Jeffrey Wright Movies Ranked

Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.

Synopsis: After receiving a license to kill, British Secret Service agent James Bond heads to Madagascar, where he uncovers a link to Le Chiffre, a man... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench

Directed By: Martin Campbell

Critics Consensus: Finding the human story amidst the action, director Duncan Jones and charming Jake Gyllenhaal craft a smart, satisfying sci-fi thriller.

Synopsis: Helicopter pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is part of a top-secret military operation that enables him to experience the last few minutes in the life... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Duncan Jones

Critics Consensus: Smart, smoothly directed, and enriched with a deeper exploration of the franchise's thought-provoking themes, Catching Fire proves a thoroughly compelling second installment in the Hunger Games series.

Synopsis: After arriving safely home from their unprecedented victory in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) discover that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Louis Menkins is in the final weeks of his 24-year prison sentence. Though he doesn't talk about it, Louis' nervousness about adapting to life on... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Theothus Carter, Boyd Holbrook, Yul Vazquez

Directed By: Madeleine Rotzler

Critics Consensus: Bill Murray's subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch's minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy.

Synopsis: When his latest girlfriend (Julie Delpy) leaves him, retired computer magnate Don Johnston (Bill Murray) has no greater ambition than to sit around the house.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Critics Consensus: Worth watching for Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton's performances alone, Only Lovers Left Alive finds writer-director Jim Jarmusch adding a typically offbeat entry to the vampire genre.

Synopsis: Artistic, sophisticated and centuries old, two vampire lovers (Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston) ponder their ultimate place in modern society.

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A biographical portrait of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a seminal public intellectual and sociologist, policy specialist, ambassador and long-serving senator.

Starring: Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Joseph Dorman, Toby Perl Freilich

Critics Consensus: A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight's bleakest -- and most thrillingly ambitious -- live-action outings.

Synopsis: Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the scale of the perpetrator's plans become... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell

Directed By: Matt Reeves

Critics Consensus: While not exactly exposing revelatory truths, The Ides of March is a supremely well-acted drama that moves at a measured, confident clip.

Synopsis: As Ohio's Democratic primary nears, charming Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney) seems a shoo-in for the nomination over his opponent, Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell). Morris'... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti

Directed By: George Clooney

Critics Consensus: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete uses its compelling streetwise setting -- and powerful performances from its young leads -- to offer a refreshing twist on the coming-of-age formula.

Synopsis: The sons (Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon) of two drug-addled hookers must fend for themselves after one's mother goes missing and the other (Jennifer Hudson) is... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Mackie

Directed By: George Tillman Jr.

Critics Consensus: It isn't the sleekest or most daring 007 adventure, but No Time to Die concludes Daniel Craig's franchise tenure in satisfying style.

Synopsis: In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch

Directed By: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Critics Consensus: Stellar performances and gripping subject matter help Confirmation overcome production values that occasionally feel as dated as the infamous real-life case it covers.

Synopsis: Nominated to the Supreme Court in 1991, Judge Clarence Thomas (Wendell Pierce) must testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee after Anita Hill (Kerry Washington), his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kerry Washington, Wendell Pierce, Greg Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Rick Famuyiwa

Critics Consensus: Brett Morgan's half-animated, half-documentary film is an arresting, sometimes visionary portrait of the historic and chaotic trial.

Synopsis: Deftly combining contemporary commentary with archival materials and animated reenactments, "Chicago 10" examines the demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic Convention and their eruption into rioting... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo

Directed By: Brett Morgen

Critics Consensus: While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.

Synopsis: Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight

Directed By: Jonathan Demme

Critics Consensus: The Good Dinosaur delivers thrillingly beautiful animation in service of a worthy story that, even if it doesn't quite live up to the lofty standards set by Pixar, still adds up to charming, family-friendly entertainment.

Synopsis: Luckily for young Arlo, his parents (Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand) and his two siblings, the mighty dinosaurs were not wiped out 65 million years ago.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Ryan Teeple

Directed By: Peter Sohn

Critics Consensus: A loving ode to the spirit of journalism, The French Dispatch will be most enjoyed by fans of Wes Anderson's meticulously arranged aesthetic.

Synopsis: THE FRENCH DISPATCH brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city.

Starring: Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux

Directed By: Wes Anderson

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In the 1950s and '60s, young Ruben Santiago Jr. (Marcus Franklin) lives in a lively boardinghouse in the blue-collar town of Lackawanna, New York, with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: S. Epatha Merkerson, Marcus Carl Franklin, Yasiin Bey, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: George C. Wolfe

Critics Consensus: Ambitious, complicated, intellectual, and demanding of its audience, Syriana is both a gripping geopolitical thriller and wake-up call to the complacent.

Synopsis: The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is an American... View Full Synopsis

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Peet

Directed By: Stephen Gaghan

Critics Consensus: Hold the Dark's unsettling aesthetic offers more of what filmgoers expect from director Jeremy Saulnier - and is often enough to prop up shaky narrative underpinnings.

Synopsis: Summoned to a remote Alaskan village to search for the wolves that killed three children, a wolf expert soon finds himself unraveling a harrowing mystery.

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough

Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier

Critics Consensus: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 sets up the franchise finale with a penultimate chapter loaded with solid performances and smart political subtext, though it comes up short on the action front.

Synopsis: Following her rescue from the devastating Quarter Quell, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) awakes in the complex beneath the supposedly destroyed District 13. Her home, District 12,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Critics Consensus: With the unflinchingly grim Mockingjay Part 2, The Hunger Games comes to an exciting, poignant, and overall satisfying conclusion.

Synopsis: Realizing the stakes are no longer just for survival, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) teams up with her closest friends, including Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Gale (Liam... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Critics Consensus: Though perhaps no film could fully do justice to the fascinating life and personality of Muhammad Ali, Mann's direction and Smith's performance combine to pack a solid punch.

Synopsis: With wit and athletic genius, with defiant rage and inner grace, Muhammad Ali forever changed the American landscape. Fighting all comers, Ali took on the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles

Directed By: Michael Mann

Critics Consensus: Monster would have benefited from a less heavy-handed approach, but Kelvin Harrison Jr.'s performance gives this timely drama emotional heft.

Synopsis: Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jennifer Hudson, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle

Directed By: Anthony Mandler

Critics Consensus: With affected strokes, Basquiat paints an expressionist portrait of a misfit artist, masterfully rendered by a riveting Jeffrey Wright.

Synopsis: Despite living a life of extreme poverty in Brooklyn, graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright) strives to rise up through the heady New York art... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio del Toro, Claire Forlani

Directed By: Julian Schnabel

Critics Consensus: With a charismatic lead, this new Shaft knows how to push the right buttons.

Synopsis: Crooked cops on the take -- small-time drug lords -- sleazy informers and sadistic rich kids ready to kill --- for police detective John Shaft,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale

Directed By: John Singleton

Critics Consensus: What Cadillac Records may lack in originality, it more than makes up for in strong performances and soul-stirring music.

Synopsis: In 1947 Chicago, Polish emigrant and bar owner Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) hires a blues combo that includes guitarist Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and harmonica... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adrien Brody, Beyoncé, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union

Directed By: Darnell Martin

Critics Consensus: Its intentions are sometimes easier to appreciate than its execution, but The Public remains an earnest and reasonably engaging social advocacy drama.

Synopsis: An act of civil disobedience turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Emilio Estevez, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling

Directed By: Emilio Estevez

Critics Consensus: Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action, but coming on the heels of Casino Royale, it's still a bit of a disappointment.

Synopsis: Following the death of Vesper Lynd, James Bond (Daniel Craig) makes his next mission personal. The hunt for those who blackmailed his lover leads him... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench

Directed By: Marc Forster

Critics Consensus: A well-acted, eccentric Civil War film, Ang Lee's Ride With the Devil is often more visually striking than it is emotionally engaging.

Synopsis: On the fringes of the Civil War, Missouri Bushwackers engage in guerrilla warfare with Union Jayhawkers. Bushwackers Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire) and Jack Chiles (Skeet... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Tobey Maguire, Jewel, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Ang Lee

Critics Consensus: Stiff performances fail to produce any tension onscreen.

Synopsis: This is a modern retelling of the classic tale of a young fimmaker in New York City (Ethan Hawke) struggling with the weight of a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard, Diane Venora

Directed By: Michael Almereyda

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Medical resident Dr. Werner Ernst (James Spader) aspires to help sick people, but is constantly warned by his mentor, Dr. Butz (Albert Brooks), to treat... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick, Helen Mirren, Margo Martindale

Directed By: Sidney Lumet

Critics Consensus: A surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the 43rd American president, W. is fascinating in spots, but merely rudimentary as a whole.

Synopsis: Flashbacks to key events in his life reveal the rise of George W. Bush from ne'er-do-well party boy and son of privilege to President of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell

Directed By: Oliver Stone

Critics Consensus: All Day and a Night addresses worthy issues with thoughtfulness and care, although its effectiveness is undermined by a disappointingly familiar story.

Synopsis: A young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery after landing in the same prison as his father.

Starring: Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Isaiah John

Directed By: Joe Robert Cole

Critics Consensus: It has a bleak sense of atmosphere and a terrific performance by Sam Rockwell, but A Single Shot is undercut by its predictable story and slow pace.

Synopsis: A poacher (Sam Rockwell) becomes the quarry of merciless criminals after he takes the cash he found while hunting in the backwoods.

Starring: Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Ted Levine, Kelly Reilly

Directed By: David M. Rosenthal

Critics Consensus: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has a story worth telling, but it deserves better than the treacly and pretentious treatment director Stephen Daldry gives it.

Synopsis: Oskar (Thomas Horn), who lost his father (Tom Hanks) in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, is convinced that his dad left a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Zoe Caldwell

Directed By: Stephen Daldry

Critics Consensus: The Laundromat misuses its incredible cast by taking a disappointingly blunt and unfocused approach to dramatizing the real-life events that inspired it.

Synopsis: When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin begins investigating a fake insurance policy.

Starring: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Critics Consensus: Entertaining, but too scattered.

Synopsis: The career and personal life of writer Lee (Kenneth Branagh) are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife, Robin (Judy Davis), and dives... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hank Azaria, Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio

Directed By: Woody Allen

Critics Consensus: Broken City's thinly sketched, formulaic script offers meager rewards for all but the least demanding noir aficionados.

Synopsis: Former cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) sees a chance at redemption for past sins when New York City's Mayor Nicolas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) calls on... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Allen Hughes

Critics Consensus: Beautifully filmed yet mostly inert, The Goldfinch mishandles its source material, flattening a complex narrative into a largely uninvolving disappointment.

Synopsis: Theodore Decker was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The tragedy... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Oakes Fegley, Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: John Crowley

Critics Consensus: A far-fetched story with little suspense and unconvincing scenarios, Lady In The Water feels contrived, pretentious, and rather silly.

Synopsis: When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that she is a character from... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Critics Consensus: Despite the beautiful visuals, Crime and Punishment is too somber and pretentious. Also, the acting is of mixed quality.

Synopsis: At school, Roseanne (Monica Keena) is the object of fellow student Vincent's (Vincent Kartheiser) infatuation, By night, she deals with a troubled family life: her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Monica Keena, Vincent Kartheiser, Ellen Barkin, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Rob Schmidt

Critics Consensus: The Invasion is slickly made, but it lacks psychological insight and thrills.

Synopsis: Washington, D.C. psychologist Carol Bennell and her colleague Dr. Ben Driscoll are the only two people on Earth who are aware of an epidemic running... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright

Directed By: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Critics Consensus: Whether it's being presented as D-Tox or Eye See You, this Stallone starring vehicle is a slapdash thriller to actively avoid.

Synopsis: Recovering from the psychological effects of witnessing a brutal crime, FBI Agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) checks into a rehabilitation clinic for law enforcement officers... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Tom Berenger, Charles S. Dutton, Sean Patrick Flanery

Directed By: Jim Gillespie