Samuel L. Jackson is a talented and prolific actor who has starred in over 100 films throughout his 50-year career. He first gained notoriety in the late-80s and early-90s after starring in a series of films made by director Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever. In the 90s, he earned fame and critical acclaim by starring in some of the biggest films of the decade, including Goodfellas, Jurassic Park, and Pulp Fiction. The veteran actor has also been involved in two of the biggest film franchises in history: Jackson starred as Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars franchise, and also starred as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury in the 2008 film Iron Man, the first of many films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has since reprised his role as Nick Fury in several other MCU films.
Jackson also lent his distinct voice to Pixar’s very popular The Incredibles and its long-awaited sequel The Incredibles 2. In 2016, the celebrated actor earned a Lifetime Achievement Award at the B.E.T awards and, more recently, was presented with an honorary Academy Award in March 2022. Throughout his career, Jackson has had more than his fair share of iconic movie moments. Here are Samuel L. Jackson’s best action movies, ranked.
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9 Snakes on a Plane
Mutual Film Company
Jackson stars as Neville Flynn, an FBI agent escorting a murder witness to trial in Snakes on a Plane. In a bid to silence the witness and take down the plane before it reaches its destination, notorious crime boss Eddie Kim plants a time-release crate on the plane full of lethal and venomous snakes. While the title may not get points for originality, the over-the-top action flick became an internet sensation before the film was even released (according to The Guardian). The production team even considered fan feedback and added five days of reshooting to the film.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Lucasfilm
The Star Wars prequel trilogy has had a rocky history with franchise fans, and despite a lot of negative criticism over the years is only now starting to earn fan appreciation. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith has been dubbed the best film in the prequel trilogy. Jackson stars as grim Jedi Master Mace Windu in the series. While Windu was seen plummeting to his supposed death in his final scenes in the film, the action hero told Twitter in 2016, “In my mind, I’m not dead. Jedis can fall from incredibly high distances and not die.” Jackson has been vocal over the years about his desire to reprise the role.
7 The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Summit Entertainment
Jackson stars as notorious hitman Darius Kincaid in this action-packed comedy. In need of some protection, Darius is assigned his mortal enemy Michael Bryce as his bodyguard. While The Hitman’s Bodyguard is by no means a perfect film, the chemistry between the adversarial duo, and some great stunt work, make it one of Jackson’s best action movies. The success of the film spawned a sequel The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, and there are also talks of a potential third film.
6 The Avengers
Marvel Studios
The 2008 Marvel movie Iron Man may have officially introduced Nick Fury to the MCU, however, his character begins to flourish in 2012’s The Avengers. The film centers on Nick Fury recruiting an all-star team of superheroes to save the Tesseract, an energy cube that yields unlimited power, from fellow Asgardian and Thor’s brother Loki. Among his dream team are Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.
5 S.W.A.T
Columbia Pictures
S.W.A.T is a 2003 action thriller that is based on the 1975 television series of the same name and follows the recruitment and training of a specialized police unit by Hondo Harrelson (Jackson). On their first major assignment, the inexperienced unit has been tasked with escorting high-profile crime boss Alex Montel to prison. Things go awry when Montel offers a $1 million prize to anyone who can help him escape and everyone and their dog takes the bait. The 1975 series also inspired a 2017 reboot.
4 Jurassic Park
Universal Pictures
Jackson stars as chain-smoking chief engineer Ray Arnold in the 1993 blockbuster hit Jurassic Park. Ray must try to get the park back online after a saboteur shuts down the park’s electrical system to aid him in stealing valuable DNA samples to sell to competitors. Jackson’s stoic portrayal of Arnold has made the character a fan favorite over the years.
3 The Long Kiss Goodnight
New Line Cinema
The Long Kiss Goodnight joins the ranks of Iron Man 3, Lethal Weapon, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as an action movie that doubles as a Christmas movie. The film follows amnesia school teacher Samantha Caine, who rediscovers her old life as a spy when her past comes knocking on her front door. Jackson stars as private eye Mitch Hennessey, who tries to help Samantha unlock the mysteries of her past. Geena Davis and Jackson have incredible chemistry in this action-packed thrill ride.
2 Die Hard With a Vengeance
Cinergi Pictures
Jackson stars opposite veteran action star Bruce Willis in the third installment of the Die Hard franchise, Die Hard With a Vengeance. The pair have great chemistry throughout the film as the unlikely duo team up to defeat an enigmatic villain by decoding riddles to disarm bombs all over New York City. The action-packed film nearly quadrupled its budget in box office earnings making it the highest-grossing film of 1995.
1 Pulp Fiction
A Band Apart
The veteran actor is probably most well known for his part as the bible quoting hitman Jules Winnfield in the 1994 Palme D’Or-winning movie Pulp Fiction. Additionally, he and co-star John Travolta were both nominated for an Oscar for their performances. Pulp Fiction is a dark comedy pulp crime film that follows several different storylines in a non-linear fashion. Of those storylines is that of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, two mob hitmen trying to track down an elusive suitcase filled with something very valuable and also very mysterious. Jackson recently told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the scene was originally written to have a more violent ending than what we ultimately see in the theatrical release.
