Often, audiences only think of Wesley Snipes as Marvel's notorious vampire killer, Blade. Long before his iconic role in Blade, Snipes was one of Hollywood's finest all-around actors. Samples of his diverse career include roles as dragon queen extraordinaire Noxeema Jackson in Too Wong Foo Thanks For Every Thing, Julie Newmar and Lieutenant Webster Smith alongside Sean Connery in The Rising Sun. Recently, he outperformed Eddie Murphy as actor/director Du'rville Martin in Dolemite Is My Name.
But the traveled actor who once shared the screen with singing legend Michael Jackson in his "Bad" video has had a stellar movie career. Here are ten of the best Wesley Snipes movies, ranked by IMDb.
Passenger 57 (5.9)
Wesley Snipes stars as John Cutter, an airline security expert who must overthrow terrorists that hijacks the plane that he is traveling on. He stars opposite Bruce Payne, whose performance of the preposterous criminal Charles Rayne is unforgettable.
If you have ever seen Action Jackson with Carl Weathers, then Passenger 57 is Wesley Snipe’s version of that 1980s fun action-packed movie. The film embraces Snipes’ stuntman-like acrobatics and comedic talents.
With such catchphrases as “you gotta, go, you gotta go” before he kicks someone out the plane or the phrase that serves as a classic meme when Snipes asks Charlie (referring to Payne’s character Charles Rayne) “do you ever play roulette? Let me give you a word of advice. Always bet on black.” It is a fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride kind of film.
Murder At 1600 (6.1)
Wesley Snipes co-stars with Diane Lane as homicide detective Regis and agent Chance who is investigating a murder of a young woman in the White House. Although the action is limited, this political thriller reminds viewers, once again, of the adaptability of Snipes. He showcases his talent as a leading man, despite the lack of a romantic interest between himself and Lane’s character. Snipes was intrigued by the idea of performing in a suspense thriller that is usually offered to more mature actors.
The Expendables 3 (6.1)
The Expendables 3 is the third installment of the franchise created by Sylvester Stallone who combines the action stars of yesteryear and sprinkled in new stars likes Jason Stratham to form a group of elite mercenaries. The movie is a total adrenaline rush and a great formula for showcasing Snipes' abilities as a rough and tumble superstar.
Some of the actors that have made it to the franchise roster consist of Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Now, Wesley Snipes joins the elite group as Doc. In Snipes' first appearance in the movie, he has a gray uncombed afro and a rugged beard to match. When the elite group breaks him out of jail on a train, Doc has a lifeless expression on his face. But, when he sees Ross (Stallone), his demeanor changes, offering a sadistic smile, and he begins to run on top of a moving train, annihilating everyone onboard and demonstrating his craft as a fifth-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate.
US Marshals (6.5)
Snipes co-stars with Tommy Lee Jones as a man accused of double murder who is being tracked down by US Marshals. Because of the success of The Fugitive with Harrison Ford, Snipes had “big shoes to fill." Already sharing the screen with a movie legend in Tommy Lee Jones, he had to be better or as good as Ford’s portrayal of Dr. Richard Kimble.
Snipes did live up to the expectations of audiences, who were impressed by the action and pacing of the film. But the film did not receive positive reviews due to its formulated plot.
Blade 2 (6.7)
Snipes dawns the shades and sword once again as the day-walking vampire hunter, Blade, in this second installment of the trilogy. Blade forms an alliance with the vampire council to hunt a deadly breed of vampires who feed on their own. Blade 2 is the highest-grossing movie of this series in large part due to the phenomenal action scenes as witnessed in the final fight scene between Snipes (Blade) and Luke Goss (Nomak). It is a combination of martial arts, CGI and WWE wrestling, including a flying elbow off a column.
This movie furthers Snipes' legacy as a Marvel superhero, drawing comparisons with other martial arts action heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.
Demolition Man (6.7)
Wesley Snipes playing a blonde mohawk wearing blue-eyed psychopath named Simon Pheonix teams up with Sylvester Stallone in this sci-fi action thriller that disappointed moviegoers due to its satirical aspect. Audiences felt that the film sacrificed action for one-liners. This could have been Snipes' break out role as a supervillain, but it is reminiscent of the cartoonish evildoers of the 1960s Batman TV series instead of the iconic role of Nino Brown that he displayed two years prior in New Jack City.
White Men Can’t Jump (6.8)
In 1992, White Men Can’t Jump stared Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as comedies’ next dynamic duo and they did not disappoint. Sidney Dean (Snipes) and Billy Hoyle (Harrelson) are basketball hustlers who join together to hustle the Los Angeles street legends “The King” and “The Duck” to cash-in their biggest score.
The comedy pair stared in Wildcats in 1986 and will go on to star in Money Train in 1995 and Play It to the Bone in 1999. But nothing was more hilarious as White Men Can’t Jump. With the addition of Rosie Perez as Gloria, the film was one of the best comedy movies of that year.
King Of New York (7)
To be the king, you have to give back, and Frank White (Christopher Walken), straight out of prison, wants to continue his business as the drug lord while giving back to the neighborhood. Snipes plays New York detective Thomas Flanagan who wants to take down White.
Playing opposite of Academy Award-winning actor, Christopher Walken, would seem to be a daunting task, but the Florida native who attended the High School of Performing Arts held his own proving his versatility as an actor.
Blade (7.1)
New Line Cinema hit the jackpot by casting Snipes in the lead role, elevating his career into the stratosphere. Because his portrayal of the Marvel vampire killer was so prominent in the viewer’s minds, it helped enforce his stereotype as an action hero, forgetting his astonishing work that came before.
Snipes portrays Blade, a human with the strength of vampires but none of their weakness, and, for the next six years, he would revisit the role as the sword wielder in which his name is derived in Blade 2 and Blade: Trinity.
Major League (7.2)
Major League is a comedy classic where the owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a team of misfits to throw the season. Wesley Snipes costars and showcases his comedy chops as one of the misfits, Willie Mays Hayes.
Hayes buys gloves in anticipation for each base he steals and hangs them on the wall. He often brags to first basemen on how many bases he is going to steal, but he usually gets out before he accomplishes his feat. There is a great scene where Hayes (Snipes) tries to steal second base but comes short as the second baseman waves him in and tells him to come on as he looks up dejected. Snipes was not a major star in Major League, but Willie Mays Hayes stole the show as the film’s most memorable character.