The Best Idris Elba Movies, According To IMDb

Every movie fan has a favorite actor – someone they adore. Sometimes it’s because of a movie they’ve been in and other times, it’s for an award or acting performance. Yet, a few times, the reason why an actor becomes so renowned is due to their filmography, good or bad.

Idris Elba, a man who’s been in a tonne of films over the past few years, in one such actor. Elba has had plenty of roles, with some being okay and others amazing. Whether it be a superhero film, a gangster movie, or an animated film, Elba’s racked up the roles.

10 Pacific Rim (2013) – 6.9

Everyone loves a good speech, a rousing monologue that inspires both the characters in the film and the audiences. There have been many different speeches over the years and years of movies, with some better than the rest.

When what many consider to be one of the most awesome kaiju movies to not feature Godzilla, Pacific Rim came out in 2013, audiences went in hoping for a good robot smashing alien time but weren’t expecting Elba’s Stacker Pentecost to give a rousing and amazing speech. It’s a small yet powerful role that made Elba one of the movie’s best parts.

9 Thor (2011) – 7.0

Nowadays, just about every major actor out there has been in a superhero movie at one time or another. Whether they be the titular character, the big bad, or a noteworthy side character, being in superhero films can boost an actor’s reputation.

So when Idris popped up in the sci-fi superhero epic Thor, as the all-seeing god Heimdal, many were delighted by his stoic yet enjoyable performance. While his time in the MCU has ended, many look forward to Elba appearing as anti-hero Bloodsport in the upcoming DCEU feature, The Suicide Squad.

8 Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (2013) – 7.1

To portray a fictional character in a film isn’t an easy feat, yet it’s far less difficult than trying to match a real-life role in a biopic, with the best being far and few between. To try and play a role that’s based on a real-life person or historical figure is both stressful and challenging.

Still, when Idris Elba played the role of president and revolutionary Nelson Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom, a biopic based on the man’s life, Elba did a fantastic job in bringing the former president of South Africa to life in a stunning performance.

7 Star Trek Beyond (2016) – 7.1

It’s easy to be the hero or the good guy, but playing the villain is a different task altogether. While Elba may have started out more commonly playing the hero, he, like many other actors, can balance the roles of hero and villain well enough.

Even hidden beneath makeup, Elba delivers a strong and noteworthy performance as a former star fleet captain turned alien, Krall, in Star Trek Beyond, proving to be a menacing and worthwhile antagonist for the heroes.

6 RocknRolla (2008) – 7.3

Who doesn’t like a good old fashioned crime film? Crime and heist movies have become inseparable over the years, captivating audiences with their intriguing stories and cast. And no one seems to understand the genre quite as well as Guy Ritchie, who’s had quite a number of top films over the years.

Known for directing many a crime film, Ritchie’s RocknRolla sees Elba playing a supporting role as a gang member named Mumbles. Like a decent amount of his roles, Elba wasn’t on screen for long, but he still managed to knock it out of the park in this great crime flick.

5 The Jungle Book (2016) – 7.4

Playing the role of a human, on-screen and in the flesh, is easy. Even when one’s face or body is hidden beneath mounds of makeup and costume, the best actors can still convey emotion. But, what if the actor is a CG character?

When Jon Favreau came out with the live-action remake of The Jungle Book, it was a surprise that so many CG characters could convey such emotion, especially the likes of Elba, who played the nefarious and vicious tiger, Shere Khan, to perfection, helping to elevate the film as a remake that’s even better than the original.

4 Molly’s Game (2017) – 7.4

There are moments in some films when there are no good guys or bad guys – when the characters aren’t in the right but they’re in the wrong in such a way that one can’t help but root for them.

Molly’s Game, which follows the queen-pin of an underground poker empire, sees Elba playing the titular character’s lawyer, Charlie Jaffey. While Jaffey’s trying to protect a bad person, the way Elba portrays the character will leave anyone cheering for both characters.

3 Beasts Of No Nation (2015) – 7.7

When one’s thinks of award-winning films, they may not necessarily think of Netflix. While, in recent years, Netflix has managed to amass a catalog of noteworthy films, they don’t always hit the mark as well as the streaming juggernaut’s long-running original shows.

Beasts Of No Nation, a harrowing story about a child soldier, is one of Netflix’s more notable films, as Elba, once again, takes the role of the villain in a sickening manner, playing the horrific and brutal commandant in such a way that it earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

2 American Gangster (2007) – 7.8

Not every role ends up being an actor’s most memorable. But sometimes, they only appear in a movie for a few moments and are still able to leave a lasting impression upon the audience, needing only a few moments to shine.

In American Gangster, this remains more than true for Elba, who has a small role as a gangster named Tango. He is shot by Denzel after only a few moments on screen. Still, Elba manages to shine in this brief, memorable role.

1 Zootopia (2016) – 8.0

The differences between live-action and animation are obvious. From differences in tone to overall more light or enjoyable stories, animation does set itself apart from live-action in more ways than one. But a single factor bringing them together: the actors.

Often times, the most unexpected actors are the ones who will pop in animated movies, with Elba being one of many to do so, appearing in the animated feature Zootopia as Chief Bogo. He’s a stern yet well-meaning cop that Elba plays just as well as any live-action role in this animated film that rivals Frozen in how good it is.

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