A Wesley Snipes Best Movies Primer To Watch ASAP

It's been an emotional week for TV fans everywhere, as networks decide which shows to renew and which will be getting the chop. We've also learned about new shows we've got to look forward to, and one in particular has me super excited: Wesley Snipes will star in The Player on NBC this fall. The series follows Snipes as a former military officer that's now a security expert trying to uncover and thwart major illegal activities by rich Vegas criminals. Of course, it'll be anything but simple, and the thriller will be super high stakes, since Snipes' character is also trying to avenge the death of his wife, likely by many of the individuals responsible for the crimes he's now trying to stop. It sounds amazing, and while I seriously can't wait until it premieres later this year, I've also thought this is as good a time as any to revisit some of Snipes' former glory.

Whether or not you can reel off a bunch of Wesley Snipes movies by name off the top of your head, you no doubt have seen many of them and loved them. Beyond the obvious Blade franchise (which is amazing in its own way), the actor has done more than 50 films and TV shows in his nearly 30 year career. If you'd like to check some of them out — or just rewatch again — then you're in luck, because these 9 Snipes movies will totally make your day.

Major League (1989)

If you love baseball and comedy, you're in luck, because Major League has both! The new owner of the Cleveland Indians purposely tries to put together a horrible team so that they'll lose and won't have to move, but then the team figures out what's happening and starts winning anyway, just to annoy her. The results are hilarious, and this early Snipes film is a must-see.

New Jack City (1991)

Probably one of Snipes' most famous films, New Jack City sees him starring as an INSANE crime lord who loses his mind after getting way too much power. The police are on to him and desperate to stop him, but that proves to be more complicated than you'd think.

Game of Death (2010)

A more recent Snipes movie about a Secret Ops agent who gets sent to Detroit undercover to take out an arms dealer, but things get a bit messy when his CIA partners deviate from the plan and put his life in even more danger. I'm not saying this is the most amazingly well-written movie ever, but if you're into anxiety-inducing crime dramas, this is for you.

Rising Sun (1993)

Snipes AND Sean Connery? I don't think I need to sell this any other way, but if you want to know what it's about it, it's detectives trying to serve the murder of a sex worker who seems to have turned up dead after what's believed to be "rough sex" but actually is much more complicated.

Jungle Fever (1991)

If Spike Lee is at the helm of a movie, you can usually tell it's going to be thought-provoking and really, really good. A married black man has an affair with an Italian woman and the interracial relationship affects the people in their lives in very different ways. While this movie is over 20 years old, it still makes some really great observations about society as it exists today.

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

This may well be one of my favorite movies EVER. Drag queens are stranded in a small town after their car breaks down during a cross-country road trip? What could be better? Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo also star in this and it's one of the funniest movies ever made.

Unstoppable (2004)

A former CIA operative with PTSD gets brought back into the game after a case of mistaken identity. That's what this movie has to offer, along with a LOT of action, though it's a bit different than your run-of-the-mill thriller. This is another, later (and therefore under-appreciated) Snipes movie, but one you should totally check out when you have the time if this is your genre.

White Men Can't Jump (1992)

Another classic that just couldn't be left off the list! Snipes and Woody Harrelson are basketball hustlers who team up together to heighten their chances of making even more money. Except of course it's not that easy. There are plenty of disagreements between them, and one is being chased by gangsters over a substantial financial debt. If you haven't already seen White Men Can't Jump, do something good for yourself and watch it immediately.

Boiling Point (1993)

When a plan to kill buyers in fake sales to take their money goes wrong, resulting in the death of an undercover agent, two murderers end up taking on both the police and the mob and things get CRAZY. This is a classic '90s action movie and part of what made Snipes a hero of the genre, so add it to your next movie night.

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