JOE’s five best Samuel L Jackson roles

Samuel L Jackson has reportedly signed up to the new RoboCop reboot, which isn't exactly a sure sign that it's going to be a good film. The King of Cool has a fair few misfires to his name but Joe looks back at some of his best outings.

By Dermot Keys

Pulp Fiction (Jules Winnfield)

Jackson rants. It's what he does. And he does it well. Pulp Fiction allowed him to wax lyrical with Tarantino's trademark zippy dialogue but it also gave him ample opportunities to unleash his patented rant.

Jules may sport a funny barnet and some dodgy facial hair but he also had a glare that could floor a buffalo.

Here Jackson shifts gears effortlessly from easygoing charm to homicidal efficiency in a role that was made for him. Murderous henchmen have never been so cool.

Quote: "Say 'what' again, I dare ya - I double dare ya!"

Unbreakable (Elijah Price)

Just before everyone got sick of M Night Shyamalan, he produced this understated but enjoyable flick starring Jackson and Bruce Willis. Jackson plays a wannabe supervillain who is somewhat hindered by his fragile bones and general lack of superpowers.

Jackson somehow made a comic book collector with the physicality of a light bulb a menacing villain, which is no mean feat. It's a subdued performance by Jackson's standards but he comes across as freaky, obsessive and tragic in equal measure. And he rocks a mean afro to boot.

Quote: "They called me Mr Glass."

Die Hard: With a Vengeance (Zeus Carver)

Everyone was starting to get a bit bored of watching Bruce Willis prancing around in a wife-beater by the time the third Die Hard came out. Jackson's cynical civilian gets dragged into the action as an unwilling volunteer who clearly thinks that his new partner is a bit of an idiot.

Zeus's racist paranoia adds a welcome edge to the predictable buddy formula and sets up some enjoyable banter between the two leads. He injects some withering humour into proceedings and added a much-needed new dynamic to the terrorist-makes-McClane-do-stupid-stuff backdrop.

Quote: "Is this some black shit again?"

A Time To Kill (Carl Lee Hailey)

Jackson plays an enraged father who looks set to get the death penalty when he kills the men who brutalised and murdered his young daughter. Although he's only on the screen for a limited time, he indulges in an orgy of scene-stealing that must have really pissed off the leads.

The film is dosed with all the sweeping generalisations that you'd expect from a Grisham adaptation but Jackson provides the humanity around which all the legal machinations revolve. He squeezes every last drop of drama from his scenes as the decent but world-weary father at the heart of the film.

Quote: "Yes they deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell!"

Black Snake Moan (Lazarus)

The set-up is straight out of an exploitation flick, with Jackson starring as ageing blues musician who chains up a young white girl to cure her of her wild ways. It may sound like the premise of a dodgy porn flick but it actually ends up being a subtly delivered character piece.

Jackson tones down his natural exuberance to turn in a surprisingly nuanced performance as he doles out his own unique version of a Dr Phil intervention. Rather annoyingly, it turns out he's also a damn good blues singer to boot.

Quote: "God put you in my path and I aim to cure you of your wicked ways."