Lance Reddick's 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Lance Reddick’s best movies and TV shows showcase the incredible career left behind by the late actor. Reddick’s profession on-screen career began in the mid-1990s with television roles on the likes of New York Undercover and small roles in movies like The Siege. However, it was his supporting role in HBO’s early and acclaimed series Oz that helped to kickstart Reddick’s more substantial work, including some of the greatest television shows of all time and some big movie franchises.

Reddick was known for his commanding presence on screen, communicating so much power with a silent stare. However, he was also good at bringing vulnerability to that persona in some unexpected ways. Sadly, while it seemed like Reddick would still be delivering great performances for years to come, the actor tragically passed away in 2023. However, he is still celebrated for the memorable characters he helped create and the best movies and TV shows from his distinguished career.

10 One Night In Miami (2020)

As Brother Kareem

Lance Reddick had a memorable supporting role in the Oscar-nominated One Night in Miami. The movie is set in 1964 following Cassius Clay’s (later known as Muhammad Ali) title bout with Sonny Liston as the boxer meets in a New York City hotel room to celebrate with political figure Malcolm X, football star Jim Brown, and singer Sam Cooke. The four men spend the evening discussing their achievements, struggles, and what role they can play in bettering their community.

Reddick plays Brother Kareem, a member of the Nation of Islam who serves as Malcolm X’s bodyguard. Reddick makes for an imposing and threatening presence in the movie. Oscar-winning actor Regina King makes an impressive directorial debut with One Night in Miami, which takes the simple and isolated story and speaks on these icons and their lasting impact.

9 The Domestics (2018)

As Nathan Wood

Lance Reddick appeared in some beloved movies and shows in his career, but there are also some lesser-known projects he has been a part of that deserve to be seen. One such movie is The Domestics, an intense and exciting thriller that takes place in a future in which the majority of civilization has been reshaped into tribes that war with one another. The movie centers on a married couple who sets out into the dangerous landscape with the hopes of reaching a safer destination.

Reddick steals the show as Nathan Wood, a family man who is a brilliant survivalist. He becomes an ally to the inexperienced protagonists, helping them learn the skills they will need to make it out of this world alive. The movie feels a bit like The Purge, but it features exceptional world-building with a society that is exciting and terrifying.

8 The Guest (2014)

As Major Carver

Lance Reddick had the ability to bring gravitas to any movie with his memorable presence. The Guest is an intense thriller that serves as one of the first horror movies with Maika Monroe before she became a modern icon of the genre. It centers around a family who have lost their son while he was serving in the army only for one of his colleagues (Dan Stevens) to show up to pay respects. As the family invites this stranger to stay with them, the teenage daughter (Monroe) suspects there might be more to him than meets the eye.

Reddick has a strong supporting role in the movie as Major Carver, a military man who knows Stevens’ David and what he is capable of. From director Adam Wingard, The Guest is a wonderful throwback thriller with some great performances, including Stevens’ intense and chilling role. There are some hard-hitting action sequences as well with Reddick stepping into a heroic role in the third act.

7 Fringe (2008-2013)

As Phillip Broyles

Following his success on Lost, JJ Abrams’ next show was not quite as big with mainstream audiences yet still managed to develop a passionate fanbase. Fringe was set up as a police procedural, following the team of FBI agents and a new division within the agency. However, there was a supernatural twist as the “Fringe Division” was a special team assigned to the rise in occult crimes.

Lance Reddick was one of the stars of the series as Phillip Broyles, a Homeland Security agent and the head of the Fringe Division. Reddick fits effortlessly into these types of roles and brings a much-needed grounded feeling to the series with his confident and take-charge role. The series offered a lot of sci-fi fun mixed with some great characters without feeling repetitive of shows like The X-Files.

6 Oz (2000-2001)

As Johnny Basil

Before The Sopranos revolutionized television, Oz was the first-ever HBO show that showed the kind of bold and challenging series that could be told on the network. Oz featured an incredible and ever-changing ensemble as it looked at the population of a brutal and dangerous prison with convicts who represented the evil in society as well as those who were truly seeking redemption.

Reddick joined the series in season 4 as Johnny Basil for one of his first major television roles. He excelled with the opportunity, playing an undercover cop infiltrating the prison drug trade only to become addicted himself. The movie is a brutal and dark series but filled with characters the audience was thrilled to explore more. Though it might not get the same attention as other early premium cable shows, it was a boundary-pushing television experience.

5 Bosch (2014-2021)

As Irvin Irving

Lance Reddick excels at authoritative roles and Bosch is a perfect example of this. The crime series is based on the character created by author Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), a Los Angeles police detective who is exceptional at his job despite having a problem with authority and a tendency to do things his own way. He uses this controversial approach to take on some of the biggest murder cases in the city.

Reddick was a major part of the series as Irvin Irving, Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Irving is often conflicted between hating Bosch's loose-cannon antics and respecting his ability to get the job done. Bosch is an entertaining hard-boiled detective series with some exciting crimes and a solid protagonist. It has become a big enough hit to launch its own television universe.

4 John Wick (2014)

As Charon

While Lance Reddick is likely best known for his television roles, the John Wick movie franchise gave him a character that has become one of his most beloved. John Wick stars Keanu Reeves as the titular character, a man dealing with the death of his wife when a group of Russian gangsters steal his car and kill his puppy in the process – not knowing he is a legendary assassin of the underworld. Driven by vengeance, John returns to his old ways with no mercy.

Along with the incredible action sequences, the John Wick movies have been so entertaining because of the expansive mythology of this unseen world of assassins. Reddick is an essential figure in this regard as Charon, the concierge at the assassin hotel The Continental. Reddick infuses the role with stoicism and grace, while he also gets to join the action in some of the franchise’s later entries.

3 John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

As Charon

While a list of Lance Reddick’s best movie roles could easily include all of the John Wick films, the fourth and possibly final chapter in the action franchise deserves special mention. After being targeted by the High Table at the end of the last movie, John Wick: Chapter 4 finds the hitman on the warpath once again while seeking a way to finally free himself from this society of assassins.

The movie doesn’t feature a lot of Charon, but it is a notable appearance from Reddick. The actor sadly passed away just before the premiere of the movie, but by chance, John Wick 4 ends up feeling like a touching tribute to the actor who had been a part of this world from the beginning. Along with that, John Wick 4 is also the best of the franchise with its amazing action sequences and surprisingly powerful story.

2 Lost (2008-2009)

As Matthew Abaddon

Lance Reddick played one of the most mysterious characters in a series filled with mystery. Lost was the thrilling series that followed a group of passengers on an airplane that crashed on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. As the survivors attempt to find rescue and build the means of survival, they gradually discover that this island is not what it seems and there are far more dangers here than they could imagine.

Reddick joined the show in season 4, becoming part of Lost’s flash-forward section of the timeline. He plays Matthew Abaddon, an agent for Charles Widmore. Lost was another groundbreaking television show, expanding the kind of scale and stories that could be told on the small screen. Though Lost faces many criticisms in retrospect, it was a must-watch series that delivered some unforgettable television moments.

1 The Wire (2002-2008)

As Cedric Daniels

With The Wire being considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time, it is not surprising that it also ranks as Lance Reddick’s best project. The series was a profound and riveting look at the war on drugs on the streets of Baltimore and how it affected various corners of the city. However, unlike most crime shows, The Wire sought to show the complexities of this world and its figures with flawed law enforcement officers and nuanced criminals.

Throughout all five seasons of the show, Reddick starred as Cedric Daniels, a truly decent and just police officer. Though he started the show with a career full of potential, Daniels proved that he was more concerned with doing the job well than career advancement. The Wire was a brilliant deconstruction of the genre and also a gripping crime drama.

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