Following a year-long delay,Spiral: From the Book of Sawfinally hits theaters Friday to satiate the bloodlust of gorehounds everywhere, and while theRube Goldberg-esque traps return, the evil genius Jigsaw is nowhere to be found. Instead,Chris Rocktakes over the franchise as Detective Zeke Banks, whileSamuel L. Jacksonplays his father, a former police chief himself. The film finds a new psychopath targeting corrupt cops, and as the bodies mount, the Banks boys find themselves in the crosshairs of a cunning killer.
Spiralmay not make the highlight reel of Jackson’s long career but it did prompt me to examine the actor’s extensive filmography and come up with a list of his 10 best movies. Now, before I defend my choices below, allow me some honorable mentions and other explanations. You should be warned up front that there are no Marvel movies on the list. I was very, very close to givingThe MCUthe 10-spot in recognition of Jackson’s contribution to the wildly successful superhero franchise, as he proved to be the perfect choice to play Nick Fury. However, there’s no one Marvel movie that defines the character. If you held my feet to the fire, I would’ve cited Jackson for his work inThe Avengers, because his “There was an idea…” speech still gives Marvel fans the chills, but ultimately, I couldn’t justify its inclusion on this list, as Nick Fury hasn’t really evolved all that much as a character despite being in more MCU movies than anyone else.
Personally, I love Jackson’s performance as Abel Turner inLakeview Terrace, but I was already putting a couple of pulpy B-movies on the list, and there was only so much room. Likewise, people will cry foul about the omission ofThe Hateful Eight, but I knew early on thatQuentin Tarantinomovies would occupy three of the top four spots on this list, and as I said before, there are only so many slots. I mean, Sam Jackson has been in a lot of movies! The joints he’s made withSpike Leehadto be represented, as did blockbuster franchises likeJurassic ParkandDie Hard.
Speaking of blockbuster franchises, I may not be aStar Warsguy, but after checking with someStar Warsfans, it became clear that no one would really raise an eye if I left Jackson’s turn as Mace Windu off this list. If Nick Fury isn’t getting on, Mace Windu ain’t getting on. And as much as I enjoy Jackson’s voice work as Frozone inThe Incrediblesmovies, the character never felt like a career-defining voice role for him in the way thatTom HanksisWoody orTim AllenisBuzz Lightyear. Some of those sameStar Wars-loving friends of mine suggested the campy standoutSnakes on a Plane, but I don’t even think that’s the best “snake” movie Jackson was in, as his ferocious turn inBlack Snake Moanis straight fire.
If there’s one movie I really regret not including on this list, it’s Spike Lee’sJungle Fever, in which Jackson plays a crackhead named Gator Purify who meets a tragic end after being a burden on his entire family. Jacksonisvery good in that film but I didn’t feel like I could put it overDo the Right Thing, considering that is one of the best films of the ’80s. I’m sure that fans of Jackson’s strong turns inCoach CarterandThe Bankerwill be upset as well, but them’s the breaks.
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10. Changing Lanes
That this movie edged out Jackson’s solid work in the MCU should not be held against it, as it happens to be a really good thriller that also serves as a valuable morality tale. Jackson plays Doyle Gipson, an insurance salesman and recovering alcoholic who’s fighting to stay sober so he can regain custody of his kids, whose mother wants to move them across the country. On his way to the custody hearing, he gets into a fender bender with a young Wall Street lawyer played byBen Affleck, who subsequently leaves the scene of the accident. Left alone on the side of the highway, Doyle finds an important file that the lawyer needs, and he resolves to get back at the man, who retaliates himself in a series of escalating power moves. It asks that two people stop hating each other long enough to find out who the other man is and take a minute to walk in the other’s shoes, so to speak. Jackson is incredibly relatable as a flawed everyman who’s just trying to do right by his family and Affleck delivers one of his best performances as an arrogant prick who learns to have a heart and tell the truth. Watching the two of them go toe-to-toe is every bit as thrilling as it sounds.
9. Do the Right Thing
I know Jackson is just one piece of theDo the Right Thingpuzzle, but he helps set the tone for the film early on with his performance as Señor Love Daddy, the smooth-talking radio DJ who opens the movie with an impassioned plea for his listeners to “wake up!” The character pops up throughout the film to provide commentary from the safety of the local radio station, and he’s a lover, not a fighter. He’d rather cue up a great record than join in the riot raging right outside his water-soaked window. I aimed to do the right thing when it came to making this list, and though Jackson was still fairly young and unknown here, he still manages to lend the picture a certain gravitas. There’s no doubt in my mind that this supporting turn is among Jackson’s best early performances, and that’s the truth, Ruth!
8. Jurassic Park
OK, so this is a fairly small role for Jackson that hit theaters beforePulp Fictionblew up his career, but I just don’t see how this early performance can be left off the list, especially since people are still quoting “Hold onto your butts” 25-plus years later. This is the kind of scene-stealing supporting turn that Jackson would come to be known for. People may point to the inclusion ofJurassic Parkon this list and say, ‘well what aboutGoodfellasthen?’ but I’d argue that Ray Arnold was ultimately a more significant character than Stacks Edwards. Jackson’s character would’ve had even more screentime if an actual hurricane hadn’t destroyed some of theJurassic Parksets during production, but either way, he was never going to survive that encounter with a velociraptor, so a cameo in the upcomingJurassic World: Dominionwas never in the cards. Oh, well!
7. The Negotiator
Some people may not want to revisitThe Negotiatorbecause it co-starsKevin Spacey, and that’s entirely their right, but I love this police thriller. I haven’t been a fan ofF. Gary Gray’s blockbusters, but he’s a master of the mid-budget movie and he directs the hell out of this one, which finds Jackson playing Danny Roman, a top hostage negotiator for the Chicago Police Department who is framed for killing his partner shortly after his partner told him of widespread corruption within the force. Desperate to prove his innocence, Danny takes several of his colleagues as hostages and demands to negotiate with fellow lieutenant Chris Sabian (Spacey), who he hopes will help clear his name. With a running time of 140 minutes, this movie feels rather epic for a B-movie programmer, and Jackson’s fervent pursuit for justice lends credence to timely themes involving corrupt cops and the blue wall of silence they hide behind. The actor deserves bonus points for (mostly) pulling off that copper-colored hair, which is no easy feat!
6. A Time to Kill
Simply put, this is one of the finest legal thrillers ever made. It’s a courtroom drama in which we know going in that the Black man who stands accused committed the crime. The question is whether that man should be found guilty in the eyes of the law, given the extreme extenuating circumstances. It’s a movie that explores the idea of vigilante justice and what it means to take the law into your own hands. It’s hard to justify murder, and we can’t have family members shooting defendants inside of courthouses, but at the same time, we must consider that person’s state of mind given the irrevocable trauma that the deceased has inflicted upon their family. Jackson’s Carl Lee Haley may have done something stupid but I’ll be damned if I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing in his position. Jackson makes us feel Carl Lee’s helplessness as well as his righteous anger, and we sympathize with him behind bars. When he’s finally reunited with his little girl, our eyes fill with tears, just like his. It’s a powerful moment brought to life by a powerful actor, one who also has fantastic chemistry with a youngMatthew McConaughey, who plays his lawyer.
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5. Die Hard With a Vengeance
Growing up, I remember actually debating which of the first threeDie Hardmovies was the best – a testament to the quality of both sequels. Now that I’m older and wiser, I recognize that the originalDie Hardremains the greatest, but the fact thatDie Hard With a Vengeancewas even in the conversation is impressive.Bruce Willisreprises his role as John McClane, but it’s Jackson’s energetic-yet-exasperated turn as Zeus Carver that kept this franchise from getting stale. Rest assured, the next two movies were both terrible, thus proving my point. Jackson is electric as Zeus and every bit as crucial to saving New York City as McClane. Just don’t call him a sidekick, because he’ll shove a lightning bolt up your ass. I just wish subsequent films in this franchise had the good sense to bring back Jackson, because he had great chemistry with Willis – something that isn’t always easy if you go by the Hollywood rumor mill. Thankfully, they reunited a few years later forUnbreakable, not to get ahead of myself.
4. Django Unchained
I remember reading the script forDjango Unchainedbefore casting began and thinking how tricky it would be for Tarantino to cast the role of Stephen, the older Black man who runs Calvin Candie’s plantation Candieland, but who remains enslaved nonetheless. I underestimated the director’s instincts, however, as his decision to put Jackson through 45 minutes of makeup each day proved to be brilliant, as Jackson disappears into the role. Stephen has raised Calvin since he was a little boy and they have a special relationship, so it doesn’t take him long to sniff out that something is amiss with Django (Jamie Foxx). Jackson told the New York Times that he believed Stephen to have “the same moral compass asClarence Thomasdoes,” and Jackson reportedly told Vogue Man that “Django Unchainedwas a harder and more detailed exploration of what the slavery experience was than12 Years a Slave,” which went on to win Best Picture. I think it’s possible to think that both movies are great, albeit very different presentations of that experience, and that Jackson delivers one of his very best performances inDjango. I’m not saying thatChristoph Waltzdidn’t deserve to win his second Oscar for his turn as King Schultz, but some have wondered whether the award went to the right supporting actor in this movie.
3. Unbreakable
This is truly one of Jackson’s greatest performances. He’s simply remarkable as Elijah Price, the man whom all the kids call Mr. Glass. Elijah has experienced unimaginable pain, not just physically, but spiritually, as he searches the globe for his polar opposite. His nemesis, if you will. The man who will finally give his life a sense of purpose. When Elijah finally finds Bruce Willis' security guard David Dunn, it’s like a miracle, for it helps him better understand who he is, and who he is supposed to become. Jackson makes a meal out of this character. Whether Elijah is on his unstable feet or confined to a wheelchair, we feel his frustration, as well his elation when David finally fulfills his prophecy. Jackson’s final monologue will still make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Sometimes, the villain hides in plain sight. And sometimes, maybe a couple of movies later, you end up wondering if the villain is in fact a villain at all or just someone who’s… complicated. Kudos to writer-directorM. Night Shyamalanfor revisiting this character 20 years later and explaining how there was a method to his madness all along.
2. Jackie Brown
Jackson is, frankly, incredible as Ordell Robbie, R-O-B-B-I-E, the weapons dealer who bails money mule Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) out of jail but keeps a real close eye on her, since she can rat him out to the feds at any time. All of his choices here are superb, from the character’s wardrobe to the way he moves to his taste in music – don’t mess with the levels on his car stereo! – and I even love the, shall we say, unique facial hair that hangs beneath Ordell’s icy stare. It’s the kind of work that should’ve been recognized by the Academy, and Jackson has said on multiple occasions that it is among his favorite roles. I thinkJackie Brownis a special movie in Tarantino’s oeuvre and Jackson’s final question of his friend Louis (Robert De Niro) is laced with love and heartbreak before an act of shocking violence occurs. Jackson plays the moment perfectly, which is why he is the quintessential Tarantino actor – one who always defends his director in times of controversy. Speaking of…
1. Pulp Fiction
I mean, there’s no question thatPulp Fictionis #1 right? This is an explosive performance, a “look at me I’m a star” turn that is likely the reason that Jackson went on to become the highest-grossing actor in box office history. As Jeri-curled hitman Jules Winnfield, Jackson is so cool and yet so angry, and he makes us feel how righteous that anger is. He also imbues Jules with a great sense of humor, making him the kind of guy you’d be down to hang out with so long as you didn’t know he was a ruthless killer for hire. The diner scene, in which Jules keeps his cool with a gun pointed at his face, wound up serving as a calling card for Jackson’s entire career, as his expressive face allows you to see a spectrum of emotions – none of them fear. Instead, there’s a zen-like calmness that signals a man in total control of the situation. After all, the lord is his shepherd, and what will be shall be. Jules isn’t the Bible-thumping type, he just likes to recite Ezekiel 25:17 because it’s “some cold-blooded shit to say to a motherfucker before you pop a cap in his ass,” but the movie-loving world now knows that passage by heart thanks to Jackson’s iconic delivery. Once again, the actor has fantastic chemistry with his co-star, in this caseJohn Travolta, and clearly,Pulp Fictionwas the start of a very special working relationship between Jackson and Tarantino, one that has given us several great movies and performances. Jackson sat out of the director’s last film, but here’s hoping there’s a role for him in Tarantino’s next picture, especially if it proves to be the director’s last.
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