Want to know the best James Woods movies? How about the worst James Woods movies? Curious about James Woods box office grosses or which James Woods movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which James Woods movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
James Woods (1947-) is an Oscar® nominated American actor. Woods’s best-known roles are Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Casino (1995), Nixon (1995), Contact (1997), and for providing voices in the Hercules (1997), and Stuart Little 2 (2002). His IMDb page shows over 145 acting credits since 1971. This page will rank James Woods movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, videos, games, and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings. To do well in our overall rankings a movie has to do well at the box office, get good reviews by critics, be liked by audiences, and get some award recognition.
James Woods Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
---|---|---|---|
Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
1997 | Hercules (1997) | ||
1973 | The Way We Were (1973) | ||
1997 | Contact (1997) | ||
1995 | Casino (1995) | ||
1999 | Any Given Sunday (1999) | ||
2002 | Stuart Little 2 (2002) | ||
1999 | The General's Daughter (1999) | ||
2007 | Surf's Up (2007) | ||
1984 | Once Upon a Time in America (1984) | ||
1984 | Against All Odds (1984) | ||
1989 | True Believer (1989) | ||
1995 | Nixon (1995) | ||
2001 | Scary Movie 2 (2001) | ||
2013 | White House Down (2013) | ||
2002 | John Q (2002) | ||
1974 | The Gambler (1974) | ||
1977 | The Choirboys (1977) | ||
1995 | Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) HBO Movie |
||
1986 | Salvador (1986) AA Best Actor Nom |
||
1979 | The Onion Field (1979) | ||
1991 | The Hard Way (1991) | ||
1975 | Night Moves (1975) | ||
2001 | Recess: School's Out (2001) Voice Only |
||
1999 | The Virgin Suicides (1999) | ||
1981 | Eyewitness (1981) | ||
2001 | Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) | ||
2011 | Too Big To Fail (2011) HBO Movie |
||
1985 | Cat's Eye (1985) | ||
1983 | Videodrome (1983) | ||
1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
||
1994 | The Specialist (1994) | ||
2001 | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) | ||
1992 | Straight Talk (1992) | ||
1992 | Citizen Cohn (1992) HBO Movie |
||
1992 | Chaplin (1992) | ||
1999 | True Crime (1999) | ||
1982 | Fast-Walking (1982) | ||
1972 | Hickey & Boggs (1972) | ||
2003 | Northfork (2003) | ||
2005 | Be Cool (2005) | ||
1987 | Best Seller (1987) | ||
1982 | Split Image (1982) | ||
1989 | Immediate Family (1989) | ||
1985 | Joshua Then and Now (1985) | ||
1980 | The Black Marble (1980) | ||
1988 | Cop (1988) | ||
1998 | Another Day in Paradise (1998) | ||
1994 | The Getaway (1994) | ||
1992 | Diggstown (1992) | ||
1995 | Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995) | ||
1994 | Curse of the Starving Class (1994) | ||
1998 | Vampires (1998) | ||
2000 | Dirty Pictures (2000) Showtime Movies |
||
1976 | Alex & The Gypsy (1976) | ||
1988 | The Boost (1988) | ||
2005 | Pretty Persuasion (2005) | ||
1972 | The Visitors (1972) | ||
2013 | Officer Down (2013) | ||
2001 | Race To Space (2001) | ||
2003 | This Girl's Life (2003) | ||
2004 | The Easter Egg Adventure (2004) Voice Only |
||
2011 | Straw Dogs (2011) | ||
1994 | Next Door (1994) Showtime Movies |
||
2006 | End Game (2006) | ||
2013 | Jobs (2013) | ||
2016 | Bling (2016) | ||
1995 | For Better or Worse (1995) | ||
1999 | Play It to the Bone (1999) | ||
1997 | Kicked in the Head (1997) | ||
2008 | An American Carol (2008) |
James Woods Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort James Woods movies by his co-stars
- Sort James Woods movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort James Woods movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort James Woods movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each James Woods movie received.
- Sort James Woods movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
1 | Hercules (1997) | Danny DeVito | 99.10 | 232.8 | 593.50 | 16 | 79 | 01 / 00 | 97.3 | |
2 | The Way We Were (1973) | Barbra Streisand & Robert Redford |
68.10 | 414.5 | 414.50 | 5 | 66 | 06 / 02 | 95.9 | |
3 | Contact (1997) | Jodie Foster & Matthew McConaughey |
100.90 | 237.0 | 401.90 | 15 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 94.8 | |
4 | Casino (1995) | Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci |
42.50 | 105.4 | 287.70 | 41 | 81 | 01 / 00 | 89.7 | |
6 | Any Given Sunday (1999) | Al Pacino & Dennis Quaid |
75.50 | 160.9 | 213.50 | 27 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 87.5 | |
7 | Stuart Little 2 (2002) | Michael J. Fox & Geena Davis |
65.00 | 120.7 | 315.90 | 42 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 87.1 | |
5 | The General's Daughter (1999) | John Travolta & Madeleine Stowe |
102.70 | 218.8 | 218.80 | 19 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 86.9 | |
8 | Surf's Up (2007) | Shia LaBeouf & Jeff Bridges |
58.90 | 92.2 | 233.50 | 43 | 73 | 01 / 00 | 84.9 | |
9 | Once Upon a Time in America (1984) | Robert De Niro | 5.30 | 17.1 | 43.40 | 106 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
11 | Against All Odds (1984) | Richard Widmark & Jeff Bridges |
31.60 | 101.3 | 101.30 | 28 | 57 | 01 / 00 | 77.6 | |
10 | True Believer (1989) | Robert Downey Jr. | 8.70 | 23.7 | 23.70 | 86 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 76.2 | |
12 | Nixon (1995) | Anthony Hopkins & Joan Allen |
13.70 | 33.9 | 33.90 | 98 | 73 | 04 / 00 | 75.2 | |
14 | Scary Movie 2 (2001) | Anna Faris & Regina Hall |
71.30 | 136.1 | 269.40 | 32 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 73.9 | |
13 | White House Down (2013) | Channing Tatum & Jamie Foxx |
73.10 | 96.9 | 272.30 | 46 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 73.9 | |
16 | John Q (2002) | Denzel Washington & Robert Duvall |
71.80 | 133.4 | 190.00 | 37 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 71.8 | |
14 | The Gambler (1974) | James Caan | 3.00 | 17.5 | 17.50 | 89 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 71.2 | |
17 | The Choirboys (1977) | Louis Gossett Jr. | 19.10 | 92.4 | 92.40 | 42 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 71.0 | |
17 | Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) HBO Movie |
Shirley Knight | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 256 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 70.8 | |
18 | Salvador (1986) AA Best Actor Nom |
Oliver Stone | 1.50 | 4.4 | 4.40 | 159 | 80 | 02 / 00 | 70.7 | |
19 | The Onion Field (1979) | Ted Danson | 9.90 | 42.5 | 42.50 | 65 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 69.9 | |
21 | The Hard Way (1991) | Michael J. Fox & Christina Ricci |
25.90 | 66.3 | 66.30 | 48 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 69.3 | |
21 | Night Moves (1975) | Gene Hackman & Jennifer Warren |
2.90 | 15.1 | 15.10 | 90 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 69.1 | |
23 | Recess: School's Out (2001) Voice Only |
Andrew Lawrence | 36.70 | 70.0 | 70.00 | 67 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 66.3 | |
23 | The Virgin Suicides (1999) | Kathleen Turner & Danny DeVito |
4.90 | 10.5 | 22.70 | 147 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 65.8 | |
26 | Eyewitness (1981) | William Hurt & Sigourney Weaver |
6.40 | 24.8 | 24.80 | 86 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 63.9 | |
26 | Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) | Drew Barrymore & Steve Zahn |
30.20 | 57.6 | 68.20 | 78 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 63.3 | |
25 | Too Big To Fail (2011) HBO Movie |
William Hurt & Paul Giamatti |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 303 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 62.6 | |
29 | Cat's Eye (1985) | Drew Barrymore | 13.10 | 39.7 | 39.70 | 66 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 61.4 | |
27 | Videodrome (1983) | Directed by David Cronenberg | 2.10 | 7.3 | 7.30 | 112 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 60.1 | |
30 | Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Alec Baldwin & Whoopi Goldberg |
13.30 | 32.5 | 32.50 | 107 | 63 | 02 / 00 | 59.4 | |
32 | The Specialist (1994) | Sylvester Stallone & Sharon Stone |
57.40 | 151.6 | 450.10 | 20 | 26 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
32 | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) | Alec Baldwin & Steve Buscemi |
32.10 | 61.3 | 162.40 | 74 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 58.5 | |
33 | Straight Talk (1992) | Dolly Parton | 21.20 | 55.1 | 55.10 | 62 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 57.7 | |
34 | Citizen Cohn (1992) HBO Movie |
Joe Don Baker | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 229 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 56.2 | |
34 | Chaplin (1992) | Robert Downey Jr. & Geraldine Chaplin |
9.50 | 24.7 | 24.70 | 97 | 62 | 03 / 00 | 55.3 | |
35 | True Crime (1999) | Clint Eastwood | 16.60 | 35.5 | 35.50 | 94 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 54.2 | |
36 | Fast-Walking (1982) | Kay Lenz | 1.60 | 6.0 | 6.00 | 123 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 50.0 | |
39 | Hickey & Boggs (1972) | Bill Cosby & Robert Culp |
3.30 | 21.1 | 21.10 | 80 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 49.8 | |
38 | Northfork (2003) | Nick Nolte | 1.40 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 174 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 49.2 | |
41 | Be Cool (2005) | John Travolta & Dwayne Johnson |
56.00 | 94.4 | 160.40 | 49 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 48.2 | |
40 | Best Seller (1987) | Brian Dennehy | 4.30 | 11.8 | 11.80 | 113 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 47.6 | |
41 | Split Image (1982) | Brian Dennehy & Peter Fonda |
0.30 | 1.0 | 1.00 | 151 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 46.9 | |
44 | Immediate Family (1989) | Glenn Close & James Woods |
5.90 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 104 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 43.3 | |
42 | Joshua Then and Now (1985) | Gabrielle Lazure | 0.50 | 1.6 | 1.60 | 164 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 43.1 | |
44 | The Black Marble (1980) | Robert Foxworth & Paula Prentiss |
2.50 | 10.4 | 10.40 | 129 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 42.9 | |
47 | Cop (1988) | Charles Durning | 2.00 | 5.2 | 5.20 | 160 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 41.7 | |
45 | Another Day in Paradise (1998) | Melanie Griffith | 1.00 | 2.4 | 2.40 | 195 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 41.6 | |
48 | The Getaway (1994) | Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger |
16.10 | 42.5 | 42.50 | 90 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 38.6 | |
48 | Diggstown (1992) | Bruce Dern | 4.80 | 12.6 | 12.60 | 123 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 38.5 | |
49 | Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995) | Robert Sean Leonard | 0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 239 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 35.7 | |
50 | Curse of the Starving Class (1994) | Kathy Bates | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 250 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 35.7 | |
52 | Vampires (1998) | John Carpenter | 20.30 | 46.7 | 46.70 | 81 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 33.3 | |
52 | Dirty Pictures (2000) Showtime Movies |
Craig T. Nelson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 283 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 33.0 | |
54 | Alex & The Gypsy (1976) | Jack Lemmon | 3.30 | 16.9 | 16.90 | 97 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 31.5 | |
53 | The Boost (1988) | Sean Young | 0.80 | 2.1 | 2.10 | 193 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 31.1 | |
56 | Pretty Persuasion (2005) | Evan Rachel Wood & Ron Livingston |
0.30 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 258 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 26.8 | |
57 | The Visitors (1972) | Directed by Elia Kazan | 0.40 | 2.6 | 2.60 | 162 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 24.1 | |
59 | Officer Down (2013) | Stephen Dorff | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.40 | 313 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 23.6 | |
58 | Race To Space (2001) | Annabeth Gish | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 296 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 23.2 | |
61 | This Girl's Life (2003) | Rosario Dawson | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 292 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 19.7 | |
60 | The Easter Egg Adventure (2004) Voice Only |
Brook Shields | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 315 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 19.6 | |
62 | Straw Dogs (2011) | James Marsden & Kate Bosworth |
10.30 | 14.0 | 14.00 | 139 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 18.0 | |
62 | Next Door (1994) Showtime Movies |
Randy Quaid | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 241 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.6 | |
63 | End Game (2006) | Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Burt Reynolds |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.40 | 359 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 15.7 | |
64 | Jobs (2013) | Ashton Kutcher & J.K. Simmons |
16.10 | 21.4 | 47.60 | 119 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 12.6 | |
66 | Bling (2016) | Taylor Kitsch | 0.10 | 0.1 | 1.80 | 325 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 5.8 | |
66 | For Better or Worse (1995) | Jay Mohr | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 266 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 4.8 | |
67 | Play It to the Bone (1999) | Woody Harrelson & Antonio Banderas |
8.40 | 18.0 | 18.00 | 132 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 3.4 | |
69 | Kicked in the Head (1997) | Michael Rapaport | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 275 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 2.5 | |
70 | An American Carol (2008) | Jon Voight & Dennis Hopper |
7.00 | 10.5 | 10.50 | 157 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 2.2 |
Possibly Interesting Facts On James Woods
1.James Howard Woods was born in Vernal, Utah in 1947.
2. James Woods was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a full scholarship, majoring not in the physical sciences but in political science. He also pursued acting, appearing in 36 plays at MIT, Harvard, and the Theater Company of Boston and also performed in summer stock at the Provincetown Playhouse. He dropped out of MIT during his last year to move to New York and pursue acting full-time.
3. Hades from the Disney franchise, Hercules, is James Woods’s favorite role and he states that he’ll continue playing the character, whenever needed, until the day he dies because he loves the character so very much.
4. James Woods got his third television role, as Caz in Kojak: Death Is Not a Passing Grade (1974), after Richard Dreyfuss and Martin Sheen had turned it down.
5. James Woods is an avid poker player. He played in the WPT’s Hollywood Home Game series in 2004 for the American Stroke Association charity. He placed in seventh place at the 2015 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the $3000 No-Limit Shootout event and a fifth place in the $1,500 Dealers Choice event at the 2018 WSOP.
Check out James Woods’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Cogerson
March 31, 2020 at 8:36 am
“A new Steve video…I like it. James Woods has really slowed down these days with regards to appearing in mainstream movies. He is not very popular in Hollywood as his political views are not in line with most of Hollywood…..whether that is good or bad is up to each person to decide. Seen many of movies…of the ones listed here…I have seen 31 of them. Favorites would include #25 Northfolk…little known movie. #16 Cop ..great performance by him here. #15 Best Seller…..saw at same time as Cop….so I find it strange they are ranked so closely. #3 Salvador…he got a surprise Oscar nomination for this Oliver Stone movie. #1 Once Upon A Time In America…the long version is awesome…the version released in theaters was horrible. Voted up and shared.”
Added Steve’s latest video to the page.
Steve Lensman
April 1, 2020 at 7:39 am
Hi Bob, busy day yesterday but better late than never! Thanks for the review, generous rating, info, trivia and quotes, much appreciated.
Glad you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
James Woods is an actor I’ve always enjoyed watching. With rare right-wing views in a profession that is mostly liberal and left-wing. John Wayne probably the most extreme example of an actor with right wing ‘white supremacy’ views. I think Clint Eastwood leans to the right too.
Anyway back to the world of film, one film scores 10 out of 10 from Wood’s ouevre – Once Upon a Time in America. Two films scored 9 – Casino and Salvador. Several films scored 8.
OUATIA tops IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes charts. Bruce’s chart too. Bruce and I have the same top two. He has listed Woods top UMR films on his post on this page.
“So much of what Hollywood does now, I’m sorry to say… they’re busy with the political agenda, socially political agenda, and that’s fine. But the older white heterosexual European male is only the villain in movies. Very rarely are we anything but the villain now.”
“Do you think I want to be the one lone voice against the Hollywood liberal establishment? It’s not going to do me any good.”
BOB to STEVE PART 3
March 31, 2020 at 3:50 am
CORRECTION: In Part One is listed Scary Movie 2 as a 2002 release whereas it opened in 2001. Apologies.
After our pleasant and rewarding exchanges about around a dozen of your ‘archives’ productions I welcome you back to the making of fresh videos and I was pleased with your present James Woods one to the tune of a 98% personal satisfaction rating. From my perspective you couldn’t have picked a more nostalgic subject to restart your engine with. I will again steal your “Vote Up!” accolade.
MY SELECTION OF BEST 15 STILLS – Quantity as well as quality returns !
1/Straw HORSES
2/The Specialist – James acting Sly and one-hit Sharon off the screen
3/Against All Odds
4/Vampires
5/White House Down
6/Ghosts of Mississippi
7/With Clint-James well into the supporting actor phase of his career.
8/Diggstown
9/Cop – Horray for a 3rd time; the very 1st movie in which I ever saw James.
10/Best Seller – with Brian; two Giants of the video libraries of those days together!
11/Any Given Sunday
12/Promise
13/Casino – supporting the Great Bobby DeN. Woods great as usual and only fly in ointment for me was Pesci whose screen persona I consider very drab.
14/Closing solo- a morel elderly James looking a bit like Lee Marvin in Point Blank
15/Eyewitness: Sigourney’s 4th movie and her first one after her big success in the blockbuster hit Alien. She had joined the ranks of the action heroes/heroines who were as tough as John McClane and Martin Riggs and proved that she could swear just as fluently and coarsely as THEM! Even The Alien must have blushed at some of her language!
BOB to STEVE Part 2
March 31, 2020 at 3:20 am
TOP 20 POSTER SETS IN YOUR WOODS VIDEO – “The Full Monty” again!
1/End Game
2/Eyewitness – 1981/at the start of the William Hurt era;whatever happened to him?
3/Fast Walker – raunchy! [I think first one ever in which James top-billed – 1982].
4/Cat’s Eye
5/Vampires
6/Against all Odds-liked it 1st time round in your Jane Greer video
7/White House Down
8/True Crime – saw it on my visit to the States in 1999. WH and I briefly ‘neighbours’ as I watched it!
9/Citizen Cohn
10/Cop – Hoorah!
11/The Virgin Suicides
12/The Onion Field
13/Any Given Sunday
14/Best Seller
15Bill W – Hoorah again!
16/Salvador – his personal masterpiece.
17/Hero
18/Contact
19/Once upon a Time in Manchester
20/All of ones for Videodrome – Woods’ 2nd top-billed flick [1983] I think
21/Nixon-Woods perfect as the ruthless and nasty H R Bob Haldeman:
Haldeman: “Which states have we taken so far?”
Assistant: “These ones sir.” [Pointing at the wall map] “Florida, Ohio ——-”
Haldeman [abruptly interrupting]: “I know where they ARE! Just give me the numbers
BOB on James Woods Part One
March 31, 2020 at 2:58 am
Now you’re taking me back to my nostalgic video library days of the early 1990s when I first acquired a video player and my favourite video stars were Brain Dennehy [“He NEVER fails to please” the owner of one video store prooudly told me once] and Rutger Hauer [nicknamed “King if the Videos’ back then] and James Woods.
I loved Woods’ hard boiled image and the four films that I remember him most in from those days were the big screen movie 1988’s Cop and 3 TV movies that had found their way into the video libraries: Badge of the Assassin [1985] My name is Bill W [1989] and the later 1995’s Indictment. In Bill W James played Bill Wilson who along with ‘Doctor Bob’ [played by Jim Garner] co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous.
I had hoped that Woods’ career would continue to develop upwards but he never made top stardom and settled for supporting roles in films like The Specialist/The Getaway and Clint Eastwood’s True Crime. In 2002 he took over a cameo role from Brando [who fell ill] as a priest who performs an exorcism in Scary Movie 2.
I last saw James as a baddie in the 2011’s Straw Dogs remake. As well as continuing his big screen career James has been very busy over the past 20 years in TV productions and has appeared in many video games. He has a reported current net worth of $10 million and IMDB credits him overall with 21 acting awards and 39 noms.