. He starred alongside Kevin Spacey in F. Gary Gray’s underrated thriller as a duo of Chicago police lieutenants who are forced to stop a hostage situation from breaking out into violence. The tenacity and seriousness of Jackson’s performance made him perfect to play a figure of authority; in many ways, his work in The Negotiator predated his outstanding work as Nick Fury in the MCU.
The Negotiator tends to get overlooked when compared to other action movies of the 1990s, as it's less flashy and lacks a strong sense of humor. Nevertheless, Jackson’s endearing performance and some expertly crafted action sequences from Gray make it an underrated gem that’s worth revisiting for summer movie buffs.
The Negotiator
RActionThrillerRelease Date July 29, 1998 Director F. Gary Gray Cast Samuel L. Jackson , Kevin Spacey , David Morse , Ron Rifkin , John Spencer , J.T. Walsh Runtime 1396 ‘Formula 51’ (2001)
Directed by Ronny Yu
Although he’s an actor who can bring a sense of comic relief to even the most serious of films, Jackson delivered one of the funniest performances of his career in the dark comedy Formula 51. He starred as a brilliant chemist who works alongside a selfish fixer (Robert Carlyle) to escape with the formula to a potentially lucrative formula. Director Ronny Yu mixes in an absurd mix of gross-out humor and surprisingly intense car chases, creating what is certainly one of the most original buddy cop movies since the original Lethal Weapon.
Formula 51 is a film that hinges on Jackson’s charisma, as it could have easily become very grating or confusing if it wasn’t for his idiosyncratic personality. The chemistry between Jackson and Carlyle is so genuinely great that Formula 51 actually manages to be pretty charming at points, despite all the mayhem that it includes.
Formula 51
RActionComedyThriller Release Date October 18, 2002 Director Ronny Yu Cast Samuel L. Jackson , Robert Carlyle , Emily Mortimer , Meat Loaf Runtime 93 minutes5 ‘Changing Lanes’ (2002)
Directed by Roger Michell
CloseAn ethical drama that explored both race relations and economic disenfranchisement, Changing Lanes featured one of the most empathetic performances of Jackson’s career. He stars as a struggling father who attempts to attain custody of his child, only to get into a car crash with an egocentric young lawyer (Ben Affleck). The two men become locked in a bitter feud as they both contend with the potential loss of their livelihoods.
While it features one of Affleck’s most underrated performances, Jackson does a great job at playing a caring father who is pushed to his limits. The absurdities of the narrative never feel too exaggerated thanks to the emotional realism he contributes to the role, as there’s not a moment where his actions don’t feel well-reasoned and justified. Frankly, it's a performance that should have earned him more award-season recognition.
4 ‘Basic’ (2003)
Directed by John McTiernan
Reteaming with Die Hard With A Vengeance director John McTiernan, Jackson delivered a highly entertaining performance in the neo-noir mystery Basic. He stars as a rageful military leader whose murder sparks an investigation by a military detective (John Travolta). The film’s series of twists and turns use flashback sequences to explore the events that led up to the viewer; Jackson is essential in getting the viewers to pay attention to the subtle clues along the way.
While it certainly features a larger-than-life performance from Travolta, Jackson understands the inherent campiness of Basic. It may be easy to dismiss the film as a “guilty pleasure,” but Jackson is able to acknowledge that the film is highly convoluted and potentially illogical. While not given the respect that it deserved upon its initial release, Basic shows how well-suited Jackson and McTiernan were for collaboration.
Basic
RActionCrimeDocumentaryMysteryThriller Release Date April 18, 2003 Director John McTiernan Cast John Travolta , Connie Nielsen , Samuel L. Jackson , Tim Daly , Giovanni Ribisi , Brian Van Holt Runtime 983 ‘Lakeview Terrace’
Directed by Neil LaBute
Based on a chilling true story, Lakeview Terrace is an incendiary examination of race relations and police brutality that asks uncomfortable questions about the state of America's neighborhoods. Jackson stars as a strict and defiant police officer who grows increasingly irritable when an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) move into the house next door to his family. A bitter feud between them escalates into violence; Jackson is able to make the transition from being a sympathetic family man to an abusive villain seamlessly.
While he’s played antagonists in films like Kingsman: The Secret Service and Jumper, Jackson plays a genuinely terrifying character in Lakeview Terrace. It’s often said that the most haunting villains are those who consider themselves to be the heroes, and that’s certainly true of Jackson’s controversial character. It’s an underrated film that is more dynamic and ambiguous than it is given credit for.
Lakeview Terrace
PG-13CrimeDramaThrillerRelease Date September 19, 2008 Director Neil LaBute Cast Samuel L. Jackson , Patrick Wilson , Kerry Washington , Ron Glass , Justin Chambers , Jay Hernandez Runtime 110 minutes2 ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ (2016)
Directed by Tim Burton
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was based on the popular young adult novel series of the same name; while it didn’t inspire a franchise like it may have intended, Jackson gives one of his most entertainingly evil performances. He co-stars as the evil shapeshifter Mr. Barron, who leads the malevolent Wights and Hollows to hunt down children with special powers. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children may be a PG-13 film aimed at a youthful audience, but there are instances in which Jackson’s performance slips into pure horror.
Jackson proved himself perfectly suited for the style of Tim Burton, who added elements of stylized fantasy to this coming-of-age adventure story. The negative reviews and weak box office were unfortunate; there was clearly potential to adapt other books in the series that could give Jackson the opportunity to reprise his role and give more depth to Mr. Barron’s backstory.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
PG-13FantasyRelease Date September 30, 2016 Director Tim Burton Cast Eva Green , Asa Butterfield , Chris O'Dowd , Allison Janney , Rupert Everett , Terence Stamp , Ella Purnell , judi dench , Samuel L. Jackson Runtime 1271 ‘The Banker’ (2020)
Directed by George Nolfi
Despite becoming the subject of controversy prior to its streaming release, The Bankeris an inspiring true story about overcoming racial prejudice and economic disadvantages. Jackson and Anthony Mackie star as a pair of African-American bankers who use a white man (Nicholas Hoult) to help them front a bank that can help them give back to their community. While the plot is initially successful, a series of investigations threaten to impede all the progress that they have made.
Although the film deals with important issues and sheds a spotlight on an underrepresented moment in history, Jackson adds a great deal of comic relief to The Banker. Scenes of physical comedy involving him and Hoult on a golf course are unexpectedly hilarious; it's unfortunate that The Banker was buried within Apple TV+’s streaming library, as it had the potential to be a crowd-pleasing hit.
The Banker
PG-13Drama Release Date March 6, 2020 Director George Nolfi Cast Anthony Mackie , Samuel L. Jackson , Nicholas Hoult , Nia Long , Jessie Usher , Colm Meaney Runtime 120ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kwKK51J6jZqRdn66kt9KopWaln6u2pr%2BMrqWdnaKnrrWxw2apmqabmrFw