Although the Lumière Brothers released the first motion picture in 1895, it took at least 30 years for the first Black person, Stepin Fetchit, to earn screen credit. Later, in 1940 Hattie McDaniel would become the first African American person to win an Academy Award. Then, 24 years after that, Sidney Poitier would win his Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field, becoming the first African American man to do so. All of these accolades involved work in front of the camera.
It wasn’t until John Singleton released his directorial debut, Boyz n the Hood, in 1991 that a Black director was nominated for the Best Director Oscar. Those paying attention weren’t surprised; after the critical acclaim auteurs like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend received in the ‘80s, it felt like change was on the horizon for American movies. The ‘90s proved to be fertile ground for Black cinema, a decade unafraid to serve necessary street stories alongside socially conscious horror, neo-noir, and epic biopics.
This is history, baby. These are the 25 best Black movies of the 1990s.
25.Belly (1998)
Director: Hype Williams
Stars: Nas, DMX, Taral Hicks, T-Boz, Method Man
Hype Williams was a sought-after music video director, to the point where the lore goes that having a Hype video might eat up your album budget, but you knew the video would be in rotation. His feature-film debut Belly changed hip-hop and Hollywood. Williams brought intense artistic flair to his scenes, with the opening sequence set to Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me),” standing as one of the greatest pieces of art committed to celluloid. It’s the film that brought DMX to the silver screen, and likely the spark that led to directors like Chris Robinson getting considered for feature film work. Even if it’s an exercise in style over substance, the lessons learned from Hype’s experiment paved the way for more Black tales to be told seriously on screen. —khal
24.Tales from the Hood (1995)
Director: Rusty Cundieff
Stars: Corbin Bernsen, Rosalind Cash, Rusty Cundieff, David Alan Grier, Anthony Griffith, Wings Hauser, Paula Jai Parker, Joe Torry, Clarence Williams III
After directing the other rap mockumentary of 1993, Fear of a Black Hat, Cundieff turned a one-act play he performed a handful of times into a horror anthology film akin to 1982’s Creepshow. But instead of creepy Stephen King tales becoming fodder for random actors to indulge in, Cundieff gave his tales a sociopolitical edge, dealing with racism, corrupt policing, gang culture, domestic violence, and more. Cundieff blended humor and social issues (and great music) with the macabre that turned into memorable moments like David Alan Grier playing the meanest mom’s boyfriend ever, a group of dolls haunting a racist politician, and a horrific examination of gang violence. —khal
23.Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)
Director: Leslie Harris
Stars: Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido
In a better, more just Hollywood, Leslie Harris would have had a long career. As it stands, she made one indie feature, the coming-of-age dramedy Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., when she was 32 years old and never got another crack. At a screening years ago, I watched Harris describe her professional life with bemusement and bitterness. It was the typical tale: the executives wanted her to keep making a certain kind of “Black movie,” but she had different ambitions and tastes. Still, we have Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., a warm-yet-spiky tale of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1990s, starring the Bed-Stuy-born actress Ariyan A. Johnson, who would go on to appear in, among other things, Bulworth (not on this list…). This slice-of-life narrative makes room for the dismal realities of working in retail, the hazards of poor sex education, and the nitty-gritty details of teenage dating in BK during the golden age of hip-hop. —Ross Scarano
22.Clockers (1995)
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, Isaiah Washington, Keith David
Martin Scorsese almost didn’t direct Casino and instead made Clockers. But after Marty dropped out due to scheduling, Spike Lee entered to direct the adaptation of Richard Price’s celebrated 1992 novel, weaving a tale about a pair of brothers embroiled in a murder investigation. Mekhi Phifer made his acting debut in Clockers as Strike, showing a vulnerability rarely afforded to drug dealers and corner boys. Clockers felt more like a message Lee was compelled to deliver, wrapped in a story that featured Harvey Keitel and John Turturro as detectives trying to take down Delroy Lindo’s Rodney Little. Lee’s work often serves as a larger message to the culture, and Clockers, flaws and all, was a mirror held up to the ugliness of gun culture and senseless violence on the streets. —khal
21.Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Director: Forest Whitaker
Stars: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Divine, Lela Rochon
In the eyes of many, Black achievement means an individual rising to the highest heights—winning an Oscar, achieving at the Olympics, etc. One of the wins for Black creators in Hollywood, however, is when they’re able to do what everyone else is doing. It’s rare for one Black woman to have a love story told on screen; Waiting to Exhale, the directorial debut of legendary actor Forest Whitaker, contains four different takes on love and relationships, all centered around Black women. Whitney Houston spreading her wings as an actress is a sight to see, but it’s Angela Bassett’s fiery revenge saga that may take this one (although being able to see queens like Loreta Divine and Lela Rochon engaging in on-screen romance is just as important). Black folks need sweeping, emotional Sunday afternoon dramas just like everyone else, damn it! —khal
20.New Jack City (1991)
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson
One of the constants of this exercise is getting to see the impressive first films from a multitude of Black directors. Mario Van Peebles, son of Blaxploitation legend Melvin Van Peebles, crafted an unforgettable tale set in New York City as the crack epidemic was starting to hit. Instead of telling a more grounded tale about a police force taking out a drug gang, New Jack City turns its kingpin, Nino Brown (Snipes), into a slick-tongued deviant whose grand scheme is to take over an entire housing project and make it a one-stop crack shop where you had a membership to buy and use drugs in. While on the more unrealistic side in certain aspects, New Jack wore the New Jack Swing craze on its arm, with the likes of Guy performing live at Nino’s club, and allowed the likes of Ice-T to see themselves as leading men, fighting a never-ending war against crime. —khal
19.House Party (1990)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Stars: Kid 'n Play, Full Force, Robin Harris
One part Kool Herc, two parts Cooley High, 1990’s House Party is the film that put Kid ‘n Play on the map. Kid and Play play…not themselves, but basically Kid and Play, two high schoolers who are planning on having another epic night, full of hip-hop and hijinks. Starting from lunch, Kid’s day goes from bad to worse; he’s getting beat up by the gang at school, who he has to duck throughout the film while avoiding his pops, Sydney’s parents, the police, and more, all for one moment to bust a lyric and (hopefully) find a fine woman to spit game to. It’s hilarious, full of certified jams, and has endless replay value, spawning a franchise that sadly goes down in quality with every new release. —khal
18.Soul Food (1997)
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Stars: Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P. Hall, Gina Ravera, Brandon Hammond
The 1997 film, featuring an ensemble cast telling multiple tales within a large Black family, was a hit (opening at No. 3 at the box office before ultimately taking in $43.7 million on a budget of $7.5 million), primarily because of how well it showed the positive side of Black family and Black life. There’s a lot of struggle, mind you—Soul Food weaves in everything from infidelity and divorce to reentering society after incarceration—but the important part is family sticking together to overcome life’s ills. Soul Food became a Showtime TV series, running for five seasons and picking up six months after the events of the film. —khal
17.The Five Heartbeats (1991)
Director: Robert Townsend
Stars: Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells, John Canada Terrell, Harold Nicholas, Diahann Carroll
Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats is a Sunday afternoon, feel-good staple. Spanning three decades and borrowing from the lives and careers of real artists like James Brown, the Dells, and the Temptations, Townsend tells a tale of brotherhood, friendship, and what happens when fame corrupts the mix. Like many Townsend projects, it features a cavalcade of lesser-known talent, with Michael Wright and Leon truly shining amidst a sea of laughs, dynamic original music, blending into a story about love, friendship, and the ties that bind. —khal
16.Love Jones (1997)
Director: Theodore Witcher
Stars: Larenz Tate, Nia Long, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Nicole Carson, Bill Bellamy
Towards the late-’90s, Larenz Tate came into his own as an actor, and this kind of leading role felt tailor made for his personality. Tate plays Darius, a poet who is smitten with Nina (Long), a photographer he meets-cute during a poetry-night performance. This chance encounter turns into an intriguing yet unconventional love affair, especially by normal romance-movie standards. Normally, a film will spend 90-plus minutes finding ways for the lovers to not be together before finally uniting them at the end (the Shakespeare model, in other words). Darius and Nina play a different game, where the beauty is in the chase, the back and forth of how love goes. That’s what makes the title so (Black and) beautiful: Nina and Darius desire love. They feen for that feeling like any addict does for their vice; this is all about the dance. —khal
15.Rosewood (1997)
Director: John Singleton
Stars: Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Bruce McGill, Loren Dean, Esther Rolle, Michael Rooker
Before completing his hood trilogy, John Singleton tackled a historical drama set in the South, a place he said he had “a deep contempt for,” because he “felt that so much of the horror and evil that black people have faced in this country is rooted here.” Rosewood, inspired by the real 1923 Rosewood massacre in Florida, was Singleton’s attempt at “dealing with the whole thing.” Ving Rhames steps in as Mann, a heroic figure intent on helping the town of Rosewood fight back, and is one way to deal with the horrid ordeal. Singleton chose to put the hysteria of racism from that era on screen after exposing the world to the modern racism thriving in America, and while the box office numbers spelled out a technical “flop” ($13.1 million made on a $17 million budget, most of which was spent on location), it’s an artistic success, a powerful, unique part of Singleton’s all-too-brief filmography. —khal
14.Deep Cover (1992)
Director: Bill Duke
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Charles Martin Smith
In recent years, thanks to the usual suspects—rep screenings, Letterboxd, and the Criterion Collection—Bill Duke’s subversive crime movie Deep Cover, about the Bush-era “war on drugs,” has received its due. Far from your run-of-the-mill shoot ’em up or rote character study of the conflicted undercover cop, Deep Cover is a wry, angry study of failure and deception, with Laurence Fishburne in one of his best roles, as a cop with a hard-boiled past (his dad was a thief and a junkie) who becomes a drug dealer at the behest of the DEA. Dr. Dre produced the theme, and it’s one of the rare uses of hip-hop as movie score, not simply soundtrack. —Ross Scarano
13.The Wood (1999)
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Stars: Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones, Sean Nelson
As the ’90s ended Rick Famuyiwa made his directorial debut with a coming-of-age tale about teens in Inglewood, California. The beauty of this film is that, due to it flashing back to the ‘80s in the midst of a present-day wedding, we get to see Black stars like Omar Epps and Taye Diggs interact with Sanaa Lathan and Lisa Ray before diving back to a captivating teenage love story featuring Sean Nelson (Fresh, The Corner) and his squad cluelessly attempting to understand the fairer sex. One thing you have to appreciate is that while this story makes sure to highlight the street life that was going on at the time (shout out De’Aundre Bonds), it’s couched in a comedic love story, a.k.a. more of what Black cinema needs. —khal
12.Eve’s Bayou (1997)
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Branford Marsalis, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smollett, Diahann Carroll
After a career that saw her acting in everything from School Daze to Candyman, Kasi Lemmons stepped into the director’s chair to for a coming-of-age story that’s steeped in the mysticism of Black communities in Louisiana. Jurnee Smollet, who played Michelle Tanner’s friend on Full House before this, truly shines in this breakout role as the eyes we see this gripping, adult tale (one that features Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Whitfield as her parents) through. It’s also a vivid look at life for Black hoodoo communities in the Bayou. This is where the director of Harriet got her start. —khal
11.Poetic Justice (1993)
Director: John Singleton
Stars: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Tyra Ferrell, Regina King, Joe Torry
The second of Singleton's "hood trilogy," and his second film as a director, Poetic Justice showed the softer side of the hood, as Lucky (Shakur) falls into an unconventional romance. Dude drives the mail truck, has a daughter, and tries to make music to get out of the hood, and his love interest, Justice (Ms. Jackson) is still wrecked over the murder of her boyfriend. One road trip later and their true feelings blossom and develop. The streets creep in, but there's a dope love story wrapped up in here. There's also Regina King proving that she's always been a boss, as well as an appearance from Maya Angelou. A hood classic. —khal
10.Dead Presidents (1995)
Director: The Hughes Brothers
Stars: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, N'Bushe Wright, Freddy Rodriguez, Bokeem Woodbine
You have to appreciate the curveballs Black directors threw in the ’90s. Instead of sticking to telling stories out of South Central LA, the Hughes brothers followed up Menace II Society with Dead Presidents—based in part on Wallace Terry’s 1985 masterpiece Bloods, an oral history of Black Vietnam vets—where Tate plays Anthoy Curtis, a Marine who returns to the Bronx, and an America that doesn’t seem to have a place for him. As important as Menace was in highlighting those that society neglected in the ‘90s, Dead Presidents explained what happened when a Black GI is left with no options, abandoned by his country with the only option being to hit a Brink’s truck. From a supporting cast of heavyweights (including Keith David as Anthony’s OG, Bokeem Woodbine as one of his diabolical war homies, and N’Bushe Wright as the woman he watches grow into a revolutionary) to the facepaint they wore during the truck heist, Dead Presidents remains underrated. —khal
9.Set It Off (1996)
Director: F. Gary Gray
Stars: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood
Immediately following the success of Friday, one has to imagine that F. Gary Gray could have stayed in that lane, running the franchise to the bank. Instead, he took on a project about four women robbing banks, overcoming any perceived sophomore slump before cashing in on even bigger Hollywood projects. Jada Pinkett Smith’s Frankie leads the quartet on a successful string of robberies—but not a happy ending. Wonderfully cast, with standout performances from Vivica A. Fox and Queen Latifah, Set It Off excels at big action (a glimpse of Gray’s future work) and drama. It’s not often that the movies, white or Black, focus on women criminals, which makes Set It Off as iconic as it became. —khal
8.Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Director: Carl Franklin
Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin
Carl Franklin’s Devil in a Blue Dress is one of the hidden gems of ‘90s cinema. How often do you see anyone stealing scenes from Denzel Washington? Well, it’s something the mighty Don Cheadle does throughout this film, earning him a number of Supporting Actor nominations (and wins!) during the 1995 awards season for his work as Mouse playing against Washington’s Easy Rawlins—the star of a series of Walter Mosley novels spanning from the 1940s through the ‘60s—an unemployed man who, through this intoxicating neo-noir finds out that private investigation may be his life’s work. Don’t let the 1940s era deter you; Devil in a Blue Dress is a masterclass in vibes. —khal
7.Boomerang (1992)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, Robin Givens, David Alan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Grace Jones, Geoffrey Holder, Eartha Kitt
Eddie Murphy wasn’t just a huge movie star and comedian; he had an awesome vision going into his films, where you can see Black men being in charge in a white man’s world. You can see it in Boomerang, where entire marketing campaigns are being decided in rooms full of Black faces. Yes, this is another unconventional romcom—this time, the player gets played, by a woman!—but we can’t escape the fact of how Black this film is, from the iconic (and improvised) work John Witherspoon did in the dinner scene to Eartha Kitt’s classic beauty. Throughout that tale of Murphy’s Marcus Graham being confused at Jacqueline not falling for his schtick like previous lovers is a lasting impact, an unspoken glimpse into how…normal it is for a film to predominantly feature Black faces, in the majority of the roles. —khal
6.He Got Game (1998)
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich
Basketball is a huge part of Spike Lee’s life, personally and professionally. From his Mars Blackmon character and his commercial work with Nike that transformed Michael Jordan into the biggest name in sneakers, to his regular appearances courtside for his beloved Knicks, Lee knows ball quite literally. . So it was only a matter of time before Lee made a film centered on basketball—still, 1998’s He Got Game takes it own unique, surprising approach.. Lee’s way into the sordid world of college recruitment arrives viaJake Shuttlesworth (Washington), a convicted murderer who is given a week of parole in an effort to convince his son, top prospect Jesus Shuttlesworth (Allen, who was playing in the NBA at the time), to play for the warden’s alma mater. Washington transformed himself once again, this time into a stern, abusive father trying to break through to his son under extreme duress. It’s a film that helped stamp the legacy of the Air Jordan 13 (with the ‘He Got Game’ retro colorway dropping in 2026) and even got Public Enemy back in the studio to record their last album for Def Jam until 2020—both testaments to what Spike Lee means for the culture. —khal
5.Juice (1992)
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
Stars: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain
Before the release of Juice, director Ernest R. Dickerson’s resume was already a thing of beauty, working as a cinematographer on all of Spike Lee’s late-’80s and early-’90s joints, including directing the video for Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” His career as a filmmaker himself came from a script he’d been working on since the early ‘80s; it also marked the first acting roles from Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, and Khalil Kain. The trio play high school friends who are wise to the New York City streets, Harlem specifically; their lives are sent into a whirlwind when a gun is introduced to their regular crime escapades. Featuring an outstanding performance from Pac in particular, as well as leaning heavy on the world of hip-hop (not only is Epps’s character, Q, a DJ, but it features cameos from Queen Latifah, EPMD, and more), Juice was an important moment for Black cinema, and the emerging rap culture on the silver screen. —khal
4.Friday (1995)
Director: F. Gary Gray
Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tiny "Zeus" Lister Jr., Regina King, Anna Maria Horsford, Bernie Mac, John Witherspoon
Everyone loves Meth and Red, but you gotta give Ice Cube the crown for creating the GOAT hip-hop stoner comedy. Cube plays Craig, a brother who got fired on his day off (for apparently stealing boxes?!), and due to his friendship with a cat named Smokey (Chris Tucker back when he was still Chris Tuckering), Craig spends the entire Friday with nothing to do but get high…and get into shenanigans. From issues with his girl and the local weed plug pressing Smokey, to the local bully, Deebo (Lister Jr.), pressing everybody, Craig spends the afternoon trying to keep his head on straight, to hilarious effect (and the start of a modern hood trilogy that is said to be returning in 2027). —khal
3.Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Director: John Singleton
Stars: Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne
One of the OG hood movies, John Singleton’s directorial debut became a landmark for Black cinema, first because Singleton became the first Black person to receive a Best Director nomination. It was rare for a film to feel so plucked-from-the-headlines like Boyz was, bringing the gang culture and street violence that NWA and other rappers spoke about in their lyrics to the silver screen and, in turn, the American mainstream. The realism, fueled by Singleton’s eye and Ice Cube’s dynamic debut performance , was a shock to the system, clearing the way for more tales from the streets and opportunities for new voices. There’s no way to discuss the rise in Black cinema in the ‘90s without looking at what Singleton did with Boyz. Singleton didn’t just put his reality on the silver screen; he made America stop and pay attention to what was really going on in the hood. —khal
2.Menace II Society (1993)
Director: The Hughes Brothers
Stars: Larenz Tate, Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett, Bill Duke, Charles S. Dutton
For as frightening John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood was, Menace II Society—released just two years later—felt like playing DOOM on Ultra Nightmare. Opening with a Korean liquor store murder that felt ripped straight from the headlines (a symbol of the all-too-real racial tensions felt in South Central Los Angeles at the time), brothers Allen and Albert Hughes wrote and directed this intense drama about Caine (Turner), a recent high school graduate at a crossroads in his life. Growing up in a family that was deep into the drug game, Caine is capable of living the life of a hustler, but has options, including a budding romance (and a way out of South Central) with Ronnie (Pinkett). Menace is powered by performances—with Larenz Tate in particular stealing every scene as O-Dog, Caine’s reckless friend —and the gritty reality of growing up in the ‘hood. —khal
1.Malcolm X (1992)
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee
While 1989’s Do the Right Thing may be the critical consensus for Spike Lee’s best film, Malcolm X—his decades-spanning look at the life and legacy of Malcolm X—is without a doubt his magnum opus. (Without the help of greats like Michael Jordan, Prince, and Janet Jackson, it’s unlikely Lee would have raised the money to make this epic.) Using Alex Haley's 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X as his guide, Lee, through a mesmerizing performance from the GOAT Denzel Washington, brought Malcolm’s journey to the screen, detailing Malcolm’s life, from his early days as a criminal through his conversion to Islam, and what ultimately led to his demise. It’s a powerful film, full of stunning visuals and memorable performances (including legends like Angela Bassett and Delroy Lindo). It was important at the time for an America still suffering in the aftermath of the L.A. riots, and truthfully, it becomes even more important the further America slips from its Dream. And, if we’re being real, Denzel deserved that damn Oscar. —khal