(Photo by Universal Pictures courtesy Everett Collection)
All Vin Diesel Movies Ranked
Who knows what the movie industry would look like today if Vin Diesel hadn’t broken into a local theater in New York with his twin brother at age seven, intending to vandalize it? The theater director who caught them offered them parts in a play instead of calling the police, and Diesel’s career in the arts began.
Diesel initially had a tough go in the industry as a young, aspiring actor, until he poured his frustrations into a short film that he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, called Multi-Facial. It was good enough to get the attention of none other than Steven Spielberg, who brought him on board his multiple Academy Award-winning Saving Private Ryan. After Diesel then provided the voice for Brad Bird’s sentimental winner The Iron Giant, he embarked on what would be a career-defining journey as one of contemporary cinema’s most recognizable action franchise stars.
It began with 2000’s Pitch Black, which kicked off the Chronicles of Riddick franchise, and continued with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious and 2002’s xXx, one of which, of course, has become one of the most successful film series ever and is still going strong, with new entries on the way. (Hint: it’s not xXx.) If all of that weren’t enough, it was also Diesel’s presence as the voice of a living tree that only utters one phrase in a goofy superheroes-in-space movie that helped make Groot — and subequently Baby Groot — one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After all of this, Diesel is still looking for more franchises to sink his teeth into, and the upcoming release of Bloodshot, an adaptation of the Valiant Comics series of the same name, could be the one. But before we see him take his revenge as a super-soldier infused with nanotechnology, we’re taking a look back at all Vin Diesel movies ranked by Tomatometer!
#25
Adjusted Score: 10578%
Critics Consensus: A poorly constructed, derivative sci-fi stinker with a weak script and poor action sequences.
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a battle-hardened mercenary, Toorop (Vin Diesel), lives by his own code and the credo kill or...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 14204%
Critics Consensus: Action and drama elements don't mix well in this clichéd actioner.
Synopsis: Agent Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) is a DEA operative fighting the drug wars along the US/Mexican border. After a major...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 24260%
Critics Consensus: Grim, plodding, and an overall ill fit for Vin Diesel's particular charms, The Last Witch Hunter will bore and/or confuse all but the least demanding action-fantasy fans.
Synopsis: The modern world holds many secrets, the most astounding being that witches still live among us. Centuries ago, Kaulder (Vin...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 24212%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted, but it's too derivative.
Synopsis: The film follows four sons (Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, Andrew Davoli) of well-known Brooklyn-based mobsters (Dennis Hopper, John...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 25431%
Critics Consensus: Vin Diesel parodies his tough guy image for the family audience, but the result is only moderately amusing.
Synopsis: Elite Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) can handle just about anything thrown his way, but even the best have...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 33326%
Critics Consensus: As an action movie, Riddick offers some thrills, but as a sequel to Pitch Black, it's a disappointment.
Synopsis: Galactic criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel) is on the run, with bounty hunters on his tail. He receives guidance from Aereon...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 35999%
Critics Consensus: While Fast and Furious features the requisite action and stunts, the filmmakers have failed to provide a competent story or compelling characters.
Synopsis: When a crime brings them back to the mean streets of Los Angeles, fugitive ex-convict Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 51265%
Critics Consensus: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noble goals, but lacks a strong enough screenplay to achieve them -- and its visual innovations are often merely distracting.
Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 53662%
Critics Consensus: xXx: Return of Xander Cage should satisfy fans of the first two installments, but its preponderance of set pieces can't quite make up for a tired storyline that fails to take the franchise -- or action fans -- anywhere new.
Synopsis: After coming out of self-imposed exile, daredevil operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) must race against time to recover a sinister...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 54008%
Critics Consensus: It has an endearing lack of seriousness, and Vin Diesel has more than enough muscle for the starring role, but ultimately, XXX is a missed opportunity to breathe new life into the spy thriller genre.
Synopsis: Vin Diesel stars as former extreme sports athlete Xander "XXX" Cage, notorious for his death-defying public stunts. Betting he can...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 60589%
Critics Consensus: Sleek and shiny on the surface, The Fast and the Furious recalls those cheesy teenage exploitation flicks of the 1950s.
Synopsis: Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) enjoys the adrenaline of street car racing and his fans treat him like a rock star....
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#14
Adjusted Score: 65794%
Critics Consensus: It may not win the franchise many new converts, but this back-to-basics outing brings Riddick fans more of the brooding sci-fi action they've come to expect.
Synopsis: Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, fugitive Riddick (Vin Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators more lethal than...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 63154%
Critics Consensus: Despite an interesting premise (and a starmaking turn from Vin Diesel), Pitch Black is too derivative and formulaic to fully recommend to sci-fi or action fans.
Synopsis: When their ship crashes on an unexplored planet, the survivors of the crash soon discover that this planet that is...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 66755%
Critics Consensus: Find Me Guilty's excessive length and heavy-handed narrative keep it from reaching its full potential, but Vin Diesel's performance is well worth watching.
Synopsis: Imprisoned on a drug charge, mobster Jack DiNorscio (Vin Diesel) refuses to testify against his former associates in the Lucchesi...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 69786%
Critics Consensus: Its ending is disappointingly tidy, but Boiler Room boasts just enough sharp writing and brisk pacing to make getting there worthwhile.
Synopsis: Welcome to the infamous "boiler room" -- where twenty something millionaires are made overnight. Here, in the inner sanctum of...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 84267%
Critics Consensus: The Fate of the Furious opens a new chapter in the franchise, fueled by the same infectious cast chemistry and over-the-top action fans have come to expect.
Synopsis: With Dom and Letty married, Brian and Mia retired and the rest of the crew exonerated, the globe-trotting team has...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 80675%
Critics Consensus: With high-octane humor and terrific action scenes, Fast & Furious 6 builds upon the winning blockbuster formula that made Fast 5 a critical and commercial success.
Synopsis: Since Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian's (Paul Walker) heist in Rio left them and their crew very rich people, they've...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 86249%
Critics Consensus: Sleek, loud, and over the top, Fast Five proudly embraces its brainless action thrills and injects new life into the franchise.
Synopsis: Ever since ex-cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Torretto (Jordana Brewster) broke her brother Dom (Vin Diesel) out of...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 95678%
Critics Consensus: Serving up a fresh round of over-the-top thrills while adding unexpected dramatic heft, Furious 7 keeps the franchise moving in more ways than one.
Synopsis: After defeating international terrorist Owen Shaw, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 108985%
Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's action-packed plot, dazzling visuals, and irreverent humor add up to a sequel that's almost as fun -- if not quite as thrillingly fresh -- as its predecessor.
Synopsis: Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 112602%
Critics Consensus: Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions.
Synopsis: Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet --...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 108425%
Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect -- as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor.
Synopsis: Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters after he steals an orb...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 103392%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg's unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.
Synopsis: Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 123883%
Critics Consensus: Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga.
Synopsis: The fourth installment in the Avengers saga is the culmination of 22 interconnected Marvel films and the climax of a...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 103217%
Critics Consensus: The endearing Iron Giant tackles ambitious topics and complex human relationships with a steady hand and beautifully animated direction from Brad Bird.
Synopsis: In this animated adaptation of Ted Hughes' Cold War fable, a giant alien robot (Vin Diesel) crash-lands near the small...
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Thumbnail images by Jamie Trueblood/Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Universal courtesy Everett Collection