When your name is Michael Jordan, even if that is interspersed with a “B”, that’s a lot to live up to. But actor Michael B. Jordan has done a pretty good job of that, becoming one of the bigger actors in Hollywood and expanding into producing and directing. But I’m going to look specifically at his career on screen as I give my rankings for the five best Michael B. Jordan movies.
Though he has TV credits that include some of the best TV shows of all time like The Sopranos, The Wire, Friday Night Lights and an extended run on the daytime soap opera All My Children, Jordan truly broke out as a movie star in the 2010s. Since then, he has had a number of notable roles, though his career — and as of right now, a majority of this list — has been dominated by his creative partnership with director Ryan Coogler.
So how do I rank Michael B. Jordan’s movies to date (not including his TV movies, sorry Fahrenheit 451 fans)? Check out the full list below:
5. Creed (2015)
It was fair to think heading into Creed, that they had squeezed everything they could out of the Rocky franchise. However, in shifting the focus from one of Sylvester Stallone’s most famous characters to the unknown son of Apollo Creed trying to make a name for himself out of his father’s shadow gave us something much more akin to the original Best Picture winner. Jordan is great as Adonis and works well with Stallone (as Rocky becomes the young fighter’s mentor), effectively restarting this franchise for a new generation.
Watch Creed on Prime Video/MGM Plus in the US; available via digital on-demand in the UK.
4. Just Mercy (2019)
Legal dramas have been a reliable movie genre for a long time, and Just Mercy is a very solid entry to that history. Based on a true story, Jordan stars as young lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who makes it his mission to fight for the freedom of a man wrongly put on death row (Jamie Foxx). In addition to the stirring performance from Jordan and company, the movie has a powerful social message and highlights the great work of a real-life hero. This one definitely feels like it flew under the radar, but it’s worth checking out.
Watch Just Mercy via digital on-demand in the US and the UK.
3. Black Panther (2018)
A lot of people may put Black Panther at the top of this list, and they’d find no strong argument against that from me; I just like the two next movies a little more. But Jordan’s Killmonger is easily one of the best villains in the MCU and nearly steals the show from Chadwick Boseman (I remember there was some buzz around Jordan landing an Oscar nomination for the performance, and honestly it would have been a worthy one); Black Panther, meanwhile, remains the only Marvel movie to receive a Best Picture nomination.
Watch Black Panther on Disney Plus in the US and UK.
2. Sinners (2025)
Call it recency bias if you want, but I absolutely love Sinners (read my Sinners review to find out why) and instantly think it ranks among the best Michael B. Jordan movies. It has everything that you could want from a big Hollywood movie — an engaging story, incredible moments that will get the whole audience cheering and a star turn from Jordan, who pulls off the challenge of playing dual roles. And something that really helps it stand out for me, this is a wholly original movie (despite obviously taking certain lore elements from vampire movies in general) that, in addition to pure entertainment, has some interesting ideas about the power of music and more.
Watch Sinners exclusively in movie theaters.
1. Fruitvale Station (2013)
I’ve listed the most well-known Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan collaborations on this list already with Creed, Black Panther and Sinners, but the best of their movies happens to be their first — Fruitvale Station. It’s the powerful retelling of the last day of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III’s life, seeing him as he crosses paths with friends and family before an ultimate tragedy. Though Jordan had starred in the indie hit Chronicle in 2012, Fruitvale Station truly announced him as a star to watch as he gives an incredible performance. Not to say that entertaining movies like the other collaborations with Coogler can’t be high-quality art, but the raw and real emotion that Fruitvale Station elicits puts it above the rest for me.
Watch Fruitvale Station via digital on-demand in the US; streaming on Prime Video/MGM Plus in the UK.
