Every Spike Lee Movie, Ranked

by Keith Kimbell, Metacritic Film Editor – June 23, 2020

Updated 9/11/20 to add American Utopia.

Spike Lee's new Netflix film Da 5 Bloods has been earning mostly terrific reviews, but where does it rank among the veteran director's best films? In the gallery above, we rank every feature directed by Lee in order by Metascore (reflecting the consensus of top professional film critics) from worst to best.

Note that a few made-for-television films are not included because there were not enough reviews available to calculate a Metascore. These include Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella (1990), Sucker Free City (2004), Kobe Doin' Work (2009), and 2 Fists Up (2016).

6 of 36 photo by HBO

51 #30: Jim Brown: All American

This 2002 documentary about football legend, actor, and activist Jim Brown played in its full 130-minute length in New York prior to airing on HBO in an edited version. The film proves more successful in its depiction of Brown’s on-the-field accomplishments than in its exploration of the ups and downs of his post-football life.

“A model of cohesion and clarity as long as it's dealing with Brown's exemplary public achievements. However, pic quickly becomes mired in tedium and confusion when it turns to Brown's scandal-ridden private life.” —Ronnie Scheib, Variety

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