Tag: only lovers left alive

Best Jeffrey Wright Movies

Jeffrey Wright in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’. Photo Credit: David Lee.

For over 30 years Jeffrey Wright has been delivering complex and compelling performances on screen.

The actor first gained attention for his title role in ‘Basquiat,’ and since has appeared in such popular movies as ‘Shaft,’ ‘Ali,’ ‘Syriana,’ ‘The French Dispatch,’ ‘The Batman,’ Daniel Craig‘s James Bond series, and ‘The Hunger Games‘ franchise.

Recently he has appeared in Wes Anderson‘s ‘Asteroid City,’ Netflix‘s ‘Rustin,’ and ‘American Fiction,’ for which he has received an Oscar-nomination for Best Actor.

His latest film, ‘Highest 2 Lowest‘, which pairs him with Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee, opens in theaters on August 15th before being available to stream on Apple TV+ on September 5th.
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In honor of his new film, Moviefone is counting down the 25 best movies of Jeffrey Wright’s long and impressive career, including ‘Highest 2 Lowest’.

Let’s begin!

25. ‘Quantum of Solace‘ (2008)

(L to R) David Harbour and Jeffrey Wright in ‘Quantum of Solace’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Quantum of Solace continues the adventures of James Bond (Daniel Craig) after ‘Casino Royale.’ Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judy Dench) interrogate Mr. White, who reveals that the organization that blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.
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24. ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1‘ (2014)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the autocratic Capitol.
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23. ‘The Manchurian Candidate‘ (2004)

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 his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco’s doubts deepen, Shaw’s political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.
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22. ‘Lady in the Water‘ (2006)

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.
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21. ‘W.‘ (2008)

The story of the eventful life of George W. Bush (Josh Brolin), his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith—and the critical days leading up to his decision to invade Iraq.
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20. ‘Source Code‘ (2011)

Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge in ‘Source Code.’ Photo: Summit Entertainment.

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
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19. ‘Broken City‘ (2013)

In a broken city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure, the mayor (Russell Crowe). Billy’s relentless pursuit of justice, matched only by his streetwise toughness, makes him an unstoppable force – and the mayor’s worst nightmare.
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18. ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2‘ (2015)

With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
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17. ‘The Laundromat‘ (2019)

When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin (Meryl Streep) begins investigating a fake insurance policy, only to find herself down a rabbit hole of questionable dealings that can be linked to a Panama City law firm and its vested interest in helping the world’s wealthiest citizens amass larger fortunes.
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16. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘ (2013)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow (Donald Sutherland) prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.
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15. ‘Asteroid City‘ (2023)

(L to R) Fisher Stevens, Jeffrey Wright, Tony Revolori, and Bob Balaban in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
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14. ‘Syriana‘ (2005)

The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Wright) is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
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13. ‘O.G.‘ (2018)

Louis Menkins (Wright) is five weeks away from being released after 26 years in prison. He is faced with the decision to put his own release at risk in order to protect a young man named Beecher from growing gang controversies.
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12. ‘The Ides of March‘ (2011)

Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman’s (Ryan Gosling) idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where ‘victory’ is relative.
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11. ‘No Time to Die‘ (2021)

Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
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10. ‘Shaft‘ (2000)

(L to R) Samuel L. Jackson and Jeffrey Wright in 2000’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

New York police detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) arrests Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale) for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted — especially since he’s paid a drug kingpin (Wright) to kill the witness.
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9. ‘Ali‘ (2001)

In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay (Will Smith). Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both Ali’s personal and professional lives face the ultimate test.
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8. ‘Only Lovers Left Alive‘ (2014)

A depressed musician (Tom Hiddleston) reunites with his lover (Tilda Swinton) in the desolate streets of Detroit. Though their romance has endured several centuries, it is tested by the arrival of her capricious and unpredictable younger sister (Mia Wasikowska).
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7. ‘The French Dispatch‘ (2021)

The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.
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6. ‘Rustin‘ (2023)

Activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo) faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.
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5. ‘Highest 2 Lowest‘ (2025)

Denzel Washington in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’. Photo Credit: David Lee.

When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the “best ears in the business”, is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
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4. ‘Basquiat‘ (1996)

The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat (Wright), a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
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3. ‘Casino Royale‘ (2006)

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker to the world’s terrorists, is scheduled to participate in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where he intends to use his winnings to establish his financial grip on the terrorist market. M (Judi Dench) sends Bond (Daniel Craig) on his maiden mission as a 00 Agent—to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. With the help of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and Felix Leiter (Wright), Bond enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career.
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2. ‘The Batman‘ (2022)

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman,’ starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.
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1. ‘American Fiction‘ (2023)

Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s ‘American Fiction,’ an Orion Pictures Release. Photo credit: Claire Folger. © 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

‘American Fiction’ is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
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October 5, 2025
Jim Jarmusch Don’t Die: Ranking His Films

Sony Pictures Classics

It’s easy to see where, when and how Jim Jarmusch inspired a whole generation of filmmakers. He arrived at the earliest days of the independent cinema movement of the 1980s and ‘90s and even after almost four decades, there’s still no one like him as a director. Where his imitators are unfocused, Jarmusch is simply unhurried; where their conflicts can be narcissistic, his remain introspective. He has skillfully maintained a wry, philosophical deadpan that others mistake for ironic detachment, and then twist into hipster superiority. And without venturing towards mainstream adulation, he has become one of cinema’s enduring and beloved voices, even when his creativity occasionally risks being too cryptic to engage anyone but himself.

To commemorate the opening of “The Dead Don’t Die,” his latest film – and possibly his most commercial – Moviefone ranks his filmography.

Cinesthesia

12. “Permanent Vacation” (1980)

Shot with scholarship funds meant for NYU film school, Jarmusch’s debut is quintessentially unfocused as a dual byproduct of the filmmaker’s budding aesthetic and his yet-unrefined gifts as a storyteller. He leveled up quickly from here, but this mostly showcased determination from his earliest days to tell exactly the kinds of stories he wanted to, regardless how out of step they were with anyone else.

Focus Features

11. “The Limits of Control” (2009)

Even working with cinematographer Christopher Doyle (“In The Mood For Love”) and what was then becoming an expanding repertoire of actors (Isaach de Bankole, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, John Hurt), Jarmusch couldn’t bring this spy mystery into focus. Beautiful but largely indecipherable, which might be exactly the way he wanted it.

MGM

10. “Coffee and Cigarettes” (2003)

Of the filmmaker’s many anthologies, this is easily the shaggiest, combining short films he made over three decades with new vignettes that are frequently too improvisational to congeal into real payoffs.

Focus Features

9. “The Dead Don’t Die” (2019)

The director’s latest feature is also one of his most polarizing, a wry zombie movie that combines a number of his featured players (Swinton, Murray, Adam Driver), some unexpectedly pointed political satire, and some extremely self-aware flourishes (they’re too good — and too weird — to give away here). Anyone expecting something on the same level as his other horror exercise will be disappointed, but those looking for a shaggy good time should be delighted.

Fine Line Features

9. “Night on Earth” (1991)

Jarmusch finds a wonderful conceit for this 1991 anthology about cabbies and their passengers, but the quality only averages out to so-so thanks to Jarmusch’s uneven treatment of material that is, depending on the story, whimsical, slapstick-y, or melancholy, but too seldom in the right measures.

Orion Classics

8. “Mystery Train” (1989)

Jarmusch won Best Artistic Achievement at Cannes for this, his first proper anthology, exploring the lives of a small group of individuals over the course of one night in Memphis. Tied together by a Night Clerk (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and his bellboy (Cinque Lee), the stories intersect in understated ways to create a vivid and compassionate portrait of humanity that successfully balances humor, tenderness, and wry melodrama.

Cinesthesia

7. “Stranger Than Paradise” (1984)

The filmmaker’s first professional feature won him numerous awards with the story of two friends Willie (John Lurie) and Eddie (Richard Edson) whose lives are quietly affected by the arrival of Willie’s cousin Eva (Eszter Balint). The trouble they get into is strictly low-level mischief, but Jarmusch’s tenderness in rearranging their relationships via small twists of fate established him as a major talent with a unique vision.

Miramax

6. “Dead Man” (1995)

The filmmaker’s natural deadpan style gave Johnny Depp to inhabit one of his finest performances in this postmodern Western that touches on some interesting sociocultural issues while exploring and deconstructing genre tropes with his typically poetic sensibility.

Focus Features

5. “Broken Flowers” (2005)

Bill Murray was still enjoying the career bounce of “Lost in Translation” when he joined this film about an aging bachelor who revisits five of his old girlfriends after a mysterious letter arrives announcing that a woman from his past has given birth to his son. Swinton, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy and Sharon Stone bring to life not only the character’s past, but illuminate the journeys we all take — often unexpectedly — to become who we are.

Island Pictures

4. “Down by Law” (1986)

Working with Lurie, Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni, Jarmusch created a quaint and beautiful story of three convicts fighting boredom in a New Orleans jail cell. Juxtaposing goofy empowerment chants (“I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream!”) with simple, poetic observations (“it’s a sad and beautiful world”), “Down By Law” finds Jarmusch at his most romantic, and his most elegant.

Artisan

3. “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” (1999)

Fascinated by martial arts and hip-hop culture, Jarmusch borrows from a more than 200-year-old Japanese book to tell the story of a modern-day assassin who honors an ancient warrior’s code. Forest Whitaker provides a thrilling combination of physical presence, intellectual cool and emotional gentleness as the title character, while RZA’s first work as a film composer demonstrated his aptitude for transforming Wu-Tang rhythms back into indelible movie themes.

Amazon Studios

2. “Paterson” (2016)

This might in fact be his best film but it feels too soon to proclaim it: Adam Driver plays a New Jersey bus driver and poet who lives with his restlessly creative girlfriend (Golshifteh Farahani). The events of his life are decidedly minor — the biggest threat to his happiness is his girlfriend’s mischievous dog — but it evidences Jarmusch at his most meditative and humane, showcasing the simple pleasures of normalcy even as his characters (and he himself) aspire to a higher plane of consciousness.

Sony Pictures Classics

1. “Only Lovers Left Alive” (2013)

Marking his best play on genre tropes, Jarmusch explores the disaffected and philosophical lives of a vampire couple (Swinton and Tom Hiddleston) who must navigate their way through immortality as the world constantly changes around them. Mia Wasikowska (“Stoker”) plays Swinton’s younger sister, a troublemaker named Ava, who tests their resolve as a couple — and their lifestyle as vampires — as they attempt to maintain joy and enthusiasm for the eternity they face.

June 14, 2019