The 100 Greatest Black Iconic movies of all time

by jcciambotti | created - 28 Jun 2020 | updated - 16 Jun 2021 | Public
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1. Do the Right Thing (1989)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

93 Metascore

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson

Votes: 112,426 | Gross: $27.55M

2. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

83 Metascore

Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

Votes: 291,140 | Gross: $49.28M

3. Malcolm X (1992)

PG-13 | 202 min | Biography, Drama, History

73 Metascore

Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee

Votes: 102,025 | Gross: $48.17M

4. She's Gotta Have It (1986)

R | 84 min | Comedy, Romance

79 Metascore

Story of a woman and her three lovers.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee

Votes: 16,307 | Gross: $7.14M

5. He Got Game (1998)

R | 136 min | Drama, Sport

64 Metascore

A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Ray Allen, Rosario Dawson

Votes: 51,456 | Gross: $21.55M

6. Crooklyn (1994)

PG-13 | 115 min | Comedy, Drama

65 Metascore

Spike Lee's vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris

Votes: 11,334 | Gross: $13.64M

7. Jungle Fever (1991)

R | 132 min | Drama, Romance

78 Metascore

Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee, Ossie Davis

Votes: 19,661 | Gross: $32.48M

8. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama

76 Metascore

Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.

Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II

Votes: 154,640 | Gross: $57.50M

9. Fences (2016)

PG-13 | 139 min | Drama

79 Metascore

A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.

Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo

Votes: 118,027 | Gross: $57.68M

10. Rosewood (1997)

R | 140 min | Action, Drama, History

70 Metascore

A dramatization of a 1923 horrific racist lynch mob attack on an African-American community.

Director: John Singleton | Stars: Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Bruce McGill

Votes: 8,904 | Gross: $13.10M

11. Mississippi Burning (1988)

R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

65 Metascore

Two F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.

Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif

Votes: 111,040 | Gross: $34.60M

12. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History

96 Metascore

In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt

Votes: 741,336 | Gross: $56.67M

13. Glory (1989)

R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History

78 Metascore

Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman

Votes: 144,447 | Gross: $26.83M

14. Friday (1995)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama

54 Metascore

It's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.

Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr.

Votes: 124,590 | Gross: $27.47M

15. Love & Basketball (2000)

PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, Romance, Sport

72 Metascore

Monica and Quincy love and play basketball together through many life challenges from childhood to adulthood.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood | Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Glenndon Chatman, Jess Willard

Votes: 24,317 | Gross: $27.44M

16. Straight Outta Compton (2015)

R | 147 min | Biography, Drama, History

72 Metascore

The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr.

Votes: 218,494 | Gross: $161.20M

17. Dope (2015)

R | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

72 Metascore

Life changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.

Director: Rick Famuyiwa | Stars: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise

Votes: 89,314 | Gross: $17.51M

18. Menace II Society (1993)

R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

76 Metascore

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda

Votes: 64,471 | Gross: $27.90M

19. The Wood (1999)

R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

52 Metascore

While dealing with a friend's cold feet on his wedding day, a writer reminisces about his youth with his best friends.

Director: Rick Famuyiwa | Stars: Elayn J. Taylor, Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones, Sean Nelson

Votes: 10,205 | Gross: $25.05M

20. Get Out (I) (2017)

R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

85 Metascore

A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.

Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener

Votes: 696,898 | Gross: $176.04M

21. Moonlight (I) (2016)

R | 111 min | Drama

99 Metascore

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert

Votes: 331,893 | Gross: $27.85M

22. The Central Park Five (2012)

Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History

79 Metascore

A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.

Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana

Votes: 7,935 | Gross: $0.27M

23. 13th (2016)

TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History

81 Metascore

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales

Votes: 37,676

24. Queen & Slim (2019)

R | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

A couple's first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.

Director: Melina Matsoukas | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny

Votes: 34,622

25. Tangerine (2015)

R | 88 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.

Director: Sean Baker | Stars: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan

Votes: 35,518 | Gross: $0.70M

26. Barbershop (2002)

PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama

66 Metascore

A day in the life of a South Side Chicago barbershop.

Director: Tim Story | Stars: Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Eve, Anthony Anderson

Votes: 33,541 | Gross: $75.78M

27. Ray (I) (2004)

PG-13 | 152 min | Biography, Drama, Music

73 Metascore

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell

Votes: 157,408 | Gross: $75.33M

28. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

PG-13 | 93 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

86 Metascore

Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.

Director: Benh Zeitlin | Stars: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes

Votes: 85,071 | Gross: $12.80M

29. Django Unchained (2012)

R | 165 min | Drama, Western

81 Metascore

With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington

Votes: 1,695,347 | Gross: $162.81M

30. When We Were Kings (1996)

PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport

83 Metascore

Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.

Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown

Votes: 19,132 | Gross: $2.79M

31. Fruitvale Station (2013)

R | 85 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

85 Metascore

The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand

Votes: 85,897 | Gross: $16.10M

32. Hustle & Flow (2005)

R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Music

68 Metascore

With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.

Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning

Votes: 43,225 | Gross: $22.20M

33. Hidden Figures (2016)

PG | 127 min | Biography, Drama, History

74 Metascore

The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Director: Theodore Melfi | Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner

Votes: 255,299 | Gross: $169.61M

34. Selma (2014)

PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 95,473 | Gross: $52.08M

35. Training Day (2001)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

71 Metascore

A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger

Votes: 472,923 | Gross: $76.63M

36. Shaft (1971)

R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

66 Metascore

A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John

Votes: 21,027 | Gross: $16.69M

37. Blindspotting (2018)

R | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

75 Metascore

While on probation, a man begins to re-evaluate his relationship with his volatile best friend.

Director: Carlos López Estrada | Stars: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones

Votes: 32,883 | Gross: $4.33M

38. The Color Purple (1985)

PG-13 | 154 min | Drama

78 Metascore

A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery

Votes: 97,357 | Gross: $98.47M

39. Remember the Titans (2000)

PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

48 Metascore

In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.

Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst

Votes: 231,940 | Gross: $115.65M

40. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.

Director: Terry George | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Xolani Mali

Votes: 372,272 | Gross: $23.53M

41. City of God (2002)

R | 130 min | Crime, Drama

79 Metascore

In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.

Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen

Votes: 801,144 | Gross: $7.56M

42. I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary, History

95 Metascore

Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.

Director: Raoul Peck | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X

Votes: 23,505 | Gross: $7.12M

43. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

R | 118 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

76 Metascore

Eddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.

Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson

Votes: 64,960

44. The Hate U Give (2018)

PG-13 | 133 min | Crime, Drama

81 Metascore

Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.

Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie

Votes: 40,137 | Gross: $29.72M

45. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

78 Metascore

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.

Director: Boots Riley | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick

Votes: 88,202 | Gross: $17.49M

46. Amazing Grace (2018)

G | 89 min | Documentary, Music

94 Metascore

A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.

Directors: Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollack | Stars: Aretha Franklin, James Cleveland, Alexander Hamilton, Cornell Dupree

Votes: 5,150 | Gross: $4.45M

47. O.J.: Made in America (2016)

TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen

Votes: 21,863

48. Strong Island (2017)

TV-MA | 107 min | Documentary, Crime

86 Metascore

When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey, since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brother.

Director: Yance Ford | Stars: Yance Ford, Harvey Walker, Kevin Myers, Lauren Ford

Votes: 4,125

49. Whose Streets? (2017)

R | 102 min | Documentary

79 Metascore

An unflinching look at how the police killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown inspired a community to fight back and sparked a global movement.

Directors: Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis | Stars: Lezley McSpadden, Michael Brown Sr., David Whitt, Montague Simmons

Votes: 1,411 | Gross: $0.18M

50. Just Mercy (2019)

PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

68 Metascore

World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Charlie Pye Jr.

Votes: 75,741

51. Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)

R | 103 min | Documentary, Comedy, Music

84 Metascore

A mix of Dave Chappelle's sketch comedy and musical interludes, inspired in part by the 1973 documentary Wattstax.

Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Dave Chappelle, Yasiin Bey, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu

Votes: 9,626 | Gross: $11.72M

52. Detroit (2017)

R | 143 min | Crime, Drama, History

77 Metascore

Fact-based drama set during the 1967 Detroit riots in which a group of rogue police officers respond to a complaint with retribution rather than justice on their minds.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore

Votes: 55,953 | Gross: $16.79M

53. Top Five (2014)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Romance

81 Metascore

A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality television star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her television show.

Director: Chris Rock | Stars: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, Kevin Hart

Votes: 27,647 | Gross: $25.28M

54. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

75 Metascore

A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."

Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie, Al Schackman

Votes: 14,830

55. Quincy (2018)

TV-MA | 124 min | Documentary, Biography

60 Metascore

An intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America.

Directors: Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones | Stars: Quincy Jones, Rashida Jones, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Clarence Avant

Votes: 5,162

56. American Gangster (2007)

R | 157 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

76 Metascore

An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin

Votes: 452,565 | Gross: $130.16M

57. Da 5 Bloods (2020)

R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, War

82 Metascore

Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis

Votes: 55,141

58. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

R | 116 min | Crime, Drama

68 Metascore

An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.

Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman

Votes: 96,964 | Gross: $3.31M

59. Killer of Sheep (1978)

80 min | Drama

96 Metascore

Set in the Watts area of Los Angeles, a slaughterhouse worker must suspend his emotions to continue working at a job he finds repugnant, and then he finds he has little sensitivity for the family he works so hard to support.

Director: Charles Burnett | Stars: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett

Votes: 7,535 | Gross: $0.40M

60. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

R | 119 min | Drama, Romance

87 Metascore

A young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn't commit.

Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Teyonah Parris

Votes: 52,503 | Gross: $14.92M

61. Beasts of No Nation (2015)

TV-MA | 137 min | Drama, War

79 Metascore

A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga | Stars: Abraham Attah, Emmanuel Affadzi, Ricky Adelayitor, Andrew Adote

Votes: 86,838 | Gross: $0.08M

62. Hoop Dreams (1994)

PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport

98 Metascore

A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.

Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates

Votes: 28,017 | Gross: $7.83M

63. LA 92 (2017)

R | 114 min | Documentary, Crime, History

66 Metascore

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.

Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Henry Alfaro, Danny Bakewell, John D. Barnett, Bart Bartholomew

Votes: 6,900

64. Dear White People (2014)

R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

79 Metascore

The lives of four black students at an Ivy League college.

Director: Justin Simien | Stars: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris

Votes: 26,564 | Gross: $4.40M

65. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

76 Metascore

A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant

Votes: 83,565 | Gross: $24.38M

66. Tsotsi (2005)

R | 94 min | Crime, Drama

70 Metascore

Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader.

Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Israel Matseke-Zulu, Terry Pheto

Votes: 31,607 | Gross: $2.91M

67. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.

Director: Terry George | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Xolani Mali

Votes: 372,272 | Gross: $23.53M

68. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

74 Metascore

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.

Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington

Votes: 196,038 | Gross: $17.61M

69. Marley (2012)

PG-13 | 144 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

82 Metascore

A documentary on the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley.

Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, Jimmy Cliff

Votes: 14,493 | Gross: $1.41M

70. Viva Riva! (2010)

R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

65 Metascore

Riva returns to his home town of Kinshasa to sell fuel, however the people whom he stole it from are close behind and when Riva tries to get with a girl her crime boss boyfriend isn't too happy about this.

Director: Djo Munga | Stars: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Diplome Amekindra, Hoji Fortuna

Votes: 1,225 | Gross: $0.06M

71. Johnny Mad Dog (2008)

98 min | Drama, War

45 Metascore

A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in the West African Country Liberia.

Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire | Stars: Christophe Minie, Daisy Victoria Vandy, Joseph Duo, Dagbeth Tweh

Votes: 3,534

72. War Witch (2012)

Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, War

84 Metascore

Somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Komona, a 14-year-old girl, tells her unborn child growing inside her the story of her life since she has been at war. Everything started when she was abducted by the rebel army at the age of 12.

Director: Kim Nguyen | Stars: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Ralph Prosper

Votes: 7,565 | Gross: $0.07M

73. La haine (1995)

Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama

24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili

Votes: 196,476 | Gross: $0.31M

74. Moolaadé (2003)

Unrated | 124 min | Drama

91 Metascore

When a woman shelters a group of girls from suffering female genital mutilation, she starts a conflict that tears her village apart.

Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Hélène Diarra, Salimata Traoré, Dominique Zeïda

Votes: 4,152 | Gross: $0.21M

75. Atlantics (2019)

TV-14 | 106 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

85 Metascore

In a popular suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave the country by the ocean for a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, promised to another.

Director: Mati Diop | Stars: Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, Traore, Nicole Sougou

Votes: 10,499

76. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

PG | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy

73 Metascore

A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.

Director: Jamie Uys | Stars: N!xau, Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, Louw Verwey

Votes: 59,462 | Gross: $30.03M

77. From a Whisper (2008)

79 min | Drama

When an intelligence officer and a young, rebellious artist discover that they both lost somebody in the US Embassy bombing 10 years ago, they learn how to confront their fears and forgive.

Director: Wanuri Kahiu | Stars: Ken Ambani, Abubakar Mwenda, Corrine Onyango, Godfrey Odhiambo

Votes: 48

78. Hyenas (1992)

Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

Dramaan is the most popular man in Colobane, but when a woman from his past, now exorbitantly wealthy, returns to the town, things begin to change.

Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty | Stars: Mansour Diouf, Ami Diakhate, Mamadou Mahourédia Gueye, Djibril Diop Mambéty

Votes: 1,338 | Gross: $0.02M

79. Sankofa (1993)

125 min | Drama

93 Metascore

A self-absorbed Black American fashion model on a photo shoot in Africa is spiritually transported back to a plantation in the West Indies where she experiences first-hand the physical and ... See full summary »

Director: Haile Gerima | Stars: Kofi Ghanaba, Oyafunmike Ogunlano, Alexandra Duah, Nick Medley

Votes: 809 | Gross: $2.69M

80. Coming to America (1988)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Romance

47 Metascore

An extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.

Director: John Landis | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, Feather

Votes: 223,591 | Gross: $128.15M

81. Jackie Brown (1997)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

62 Metascore

A flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda

Votes: 375,017 | Gross: $39.67M

82. Super Fly (1972)

R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama

67 Metascore

The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.

Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris

Votes: 8,600

83. The Harder They Come (1972)

R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Music

Wishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.

Director: Perry Henzell | Stars: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman

Votes: 7,035

84. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama

71 Metascore

After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.

Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan, Simon Chuckster

Votes: 5,868 | Gross: $15.18M

85. Gook (2017)

Unrated | 94 min | Drama

69 Metascore

Two Korean-American brothers run a shoe store in L.A. county. Their friend, black eleven-year-old Kamilla, drops in and helps. On this day, the Rodney King verdict ignites the 1992 L.A. riots.

Director: Justin Chon | Stars: Simone Baker, Justin Chon, Curtiss Cook Jr., David So

Votes: 2,750 | Gross: $0.25M

86. Ali (2001)

R | 157 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

65 Metascore

A biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles

Votes: 105,562 | Gross: $58.20M

87. Pariah (I) (2011)

R | 86 min | Drama

79 Metascore

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

Director: Dee Rees | Stars: Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Aasha Davis, Pernell Walker

Votes: 7,559 | Gross: $0.76M

88. George Washington (2000)

Not Rated | 89 min | Drama

82 Metascore

A group of children, in a depressed small town, band together to cover up a tragic mistake one summer.

Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee, Curtis Cotton III

Votes: 8,666 | Gross: $0.24M

89. Timbuktu (2014)

PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, War

92 Metascore

A cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives -- which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith -- abruptly disturbed.

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako | Stars: Ibrahim Ahmed, Abel Jafri, Toulou Kiki, Layla Walet Mohamed

Votes: 18,283 | Gross: $1.08M

90. One False Move (1991)

R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

87 Metascore

A small town police chief awaits the arrival of a gang of killers.

Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams, Michael Beach

Votes: 13,982 | Gross: $1.54M

91. Bamako (The Court) (2006)

115 min | Drama

81 Metascore

Bamako. Melé is a bar singer, her husband Chaka is out of work and the couple is on the verge of breaking up... In the courtyard of the house they share with other families, a trial court ... See full summary »

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako | Stars: Aïssa Maïga, Tiécoura Traoré, Maimouna Hélène Diarra, Habib Dembélé

Votes: 1,493 | Gross: $0.11M

92. Creed (II) (2015)

PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport

82 Metascore

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Votes: 310,891 | Gross: $109.77M

93. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

78 Metascore

A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.

Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle

Votes: 24,226 | Gross: $16.03M

94. Lumumba (2000)

Not Rated | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History

78 Metascore

The true story of controversial leader of independent Congo Patrice Lumumba.

Director: Raoul Peck | Stars: Eriq Ebouaney, Alex Descas, Théophile Sowié, Maka Kotto

Votes: 2,083 | Gross: $0.68M

95. Dry Season (2006)

96 min | Drama

78 Metascore

Chad, 2006. After a forty-year civil war, the radio announces the government has just amnestied the war criminals. Outraged by the news, Gumar Abatcha orders his grandson Atim, a ... See full summary »

Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Stars: Ali Barkai, Youssouf Djaoro, Aziza Hisseine, Khayar Oumar Defallah

Votes: 981

96. Eve's Bayou (1997)

R | 108 min | Drama

78 Metascore

What did little Eve see--and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it's the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.

Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield

Votes: 11,617 | Gross: $14.82M

97. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)

Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary

85 Metascore

A kaleidoscopic and humanistic view of the Black community in Hale County, Alabama.

Director: RaMell Ross | Stars: Latrenda 'Boosie' Ash, Karmyn Bryant, Korbyn Bryant, Kyrie Bryant

Votes: 2,126 | Gross: $0.11M

98. Us (II) (2019)

R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

81 Metascore

Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.

Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Votes: 341,147 | Gross: $175.08M

99. Dark Days (2000)

Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary

75 Metascore

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

Director: Marc Singer | Star: Marc Singer

Votes: 7,179 | Gross: $0.43M

100. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

R | 94 min | Drama, Music

87 Metascore

Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.

Director: George C. Wolfe | Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo

Votes: 57,932



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