Halle Berry is an American cinema icon. Berry’s career spans from her 1991 film debut in “Jungle Fever” to the present day in recent the blockbuster film “John Wick 3: Parabellum.” Fans of Berry’s filmography will attest that her films cover the full gamut of genres including action, thrillers, and even animated features like the 2005 film “Robots.” We’ve name dropped a few of her hits, but let’s take a closer look at the top five best Halle Berry films of all time.
With so much content available for streaming it can be a real headache to decide what to watch. Several studies have been published on the topic of streaming fatigue. The average person has 13 TV shows and 16 movies on their watch list to get through — averaging a total of 104 hours, according to a new study. According to a recent survey of 2,000 adults, 68 percent of Americans have a TV show and movie watch list so long, it’s “nearly impossible” for them to get through it. With that in mind, we turned to our sources to help narrow down some of the films that are sure to be a great watch.
Halle Berry’s role as an iconic star is also significant from a representation standpoint. Seeing a woman of color in leading roles is important for many viewers. Recent research indicates that Inadequate representation at the decision-making level translates directly into a lack of visibility on screen. We’re hopeful this data will inspire trailblazers to raise their voices and share stories of the underrepresented, while also amplifying Hollywood’s positive influence on society.
Halle Berry is an absolute box-office hit maker. Viewers that are interested in her stellar filmography are invited to check out our list of the top five best Halle Berry movies. Let us know your favorites in the comments below!
The List: Best Halle Berry Films, According to Experts
1. “The Call” (2013)
It should go without saying that Halle Berry is a great actress and she showcases this with complex leading roles. “After a little over a decade since winning the Oscar, Berry showed fans, new and old, why she earned it in the first place. She’s done action-packed films before, high-concept ideas, and played complex women. Here, she gets to have all that rolled into one performance,” writes Collider.
“After a few underwhelming films, this thriller marked a return to box office gold for Berry. In this BET Award-nominated role, Berry plays a 911 operator who gets a life-changing call from a young girl. The film far-exceeded expectations and put Berry in the driver’s seat of her career once again,” details BET.
“Taking a step back from hyper-sexualized characters, Halle Berry portrays 9-1-1 call operator, Jordan Turner, in the 2013 thriller, The Call. Returning to work as a trainer after a 6-month leave, Jordan takes over an emergency call from a teenage girl who has been abducted and locked in a trunk… As the story progresses, viewers discover that the abductor is a serial killer. The stakes are raised as Jordan takes a more hands-on approach to find the girl herself… The first screening of this film was at the Women’s International Film Festival, and it remains one of Berry’s best performances,” states Movieweb.
2. “Monster’s Ball” (2001)
In her Oscar-winning performance, “Berry plays a woman who falls in love with the prison guard who presided over her ex-husband’s execution. The film found a place in history when it made Berry the first and to date only black actress to win an Oscar in the category of Best Actress,” according to Gold Derby.
Academy Award winner Halle Berry (Best Actress, 'Monster's Ball'). #Oscars
Photo Credit: @msayles pic.twitter.com/uWxRPT8Fb3
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 15, 2023
Halle Berry shines brightly in this film with a nuanced performance, “Starring alongside Billy Bob Thorton and Heath Ledger in the 2001 drama, Monster’s Ball, Halle Berry plays Leticia Musgrove. After the death of her son, Tyrell, she gets into a relationship with Corrections Officer Hank Grotowski, one of the men who assisted in the execution of her husband, Lawrence. She is unaware of the connection for the most part of the film. However, she eventually finds out and decides to stay with him anyway. The performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the movie also won the category for Best Original Screenplay,” states MovieWeb.
Critics of Berry’s Oscar win are all but forgotten, while she continues to be a major draw at the box office, “Monster’s Ball (2001) – Haters will dismiss Berry’s Oscar win for this film as Hollywood tokenism (she was, as we all know, the first Black woman in history to win the Best Actress prize), but sit through any one of her scenes as a grieving mother trying desperately to numb her own pain, and it’s clear that this was one of the times that Oscar got it right,” adds BET.
3. “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” (1999)
In this biopic, Berry tackles a role that relates to her own Oscar win with the life story of another Hollywood first. “Dorothy Dandridge was an American actress in the ‘50s. First African-American to get nominated for an Oscar, Dorothy faced many racial challenges in her career. This biopic is based on Ear Mills’ book about Dorothy Dandridge’s life. It shows her rise in her career, her affair with her director, her wrong decisions, and her untimely death because of prescription drugs… Dorothy’s character is played by the very talented and beautiful Halle Berry, who does a very impressive job, winning a Golden Globe award,” writes Chillopedia.
![Introducing Dorothy Dandridge [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71bMrECxilL._SL1500_.jpg)
Simply put, “Dandridge was the first black actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1955 for her role in Carmen Jones. In 2002, Berry became the first black actress to ever win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball,” as written by ET.
4. “Jungle Fever” (1991)
In her breakout performance, “Halle Berry made her screen debut in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, as a drug addict and the love interest of Samuel L. Jackson. So committed was she to the role, she famously didn’t wash herself for several weeks of filming. While her part was small, her powerful performance sparked the beginning of an epic career. Without Jungle Fever, we wouldn’t have got the legendary Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner we have today,” says BET.
Another source reflects fondly of this early role: “Halle Berry made her feature-length film debut as Vivian (the lover of Samuel L. Jackson’s crack-addicted character, Gator, who is also the older brother of Wesley Snipes’ role, Flipper) in Jungle Fever – a classic Spike Lee joint that offers thought-provoking and timely commentary on ill-conceived perceptions about interracial romance,” claims Cinemablend.
Considered an extremely successful debut, “Spike Lee directed Berry in her big-screen debut in Jungle Fever. While her role was relatively minor, it showed her true star quality. The movie is an examination of the role race plays in friendships, relationships, sexuality and society,” adds ET.
5. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014)
With so many award-winning performances in serious roles, it is easy to forget that Halle Berry is also famous for her beloved portrayal of the X-men’s Ororo Munroe aka Storm. “Berry’s highest-rated performance is also her most recent, and again she is playing the mutant Storm, whose weather-wielding powers make her a force to be reckoned with. It was the first time in eight years that she had donned the skin-tight leather X-Men uniform, and apparently audiences loved everything about it,” according to ET.
“Despite the moving parts and various casting changes, Berry reprised her role as Storm alongside original actors Hugh Jackman as Logan and Anna Paquin as Rogue. The film has an old-meets-new vibe that fans and critics enjoyed to the tune of 90% approval,” says Screenrant.
The superhero action film is the highest grossing film Halle Berry has ever appeared in to date. “Days of Future Past (2014) is the seventh installment in the X-Men series and the second highest earner at $748,121,534 million cumulatively worldwide, as at 28th February 2015… Halle stars in the movie as Storm, also known as Ororo Munroe… Halle received a Teen Choice Award nomination for Favorite Female Action Star. X-Men: Days of Future Past was a great financial success and received praise from critics, getting a 90% score on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes,” describes Briefly.
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