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Spike Lee

American filmmaker (born 1957)

9.84body-of-work score · ranked #88 of 2631 directors · 10 films in our library

A director's score is the sum of their films' composite canon scores — methodology.

Born
March 20, 1957 · Atlanta
Nationality
United States
Work
film director, actor, screenwriter, film producer
Reference
Wikipedia · Wikidata
Portrait of Spike Lee
Montclair Film · CC BY 4.0

Films in our library, ranked

Ranked by composite canon score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — our ordering, with every placement citing its evidence on the film's page.

  1. 1
    Do the Right ThingMust-See #35

    1989 · United States · comedy, drama

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #24 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #29

    4.3917 citations
  2. 2
    Malcolm X

    1992 · United States · biography, drama

    Ebert's annual top 10 1992 #1 · National Film Registry (inducted 2010) · Letterboxd Top 250 #171

    1.456 citations
  3. 3
    BlacKkKlansman

    2018 · United States · biography, crime, drama

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2018 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2018 · Film Comment year-end poll 2018 #20

    1.433 citations
  4. 4
    American Utopia

    2020 · United States · biography, documentary

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2021 #4 · Criterion Collection spine #1294

    0.592 citations
  5. 5
    25th Hour

    2002 · United States · crime, drama

    Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #24 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.573 citations
  6. 6
    She's Gotta Have It

    1986 · United States · comedy, romance, drama

    National Film Registry (inducted 2019) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

    0.392 citations
  7. 7
    Bamboozled

    2000 · United States · comedy, drama, musical

    National Film Registry (inducted 2023) · Criterion Collection spine #1019

    0.392 citations
  8. 8
    4 Little Girls

    1997 · United States · documentary, biography

    National Film Registry (inducted 2017)

    0.231 citation
  9. 9
    Inside Man

    2006 · United States · crime, drama, thriller

    Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #22

    0.221 citation
  10. 10
    When the Levees Broke

    2006 · United States · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #38

    0.191 citation

Complete filmography

All 53 directorial credits recorded on Wikidata, in chronological order; films in our library link to their canon-score page.

  • 1980The Answer
  • 1981Sarah
  • 1983Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads
  • 1986She's Gotta Have It
  • 1988School Daze
  • 1989Do the Right Thing
  • 1990Mo' Better Blues
  • 1991Jungle Fever
  • 1992Malcolm X
  • 1994Crooklyn
  • 1995Clockers
  • 1995Lumière and Company
  • 1996Get on the Bus
  • 1996Girl 6
  • 19974 Little Girls
  • 1998Freak
  • 1998He Got Game
  • 1999Summer of Sam
  • 2000Bamboozled
  • 2000The Original Kings of Comedy
  • 2001A Huey P. Newton Story
  • 2001The Concert for New York City
  • 200225th Hour
  • 2002Jim Brown: All-American
  • 2002Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet
  • 2002We Wuz Robbed
  • 2004She Hate Me
  • 2004Sucker Free City
  • 2005All the Invisible Children
  • 2005Jesus Children of America
  • 2006Inside Man
  • 2006When the Levees Broke
  • 2007Lovers & Haters
  • 2008Miracle at St. Anna
  • 2009Kobe Doin' Work
  • 2009Passing Strange
  • 2010If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise
  • 2012Bad 25
  • 2012Red Hook Summer
  • 2013Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth
  • 2013Oldboy
  • 2014Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
  • 2014Mo'ne Davis: I Throw Like a Girl
  • 2015Chiraq
  • 2016Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
  • 2017Rodney King
  • 2018BlacKkKlansman
  • 2018Hustle in Brooklyn
  • 2018Pass Over
  • 2020American Utopia
  • 2020Da 5 Bloods
  • 2025Highest 2 Lowest
  • —Lizarettez