Jamie Foxx is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. Apart from an impressive acting career that includes an Oscar win for Best Actor, he is a Grammy Award-winning musician with several hit songs and has also performed as a standup comedian. His TV show The Jamie Foxx Show is loosely based on his personal life. Here we look at the 15 best Jamie Foxx movies of all time:
15. Sleepless (2017)
Police officer Vincent’s son is kidnapped by Stanley, whose cocaine shipment he stole. Vincent (Jamie Foxx) must return the package if he wants to see his son alive. He gets caught in a web between the drug mafia, corrupt cops, and Internal Affairs while time is running out. A great watch for a sleepless night.
Although the film failed to impress critics because of its cliche elements, it did perform well at the box office. Foxx’s performance was praised nonetheless.
14. Miami Vice (2006)
Image Source: imdb.com
We try hard to keep the personal out of the professional but it gets hard sometimes. This is exactly what happens when Detectives Ricardo and Sonny go undercover to bring down a major drug trafficking ring. Sonny has an affair with the wife of an arms and drugs trafficker while Ricardo has to save his loved ones from an assault.
The film was a box-office success and helped push Foxx’s career in the right direction.
13. Project Power (2020)
Jamie Foxx stars as Art, a former soldier who teams up with a local cop and a teenage dealer to take down a group responsible for a new pill in the market. This is no ordinary drug, its users get unpredictable superpowers for five minutes after consuming it. But the pill has a catch: it can be fatal for some. When the crime rate escalates within the city because of the drug, the trio has no choice but to utilize the drug themselves in order to track down the drug manufacturers and save the city. Gives a little Ben Ten vibes; the Omni-Tricks timed out unpredictably.
Project Power is a Netflix movie that received a positive response from the audience. Despite some criticism of the screenplay, the performance by Foxx was highly praised.
12. White House Down (2013)
Image Source: IMDb
John Cale a Capitol Police officer is denied his dream job in the Secret Service. He doesn’t want to disappoint his young daughter so he takes her on a visit to the White House. During their visit, a heavily armed paramilitary group attacks the White House and seizes control. The nation’s government dissolves in the chaos. It is up to Cale to save President Sawyer (Foxx), all while ensuring his daughter is safe.
The movie has awesome action scenes and emotional scenes that build patriotic sentiments. It was successful at the box office but failed to impress critics.
11. The Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014)
The Amazing Spiderman 2 focuses on Peter Parker embracing his identity as Spider-Man. He spends time with Gwen Stacy when he is not protecting NYC from criminals. The routine of fighting normal criminals ends with the emergence of Electro (Foxx), a villain far more powerful than him. When his childhood friend Harry returns he realizes that all his enemies have one thing in common: Harry’s Oscorp.
Foxx joined MCU as a supervillain in this film which turned out to be a massive hit.
10. Ali (2001)
Muhammad Ali is the greatest sportsman the world has ever seen. So it is difficult for the audience and critics to appreciate and admit when a biographical movie on the legend does justice to the role. But we can surely say that Jamie Foxx did justice to the role of Drew Bundini Brown, Ali’s Coach.
The movie highlights Ali taking on the law, conventions, status quo, and the war. He was a great champion in and out of the ring.
A great watch for boxing fans.
9. Robin Hood (2018)
Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton), an aristocrat returns to England to find out that his family estate has been seized by the evil sheriff of Nottingham. Joining forces with a fierce Arabian warrior Yahya (Jamie Foxx), Little John whose motive is to put an end to the Crusades, and Friar Truck leads a band of oppressed rebels. Armed with arrows and his band by his side, Robin sets out to rob the sheriff of his money and take away his power.
Despite decent performances from the cast, the film bombed at the box office and failed to impress critics.
8. Horrible Bosses (2011)
Image Copyright: Warner Bros.
Nick, Dale, and Kurt hate their bosses but quitting their jobs is not an option. During a drinking session, the trio devises a plan to get rid of their bosses permanently. They hire a hitman (Foxx) and make a foolproof plan. But the seemingly foolproof plan doesn’t work out as planned. Plans are as good as the brains behind them, right?
Foxx’s portrayal of the hitman is one of the funniest roles he has ever done. You’ll love this one if you fancy watching his comedic side.
7. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Law Abiding Citizen is a story about an ordinary citizen, Clyde Sheldon (Gerard Butler), who evolves into a dangerous vigilante.
When Clyde’s wife and daughter are murdered during a home invasion he approaches the legal system for justice. But Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a rising prosecutor, cuts a deal with one of the killers in exchange for testimony. Ten years forward, the killer is found dead and Clyde admits to killing him. He does not stop here, he gives Nick an ultimatum: Fix the broken legal system or there will be consequences for him and the city.
Despite poor critical reception, the film was financially successful at the box office. Foxx’s performance was highly praised.
6. Collateral (2004)
Taxi drivers meet a variety of interesting characters during their rides but usually not as interesting as Vincent (Tom Cruise). Max (Jamie Foxx) a driver in Los Angeles is just about to end his long day and go home when a well-suited man named Vincent offers him $600 to make five stops.
Max accepts the generous deal but regrets it afterward because every one of those stops turns out to be a hit. Max fears whether he will live to see the day of light as the taxi driver and the hitman are hunted by the LAPD and FBI.
The film featured Cruise in a negative role which was a rare instance. It turned out to be a massive hit with both Cruise and Foxx receiving critical acclaim for their excellent performances. Foxx received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the role.
5. Just Mercy (2019)
Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), a Harvard graduate moves to Alabama to defend those who are wrongly condemned. One of his first cases is Walter McMillan (Foxx) who was sentenced to death in 1987 for the murder of a white 18-year-old girl. Despite evidence proving his innocence he has to go through years of trials to prove his innocence. Stevenson encounters racism and political and legal maneuvering during all those years he fought for McMillan’s life.
A moving story based on true events. Shows how one can achieve what one desires through determination and persistence.
4. Ray (2004)
Jamie Foxx plays Ray Charles, in the legendary soul musician’s biographical pic. Ray watches his seven-year-old brother drown at the age of seven. He loses his sight at 9. His mother teaches him not to feel sorry for himself. As the years go on he rises through the ranks of the Seattle jazz scene but struggles with drug addiction and other personal battles. His supportive wife is there with him throughout the journey as he inspires a generation and redefines music for those to come.
This role earned Foxx an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. The film achieved both commercial and critical success and made Foxx an established actor in Hollywood.
3. Baby Driver (2017)
“Baby”, the movie’s protagonist, is an orphan with a weird obsession with music. He is not your ordinary kid on the block, he is a getaway driver for heist mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey).
A perfect soundtrack picked for each heist ensures he gets the Doc’s cronies – Buddy, Griff, Darling, and Bats (Foxx) – in and out in time. But when he falls in love with a waitress and plans to leave this life behind things become ugly for him.
A great action movie that should have its own franchise like Fast & Furious.
2. Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
Peter Parker’s identity as Spiderman is out and it has put his loved one in danger. The friendly neighborhood hero asks Dr. Strange to cast a spell to restore his secret but the outcomes of the spell are not what he expected. The stakes are now even higher because none of his loved ones remember him.
With the bad guys such as Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro (Foxx) and The Lizard start piling against him from the multiverse, he is forced to discover what “with great power comes great responsibility” truly means.
This MCU: Phase Four film rocked the box office and became the highest-grossing film of 2021.
1. Django Unchained (2012)
The movie is set two years before the American Civil War. It follows a slave named Django (Foxx) and an unorthodox German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) as they go on a mission to capture the ruthless Brittle brothers. After the successful mission, Schultz sets Django free.
The duo then goes on to hunt the South’s most-wanted criminals. Their travels lead them to the plantation of shady racist Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), where Django’s wife is still held as a slave.
It is without a doubt the best film of Jamie Foxx and a masterpiece. Quentin Tarantino really outdid himself with this one.
Honorable Mentions
- Dreamgirls (2006)
- Any Given Sunday (1999)
- The Kingdom (2007)
What are the best Jamie Foxx movies of all time in your opinion? Let us know in the comments!
