Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "african-american-protagonist"

1. The Little Things (2021)

R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city.

Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer

Votes: 126,394

2. Get Out (I) (2017)

R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.

Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener

Votes: 697,020 | Gross: $176.04M

3. Evil (2019–2024)

TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

A skeptical clinical psychologist joins a priest-in-training and a blue collar contractor as they investigate supposed abnormal events, including, demonic possession, and other extraordinary occurrences to see if there's a scientific explanation or if something truly supernatural's at work.

Stars: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson

Votes: 32,470

4. The Equalizer (2014)

R | 132 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour

Votes: 420,184 | Gross: $101.53M

5. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher

Votes: 203,323 | Gross: $234.76M

6. The Marvels (2023)

PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Carol Danvers gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe.

Director: Nia DaCosta | Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson

Votes: 124,568

7. The Color Purple (2023)

PG-13 | 141 min | Drama, Musical

A woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Director: Blitz Bazawule | Stars: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo

Votes: 15,562

8. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Action, Comedy, Crime | Post-production

Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter life is threatened for a family reunion that includes old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy.

Director: Mark Molloy | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judge Reinhold

9. Deja Vu (2006)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

After a ferry is bombed in New Orleans, an A.T.F. agent joins a unique investigation using experimental surveillance technology to find the bomber, but soon finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the victims.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer

Votes: 327,684 | Gross: $64.04M

10. Trading Places (1983)

R | 116 min | Comedy

A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Director: John Landis | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche

Votes: 165,820 | Gross: $90.40M

11. Us (II) (2019)

R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.

Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Votes: 341,195 | Gross: $175.08M

12. Moonlight (I) (2016)

R | 111 min | Drama

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert

Votes: 331,919 | Gross: $27.85M

13. American Gangster (2007)

R | 157 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin

Votes: 452,606 | Gross: $130.16M

14. Bad Boys (1995)

R | 119 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

Two hip detectives protect a witness to a murder while investigating a case of stolen heroin from the evidence storage room from their police precinct.

Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Boyle, Michael Taliferro

Votes: 286,457 | Gross: $65.81M

15. Remember the Titans (2000)

PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.

Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst

Votes: 231,957 | Gross: $115.65M

16. Soul (2020)

PG | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Directors: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House

Votes: 379,867

17. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

G | 97 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, is set on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being, but she has to face the same problem after she kisses him.

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey, Bruno Campos

Votes: 166,878 | Gross: $104.40M

18. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)

TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy

A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.

Stars: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali

Votes: 144,695

19. Blade (1998)

R | 120 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.

Director: Stephen Norrington | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright

Votes: 299,021 | Gross: $70.09M

20. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

R | 100 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogomil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox

Votes: 130,517 | Gross: $153.67M

21. Blazing Saddles (1974)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Western

In order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.

Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman

Votes: 152,524 | Gross: $119.50M

22. The Color Purple (1985)

PG-13 | 154 min | Drama

A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery

Votes: 97,369 | Gross: $98.47M

23. Flight (I) (2012)

R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller

Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman

Votes: 376,231 | Gross: $93.77M

24. Sister Act (1992)

PG | 100 min | Comedy, Family, Music

When a nightclub singer is forced to take refuge from the mob in a convent, she ends up turning the convent choir into a soulful chorus complete with a Motown repertoire, until the sudden celebrity of the choir jeopardizes her identity.

Director: Emile Ardolino | Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Harvey Keitel, Bill Nunn

Votes: 108,413 | Gross: $139.61M

25. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama

Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.

Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II

Votes: 154,650 | Gross: $57.50M

26. The Book of Eli (2010)

R | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Gary Oldman

Votes: 339,406 | Gross: $94.84M

27. Fallen (1998)

R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution, the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.

Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz

Votes: 92,619 | Gross: $25.19M

28. Coming to America (1988)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Romance

An extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.

Director: John Landis | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, Feather

Votes: 223,610 | Gross: $128.15M

29. Glory (1989)

R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History

Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman

Votes: 144,460 | Gross: $26.83M

30. Precious (II) (2009)

R | 110 min | Drama

In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.

Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey

Votes: 116,252 | Gross: $47.57M

31. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

Votes: 291,153 | Gross: $49.28M

32. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.

Director: Boots Riley | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick

Votes: 88,207 | Gross: $17.49M

33. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.

Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle

Votes: 24,236 | Gross: $16.03M

34. The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

R | 106 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzmán, Victor Gojcaj

Votes: 208,079 | Gross: $65.45M

35. Luke Cage (2016–2018)

TV-MA | 55 min | Action, Crime, Drama

When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city.

Stars: Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, Alfre Woodard

Votes: 139,662

36. Safe House (2012)

R | 115 min | Action, Thriller

A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

Director: Daniel Espinosa | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick, Vera Farmiga

Votes: 235,606 | Gross: $126.37M

37. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008)

PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Romance

Dr. R.J. Stevens is a talk-show host who visits his family in the Deep South. While there he reunites with his brother Otis, his sister Betty, his cousin/rival Clyde, and his childhood love interest Lucinda Allen.

Director: Malcolm D. Lee | Stars: Martin Lawrence, Louis C.K., James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery

Votes: 15,747 | Gross: $42.44M

38. Rush Hour 3 (2007)

PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

After an attempted assassination on Ambassador Han, Lee and Carter head to Paris to protect a French woman with knowledge of the Triads' secret leaders.

Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow, Hiroyuki Sanada

Votes: 183,316 | Gross: $140.13M

39. The People Under the Stairs (1991)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery

Two adults and a juvenile break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children. There, they must fight for their lives.

Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Brandon Quintin Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, A.J. Langer

Votes: 39,673 | Gross: $24.20M

40. Creed II (2018)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama, Sport

Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.

Director: Steven Caple Jr. | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Votes: 155,545 | Gross: $115.72M

41. Major Payne (1995)

PG-13 | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

When a recently discharged Marine struggles to adjust to civilian life, his commanding officer brings him back to the military to train and lead a group of misfit JORTC cadets.

Director: Nick Castle | Stars: Damon Wayans, Michael Ironside, Bam Bam Bigelow, Joseph Blaire

Votes: 39,022 | Gross: $29.41M

42. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant

Votes: 83,574 | Gross: $24.38M

43. Next Friday (2000)

R | 98 min | Comedy

A streetwise man flees South Central Los Angeles, heading to the suburbs and his lottery-winner uncle and cousin, to avoid a neighborhood thug with a grudge who has just escaped from prison.

Director: Steve Carr | Stars: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Justin Pierce, John Witherspoon

Votes: 44,097 | Gross: $57.33M

44. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music

A joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical super stardom.

Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie

Votes: 22,806

45. Coming 2 America (2021)

PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Music

The African monarch Akeem learns he has a long-lost son in the United States and must return to America to meet this unexpected heir and build a relationship with his son.

Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, Jermaine Fowler

Votes: 75,453

46. The Nutty Professor (1996)

PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi

Grossly overweight yet good-hearted professor Sherman Klump takes a special chemical that turns him into the slim but obnoxious Buddy Love.

Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn, Larry Miller

Votes: 123,680 | Gross: $128.81M

47. Rosewood (2015–2017)

TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Miami pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, Jr. finds secrets in people's bodies using his state-of-the-art laboratory equipment.

Stars: Morris Chestnut, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Gabrielle Dennis, Anna Konkle

Votes: 8,987

48. The Great Debaters (2007)

PG-13 | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.

Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker

Votes: 62,867 | Gross: $30.23M

49. Ray (I) (2004)

PG-13 | 152 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell

Votes: 157,412 | Gross: $75.33M

50. Shaft (1971)

R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John

Votes: 21,030 | Gross: $16.69M