13 Underrated Samuel L. Jackson Movies

Amid blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and of course, the MCU, Samuel L. Jackson has starred in his fair share of underrated films.

American actor Samuel L. Jackson is among the biggest names the film industry has ever produced. He’s played characters in huge franchises like Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and of course the MCU. Those franchises render Jackson the second highest-grossing actor of all time, just behind Scarlett Johansson. Plus, he’s of course appeared in numerous critical hits, like his collaborations with American directors Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino.

But with well over a hundred roles to his name, Sam Jackson has his fair share of overlooked movies under his belt, as well. Most of the stints on this list are from the nineties, but a few other decades are scattered throughout. All that said, these are the thirteen most underrated movies with Samuel L. Jackson, ranked.

13 PHOTOS

13. Coach Carter

With regard to Coach Carter (2005), it’s worth noting out of the gate that success in theaters in tandem with overall popularity can only cover so much ground that projects like this are missed in their critical aspirations. This sports stint holds a 64% approval rating on the critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes — not the worst score, by any means. But its consensus rating on Metacritic is even harsher with only 57 out of 100 reviews being positive. There’s no telling what went wrong here in the minds of those other critics.

Sam Jackson plays the titular character in this sports film to an admirable degree, sharing great chemistry with each of the performers that portray his respective players. Jackson’s character is the coach of a high school basketball team, and he doesn’t just find great success on the court. His character and tandem efforts in front of the camera provide enough dynamic intrigue to warrant Coach Carter this opening spot on the list.

12. Eve’s Bayou

This directorial debut of Kasi Lemmons was actually the most successful independent film of its year, grossing $14 million at the worldwide box office off a $4 million budget. It received positive reviews from critics upon release, and it even boasts a spot in the National Film Registry thanks to its preservation by the Library of Congress. Those are all highly impressive statistics that should nearly never meet the criteria for a list of these proportions.

But Eve’s Bayou (1997) is rarely talked about today, especially in the grand scheme of Samuel L. Jackson movies. He stars as a local Louisianan doctor named Louis Batiste who doubles as a caring father. But his relationship with his wife is much more complicated, as the plot’s main source of conflict stems from Louis having an affair, and his daughter catching him. It results in a compelling story, with one of the best performances from the career of the actor at hand. Eve’s Bayou may have been renowned upon release, but unfortunately, it’s fallen by the modern wayside.

11. Big Game

Although Big Game (2014) by Jalmari Helander (a Finnish writer-director) isn’t exactly the most thought-provoking project on the list, it deserves placement for its entertaining action sequences alone. It’s one of the most expensive Finnish films ever made, with each buck of its $10 million budget being put perfectly to use.

Yet somehow, it came up short of raking that money back in theater receipts, accruing just $7.5 million at the worldwide box office. And sure, Sam Jackson’s performance was never going to save this film from commercial shortcomings by itself. But Big Game is nonetheless a wild outing about a psychopath initiating the titular game to execute the President of the United States — in this case, a fictional politician played by Jackson. Without question, this is one of his more underrated films.

10. Unicorn Store

Amid entries from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, blockbuster franchises such as King Kong and The Incredibles, and several notable others, Samuel L. Jackson appeared in numerous underrated projects throughout the 2010s. And among those was Unicorn Store (2017), a Netflix film directed by and starring Brie Larson.

Of course, Netflix doesn’t release any sort of financial records for their original feature films, but Unicorn Store nonetheless features a particular paucity of popularity. Plus, critics weren’t too fond of its plot, which follows Larson’s protagonist Kit as she moves back in with her parents and takes a temp job after failing out of art school. Jackson’s character provides the project it's inciting incident as The Salesman, who sends Kit a letter offering to sell “what you need”. It’s a highly original premise, and the performances in tandem with Larson’s direction land it here on the list.

9. The Banker

Although you may not recognize the director of this entry in George Nolfi, you’ll without a doubt know the name of Jackson’s co-star Anthony Mackie. Set in the 1960s, this plot follows their protagonists (Joe Morris for Jackson and Bernard Garrett for Mackie) — portrayals of real-life figures, for what it’s worth — as they become the first African American bank owners in the United States. And before jumping into on-paper numbers of success, it’s worth noting the general dearth of name-value featured herein despite some seriously high-quality elements of filmmaking that went into its production.

Considering The Banker (2020) was distributed by the streaming service Apple TV+, there aren’t any available receipts from its limited stretch in movie theaters. But it does hold a 79% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a much lower 59% on Metacritic. Those numbers are unjustified, and they ultimately land The Banker here at number nine. Its compelling plot is seen to great fruition by the efforts of its leading actors.

8. The Last Full Measure

A war drama with strong performances, an engaging plot, and a star-studded cast to boot? What could have gone wrong? Well, a lot, apparently: The Last Full Measure (2019) holds just a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes in spite of some seriously high-quality actors putting in work in front of the camera. Sebastian Stan appears as the lead, with William Hurt, Ed Harris, Peter Fonda, and Sam Jackson showing up in supporting roles.

But The Last Full Measure also marks the final role of Christopher Plummer’s critically acclaimed career before his death in 2021. And acting efforts aside, its true story about a Pararescue airman during the Vietnam War will move anyone willing to watch. On any given day, this entry could wind up in an even higher placement on the list.

7. The Long Kiss Goodnight

A small-town schoolteacher (played by Geena Davis) suffers from amnesia here in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and its plot kicks off when she enlists the help of a private detective — Jackson’s character, named Mitch — to help uncover her identity. But things take a twist when a dark conspiracy is discovered soon into their investigation.

An action thriller directed by Renny Harlin, this entry actually made decent money at the worldwide box office. But it lands here on the list for its average reception from critics in tandem with a name value that has only plummeted as of late. If you haven’t seen The Long Kiss Goodnight, it’s without a doubt worth your time.

6. Changing Lanes

Alongside Samuel L. Jackson in Changing Lanes (2002) is fellow American thespian Ben Affleck. A recovering alcoholic, Doyle Gipson is Jackson’s character, who works as an insurance salesman. Meanwhile, Affleck appears as Gavin Banek, a lawyer on Wall Street who kicks the plot into gear when he crashes into Gipson’s car.

It’s a compelling plot through and through, with great performances from its leads. Plus, the supporting cast consists of names such as Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt, and Amanda Peet. And thanks to that star power, Changing Lanes made great money in movie theaters with decent praise doled out by critics. However, its popularity is not what it once was, resulting in a clear choice for the sixth spot.

5. The Red Violin

Directed by François Girard, it’s off the bat worth noting that The Red Violin (1998) features dialogue in five disparate languages: English, firstly, along with French, German, Italian, and Mandarin. Its plot takes place in five different regions as well, with its timeline spanning four centuries: the seventeenth to the twentieth. And each of its perspectives forms a magnificent whole, with the plot going down as the most poignant on the list.

It follows the involved history of the titular violin, based on a historic instrument from 1720 nicknamed the “Red Mendelssohn” which was in turn taken from the von Mendelssohn family name. And the titular musical device in The Red Violin that travels through multiple generations is almost rendered a character in itself. This poetic plot somehow fell completely short at the worldwide box office and is still rarely talked about today. But really, Samuel L. Jackson’s appearance makes it a no-brainer for this particular list.

4. The Negotiator

Directed by F. Gary Gray, this entry features Jackson in the titular role of Lieutenant Danny Roman, a hostage negotiator for the Chicago Police Department. Upon suspecting members of his unit to be involved in an embezzlement scheme, he’s wanted for the murder of his partner — a crime he didn’t commit, creating an outward conflict for Roman on top of the troubles within his department.

The Negotiator (1998) then follows Jackson’s protagonist as he takes hostages in his boss’s office until he can clear his name. In the meantime, he issues a series of demands, including the summoning of Lieutenant Chris Sabian, the other chief hostage negotiator for their department. And for those unfamiliar: he’s played by Kevin Spacey. Both performers are at their best here in The Negotiator, and in spite of doubling its $43.5 million budget at the worldwide box office upon release, critics were less impressed than audiences. This is a clear choice for any list of Samuel L. Jackson movies.

3. Lakeview Terrace

The premise of Lakeview Terrace (2008) is among the most intriguing on the list. The actor at hand plays the lead role, a racist police officer who terrorizes his new neighbors: an interracial couple portrayed by Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson. And aside from its concept, the performances of its actors, and the development of their respective characters, there are several high-quality tactics of filmmaking going on behind the scenes. Masterful tactics of editing, for example, with well-timed fades and jump cuts around every corner of post-production.

Everything comes into fluid fruition to render Lakeview Terrace an essential piece of Sam Jackson cinema, with its plot running the gamut of emotion. But this isn’t just among the more underrated Samuel L. Jackson movies — it’s one of his most overlooked performances, too. His work in Lakeview Terrace stood out as perhaps the film’s greatest quality, ultimately landing it here at number three.

2. Resurrecting the Champ

Among the most underrated sports films ever made is Resurrecting the Champ (2007), co-starring Josh Hartnett alongside Jackson with the latter in the titular role. He plays a homeless man who claims to be former boxing heavyweight contender Bob Satterfield, while Hartnett’s arising journalist Erik capitalizes on the untapped story. But when holes materialize from the words of “Satterfield”, people question Erik’s journalistic integrity.

For some reason, Resurrecting the Champ absolutely bombed at the worldwide box office, raking in a meager $3.2 million on a $13 million budget. Jackson was a huge star at this time, too, and he put on an indelible performance — one of the best throughout his career, in fact. And with the product only receiving moderately positive reviews from critics, this is the perfect penultimate pick for Sam Jackson’s most underrated movies.

1. Hard Eight

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this number one pick on the list features Phillip Baker Hall (whose character is called Sydney) and John C. Reilly (named John) as the lead. The former takes the latter under his wing as professional gamblers in Las Vegas, with Jackson appearing as the antagonist, named Jimmy. He shares supporting screen time with Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Reilly’s love interest named Clementine, and all four thespians lead the quality of Hard Eight (1996) to heights that the now-famous writer-director likely never could have imagined.

This is the single most underrated movie of the 1990s, let alone of Jackson’s career, and it should go down as one of the best projects ever made that revolves around gambling. It’s not just a compelling story with thought-out character dynamics — the dialogue is funny, the performances are impressive (just look at the brief appearance from Phillip Seymour Hoffman), and its editing features some high-quality transitions all throughout. Frankly, every fathomable facet of filmmaking comes to fantastic fruition with Hard Eight despite its paucity of name-value today. It’s a clear pick for the number one spot.