The 10 Most Underrated Jamie Foxx Movies, Ranked (from Least to Most Underrated)

Jamie Foxx has built a filmography that stretches from intimate biographical dramas to big-canvas action and genre experiments. He’s earned top acting honors for ‘Ray’ and logged major supporting turns in projects like ‘Collateral’ and ‘Django Unchained’, while also headlining comedies, thrillers, and franchise spectacles. Along the way he’s worked with filmmakers such as Michael Mann, Sam Mendes, Roland Emmerich, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Maggie Betts, and collaborated with co-stars ranging from Robert Downey Jr. to Tommy Lee Jones.

This list spotlights ten features in which Foxx’s contributions are substantial—whether as the lead or a pivotal ensemble player. For each entry, you’ll find concise production context, role details, key collaborators, and distribution notes so you can quickly decide what to watch next.

‘Miami Vice’ (2006)

Michael Mann’s ‘Miami Vice’ translates the television series into a globe-spanning undercover case that pairs Jamie Foxx as Ricardo Tubbs with Colin Farrell as Sonny Crockett. The film emphasizes deep-cover work against high-level traffickers, with Foxx’s Tubbs embedded alongside federal and local partners while navigating chain-of-command constraints and operational security. The cast includes Gong Li, Naomie Harris, and Ciarán Hinds.

Shot extensively on digital by cinematographer Dion Beebe, ‘Miami Vice’ blends on-location work in South Florida, the Caribbean, and South America with Mann’s trademark emphasis on procedures, communications, and maritime/aviation logistics. Universal Pictures released the film in theaters, with a later home-video cut offering alternate scene ordering and additional material.

‘Project Power’ (2020)

‘Project Power’ is a sci-fi action thriller set in New Orleans in which a black-market pill grants users short-burst, unpredictable abilities. Jamie Foxx plays Art, a former military test subject tracking the source of the drug while intersecting with a local dealer and a city detective. The film focuses on how the experimental compound moved from sanctioned research to street distribution and the operational methods used to contain it.

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, ‘Project Power’ was produced for Netflix and released globally on the platform. The production leans on practical New Orleans locations, VFX-assisted action design, and a score built around tense electronic motifs, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback co-starring.

‘White House Down’ (2013)

Roland Emmerich’s ‘White House Down’ follows a domestic security crisis that unfolds during a tour—Jamie Foxx portrays President James Sawyer, working in tandem with a Capitol Police officer, played by Channing Tatum, to restore control. The narrative incorporates Secret Service protocols, continuity-of-government procedures, and layered adversaries with competing objectives.

The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, with principal photography based largely in Montreal soundstages configured to replicate key Washington interiors. ‘White House Down’ features large-scale pyrotechnics, extensive stunt work, and a supporting cast that includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, and Richard Jenkins, aligning it with contemporary studio action spectacles.

‘Dreamgirls’ (2006)

Adapted from the Broadway musical, ‘Dreamgirls’ charts the rise of a Detroit singing trio and the business infrastructure that propels and commodifies their success. Jamie Foxx plays Curtis Taylor Jr., a manager and label founder whose decisions shape the group’s recordings, branding, and touring strategies. The ensemble includes Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Eddie Murphy.

Directed by Bill Condon with music supervision that re-records and re-orchestrates stage numbers for cinema, ‘Dreamgirls’ was produced by DreamWorks and distributed by Paramount. The film’s soundtrack topped multiple charts, and the production earned multiple Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson, alongside notable guild and critics’ prizes.

‘The Soloist’ (2009)

‘The Soloist’ dramatizes the true story of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and his friendship with musician Nathaniel Ayers. Jamie Foxx portrays Ayers, a Juilliard-trained talent living unhoused, while Robert Downey Jr. plays Lopez, whose columns and subsequent outreach bring medical and social-service attention to Ayers’s situation. The film details the institutional landscape around mental-health care and arts programming.

Directed by Joe Wright, ‘The Soloist’ adapts Lopez’s columns and nonfiction book, with on-location filming in Los Angeles, including downtown and concert venues associated with orchestral performance. The production emphasizes live-performance technique, classical repertoire, and the logistics of community support networks, with Catherine Keener and Tom Hollander in key supporting roles.

‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023)

‘They Cloned Tyrone’ is a pulpy mystery that tracks a trio—played by John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx—through a series of anomalies that reveal an industrial-scale conspiracy operating in their neighborhood. Foxx plays Slick Charles, whose street-level connections and survival instincts become crucial as the investigation exposes surveillance, experimentation, and control mechanisms.

Directed by Juel Taylor from a screenplay by Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, the film was produced by MACRO and distributed by Netflix. It blends retro-futurist production design, practical locations, and a soundtrack steeped in funk and soul, staging set-pieces that mix humor, paranoia, and procedural sleuthing while foregrounding community dynamics.

‘Jarhead’ (2005)

‘Jarhead’ adapts the memoir by former Marine Anthony Swofford, examining training, deployment, and the realities of a reconnaissance sniper unit during the Gulf conflict. Jamie Foxx portrays Staff Sergeant Sykes, a platoon leader responsible for discipline, marksmanship standards, and morale within a unit facing long stretches of anticipation amid rapidly shifting operational goals.

Directed by Sam Mendes with cinematography by Roger Deakins, ‘Jarhead’ was produced by Universal Pictures and filmed in desert locations that mirror the theater of operations. The production emphasizes period-accurate gear, chain-of-command detail, and the rhythms of stateside preparation versus in-theater waiting, with Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal co-starring.

‘The Burial’ (2023)

Based on a widely read magazine article about a contract dispute between a small funeral-home owner and a national conglomerate, ‘The Burial’ centers on a civil trial that turns into a high-stakes corporate reckoning. Jamie Foxx plays attorney Willie E. Gary, who builds a case with a team approach that includes jury research, expert testimony, and discovery focused on pattern-and-practice evidence.

Directed by Maggie Betts from a screenplay by Betts and Doug Wright, ‘The Burial’ was produced by Amazon MGM Studios and released on Prime Video following a limited theatrical run. The film features courtroom strategy, deposition choreography, and an ensemble that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp.

‘Law Abiding Citizen’ (2009)

‘Law Abiding Citizen’ follows a violent crime and the prosecutorial decisions that trigger a sophisticated retaliation campaign aimed at exposing perceived systemic failures. Jamie Foxx plays Nick Rice, a Philadelphia prosecutor navigating plea-bargain practices, judicial oversight, and interagency cooperation as the case escalates. Gerard Butler co-stars as the antagonist whose actions stress every institutional safeguard.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film was shot largely on location in Philadelphia with support from regional film offices and municipal agencies. The production integrates practical effects, tactical set-pieces in civic buildings, and a score by Brian Tyler, and it was released in the United States by Overture Films before expanding internationally through partner distributors.

‘Just Mercy’ (2019)

‘Just Mercy’ dramatizes the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, adapting Bryan Stevenson’s nonfiction account of wrongful convictions and death-row advocacy. Jamie Foxx portrays Walter McMillian, whose case becomes a focal point for litigation strategies involving new evidence, witness recantations, and prosecutorial-misconduct claims, with Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson and Brie Larson as EJI operations lead Eva Ansley.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and released by Warner Bros., ‘Just Mercy’ premiered at a major fall festival before a platform theatrical rollout. The film was shot in the American South with courtroom and carceral-system access, and Foxx earned significant recognition from industry groups and guilds, including a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild for Supporting Actor.

Share your own picks for overlooked Jamie Foxx performances in the comments!