Best Movie Genres List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst  

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List Rules Movies must feature African-American and African culture and/or mostly above the line black casts.

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Ranker Video The Best Black Movies Of All Time

The best black movies are favorites that explore African-American culture and themes. This list is ranked by film fans, many of whom grew up waiting for and watching goods, realistic representations of what life was like for black people in America. The top African American movies often dominate the box office when released and this is a list of the best black films. What are the best black people movies of all time? Some of these films appear on other lists that you may find interesting, such as: best comedies of all time, best drama movies, and best actions movies on Netflix. You can sort by actor and director, or press "rerank" below to make your own list of the greatest African American themed movies.

This list of top black films features classic African American comedies like Friday and Coming to America, sports films like Love & Basketball, and biographical movies about black celebrities and leaders, from Ray and Ali to Malcolm X. This list also includes great movies about slavery (both Roots and Django Unchained, for example) and films about black life in the American South throughout history, from Glory and A Time to Kill to The Help. These and other highly acclaimed black movies in cinema focus on African-Americans, and most have surpassed the test of time among black audiences.

This includes everything to watch from '90s black comedy movies - comedies with a mostly black cast and perspective - to black crime movies, famous gang films, and action flicks. For other interesting movie lists check out Ranker's lists of well-made movies about slavery and films about racism. Also check out these lists of the best black sitcoms and the best cities for African Americans.

list ordered by

1
11,323 2,016
Boyz n the Hood is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr. Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood drama written and directed by John Singleton in his directorial debut, and starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia ...more

2
10,099 2,287
Coming to America is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones Coming to America is a 1988 American comedy film directed by John Landis, and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also starred in the lead role. The film also co-stars ...more

3
11,627 1,308
Friday is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Ice Cube, Meagan Good, Nia Long Friday is a 1995 American stoner buddy comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray in his directorial debut, and starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tiny 'Zeus' Lister Jr, and John ...more

4
6,512 1,258
Malcolm X is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Denzel Washington, Al Sharpton, Nelson Mandela Malcolm X is a 1992 American biographical drama film about the African-American activist Malcolm X. Directed and co-written by Spike Lee. The film dramatizes key events in Malcolm X's life: his ...more

5
6,349 1,534
Training Day is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Eva Mendes, Snoop Dogg, Denzel Washington Training Day is a 2001 American thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer, and starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The story follows two LAPD narcotics officers over ...more

6
7,584 1,198
The Color Purple is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence Fishburne See The Best The Color Purple Movie Quotes
 The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as ...more

7
5,595 1,042
Ray is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Kerry Washington, Jamie Foxx, Terrence Howard Ray is a biographical film focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was written, produced and directed by Taylor Hackford, and ...more

8
5,197 2,009
Django Unchained is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film directed by Quentin Tarantino. With the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz), a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) sets out to ...more

9
3,915 1,098
Do the Right Thing is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Lawrence, Spike Lee Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama hood film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who also played the part of Mookie in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny ...more

10
7,642 1,112
Set It Off is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Queen Latifah, Dr. Dre, Jada Pinkett Smith Set It Off is a 1996 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray, and written by Kate Lanier and Takashi Bufford. The film stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly ...more

11
5,524 779
Lean on Me is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Morgan Freeman, Tony Todd, Regina Taylor Lean on Me is a 1989 dramatized biographical film written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Morgan Freeman. Lean on Me is loosely based on the story of Joe Louis ...more

12
4,813 1,017
Remember the Titans is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of ...more

13
5,221 1,128
The Pursuit of Happyness is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Smith The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film based on Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film features Will ...more

14
5,785 919
Bad Boys is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Will Smith, Téa Leoni, Martin Lawrence Bad Boys is a 1995 American action comedy film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, producers of Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop, and directed by Michael Bay in his directorial debut. It ...more

15
9,271 1,130
Love & Basketball is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Tyra Banks, Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan Love & Basketball is a 2000 American romantic drama film starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. The film tells the story of Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, two next-door neighbors in Los ...more

16
2,913 843
Glory is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick Glory is a 1989 American drama film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. The screenplay was written by Kevin Jarre, based on ...more

17
4,512 710
New Jack City is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Chris Rock, Ice-T, Judd Nelson New Jack City is a 1991 American thriller action film film directed by Mario Van Peebles in his directorial debut, who also co-stars in the film. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen ...more

18
5,515 698
Menace II Society is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Samuel L. Jackson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Charles S. Dutton Menace II Society is a 1993 drama/hood film and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Set in South Central Los Angeles, the film follows the life of a hoodlum named ...more

19
5,057 1,079
Barbershop is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Ice Cube, Eve, Janina Gavankar Barbershop is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Tim Story, produced by State Street Pictures and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 13, 2002. Starring Ice Cube, Cedric the ...more

20
3,229 870
Hotel Rwanda is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 American historical drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay written by both George and Keir Pearson. It stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo ...more

21
3,788 715
Roots is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Louis Gossett, Jr., LeVar Burton This award-winning six-part historical epic was one of the first examples of the miniseries format and one of the highest-rated television programs in broadcasting history. Based on the ...more

22
5,344 767
The Best Man is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Nia Long, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan The Best Man is a 1999 American romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. It was produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, with Lee's cousin, Spike Lee, serving as ...more

23
4,189 760
Bad Boys II is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Megan Fox, Will Smith, Dan Marino Bad Boys II is a 2003 American action-comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The film is a sequel to the 1995 film Bad ...more

24
5,149 642
Juice is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Tupac Shakur, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah Juice is a 1992 American drama thriller directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, written by Ernest R. Dickerson and Gerard Brown. It stars rapper Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. Additional cast members ...more

25
3,690 657
The Five Heartbeats is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Black Movies, Ranked Best to Worst
Diahann Carroll, Harry Lennix, Robert Townsend The Five Heartbeats is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Wayans. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes ...more