Few people in Hollywood work harder than Idris Elba. The A House of Dynamite star has been in a whopping 17 movies in the 2020s alone, and three more have been confirmed for 2026 and 2027. We bet he’ll have done at least 30 pictures by the time the decade comes to an end. More impressive is the fact that the actor has also had time for TV, starring (in a lead role) in shows like Knuckles and Hijack. Before that, he was in the British cop show, Luther, for close to a decade.
If you love Elba, you’ll simply never miss something to watch. Given his large body of work, different people might have different opinions about which of his movies impresses the most. Some might have enjoyed watching him play a funny British Prime Minister in Heads of State, while others might have loved seeing him as a cybernetically enhanced villain in Hobbs & Shaw. However, the following films stand out more, not only because Elba gives way more, but also because they are unrivaled in production and storytelling quality.
Here are the 10 greatest movies of Idris Elba’s career so far.
10
‘Beast’ (2022)
Recently widowed and in need of some fun time to help him get over his grief, Beast‘s central character, Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba), takes his two daughters to the Mopani Reserve in South Africa for a vacation. There, Nate reunites with an old family friend, the wildlife biologist Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), but before they can even catch up, a rogue lion starts causing havoc. The beast’s vengeful rage stems from an incident where poachers wiped out its pride, so Nate must do everything in his power to protect his daughters.
Daddy’s Got This
Ace Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur took more than a few pages from Van Kilmer’s The Ghost and the Darkness to create this absurdly violent animal-attack masterpiece. Elba is riotous as the unflappable dad who finds himself in the kind of crisis most parents would struggle with, while Copley, despite the terror, gets to sling around plenty of ripe witticisms. Iyana Helley, better known for Abbot Elementary, is also incredible as the elder daughter, Meredith. Most importantly, the man-eating lion looks real, a technical feat that earned the movie the award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature at the 21st Visual Effects Society Awards.
9
‘Prometheus’ (2012)
Originally intended as a joint effort between Ridley Scott and James Cameron, Prometheus was eventually made by the former alone, and he didn’t disappoint. In it, the crew of the spaceship Prometheus, including Elba’s Janek (the captain), travels to the distant moon, LV-223, after discovering that it holds clues to the mysterious extraterrestrial race known as the Engineers, rumored to have created humans. You bet that things don’t go as planned.
Rewriting the Books of Genesis and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
In typical Scott fashion, the camerawork is wildly creative and offbeat, the visuals are spectacular (the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects), the dialogue is sharp, and the performances are intense and intriguing, especially Elba, who was born for such kinds of leadership roles. Also great is Michael Fassbender, playing an egoistic, vulgar-mouthed android named David, and Charlize Theron, fetching as a Weyland Corporation employee who is sent to monitor the expedition. Despite not participating, James Cameron was awed, stating, “I thought it was great. I thought it was Ridley returning to science fiction with gusto, with great tactical performance, beautiful photography, great native 3D.”
8
‘Sometimes in April’ (2005)
Hotel Rwanda is the Rwandan genocide movie that most people are familiar with, but Idris Elba was in a better one. Sometimes in April stars the English actor as Augustin Mugunza, a captain in the Rwandan Armed Forces, who, 10 years later, struggles to cope with trauma. He revisits the past, recalling how his wife and children were killed, and how his brother, a radio broadcaster, helped incite the massacres.
Remembering One of the Darkest Times In Africa’s History
Masterful and poetic, Sometimes In April remains one of the most moving stories about human rights violations. Director Raoul Peck (who, interestingly, is Haiti’s former Minister of Culture) splits the film between bucolic moments that accentuate Africa’s natural beauty and scenes of brutality that bubble with unparalleled authenticity. In contrast to Hotel Rwanda, which had a PG-13 rating and subtly implied the violence rather than explicitly showing it, this HBO TV movie is gruesome. And if there’s anyone you can expect to pull off a Rwandan accent quite convincingly, it’s Idris Elba.
7
‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ (2007)
Monty (Idris Elba) from Daddy’s Little Girls is fighting for custody of his three daughters, desperate to free them from the clutches of their clumsy and abusive mother, Jennifer (Tasha Smith). To ensure he is more financially stable, he quits his job as a mechanic and starts working as a chauffeur for the successful attorney, Julia (Gabrielle Union). The two end up falling in love. Now Super Dad has a star lawyer in his corner. Sorry, Jennifer.
Father of the Century
This influential romance drama was one of Idris Elba’s first hit pictures and is also considered one of Tyler Perry’s finest efforts. Massively popular among the black community, it found itself in almost every living room (in the DVD version), largely because of its relatable and inspirational plot: the struggles of co-parenting and the joys of finding new love. Elba also considers it one of his personal favorites, and you will, too. His character’s transition from blue-collar worker to Mr. Suit is convincing. Gabrielle Union is also superb as the lawyer Monty falls for.
6
‘A House of Dynamite’ (2025)
Intelligence and security agencies in A House of Dynamite are put on high alert when it emerges that an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) fired by an unknown enemy is quickly heading towards Chicago. Audiences are treated to three perspectives: the 49th Missile Defense Battalion at Fort Greely, Alaska, the United States Strategic Command, and the President (portrayed by Idris Elba) together with his team in the White House. How will the crisis be averted?
Tick Tock
Trust Idris Elba to portray heads of state in two different movies in the same year and still make each role feel unique. Several other actors were reportedly courted by Netflix for the lead, but Kathryn Bigelow only wanted Elba, who gives a bravura performance as the weary, smart, and dogged POTUS who struggles to hold members of his team together as they struggle with tedium and fear. A House of Dynamite might not scoop major Oscars like Bigelow’s other hits (Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker), but it is raw, meticulous, visceral moviemaking at its best.
5
‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ (2013)
Based on the autobiographical book of the same name by anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom covers the celebrated leader’s entire life. The icon is portrayed by three different actors in the critically acclaimed biopic, with Idris Elba taking over when Mandela is in his late 20s.
Honoring the Greatest African Leader
Long Walk to Freedom had a long walk to completion. Producer Anant Singh began working on the film after interviewing Mandela while he was still in prison in the ‘80s. Shot mostly in South Africa, the picture captures the true spirit of the land and goes a step further in the authenticity meter by using all the nation’s three common languages: English, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. Originally deemed inferior to Invictus, it has earned more respect over the years as a character-driven, thoroughly realistic account of the leader’s life. Elba never struggles, and thanks to his great work, he received a Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama nod at the Golden Globes.
4
‘Star Trek Beyond’ (2016)
There is trouble in Star Trek Beyond. The USS Enterprise has just been destroyed after an ambush during a rescue mission, and the crew is now stranded on a remote planet ruled by Krall (Idris Elba), the former USS Franklin commander who became a powerful mutated extraterrestrial creature. The warlord seeks to destroy the Federation using an ancient bioweapon, but, knowing that such an action could precipitate the collapse of the entire universe, the crew vows not to let it happen. How will they stop him?
Keeps the Franchise Flag Flying
A contender for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars, this fast-paced space opera has some of the best-looking characters out of all Star Trek installments. It also benefits from outstanding performances from its admirable AAA-rated cast. By all means, spare time for it if you haven’t already. Elba’s character isn’t the mean and terrifying kind. He is more goofy than malicious, an approach that works for a movie like this. No wonder the British actor was nominated for Best Villain at Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
3
‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
The DCEU was still showing no signs of energy in the early 2020s, so Warner Bros hired James Gunn to try and fix things. And he did. In The Suicide Squad, several imprisoned DC villains (including Idris Elba’s Bloodsport) join the expendable “Suicide Squad,” a task force known for conducting missions with a low survival rate, in exchange for lighter sentences. They are dispatched to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese, where they are supposed to destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror before the corrupt local government starts using it as a weapon.
The Beginning of Something Better
Gunn’s first foray into the DC landscape yielded succulent fruit. Here, he dilutes the dark tone of the Snyderverse, lightening the gore-heavy script with great jokes and absurd actions from the likes of Harley Quinn and King Shark. Even though his character is the group leader, Elba doesn’t shine alone. Everyone puts their best foot forward, while Gunn also does a great job of explaining the unfathomable goings-on. The filmmaker revealed on X that Elba only choice for the role of Bloodsport, and that he wrote the script with the British actor in mind, something he rarely does for actors he has not met
2
‘The Harder They Fall’ (2021)
Gunslinger Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) has just learned that outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), the man who killed his parents, has just been freed from prison. Thirsting for vengeance, he reunites his gang. Meanwhile, Rufus seizes control of the town of Redwood, aided by his lackeys, Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield). The burning question: What will happen when Nat and Rufus finally meet in The Harder They Fall?
A Familiar Western Tale That Still Feels Refreshing
First-time director Jeymes Samuel drew on actual historical figures to tell the story, and that Old West touch makes the film feel wholly enjoyable. Characters like Jim Beckwourth and Cherokee Bill interact effortlessly with the made-up ones, resulting in a wholesome Western. Majors makes an appealing, often confident lead, and Elba makes you hate him in a way you never thought you would. Interestingly, the film was recognized by just about every other award organization in America, except the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
1
‘Beasts of No Nation’ (2015)
Beasts of No Nation, the first film to be released directly on Netflix, is the story of Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy trying to survive in an unnamed West African country that is being torn apart by civil war. When his family is killed, Agu is forcefully recruited into a rebel faction led by the notorious Commandant (Idris Elba). Forced to become a child soldier, Agu survives every day thinking of ways to outfox his boss.
War Is No Picnic
Don’t pass up this all-too-rare phenomenon based on the book of the same name: a contemporary war drama with brains and heart. The dialogue is faithful in form to the source material, originally written as a lighter form of the Nigerian Pidgin English dialect known as Krio. The two leads are equally incredible, with Elba looking like he has been a warlord all his life (he earned a Golden Globe nomination), and Attah over-delivering for someone his age.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
