When you've made as many films as Samuel L. Jackson has—that would be over 150—you know they're not all going to be well received. The star of movies like Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and a number of Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino films has found a new audience over the past decade by playing Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But with so many films under his belt, some were bound to provoke the ire of critics. So what are the worst Samuel L. Jackson movies across his prolific career?
To find out, we turned to Rotten Tomatoes and ranked every one of Jackson's films by its critical score—that is, the percentage of critics who gave the movie a positive review. Any movie under 60 percent is considered rotten, but we focused on films that earned under 40 percent to make sure we were singling out the least liked Jackson films. These are the movies that reviewers soundly rejected, and many of them weren't hits with fans either. Read on to see if any of your favorite Samuel L. Jackson movies made the ignominious cut.
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29 | Oldboy (2013)
FilmDistrictRotten Tomatoes score: 39 percent
28 | Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
LionsgateRotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent
27 | Rules of Engagement (2000)
Paramount PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent
26 | The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Warner Bros. PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 36 percent
25 | Glass (2019)
Universal PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 36 percent
24 | Shaft (2019)
Warner Bros. PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 33 percent
23 | One Eight Seven (1997)
Warner Bros. / Mondadori / Getty ImagesRotten Tomatoes score: 30 percent
22 | The Samaritan (2012)
H2O Motion PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent
21 | The 51st State (2001)
Momentum PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent
20 | Barely Lethal (2015)
A24Rotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent
19 | No Good Deed (2002)
Mac ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 25 percent
18 | Freedomland (2006)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 23 percent
17 | In My Country (2004)
Sony Pictures ClassicsRotten Tomatoes score: 23 percent
16 | Reasonable Doubt (2014)
Summit EntertainmentRotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent
15 | Meeting Evil (2011)
Magnet ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent
14 | Home of the Brave (2006)
MGMRotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent
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13 | National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
New Line CinemaRotten Tomatoes score: 21 percent
12 | Basic (2003)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 21 percent
11 | XXX: State of the Union (2005)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent
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10 | Cleaner (2007)
Screen GemsRotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent
9 | Amos & Andrew (1993)
Columbia PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent
8 | Jumper (2008)
20th Century FoxRotten Tomatoes score: 15 percent
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7 | The Spirit (2008)
LionsgateRotten Tomatoes score: 14 percent
6 | The Man (2005)
New Line CinemaRotten Tomatoes score: 12 percent
5 | Sphere (1998)
Warner Bros.Rotten Tomatoes score: 11 percent
4 | Cell (2016)
Saban FilmsRotten Tomatoes score: 11 percent
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3 | Strictly Business (1991)
Warner Bros.Rotten Tomatoes score: 10 percent
2 | Twisted (2004)
Paramount PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 1 percent
1 | Kite (2014)
Anchor Bay EntertainmentRotten Tomatoes score: 0 percent
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