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The Worst Samuel L. Jackson Movie of All Time, According to Critics

He's made dozens of notable films and just as many that he'd probably rather forget.

Samuel L Jackson in Shaft (2019)
Warner Bros. Pictures

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.

RELATED: The Worst Keanu Reeves Movie of All Time, According to Critics.

29 | Oldboy (2013)

samuel l. jackson in oldboyFilmDistrict

Rotten Tomatoes score: 39 percent

28 | Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

samuel l. jackson in spiralLionsgate

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent

27 | Rules of Engagement (2000)

samuel l. jackson in rules of engagementParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent

26 | The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

samuel l. jackson in the legend of tarzanWarner Bros. Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36 percent

25 | Glass (2019)

samuel l. jackson in glassUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36 percent

24 | Shaft (2019)

samuel l. jackson in shaftWarner Bros. Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 33 percent

23 | One Eight Seven (1997)

samuel l. jackson in one eight sevenWarner Bros. / Mondadori / Getty Images

Rotten Tomatoes score: 30 percent

22 | The Samaritan (2012)

samuel l. jackson in the samaritanH2O Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent

21 | The 51st State (2001)

samuel l. jackson in the 51st stateMomentum Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent

20 | Barely Lethal (2015)

samuel l. jackson in barely lethalA24

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent

19 | No Good Deed (2002)

samuel l. jackson in no good deedMac Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 25 percent

18 | Freedomland (2006)

samuel l. jackson in freedomlanSony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 23 percent

17 | In My Country (2004)

samuel l. jackson in in my countrySony Pictures Classics

Rotten Tomatoes score: 23 percent

16 | Reasonable Doubt (2014)

samuel l. jackson in reasonable doubtSummit Entertainment

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent

15 | Meeting Evil (2011)

samuel l. jackson in meeting evilMagnet Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent

14 | Home of the Brave (2006)

samuel l. jackson in home of the braveMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent

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13 | National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

samuel l. jackson in loaded weapon 1New Line Cinema

Rotten Tomatoes score: 21 percent

12 | Basic (2003)

samuel l. jackson in basicSony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 21 percent

11 | XXX: State of the Union (2005)

samuel l. jackson in xxx state of the unionSony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent

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10 | Cleaner (2007)

samuel l. jackson in cleanerScreen Gems

Rotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent

9 | Amos & Andrew (1993)

samuel l. jackson in amos and andrewColumbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent

8 | Jumper (2008)

samuel l. jackson in jumper20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 15 percent

RELATED: The Most Hated Will Smith Movie, According to Fans.

7 | The Spirit (2008)

samuel l. jackson in the spiritLionsgate

Rotten Tomatoes score: 14 percent

6 | The Man (2005)

samuel l. jackson in the manNew Line Cinema

Rotten Tomatoes score: 12 percent

5 | Sphere (1998)

samuel l. jackson in sphereWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11 percent

4 | Cell (2016)

samuel l. jackson in cellSaban Films

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11 percent

RELATED: This Is the Worst Horror Movie of All Time, According to Critics.

3 | Strictly Business (1991)

samuel l. jackson in strictly businessWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 10 percent

2 | Twisted (2004)

samuel l. jackson in twistedParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 1 percent

1 | Kite (2014)

samuel l. jackson in kiteAnchor Bay Entertainment

Rotten Tomatoes score: 0 percent

RELATED: These Are the Movies on Rotten Tomatoes With 0 Percent Ratings.