The Best Spike Lee Movies, Ranked

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 19%

Ah. She Hate Me. Early Anthony Mackie (and Kerry Washington for that matter). People have a right to dislike what they dislike, but still not understanding why this movie gets criticism. Obviously it wasn’t meant to be a serious film like Malcolm X. Look at the plot line…a desperate man with trifling tendencies gets fired from his job, and instead of, ya know, looking for another job, he starts going around and impregnating women (including his ex) for money. Like…what? There were parts of this film that were hilarious due to his outrageous decision making, and then were parts that elicited nothing but eye rolls because…why? She Hate Me remains a solid staple in Lee’s 2000s catalog.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%

Summer of Sam is underrated in our opinion and rewatching it made us realize two things…just how different New York was before September 11th, and that Spike did a great job capturing the essence of the late 1970s. Not every period piece is able to nail the visual element of actually looking like the era you are portraying, but Summer of Sam did. Aside from that, the film was an intriguing one about an NYC serial killer known as Son of Sam who begins targeting a young man and those in his immediate circle leading them to try and figure out who the killer is, and if it’s someone closer to them then they think.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have teamed up multiple times, the first being in 1990 for the jazzy Mo’ Better Blues. It’s not a regular occasion that we see Spike in front of the camera as well, but he busted out his acting chops to play a financially irresponsible manager of a jazz group that causes a riff because one band member (Wesley Snipes) wants him fired, while another member (Washington) wants him to stay due to their friendship. What would you do in this situation?

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Are you a true Spike Lee fan if you don’t know that this movie was shot in two weeks? Alright, we’ll give you a pass if you didn’t know before now. Excluding a short film from 1983, She’s Gotta Have It is Spike’s debut, which was the start of something that has been incredible to say the least. Working with a budget of $175,000, a camera, and a dream, She’s Gotta Have It started as a low budget film, and ended with a $7.1 million box office revenue and induction into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Talk about an entrance.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

The cool thing about Spike is even with his major box office successes, he still always returns to his indie roots—it’s all about the art for him, which is displayed in films like Crooklyn, starring Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo as parents of five who are struggling financially. Their lone daughter (Zelda Harris) gets away for the summer, and upon returning home realizes that a family member is very sick. Warning: there are parts of this film that may make you tear up.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Chi-Raq is a film that embodies Spike Lee’s sometimes unconventional method of storytelling, while also centralizing an important message. The movie centers around the aftermath of a child getting killed by a stray bullet, which prompts a group of women to start publicly challenging the on-going violence in Southside Chicago, which in turn prompts widespread conversation and protests. There are parts of this movie that are sporadic, and scenes that don’t make sense but kind of do, yet you still are able to tie it together and get the point while being thoroughly entertained.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

There’s a reason why BlacKkKlansman won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The writing and storyline was phenomenal. Starring John David Washington and Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman was set in 1970s Colorado, and about the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department (Washington) setting out to make a name for himself by infiltrating the Klu Klux Klan. There were elements of this movie that were very reminiscent of 70s Blaxploitation films, right down to the slang and the way the characters dressed. A movie that truly captivates you from start to finish.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Starting Mekhi Phifer as a drug dealer named “Strike” in his late teens working underneath the head honcho Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo), 1995’s Clockers is a crime drama that sees Strike being asked by his boss to kill someone that previously stole from him. Before Strike gets the chance to, however, the target turns up dead leaving questions, answers, false confessions, and sadness. 

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Get on the Bus is a thought-provoking film that challenges you to think and comprehend as the focus is on the dialogue between the characters, and lacks the action and dynamic scenes that Lee’s other films have, which in our opinion was done deliberately. There are different ways of being able to get your message across, and Lee went a route that was subtle yet still very powerful.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Passing Strange is Lee’s take on a Broadway musical. Set in 1970s L.A., the film is about a musically-inclined young man that heads to Europe to make the most of his talents and interests while there. Passing Strange is based on the life of singer and playwright Stew, who appears as a narrator.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Da 5 Bloods is a little bit of everything in one. A war film, mixed with some drama, mixed with some political themes and intensity all in one. The movie was about four African American veterans returning to Vietnam for both the remains of their squad leader, and the gold they hid a long time ago. The performances of Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman really help to make this a riveting film that will have you grabbing your popcorn every couple of seconds.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

While Malcolm X (which we’ll talk about in a few) remains our favorite Denzel and Spike collaboration thus far, 2006’s Inside Man holds its own as the ultimate thriller that shows Washington as a detective on the hunt for a manipulative bank robber (Clive Owen). We also get a stellar performance from Jodie Foster as a conniving power broker with a hidden agenda. Nice little weekend film that you can put on to chill, plus it’s something different from Spike.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

4 Little Girls is by no means an easy watch, but it’s an informative one as it tells the story of four Black girls, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and Cynthia Wesley, who were killed as a result of a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated attack where a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed. The girls were between the ages of 11 and 14, and their story is poignantly told through archival footage. 

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 59%

School Daze captures late 1980s Black college beautifully, and this is another film where we get to see Spike in front of the camera as well. The movie sees Laurence Fishburne’s Dap as a future social and political activist looking to shake things up a bit, while Giancarlo Esposito’s Julian is focused on maintaining social order. Meanwhile, Spike’s character Half-Pint seems to have a penchant for rushing the university. School Daze is all over the place Spike style, but captivating every single minute of its two hour runtime.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

It’s Jesus Shuttlesworth man… quite possibly the most iconic movie basketball player ever. 1998’s He’s Got  Game saw the unlikely pairing of Denzel Washington and rising NBA star Ray Allen as they played a father son duo, with dad on a somewhat self-serving mission to get out of jail if he can convince his son to attend the governor’s alma mater. We actually wrote on the film for its 25th anniversary which you can check out here.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

It’s kind of funny because Jungle Fever is actually a romantic drama about a lawyer (Wesley Snipes) and his affair with his secretary (Annabella Sciorra), but thirty-plus years later it’s now mostly remembered for the brilliant performance of Samuel L. Jackson as a drug addict, and the film debut of Halle Berry, both of which have become a part of meme culture. Nonetheless, Jungle Fever holds up as being one Spike’s most legendary.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Really Do The Right Thing could take the number one spot for many reasons. It was perfectly timed to match the rising tension happening in Bed-Stuy during that era, and while there were comedic moments, it wasn't to the point where the general message of the film was lost. Plus, the cinematography was brilliant. It’s hard to explain, but the visual elements were so realistic that you almost feel like you are actually walking through Brooklyn during the dog days of August/September… you might even find yourself sweating while watching. Do The Right Thing is one of those must-watch movies if you haven’t seen it already.

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

When it comes to biopics, there’s a reason why Malcolm X always gets mentioned… it's three-plus hours of genius directing from Spike, and genius acting from Denzel. Biopics can be hard to nail as it comes down to capturing the subject as realistic as possible. Some have been able to do it properly, while others have not. Malcolm X is in the former as it captures the journey of Malcolm X beautifully. As such, it’s another Spike film that has been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.