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The Best Forest Whitaker Movies

Updated July 9, 2020 3.3k votes 455 voters 78.8k views78 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Forest Whitaker movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Over the years, Forest Whitaker has worked with many of the best directors in American cinema including Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood. Forest Whitaker's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Forest Whitaker movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Forest Whitaker movies will be at the top of the list. Forest Whitaker has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Forest Whitaker movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Forest Whitaker films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Forest Whitaker role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Forest Whitaker performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List contains films like The Last King of Scotland and Platoon.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Forest Whitaker movies?" and "What are the greatest Forest Whitaker roles of all time?" If you are a fan of Whtaker's award-winning performances, you might also enjoy our list of best Oprah Winfrey movies and best Cuba Gooding, Jr. movies.

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Phone Booth
Katie Holmes, Colin Farrell
Released: 2002
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Phone Booth is a 2002 American psychological thriller film about a man who is held hostage in a telephone booth by a sniper. It stars Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell and... more
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#28 of 70 25+ Great Movies That Have a Ticking Clock#3 of 32 The Best Movies That Take Place in Real Time
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Repo Men
Jude Law, Liev Schreiber
Released: 2010
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Repo Men is a 2010 American-Canadian science fiction action-thriller film directed by Miguel Sapochnik, and starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. It is based on the novel The Repossession Mambo by... more
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95
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Phenomenon
John Travolta, Robert Duvall
Released: 1996
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Phenomenon is a 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Gerald Di Pego, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, and Jeffrey... more
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#6 of 59 The Best Movies Released July 4th Weekend#265 of 502 The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time
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Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn
Released: 1982
Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe, adapted from his 1981 book of the same name. As a freelance writer for Rolling Stone magazine,... more
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#45 of 924 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films#281 of 1,506 The Most Rewatchable Movies
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64
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Bird
Forest Whitaker, Keith David
Released: 1988
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Bird is a 1988 American biographical film, produced and directed by Clint Eastwood of a screenplay written by Joel Oliansky. The film is a tribute to the life and music of jazz saxophonist Charlie... more
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82
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Vantage Point
Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Released: 2008
Directed by: Pete Travis
Vantage Point is a 2008 thriller film. It is directed by Pete Travis and stars Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. The release date is set at February 15,... more
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69
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The Color of Money
Tom Cruise, Paul Newman
Released: 1986
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
The Color of Money is a 1986 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The film stars Paul Newman and Tom... more
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#99 of 175 The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made#15 of 37 The Best Martin Scorsese Movies
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Good Morning, Vietnam
Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1987
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Good Morning, Vietnam is a 1987 American comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during Vietnam, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on... more
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#54 of 376 The 50+ Best War Movies Ever Made, Ranked#44 of 305 The Funniest '80s Movies
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Street Kings
Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie
Released: 2008
Directed by: David Ayer
Street Kings is a 2008 American action thriller film directed by David Ayer, and starring Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Common and The Game. It was released in theaters on... more
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65
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Where the Wild Things Are
Mark Ruffalo, Forest Whitaker
Released: 2009
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze. Written by Jonze and Dave Eggers, it is adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name. It... more
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#168 of 372 The Best Movies Based On Books#227 of 290 The Greatest Soundtracks of All Time

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The Butler
Mariah Carey, Robin Williams
Released: 2013
Directed by: Lee Daniels
The Butler is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and produced by Lee Daniels and written by Danny Strong. Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, the film stars Forest Whitaker as... more
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#296 of 302 The Best Movies Based On True Stories#12 of 85 The Greatest African American Biopics
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Jason's Lyric
Jada Pinkett Smith, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1994
Directed by: Doug McHenry
Jason's Lyric is a 1994 romantic drama film, written by Bobby Smith, Jr, and directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson and Marilla Lane Ross. Both Jackson and McHenry... more
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Species
Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley
Released: 1995
Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson, and starring Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and Marg... more
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#207 of 728 The Best Horror Movies Of All Time#96 of 113 The Best Horror Movie Franchises
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The Crying Game
Forest Whitaker, Jim Broadbent
Released: 1992
Directed by: Neil Jordan
The Crying Game is a 1992 British psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of... more
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#491 of 1,195 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#21 of 24 The Best Movies with Twist Endings
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Our Family Wedding
America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker
Released: 2010
Directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
Our Family Wedding is a 2010 comedy film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and written by Wayne Conley, Rick Famuyiwa and Malcolm Spellman.... more
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Panic Room
Kristen Stewart, Nicole Kidman
Released: 2002
Directed by: David Fincher
Panic Room is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by David Koepp. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded.... more
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#68 of 233 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time#41 of 171 The Best and Scariest Psychological Thrillers of All Time
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Vision Quest
Madonna, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1985
Directed by: Harold Becker
Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. Modine plays a Spokane high school... more
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#433 of 512 The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked#87 of 206 The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
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Out of the Furnace
Zoe Saldana, Christian Bale
Released: 2013
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Out of the Furnace is a 2013 American thriller film, directed by Scott Cooper, from a screenplay written by Cooper and Brad Ingelsby. Produced by Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio, the film stars... more
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The Air I Breathe
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Bacon
Released: 2007
Directed by: Jieho Lee
The Air I Breathe is the 2007 directorial film debut of Korean-American filmmaker Jieho Lee, who co-wrote the script with Bob DeRosa. It stars Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia,... more
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Stakeout
Madeleine Stowe, Richard Dreyfuss
Released: 1987
Directed by: John Badham
Stakeout is a 1987 comedy film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, and Forest Whitaker. The screenplay was written by Jim Kouf, who... more

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Smoke
Ashley Judd, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1995
Directed by: Paul Auster, Wayne Wang
Smoke is a 1995 American independent film. It was produced by Hisami Kuroiwa, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein and directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. Among others, it features Harvey Keitel,... more
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35
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A Rage in Harlem
Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover
Released: 1991
Directed by: Bill Duke
A Rage in Harlem is a 1991 American film starring Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, Badja Djola, Robin Givens and Gregory Hines and loosely based on Chester Himes' novel of the same name.... more
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33
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Freelancers
Robert De Niro, 50 Cent
Released: 2012
Directed by: Jessy Terrero
Freelancers is a crime-drama film directed by Jessy Terrero, and stars 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, and Robert De Niro. Filming took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It had a limited release in theaters... more
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34
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Johnny Handsome
Morgan Freeman, Mickey Rourke
Released: 1989
Directed by: Walter Hill
Johnny Handsome is an 1989 American crime-drama film directed by Walter Hill and starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin and Morgan Freeman. The film was written by Ken Friedman, and adapted from the... more
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The Last King of Scotland
Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson
Released: 2006
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
The Last King of Scotland is a 2006 British fiction drama film based on Giles Foden's novel of the same name, adapted by screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock, and directed by Kevin MacDonald.... more
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