British actor Daniel Kaluuya is currently one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood. The 33-year-old rose to prominence as an original cast member of the teen-drama series Skins but has now appeared in several cinematic blockbusters.
He's incredibly talented with a substantial range, meaning the movies he's been in vary enormously in their genres, themes, and general nature.
In this piece, we'll be looking through Kaluuya's impressive filmography and ranking the top 12, from worst to best.
12. Chatroom (2010, Directed by Hideo Nakata)
By far the worst movie to make this list, Chatroom is a thriller based on the play of the same name by Enda Walsh. It's about five young people who meet in an online chatroom and subsequently encourage each other's bad behavior. Kaluuya plays a character called Mo, who thinks he's a pedophile because he's attracted to his friend's young sister.
Thriller About People Who Meet in an Online Chatroom
While the plot of Chatroom undoubtedly has an interesting concept, it fails to deliver on its promise in several ways. It's boring, has terrible dialogue, awful-looking sets, and poorly-developed characters. Kaluuya is competent enough in it – and it also features big stars like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Imogen Poots, and the Ring director – but it doesn't save the movie.
11. Kick-Ass 2 (2013, Directed by Jeff Wadlow)
Kick-Ass 2 is a superhero movie with a hint of black comedy and the sequel to 2010’s Kick-Ass. It follows the titular hero as he joins a vigilante team called “Justice Forever,” while his friend and ally Hit-Girl attempts to live an everyday life for the first time. Kaluuya ably plays the masked Black Death, a mixed martial artist who joins a supervillain team formed to defeat Kick-Ass.
A Superhero Movie With a Hint of Black Comedy
While the first Kick-Ass movie was excellent, this one falls well short of it. It's still mildly entertaining, but it doesn't mix the ultra-violence of the franchise with humor half as well as its predecessor. It tries to juggle too many characters, and it doesn't feel like Wadlow connected with the concept as well as Matthew Vaughn did with the previous movie.
10. Johnny English Reborn (2011, Directed by Oliver Parker)
Johnny English Reborn is a spy comedy action movie and the sequel to 2003's Johnny English. In this installment, Rowan Atkinson's titular character goes up against a group of international assassins hunting down Chinese Premier Xiang Ping. Kaluuya plays Colin Tucker, an MI7 agent who assists English on his mission.
A Spy Comedy Action Movie
It's not a great movie, but it's an improvement on the original, and Rowan Atkinson is typically brilliant in it. Its humor is on the (very) silly side, but if that's your thing, you'll enjoy it. Overall, it wastes a lot of great talent, with the likes of Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, and Rosamund Pike hardly thriving. Kaluuya does his job just fine.
9. Welcome to The Punch (2013, Directed by Eran Creevy)
Welcome to the Punch is an action thriller about a London detective who has one last chance to take down the man he's always been after – a notorious criminal forced to return to the English capital. Kaluuya plays the relatively minor character Juka Ogadowa, a subordinate of James McAvoy's main character Detective Inspector Max Lewinsky.
An Action Thriller About a London Detective
It's fast-paced with plenty of action, emotion, and depth, but its characters suffer due to the movie's frantic nature. It has a brilliant British cast that includes Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, David Morrissey, and Jason Flemyng, in addition to Kaluuya and McAvoy. Kaluuya's part may be reasonably small, but he performs it as competently as ever.
8. A Christmas Carol (2020, Directed by Jacqui Morris)
A Christmas Carol is a drama dance movie based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella. It's a retelling that begins traditionally before veering off into the mind of one of the children in the audience, taking it in a darker direction. Kaluuya adeptly provides the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Present.
A Drama Dance Movie
While the story and drama of this movie are more than adequate, what's particularly impressive about it is the technical aspect. It looks great, plays out similarly to a ballet performance, and provides plenty of Christmas atmosphere. In addition to Kaluuya, the impressive voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Martin Freeman, and Andy Serkis.
7. Nope (2022, Directed by Jordan Peele)
Kaluuya's most recent movie, Nope, is a sci-fi horror about a brother and sister who, with the help of a renowned cinematographer, attempt to capture evidence of an unidentified flying object near their inland California ranch. Kaluuya plays Otis Jr. “OJ” Haywood, one of the siblings in question.
Provides Chills, Suspense, and Laughter
It's ambitious, original, and bold, but Nope falls slightly short of the two movies Jordan Peele previously directed (Get Out and Us). It is gratifying and enjoyable, though, and provides chills, suspense, laughter, and the kind of movie magic once seen in Spielberg classics like 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Kaluuya is a superb lead in this one, brilliantly reacting to the movie's other-worldly events.
6. Queen & Slim (2019, Directed by Melina Matsoukas)
Queen & Slim is a road crime drama about a young couple forced to go on the run after they kill a police officer in self-defense during a traffic stop in the heat of an argument. Kaluuya plays Ernest “Slim” Hines, one half of the titular couple and the partner of Jodie Turner-Smith's Angela “Queen” Johnson.
A Road Crime Drama
It's an excellent movie overseen by a director making her feature-length debut. Queen & Slim has a great story, and Matsoukas presents it in a very stylish way. It delivers a powerful and provocative message as a result. Kaluuya is fantastic in the lead role and has terrific chemistry with Turner-Smith.
5. Widows (2018, Directed by Steve McQueen)
Widows is a neo-noir heist thriller about four Chicago women who attempt to steal $5,000,000 from the home of a prominent local politician, so they can pay back a crime boss from whom their husbands stole $2,000,000 before dying in their botched getaway attempt. Kaluuya plays Jatemme Manning, the crime boss' brother, and his mob enforcer.
A Neo-noir Heist Thriller
This brilliant movie has us rooting for its titular heroines from the moment we set eyes on them. It has plenty of substance and powerful messages about racial inequality, class disparity, and sexism, but it's also immensely entertaining and has a great twist. Kaluuya's role in it isn't huge, but he's as reliable as ever in his performance.
4. Sicario (2015, Directed by Denis Villeneuve)
Sicario is an action thriller about a moral and ethical FBI agent who gets recruited by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Kaluuya plays Reggie Wayne, a rookie FBI agent and the partner of the main character Kate Macer (Emily Blunt).
An Action Thriller About an FBI Agent
With a fantastic cast that includes Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin, Sicario is an action-packed adventure with a hard edge. It's rather dark and murky, but it looks sublime and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Although the set pieces are great, there's also a lot to this movie that will provoke thought. Kaluuya is excellent in a supporting role.
3. Black Panther (2018, Directed by Ryan Coogler)
Black Panther is a superhero movie based on the comic books of the Marvel character of the same name. It sees the late Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa crowned king of Wakanda following his father's death and Michael's B. Jordan's Killmonger challenging him. Kaluuya plays W'Kabi, a fierce Wakandan warrior and T'Challa's best friend and confidant.
An Exhilarating Thrill Ride
One of the finest superhero movies ever made, Black Panther is a visual delight with some fantastic performances from its ensemble cast. It has excellent characters, a captivating story, and a particularly brilliant villain. It's truly an exhilarating thrill ride. Kaluuya performs admirably in a role that requires him to turn against his closest pal.
2. Judas and The Black Messiah (2021, Directed by Shaka King)
Judas and the Black Messiah is a biographical crime drama that focuses on the betrayal of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Marxist-Leninist and black power organization the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, by an FBI informant called William O'Neal. Kaluuya plays the crucial role of Hampton.
A Biographical Crime Drama
This movie is electrifying and delivers its message of condemning racial injustice spectacularly. Its powerful themes of coercion, betrayal, oppression, and revolution are still prevalent today. It's teeming with great performances, and Kaluuya's is so good that it won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His co-star Lakeith Stanfield received a nomination for the same gong.
1. Get Out (2017, Directed by Jordan Peele)
Get Out is a horror movie written, directed, and co-produced by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It's about a young black man from Brooklyn, New York, who uncovers horrifying secrets when he meets the family of his white girlfriend at their Upstate New York home. Kaluuya plays Chris Washington, the young black man in question.
A Phenomenal, Creative, Thought-provoking Movie
It's a phenomenal, creative, thought-provoking movie that's teeming with an equal amount of scares and dark laughs. It brilliantly addresses racism on several levels. Watching it, you'd think Peele was a seasoned horror master. Kaluuya's performance as the central character is magnificent, and it earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.