All Danny Glover Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer
(Photo by Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection. Thumbnail: Buena Vista Pictures, Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection)
The journey to fame and employment for every movie star is different, but Danny Glover‘s background of working in the public sector with a side theater hobby stands unique among his peers. His work for the city drove Glover’s strong political and social activism, which translated into his major movie debut, 1984’s Places in the Sun. More critically acclaimed films he starred in the years following that ran along the same lines, including prominent Black stories, among them The Color Purple, To Sleep With Anger, Bopha!, Beloved, and Grand Canyon.
But because he broke through in the ’80s, buddy-cop action flicks were what the people demanded, and Glover delivered. His Roger Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon is the best example of the buttoned-down family man foil to a loose-cannon partner, and together Murtaugh and Riggs rode through three more sequels. In fact, Glover’s mainstream bread-and-butter was playing these sympathetic yet strong authority figures or trustworthy officers, in films like Witness, Predator 2, Shooter, Operation Dumbo Drop, and even the original Saw. And he even eventually reached the highest office in the land when he became President of the United States in disaster movie 2012.
Glover has continually worked since getting that big break in 1984, all the more impressive that he was 40 when it happened. Recently, he’s been making appearances in vital contemporary Certified Fresh movies, including Dreamgirls, Beyond the Lights, and Sorry To Bother You. In 2019 alone, he was in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Dead Don’t Die, and Jumanji: The Next Level. And now we’re taking those and more as we rank all Danny Glover movies by Tomatometer!
#65
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A group of former slaves in a futuristic society are forced to fight their way out of a deadly maze… [More]
#64
Adjusted Score: 4.94%
Critics Consensus: Sloppy, formulaic, and unfunny, Gone Fishin’ marks a painful low point in the careers of its two talented leads.
Synopsis: Just how much trouble can two guys get into while trying to catch some fish? Joe Waters (Joe Pesci) and… [More]
#63
Adjusted Score: 8.668%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This wacky buddy comedy was the fifth in a series of Hollywood remakes of films by French director Francis Veber,… [More]
#62
Adjusted Score: 3.467%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Saints and Soldiers director Ryan Little offers this inventive take on Herman Mellville’s Moby Dick, substituting that tale’s elusive white… [More]
#61
Adjusted Score: 12.822%
Critics Consensus: Depressingly dull and all-around poorly made, Rage is the rare Nicolas Cage action thriller lacking enough energy to reach «so bad it’s good» territory.
Synopsis: Paul Maguire (Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas) is a respectable businessman and loving father living peaceful life…until… [More]
#60
Adjusted Score: 16.899%
Critics Consensus: With bland visuals and a dull, predictable plot, Alpha and Omega is a runt in 2010’s animated litter.
Synopsis: Two mismatched wolves embark on a cross-country quest to get back home and restore peace in their pack after being… [More]
#59
Adjusted Score: 17.003%
Critics Consensus: Diablo has neither the intelligence nor the originality to compete with the revisionist latter-day Westerns it owes obvious debts to.
Synopsis: A young Civil War veteran named Jackson wakes up to find his beautiful wife kidnapped by a band of ruthless… [More]
#58
Adjusted Score: 19.458%
Critics Consensus: Maudlin, predictable, and clichéd, Legendary pins its talented cast under a heavy layer of formulaic schmaltz.
Synopsis: In the small town of Sallisaw, Okla., the Chetley name is synonymous with victory. This inspirational tale of a young… [More]
#57
Adjusted Score: 24.773%
Critics Consensus: Unimaginative and unfunny, this tale of barnyard mischief borders on ‘udder’ creepiness and adds little to this summer’s repertoire of animated films.
Synopsis: A cow learns to walk like a man, both literally and figuratively, in this computer-animated comedy written and directed by… [More]
#56
Adjusted Score: 7.004%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After a long absence, Donovan returns home to discover events from his past are repeating. Plagued by the idea of… [More]
#55
Adjusted Score: 25.051%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Two pilots go against the rule book in a bid to win the war in Viet Nam in this speculative… [More]
#54
Adjusted Score: 28.368%
Critics Consensus: Proud Mary proves Taraji P. Henson has more than enough attitude and charisma to carry an action movie — just not, unfortunately, one this indifferently assembled.
Synopsis: Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hit woman working for an organized crime family in Boston, whose life is completely… [More]
#53
Adjusted Score: 12.455%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Tully (Joe Anderson, A SINGLE SHOT, HERCULES) just got paroled. But his first night out could be his last. He… [More]
#52
Adjusted Score: 30.353%
Critics Consensus: The thrill of the hunt is gone in this hackneyed sequel.
Synopsis: This special effects-heavy science fiction sequel moves the action from the first film’s Amazon forest to the urban jungle of… [More]
#51
Adjusted Score: 31.998%
Critics Consensus: The Vietnam War would seem an unlikely backdrop for a family-friendly comedy involving an airlifted elephant, and Operation Dumbo Drop lands with a thud.
Synopsis: During the Vietnam War, a Green Beret unit is given an unusual mission: to improve relations with a small village,… [More]
#50
Adjusted Score: 32.796%
Critics Consensus: Burdened by its heavy load of digressive plots turns and uneven performances, Switchback never gains any sense of narrative momentum.
Synopsis: Screenwriter Jeb Stuart (Die Hard) made his directorial debut with this action thriller about a Philadelphia FBI agent who decides… [More]
#49
Adjusted Score: 8.331%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Samuel L. Jackson headline actor-turned-director Giancarlo Esposito’s ensemble drama about a small southern… [More]
#48
Adjusted Score: 34.062%
Critics Consensus: A queasy mishmash of poignant drama and slapstick fantasy, Angels in the Outfield strikes out as worthy family entertainment.
Synopsis: Updated from the 1951 film of the same name, Angels In The Outfield takes liberties with the original to bring… [More]
#47
Adjusted Score: 34.747%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An 11-year-old boy gets a crash course in what it means to be a man when he spends a day… [More]
#46
Adjusted Score: 12.957%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court debates the conscientious-objector status of boxer Muhammad Ali, who was stripped of his heavyweight… [More]
#45
Adjusted Score: 47.818%
Critics Consensus: Roland Emmerich’s 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length.
Synopsis: Disaster movie maven Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) crafts this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller following the prophecy stated… [More]
#44
Adjusted Score: 23.045%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Daniel (Zachary Spicer) is a young, idealistic priest who loves his work more than anything. While he struggles to find… [More]
#43
Adjusted Score: 45.647%
Critics Consensus: It’s amusing and it assembles a talented cast, but Neil LaBute’s surprisingly faithful remake of the 2007 Frank Oz dramedy ultimately falls short of the original.
Synopsis: Frank Oz’s 2007 black comedy Death at a Funeral is given the remake treatment with an urban spin in this… [More]
#42
Adjusted Score: 49.648%
Critics Consensus: This allegorical disaster film about society’s reaction to mass blindness is mottled and self-satisfied; provocative but not as interesting as its premise implies.
Synopsis: When one man is struck blind while driving home from work, his whole world is turned to an eerie, milky… [More]
#41
Adjusted Score: 51.681%
Critics Consensus: With an implausible story and numerous plot holes, Shooter fails to distinguish itself from other mindless action-thrillers.
Synopsis: A top Marine sniper who previously abandoned the military after a routine mission gave way to tragedy is double-crossed by… [More]
#40
Adjusted Score: 50.898%
Critics Consensus: While far from the worst holiday dramedy audiences could hope for, Almost Christmas isn’t distinctive enough to prompt a visit to the theater — or annual yuletide viewings.
Synopsis: A new comedy from writer/director David E. Talbert (Baggage Claim) and producer Will Packer (Ride Along, Think Like a Man… [More]
#39
Adjusted Score: 51.448%
Critics Consensus: Despite its earnest aspirations to be a thought-provoking sci-fi alternative, Battle for Terra lacks both a cohesive story and polished visuals, and fails to resonate.
Synopsis: When the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Terra come under attack from humans in search of a new home, the… [More]
#38
Adjusted Score: 54.037%
Critics Consensus: Saw ensnares audiences with a deceptively clever plot and a myriad of memorable, nasty set pieces, but its lofty ambitions are undercut by a nihilistic streak that feels more mean than profound.
Synopsis: The directorial debut from filmmaker James Wan, this psychological thriller comes from the first screenplay by actor Leigh Whannell, who… [More]
#37
Adjusted Score: 29.279%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Angela Bassett and Danny Glover star in this gripping film adaptation of Athol Fugard’s renowned play. Though written during the… [More]
#36
Adjusted Score: 53.045%
Critics Consensus: Manderlay may work better as a political statement than as a film, making its points at the expense of telling a compelling story.
Synopsis: The politics of slavery and the follies of nation-building highlight Danish director Lars von Trier’s thought-provoking follow-up to the director’s… [More]
#35
Adjusted Score: 53.153%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This shape-shifting tale of the perils and pleasures of self-reinvention begins at a dinner party, when Tom’s (Michael Shannon) co-worker… [More]
#34
Adjusted Score: 56.381%
Critics Consensus: Jet Li’s arrival breathes fresh life into a tired franchise formula — but not enough to put Lethal Weapon 4 on equal footing with its predecessors.
Synopsis: Detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) re-teamed for their fourth foray together in this buddy-cop action… [More]
#33
Adjusted Score: 68.155%
Critics Consensus: The Dead Don’t Die dabbles with tones and themes to varying degrees of success, but sharp wit and a strong cast make this a zom-com with enough brains to consume.
Synopsis: The greatest zombie cast ever disassembled starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb… [More]
#32
Adjusted Score: 12.784%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A rebellious girl convinces a depressed young man to join her on a road trip across Texas to search for… [More]
#31
Adjusted Score: 63.078%
Critics Consensus: Murtaugh and Riggs remain an appealing partnership, but Lethal Weapon 3 struggles to give them a worthy new adventure as it cranks up the camp along with the mean-spiritedness.
Synopsis: Riggs and Murtaugh are back again. This time, they must stop a former cop who has become an arms dealer… [More]
#30
Adjusted Score: 34.346%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An elderly pig farmer (Danny Glover) goes on a road trip to Mexico, and is soon joined by his estranged… [More]
#29
Adjusted Score: 24.183%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three students are tasked with studying the creation and destruction of a modern myth. With the subject matter in mind,… [More]
#28
Adjusted Score: 66.977%
Critics Consensus: If it can’t quite live up to its source material, A Rage in Harlem still proves a stylishly effective period thriller.
Synopsis: Bill Duke directs this quirky film adaptation of Chester Himes’ crime novel — a heavily plotted gangster tale with a… [More]
#27
Adjusted Score: 69.386%
Critics Consensus: Slighter and less disciplined than Gondry’s previous mind-benders.
Synopsis: Jerry is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain. But,… [More]
#26
Adjusted Score: 68.591%
Critics Consensus: Come Sunday benefits greatly from Chiwetel Ejiofor’s central performance, which is often enough to lift an otherwise uneven drama.
Synopsis: Internationally-renowned pastor Carlton Pearson–experiencing a crisis of faith–risks his church, family and future when he questions church doctrine and finds… [More]
#25
Adjusted Score: 71.279%
Critics Consensus: Honeydripper’s electric musical numbers and sharp performances make for an exciting film, despite its slow pace.
Synopsis: It’s 1950, and it’s a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis, the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in… [More]
#24
Adjusted Score: 82.372%
Critics Consensus: Like many classic games, Jumanji: The Next Level retains core components of what came before while adding enough fresh bits to keep things playable.
Synopsis: In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to… [More]
#23
Adjusted Score: 78.033%
Critics Consensus: Boasting rich detail and well-told story, Silverado is a rare example of an ’80s Hollywood Western done right.
Synopsis: Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado is a fond hark back to the all-star, big-budget westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. The various… [More]
#22
Adjusted Score: 79.064%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Director Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon is a gathering of random events, uniting the film’s wildly divergent protagonists. Driving home from… [More]
#21
Adjusted Score: 24.583%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Demand it! now to have it play at your local AMC theater: http://eventful.com/moozlum We’re making a movie that we hope… [More]
#20
Adjusted Score: 81.316%
Critics Consensus: A powerful, emotional and successful film adaptation of the original novel.
Synopsis: When a former slave takes in a feral young woman, strange occurrences begin to take place, begging the question: could… [More]
#19
Adjusted Score: 85.091%
Critics Consensus: Dreamgirls’ simple characters and plot hardly detract from the movie’s real feats: the electrifying performances and the dazzling musical numbers.
Synopsis: Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen’s Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom,… [More]
#18
Adjusted Score: 73.535%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Danny Glover plays Jerry, a caring street person who takes a mentally retarded Matthew Dillon under his wing, teaching him… [More]
#17
Adjusted Score: 84.293%
Critics Consensus: The most successful installment in a phenomenally successful series, Lethal Weapon helped redefine action movies for the 1980s and 1990s.
Synopsis: L.A. cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), whose wife has recently died, is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish…. [More]
#16
Adjusted Score: 84.669%
Critics Consensus: The Prince of Egypt’s stunning visuals and first-rate voice cast more than compensate for the fact that it’s better crafted than it is emotionally involving.
Synopsis: «My son, I have nothing I can give, but this chance that you may live.» With these words, Yocheved, a… [More]
#15
Adjusted Score: 85.975%
Critics Consensus: The Royal Tenenbaums is a delightful adult comedy with many quirks and a sense of poignancy. Many critics especially praised Hackman’s performance.
Synopsis: Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children–Chas, Richie, and Margot–they were a family of geniuses and then they… [More]
#14
Adjusted Score: 81.414%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A military strategist’s aircraft is shot down in Vietnam while on an aerial reconnaissance mission. Having never received combat training,… [More]
#13
Adjusted Score: 82.766%
Critics Consensus: A sentimental tale that reveals great emotional truths in American history.
Synopsis: Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the… [More]
#12
Adjusted Score: 82.011%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This 1993 film adaptation of Percy Mtwa’s South African play +Bopha was rendered anachronistic by late-breaking events, though it still… [More]
#11
Adjusted Score: 18.989%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Released from prison after serving ten years for pummeling his opponent to the point of inflicting severe brain damage, working… [More]
#10
Adjusted Score: 85.449%
Critics Consensus: Invigorated by its talented cast and Francis Ford Coppola’s strong direction, The Rainmaker is a satisfying legal drama — and arguably the best of Hollywood’s many John Grisham adaptations.
Synopsis: A broke, inexperienced law-school grad takes on a huge Insurance company to fight for a woman whose son has terminal… [More]
#9
Adjusted Score: 86.446%
Critics Consensus: Lethal Weapon 2 may sport a thin plot typical of action fare, but its combination of humor and adrenaline, along with the chemistry between its leads, make this a playful, entertaining sequel.
Synopsis: This high-voltage sequel continues the adventures of Los Angeles detectives Riggs and Murtaugh (Oscar-winner Mel Gibson and Danny Glover) as… [More]
#8
Adjusted Score: 86.992%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to smart direction and a powerhouse performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beyond the Lights transcends its formulaic storyline to deliver thoroughly entertaining drama.
Synopsis: Beyond the Lights is the story of Noni, the music world’s latest superstar. But not all is what it seems,… [More]
#7
Adjusted Score: 88.606%
Critics Consensus: To Sleep with Anger examines cultural tensions with a deft hand and a potent blend of comedy and drama, stirred skillfully to life by a strong cast led by Danny Glover.
Synopsis: The life of a middle-class black family in Los Angeles is disrupted by the arrival of an old friend from… [More]
#6
Adjusted Score: 91.554%
Critics Consensus: Places in the Heart is a quiet character piece with grand ambitions that it more than fulfills, thanks to absorbing work from writer-director Robert Benton and a tremendous cast.
Synopsis: After her husband is killed, Sally Field is forced to take over the debt-ridden Texas family farm herself. She accepts… [More]
#5
Adjusted Score: 96.991%
Critics Consensus: Featuring a stellar voice cast, technically dazzling animation, and loads of good humor, Antz should delight both children and adults.
Synopsis: Central Park ant drone Z longs to be an individual of accomplishment, but Z’s colony is a society that puts… [More]
#4
Adjusted Score: 95.568%
Critics Consensus: A wonderfully entertaining thriller within an unusual setting, with Harrison Ford delivering a surprisingly emotive and sympathetic performance.
Synopsis: In Peter Weir’s thriller Witness, Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy, witnesses a murder in the restroom of a… [More]
#3
Adjusted Score: 101.548%
Critics Consensus: An affecting story powerfully told, The Last Black Man in San Francisco immediately establishes director Joe Talbot as a filmmaker to watch.
Synopsis: Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his… [More]
#2
Adjusted Score: 104.398%
Critics Consensus: A well-told story brought to life by a beautifully matched cast, The Old Man & the Gun is pure, easygoing entertainment for film fans – and a fitting farewell to a legend.
Synopsis: OLD MAN AND THE GUN is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape… [More]
#1
Adjusted Score: 105.848%
Critics Consensus: Fearlessly ambitious, scathingly funny, and thoroughly original, Sorry to Bother You loudly heralds the arrival of a fresh filmmaking talent in writer-director Boots Riley.
Synopsis: In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) discovers a magical key to professional success,… [More]
—
Rotten Tomatoes
