The world of film has many remarkable action stars, but not so many actors who can both portray badass fighters, and at the same time, take on roles in films of other genres, be it comedy or drama. Vin Diesel is one of the few actors who can. He’s been acting for decades, and he continues to find new and intriguing work in Hollywood.
RELATED:The 10 Best Robert De Niro Movies (According To Metacritic)
Just like every actor, Vin Diesel also has both hits and misses. Sometimes the films he appears in get good critical reception, and other times, they don’t do so well. Overall, Vin Diesel’s films keep a high score on Metacritic.
10Riddick (2013) - 49
The 2013 movieRiddickdisproves the notion that all sequels have to have a lower rating than their previous movies. This time,Vin Diesel’s Riddick takes on a brand new, dangerous challenge. He faces alien predators on a planet where it looks like the sun never stops shining. The action-horror film might not have scored well with the critics, but the audience liked it much better and gave it a rating of 7.1 points.
9Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016) - 53
Vin Diesel often works with legendary directors. In this film, he joined forces with none other than Ang Lee, in one of his lesser-known movies. The film tells the story of a young soldier who discovers that fighting in a war and telling people about it afterward are two very different things. Critics praised the actors for their brilliant performances. As for Vin Diesel, he played the supporting part of Shroom, one of the main hero Billy’s commanding officers in Iraq.
8Boiler Room (2000) - 63
More often than not, critics give lower ratings to films than the audience does. That’s not the case of the now mostly forgotten 2000 filmBoiler Room. Critics gave it an above-average rating, but the audience hated it, and it scored only 2.4 points from them. Vin Diesel appeared in the film alongside other well-known actors, such as Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck. It focuses on a company whose work might not be as legitimate as people originally thought.
7Ready Player One (2018) - 64
Not every actor gets the chance to reprise his famous roles multiple times.Vin Diesel is the exceptionto this rule. After playing the Iron Giant in the 1999 film, Diesel once again voiced the friendly alien robot. Except for the fact that this time, it wasn’t in an animated film but in a live-action movie.
RELATED:Every Arnold Schwarzenegger ’80s Movie, Ranked According To Metacritic
Diesel also joined forces with Steven Spielberg once again. Spielberg had previously directed Diesel inSaving Private Ryan.Ready Player Oneis based on a successful book by Ernest Cline.
6Find Me Guilty (2006) - 65
Director Sidney Lumet has created many legendary movies, though,Find Me Guiltyis one of his lesser-known films, even though it deserves more attention. Vin Diesel stars in the film as Jackie DiNorscio, a gangster who gets the opportunity to shorten his sentence. The only thing he has to do is testify against the people he used to work side by side with, drawing inspiration from real events. Vin Diesel created a memorable duo with another talented actor,Game of Thronesstar, Peter Dinklage.
5Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - 67
Vin Diesel reprised the part of Groot in the MCU multiple times, not just in theGuardians of the Galaxymovies but also in multiple Avengers movies. In the secondGuardiansfilm, Groot has changed both his appearance and behavior.He was a baby this time, but still capable of fighting and taking care of himself. Other team members made fun of it sometimes, but Groot still helped them when the situation was bad.
4Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - 68
Groot was one of the many heroes who joined the fight against Thanos inInfinity War. After the Guardians of the Galaxy met and befriended Thor, they traveled into Wakanda. Groot helped Thor get a new weapon, since Thor’s sister, Hela, broke his hammer, Mjolnir, back inThor: Ragnarok(2017).
RELATED:10 Best Chris Evans Movies, Ranked According To Metacritic
Groot and Thor became instant friends and fought side by side. Unfortunately, all of them lost when Thanos snapped his fingers, and Groot was one of the victims of the snap. Before that happened, Vin Diesel had a few hilarious scenes in the film, and his teen-aged Groot was, in many ways, relatable.
3Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) - 76
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most successful current movie franchises, and every actor that joins it is in for a treat. Even though Vin Diesel’s face isn’t visible in the MCU, he’s still an important part of it. Diesel voiced the tree alien, Groot, who joins the team and even saves the day in the end, sacrificing his life for his team.Groot only repeats the same lineover and over again - “I am Groot.” The funny fact is that Vin Diesel got a revised script that explained what Groot actually meant every time he said his now-iconic line.
2The Iron Giant (1999) - 85
Vin Diesel mostly appears in live-action movies. That’s what makes it even more special to see him in an animated movie, let alone one where he plays the titular role. Vin Diesel voices a massive robot in theIron Giantfilm. A bit similar toE.T., the giant fell on Earth, albeit back in the 1950s. He befriended a young boy, Hogarth, who tried to protect the giant from everyone, including the military and the people in his town.Brad Bird, director of such hits asThe Incredibles(2004)orRatatouille(2007), directed the film, so it would be a shame to miss out on it.
1Saving Private Ryan (1998) - 91
Steven Spielberg has directed many moviesthat became instant classics, andSaving Private Ryanis one of them. The story focuses on a group of soldiers during World War II whose task is to go to Normandy and find the missing Private Ryan (Matt Damon). The film won five Academy Awards and many people consider it one ofthe best war dramas ever made. Critics at Metacritic even gave it a ‘must-see’ stamp. Vin Diesel portrayed private Caparzo in the film, one of the men who search for Private Ryan.
