Top 5 – Samuel L. Jackson Movies NOT Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Samuel L. Jackson is the man.  Plain and simple, the man.  With his loud voice, boisterous personality, and acting talent, Jackson has become a Hollywood icon and one of the most recognizable and most enjoyable faces to see on screen.  This Friday, Jackson stars alongside Ryan Reynolds in The Hitman’s Bodyguard, a hilarious, awesome movie and another excellent performance in his already staggering filmography.  So in honor of that, I am going to count down my favorite Samuel L. Jackson movies.

And to make the list even harder, Quentin Tarantino movies are NOT included.  So sorry Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), and Django Unchained (2012).

And remember, these movies are based on Jackson’s performance and the quality of the movie.

5 – NICK FURY in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLIDER (The Russo Brothers, 2014)

A lot of people consider Captain: America: The Winter Solider to be one of the best movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I am not one of those people.  I enjoy the movie, but feel the third act ruined everything the movie had going for it.  One thing I loved about the movie was its major usage of Nick Fury.  Fury, who was more of a cameo/Avenger manager in the previous films, does more in this film than all the other films combined.  Fury is in the thick of the events in this movie and Jackson does some serious ass-kicking while also fleshing out the character emotionally.  This is a solid entry in the MCU and the best we’ve ever seen Nick Fury.

4 – NEVILLE FLYNN in SNAKES ON A PLANE (David R. Ellis, 2006)

Look, Snakes on a Plane is a dumb movie.  Like a really, really dumb movie.  Yet, I love it.  It is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies and I enjoy every moment of it’s campy ridiculousness.  What really makes me love this movie is how serious the entire cast takes this preposterous movie and Jackson is at the forefront of this film.  Watching him keep a serious face as terribly CGI-ed snakes attack him and passengers on a plane traveling from Hawaii and California is something to behold.  And, this movie features easily one of the best lines of Jackson’s career with the brilliant, “I’ve had it with these mothafuckin’ snakes on this mothafuckin’ plane!”  Legendary.

3 – FROZONE in THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird, 2004)

For such a commanding voice, Jackson hasn’t really ventured into voice-over work as much as we’d think.  I wonder if it’s because he can’t really do much better than his work in Pixar’s The Incredibles?  In Brad Bird’s masterful animated superhero flick, Jackson is Frozone, the ice-shooting best friend of Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson).  He’s a reliable friend with badass powers, yet deals with the domesticated life and its issues, like losing his super suit in the house, which is a hilarious scene and Jackson crushes it.  I can’t wait to see Jackson reprise this role in The Incredibles 2 next year.

2 – ZEUS CARVER in DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (John McTiernan, 1995)

Die Hard (1988) is an action classic and it’s subsequent sequel, Die Hard 2 (1990), was fun, but nowhere near as good as the original.  How do they try to recapture the greatness of the first one?  By making the villain the brother from the original and adding an even better sidekick than Reginald VelJohnson’s Sgt. Al Powell.  Jackson is excellent as Zeus, an incredibly angry and more than slightly racist who pairs with John McClane (Bruce Willis) to track down terrorist Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons) in a cat and mouse mind game of Simon Says.  Jackson and Willis have great chemistry and their comedic timing pairs perfectly with the thrilling action sequences.  Die Hard With a Vengeance is one of the best action sequels of all-time.

1 – COACH KEN CARTER in COACH CARTER (Thomas Carter, 2005)

Coach Carter is a really good sports movie that tells a very important story about high school sports and the importance of education over sports.  It isn’t my favorite movie on this list.  There are actually other movies not on this list that I like more that Coach Carter, to be honest, but this movie is truly a Samuel L. Jackson showcase.  Amazingly, looking at Jackson’s filmography, Jackson is either a supporting character or the number two actor on the poster, save for a few.  Coach Carter is all Jackson and it is one he crushes.  Jackson shows a range he’s shown in only a few movies.  He’s smart, tough, motivational, funny, sweet, and angry.  He wants these kids to succeed at the highest level they can, regardless of their basketball talent.  Samuel L. Jackson took a mediocre movie and made it better than it had any right being, which is why it is my favorite non-Tarantino directed Samuel L. Jackson movie.

What are you favorite Samuel L. Jackson movies?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.