This past March, the world lost a great talent in actorLance Reddick. He graced the screen in roles in both movies and television that stood out to audiences. He elevated the projects he was in as well as the other actors he worked with. You could label Reddick a character actor. He was never a leading man but held his own in supporting roles for some major franchisees as well as brilliantly crafted independent films.
Reddick had been in front of the camera for a long time. He would eventually break out of his day player acting jobs and have featured roles on shows likeOzandThe Wire. These shows would advance his career to great heights. As he would appear in anything from theJohn Wickfranchise to lending his voice-over talents to Amazon’sThe Legend of Vox Machina. Upon news of his death, fans of his work posted their fondness for the actor on social media, proving that it’s not always the major stars of the screen that garner a massive following. Here are Lance Reddick’s top performances based on Rotten Tomatoes scores.
10John Wick (2014) - 86%
TheJohn Wickfranchise has become the gold standard for the action genre for the last decade. The first installment of it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 86%. In the film and the sequels that would follow, Reddick plays Charon, the concierge of the Continental, the hotel for the underworld of elite assassins. Reddick suits the part well with his elegance and politeness, and he can also turn on a dime to handle some dirty work if needed.
Related:John Wick Prequel The Continental Will Take Center Stage at Lionsgate’s San Diego Comic-Con Panel
9John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - 89%
Reddick would return to the franchise in 2017 for theWicksequel withJohn Wick: Chapter 2.With a Rotten Tomato score of 89%,Chapter 2has the assassin’s (Keanu Reeves) retirement into civilian life cut short. He is sent to Rome to take out the head of an Italian crime organization. Lance Reddick reprises his role as Charon in brief scenes of being an example of hospitality within The Continental Hotel, whether it is watching Wick’s dog or handling heavy artillery.
Related:Every Lance Reddick Posthumous Release
8John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019) - 89%
TyingJohn Wick: Chapter 2at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes is the third installment,Parabellum. In it, John Wick must go on the run from the organization he once trusted. A fourteen-million-dollar bounty is placed on his head, and now he has to go toe-to-toe with some of the best assassins in the world. One of the film’s standout scenes has something that feels like a throwback to old-school action films. It has Lance Reddick and Keanu Reevesselecting weapons in a high-end-lookingroom that doubles as a place to hold weapons and ammo. What follows is one of the most entertaining shootout sequences in the film franchise.
7The Guest (2014) - 92%
The Guestis Adam Wingard’s 2014 independent thriller about a U.S. soldier by the name of David who is staying with the Peterson family. David had apparently fought next to a member of their family who had not made it back from Afghanistan. As the film goes on, deaths begin to pile up around the family home and The Peterson’s daughter, Anna, starts to have her suspicions about David. Reddick enters the film as Major Carver, the head of the KPG corporation. His part is again minimal, and you want to see more of him in the film. But he thrives quite well in the dramatic action sequences of the film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a high ranking of 92%.
Related:5 Most Overlooked Movies of 2014
6Faults (2015) - 92%
A smart blend of dark comedy mixed in with great character study, 2015’sFaultshas a Rotten Tomato score of 92%.The funny and yet terrifying filmstars Marry Elizabeth Winestead as a woman who is completely under the spell of a cult. Her parents hire a man by the name of Ansel Roth. Who is sent to lure her away from the cult and reverse her mind from all that she has learned; the results turn the movie upside down. Lance Reddick plays the role of Mick, a debt collector hired to intimidate Ansel.
5Faith Based (2020) - 94%
In the vein of something likeZack and Miri Make a Porno,Faith Basedis a comedy about two best friends who set out to make a religious-themed film that takes place in space, the first of its kind. The film is smart in its humor and subtle commentary. It pokes fun at faith-based storytelling, but in the end, the film is more about down-to-earth growth for its two lead protagonists. Reddick plays a pastor and the adoptive father of one of the lead characters. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 94%. With the film being a satire,Reddick’s performanceis there to help hold that element of the film together.
4John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) - 94%
With a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, the most recent part of the John Wick saga,John Wick: Chapter 4, is a bittersweet one. Lance Reddick would pass away a week before the film’s release.Cast membersof the film gave heartfelt interviews, expressing their admiration for Reddick and how distraught they were due to his untimely passing. This would be the last time we would see Charon on screen in the franchise. Reddick’s performance is truly the backbone of the franchise, as the role was meant to class up the world of assassins a bit.
Related:John Wick: Chapter 4 Becomes the Highest-Grossing Movie of the Franchise
3Little Woods (2018) - 95%
Writer/Director Nia DaCosta would later bring us the newCandymanfilm, but a few years earlier she directed this powerhouse drama,Little Woods. The film is a small indie that gives its A-list cast a lot of great material to work with. The film stars Tessa Thompson, whose adoptive mother dies, leaving Thompson and her adoptive sister (Lily James) to pick up the pieces her mother left for them in the wake of her death. The two are estranged, but have to try and save the house that their mother lived in. Thompson delivers a great performance as a woman whose life is in shambles. And one of the few stable people in her life is her parole officer, played by Lance Reddick.Little Woodsholds a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
2One Night in Miami (2020) - 98%
Directed by Regina Kingand received a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.One Night in Miamiis about just that– one single night in south Florida in 1964 where Jim Brown, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Cassius Clay got together to discuss the responsibility that they have during the civil rights movement.Reddick plays Brother Kareem,a major figure in Malcolm X’s entourage. His screen time is minimal, but there is a quiet dignity to the character that only Reddick could bring to the role.
1The Domestics (2018) - 100%
The Domesticsis one of the best survival horror movies in recent memory. Rotten Tomatoes seems to agree, as it has a 100% score on its website.The Domesticstakes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where people have separated into different tribes. A husband and wife team who represent the tribe,The Domestics, try to make it across the wasteland to a safer outpost. Lance Reddick plays Nathan Wood, a family man who aids the film’s protagonists. Being an expert survivalist, he teaches them the skills they will need to make it to their destination unscathed. Reddick has great action-star moments with a shotgun as he goes on the defense against rival tribes.
