86 James Woods Movies & TV Shows, Ranked Best to Worst

Through flashbacks, the film chronicles four decades of the life of David 'Noodles' Aaronson, who survived growing up in a rough Jewish neighborhood in New York with his partners Max, Cockeye and Patsy, became a feared mafia during the Prohibition era, and finally returned years later from self-imposed exile to learn a vital truth about his past.

Based on Nicholas Pileggi’s book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, the movie follows the rise of mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein after he takes charge of Las Vegas’ Tangiers Casino. Complicated personal relationships, corrupt politicians and the ever-changing Las Vegas eventually leads to his fall. 

As hope in extraterrestrial life exploration dwindles, a SETI scientist stumbles upon a sequenced signal. She is faced with the challenge of deciphering the message under massive global scrutiny. This science-fiction drama is an adaptation of Carl Sagan's 1985 novel of the same name.

It is the biopic of master of comedy, the genius filmmaker Charles Chaplin. The ageing legend talks to the editor of his autobiography about his life, starting from his modest childhood days in South London to his rise in the world of cinema. The film re-creates his tempestuous personal life, issues with authorities, exile from the US, and finally, an Oscar tribute. 

Journalist Richard Boyle and his friend Dr Rock go to El Salvador, during a civil war, to get the perfect war story. However, things get complicated when Boyle finds himself in the middle of a political dispute.

Set in 1970s, the film revolves around 5 teenaged Lisbon sisters growing up in Michigan’s upscale neighborhood. After the youngest sister Cecilia attempts suicide, their protective parents take the girls out of school and isolate them from the world. The film is narrated through the perspective of a group of neighborhood boys who are obsessed and intrigued by the mysterious sisters. 

Max Renn, the president of a TV station, comes to find out about 'Videodrome', a TV show that depicts torture and murder of nameless victims. Unknown to him the show can start controlling the minds of people. As Max starts uncovering the source of the show, he starts losing his mind and his sense of reality. 

This biographical drama film revolves around the story of former US President Richard Nixon starting from his days as a young boy. This film portrays Nixon as a complex, admirable and a deeply flawed person, whose misuse of powers led to his career downfall.

Night Moves is a mystery crime thriller film which takes us to the life of Harry Moseby, a private investigator in Los Angeles, who is hired by a former actress named Arlene Iverson, to find her runaway teen daughter Delly. He manages to track her down, but soon it seems to Harry that Delly might be trying to seduce all of her mother’s former lovers.

John Quincy Archibald is a factory worker whose son Mike/Michael is diagnosed with enlarged heart for which emergency heart transplant is the only solution. As John’s health insurance doesn’t cover the expensive transplant surgery and with no other means to raise the amount, a desperate John holds the staff and patients of the hospital’s emergency room hostage to save his son’s life.   

The awards-winning movie features Katie Morosky, a Jewish idealistic political activist, and Hubbell Gardiner, an easy-going, talented writer. Though opposite in their views, they are drawn towards each other in college, then falling passionately in love, they get married when they meet again after WWII. Hubbell prospers as a Hollywood screenwriter, but Katie’s activism creates trouble for him during the ‘Blacklist era,’ separating the two. 

Veteran football coach, Tony D'Amato, who took the Miami Sharks to the top, is struggling now with an aging team and is at odds with new young team owner Christina Pagniacci. Following repeated team injuries, when third-string quarterback Willie Beamen steals the show with his offensive display, D'Amato is forced to reevaluate his professional and personal decisions.

Con man Gabriel Caine after coming out of prison gets along with his partner in crime, Fitz, and sets up a bet with a businessman to get a boxer who will knockout 10 Diggstown men within 24 hours in the boxing ring. Will they be able to find such a boxer who will do the job for them?

After a civil rights leader named Medgar Evers is killed by a racist, an assistant district attorney helps his widow to find justice.

True Crime is a mystery thriller film which tells the story of a journalist who is assigned to cover the case of Frank, a convicted murderer. He soon comes to know that Frank might be innocent. However, he has only a few hours to save him before he is executed. 

After a rebellious phase, Beverley gets pregnant with a baby boy at the young age of fifteen. She struggles to deal with various problems in her life, while also achieve her dream of becoming an established writer.

Kimberly is a young but manipulative high school student, who convinces her two friends Randa and Brittany, to accuse their male teacher falsely of sexual assault. However, things get complicated and way out of control, when the media gets involved.

Bobbie and his girlfriend are both addicted to drugs, and they team up to commit various drug related crimes in order to have enough funds to support their lifestyle. However, their lives take a turn when they get involved in a murder.

Vietnam War veteran Bill Schmidt lives with his girlfriend Martha and son Hal in a farmhouse. One day two of his ex-army friends Mike and Tony arrive and start terrorizing the family. This leads to revelations, a fight, and horrific consequences.  

Split Image is a Canadian drama film, which revolves around a college athlete, who gets involved in a youth-oriented cult, after falling in love with a beautiful girl from a commune. After his parents fail in their attempt to bring him home, they hire someone experienced in kidnapping, and "de-programming", to undo the mental damage that was done to him. 

The General’s Daughter is a mystery drama film, which tells the story of a daughter of an influential base commander, who gets murdered ruthlessly. Two undercover detectives are assigned to find the killer. 

Divorced Capitol Police officer John Cale aspires to be a secret service agent and visits the White House for his interview. After getting rejected, he accompanies his daughter Emily on a White House tour. Soon, there is an attack by a heavily armed paramilitary group. John now has to protect not just his daughter, but also the President and the country.

Private Detectives, Al Hickey and Frank Boggs, are hired to find a missing woman. But the weary detectives, run into unexpected situations, bringing death to everyone around them, ending in a violent conclusion. 

Anthology of Stephen King’s stories which have a common thread of a traveling stray cat. In ‘Quitter’s Inc.’, ‘Doctor’ Donatti uses the cat to demonstrate his sadistic treatments to make people quit smoking. In ‘The Ledge,’ crime-boss Cressner makes his wife’s lover walk his penthouse ledge. In ‘General,’ cat finds the girl it was searching for, who is terrorized by a troll.

Hoping to improve his credibility as actor, a Hollywood actor Nick Long, is allowed to tag alongside a New York City policeman. The latter initially finds him superficial and annoying, but soon they team up in order to catch a murderer.

The Black Marble is a romantic comedy-drama mystery film, which tells the story of Sergeant Natalie Zimmerman, working for the Los Angeles Police deparment and Sergeant Valnikov, who are paired together for a case, involving  the kidnapping of a socialite’s pet dog.   

Set in 1955, Northfork is a drama film which revolves around the residents of a small community in Montana, who are forced to move, when there is a plan to begin construction of a new dam.

It’s based on true life story. Teenager James Burns, who has been in juvenile detention, gets into many criminal activities while working for a street gang and thus lands in a maximum security prison. Amidst the tough criminals, he tries to keep to himself by writing poetry. With a guiding help from a murder convict, Conrad, James determinedly continues to better himself.

This action horror film revolves around Jack and his team of mercenaries as they hunt down vampires and attempt to retrieve the Black Cross of Berziers, an ancient relic, that could give the vampires the ability to endure sunlight. 

A biography that presents the life of Steve Jobs from the time he was a student at the Reed College in 1974. It follows his subsequent drop out from college, his early career and the launch of iPod in 2001. As his career soars, Jobs' style of functioning creates issues with those around him.

A gangster asks a former football player Terry Brogan, to find his girlfriend. Since the latter is injured, penniless, and going through tough times, he reluctantly agrees. Eventually, Terry manages to track down Jessie, but unexpectedly, he also gets infatuated with her. Eventually, he finds himself trapped in an intricate web of suspicion and betrayal.

David, and his wife, Amy, move to her childhood home in Mississipi. However, things get ugly when David hires her ex-lover Charlie, for the repairs. Things get even uglier after a conflict with the locals.

The Getaway is a crime drama action thriller film which tells the story of Carter McCoy and his wife Carol, who receive a task of breaking the nephew of a Mexican drug lord out of jail for a payment of $ 300,000. Although they manage to successfully carry out their task, they soon realize that the drug lord wanted his nephew out in order to kill him.

Filmmaker Chili Palmer decides to enter the music industry to help his murdered friend, music producer Tommy Athens’ widow Edie and pay the US $300K owed to hip-hop producer LaSalle. However, when rival producers decide to kill Chili and the Russian mob gets involved, Chili has to find a way to triumph. 

Ray Quick is a former CIA demolition expert, who has left the organization after savagely beating his colleague Ned Trent for killing of an innocent child. Now working as a hit man, he is hired by a young lady, determined to take revenge for her parents’ death at the hands of a mobster family. He does not know that Ned now works for the same family. 

Play it to the Bone is a sports comedy drama film which tells the story of two boxers, who are also best friends. Things get complicated when they face each other for the first time in Las Vegas.  

Officer Down is a crime drama film which tells the story of a police officer who is investigating a series of sexual assaults against women at a strip club. However, things get ugly when his shady past comes back to haunt him.

The sequel to Scary Movie parodies a number of supernatural classics including The Haunting, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Changeling, The Legend of Hell House, and The Amityville Horror. It also takes on modern movies like Hannibal and Hollow Man and finds the lead characters in comedic-horrific situations spoofing actual sequences from the original movies. 

Alex & The Gypsy is a romantic comedy film which revolves around Alexander, who is a bail bondsman. He falls for a pretty gypsy girl, one of his customers. When she assaults her boyfriend, she is arrested, but Alexander decides to bail her out.

An American Carol is a fantasy comedy film which tells the story of Michael Malone, a liberal filmmaker, who wants to end 4th of July celebrations. His life takes a turn after he is visited by three spirits who teach him the importance of Independence Day.  

Upon seeing that his world is being destroyed and his friends are disappearing mysteriously, a young boy named Sora decides to set out on a quest to find his friends and prevent the forces of darkness from succeeding in their mission.

The Disney adaptation tells the story of Hercules, son of Zeus and Hera, who is kidnapped by Hades and forced to live as half-human, half-god amongst the mortals. As Hercules grows up, he must regain the right to live amongst the Gods in Olympus, defeat Hades, and save the love of his life, Megara.  

A good version of Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe. He is initially mistaken for the evil Luthor, but Superman’s X-ray vision confirms that he is indeed from another universe. Luthor tells them about the evil counterparts of the Justice League, which threatens the Earth that he lives in.

Rock-hopper penguin Cody Maverick, a passionate surfer, travels from hometown Shiverpool, Antarctica, to Pen Gu Island to participate in the most important competition ‘Big Z Memorial Surf Off,’ held in honor of Cody’s idol Big Z. He wants to win to earn appreciation and respect, but a meeting with a hermitic old surfer, Geek, makes him realize the true meaning of winning. 

Recess: School’s Out is an animated mystery comedy science fiction film which tells the story of TJ and his friends, who learn that someone is plotting to get rid of summer vacations at their school. A group of men, who has stolen a top-secret project from a military base, seem to be behind the plot.  

Aliens have conquered the earth, forcing the surviving humans to take shelter in areas protected by energy shields. However, time is running out and in desperation General Hein is determined to use space cannon to destroy the aliens. Knowing that it might also damage the earth, a team of scientists proposes a more peaceful means to battle the enemy, but the General is not convinced. 

This adventure comedy film revolves around the mouse Stuart, who along with his friend Snowbell, search across the city for his new friend Margalo, a canary. In order to rescue his friend, Stuart must overcome several obstacles.