Mekhi Phifer: 10 Best Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

Many fans know Mekhi Phifer from his role as Gregory Pratt on TV’s ER. Many audiences consider ER to be one of the best ever medical dramas. However, the actor has appeared in films since the mid-1990s. Fans perhaps know his blockbusters like 8 Mile.

Others might be less familiar with his filmography which includes several roles in many different kinds of movies. He has starred in movies like Clockers and presented supporting roles in titles like A Lesson Before Dying. Fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes to rank his best movies.

Paid In Full (53%)

Paid in Full is a crime drama from the early 2000s. It follows the story of three friends living in Harlem, Ace, Mitch, and Rico. Ace works at a dry cleaner while his friend and sister’s boyfriend stack money selling drugs. Before long, Ace joins their life of crime after seeing its easy benefits.

Mekhi Phifer plays Ace. Fans of the movie might say it presents a familiar thriller with memorable performances. Others might say the film showcases entertaining action sequences.

This Christmas (55%)

This Christmas tells the story of a family coming together for the holidays. The Whitfields are a large family that brings guests into their circle in celebrating Christmas when members of the family invite their partners to dinner. The family is happy to see each other until secrets surface and tensions rise.

Mekhi Phifer plays Gerald. He is joined by a notable cast including Idris Elba, Regina King, and Loretta Devine. This Christmas doesn’t give Regina King one of her highest-rated roles, but fans might say it is a warm holiday comedy.

O (64%)

A Shakespeare play comes to life in a modern setting in O. It presents an updated version of Othello. The famous story of love, jealousy, and manipulation takes place in an American high school. Othello is replaced by Odin James in the script, and the events of the tragedy unfold due to conflict in the school’s basketball team.

Odin is played by Mekhi Phifer, while Josh Hartnett plays Hugo Goulding, based on Iago. Julia Stiles plays Desi, based on Desdemona. Fans of the movie might say it is one of the better Shakespeare teen adaptations from the early 2000s. Others might say it showcases powerful performances.

Shaft (67%)

A celebrated cult TV series makes its way to the big screen with Shaft. The movie follows the famous titular character. Samuel L. Jackson’s Detective John Shaft takes down bad guys and goes after Walter Wade, Jr., a wealthy young figure involved in dirty dealings.

Some viewers say Shaft is one of John Singleton’s best movies. Mekhi Phifer plays Howard, a victim of Wade’s who kicks off the events of the film. Fans might say it provides an effective updated spin on the hit TV show. Others perhaps say its cast is impressive, featuring Christian Bale and Toni Collette alongside Jackson.

Clockers (72%)

Spike Lee presents one of his most concise crime films with Clockers. The story follows Ronald ‘Strike’ Dunham. Strike is a low-level drug dealer in a Brooklyn housing project. When the local druglord Rodney Little tells him to kill another dealer, he gets his brother involved.

Police try to uncover the truth as Stike evades their questioning and tries to put Rodney at ease. Mekhi Phifer stars as Strike in his first feature film role. Fans of the movie might say it is one of Spike Lee’s most underrated movies.

8 Mile (75%)

8 Mile presents the story of a white rapper in Detroit trying to advance his career in the music industry in the mid-1990s. Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. competes in rap battles hosted by his friend Future while struggling with a dead-end job and budding relationship with Alex Latourno.

Mekhi Phifer plays Future, while Eminem plays B-Rabbit. Some fans say 8 Mile presents one of the best performances by a musician in a movie. Devotees perhaps say the movie is entertaining, and Phifer provides a memorable supporting role.

Dawn Of The Dead (76%)

Zack Snyder presents a suspenseful horror film with Dawn of the Dead. The early 2000s movie is a remake of the cult movie of the same name from the late 70s. As zombies appear to take over the world, a group of survivors fends them off in a Midwestern mall.

Mekhi Phifer plays Andre. He is trapped in the mall with his pregnant partner. Audiences might say Dawn of the Dead is highly rated because it provides nail-biting suspense and an effective take on the zombie genre.

A Lesson Before Dying (80%)

A Lesson Before Dying is a drama from the late 1990s. It follows Grant Wiggins, a teacher in the American south during the 1940s. When a local black man is arrested after a white shop owner is killed, Wiggins forms a friendship with him before his sentence is carried out.

Mekhi Phifer plays Jefferson, the man who is arrested. Don Cheadle plays Grant Wiggins. Fans of the movie might say it showcases a gripping emotional tale driven by effective performances.

Soul Food (81%)

Soul Food is a movie about a family coming together over Sunday dinner each week. The Joseph’s youngest member, pre-teen Ahmad, watches the tumultuous relationships between many of the family members as they try to put their differences aside during weekly gatherings.

Mekhi Phifer plays Lem. Fans of the movie might say it tells a sweet story. others might point to the film’s performances by an ensemble cast of notable stars like Nia Long and Vivica A. Fox as a reason for its high rating.

The Tuskegee Airmen (88%)

The Tuskegee Airmen presents a historical war film from the mid-90s. It follows the first African-American members of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War Two training in Alabama. Lawrence Fishburne stars alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Mekhi Phifer.

Mekhi Phifer gives audiences his first appearance in a movie with The Tuskegee Airmen. Viewers might say it presents a fascinating and underrepresented moment in history. Others might say Phifer’s performance lays the foundation for his film career.

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