All Vin Diesel’s movie performances – ranked!

25. A Man Aside (2003)

As a left-for-dead DEA agent with revenge on his thoughts and a distracting goatee on his chin, Diesel appears suitably pained on this forgettable cartel shoot-em-up.

24. Babylon AD (2008)

A muscular mercenary ferries very important human cargo throughout post-apocalyptic Russia (name it Youngsters of Meh). Director Mathieu Kassovitz claims his clunky sci-fi fable was scuttled by studio edits; Diesel’s autopilot glower appears unaffected.

23. The Pacifier (2005)

Going Disney … Vin Diesel in The Pacifier. {Photograph}: Disney/Allstar

Diesel goes Disney: his household comedy a few by-the-book Navy Seal babysitting 5 unruly children was critically kneecapped however discreetly profitable. Our man gamely embraces each the dirty-nappy slapstick and equally mushy sentimentality.

22. Bloodshot (2020)

This comedian guide B-movie sprinkles some Memento-style thoughts video games into its story of a KIA marine turned unwilling super-assassin (nanobots are concerned). Diesel generally is a soulful display screen presence, however reclaiming his character’s humanity takes a again seat to grunts and gunplay.

21. The Final Witch Hunter (2015)

Co-created by avowed D&D fan Vin, this effects-heavy trendy fantasy casts him as a bushy Viking turned suave immortal implementing an uneasy supernatural truce. It’s a dud, however early scenes together with his holy sidekick Michael Caine have a satisfying Batman/Alfred heat.

20. The Quick and the Livid (2001)

Towards the gaudy backdrop of LA avenue racing, an undercover cop (Paul Walker) cosies as much as an intimidating wheelman to crack a hijacking ring. Diesel’s gravelly however regal efficiency as ex-con Dom Toretto anchors the film that may (finally) launch a globe-conquering collection; its shock success elevated him to in-demand main man.

19. Quick & Livid (2009)

After skipping the sequel and solely briefly cameoing in Tokyo Drift, Diesel was emphatically again within the driving seat for F&F spherical 4. A franchise-resetting revenge story, it now appears like an Ibsen chamber piece in contrast with the overclocked blowouts that adopted.

18. Billy Lynn’s Lengthy Halftime Stroll (2016)

Ang Lee’s PTSD drama set at a glitzy gridiron sport is an outlier on Diesel’s latest CV: not only a supporting function however one the place he dies. Glimpsed solely in Iraq flashbacks, his zen sergeant tells every of his jittery younger troopers “I like you” earlier than a essential firefight. Vin’s beefy sincerity sells it.

17. Quick & Livid 9 (AKA F9: The Quick Saga) (2021)

By No 9 the self-declared saga was starting to sag, struggling to successfully weld its OTT vehicular motion to even soapier melodrama. If Dom v his little brother – performed by massive John Cena – promised fireworks on the enduring F&F theme of household, the tip consequence didn’t spark.

16. Discover Me Responsible (2006)

Running riot … Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty. — Operating riot … Vin Diesel in Discover Me Responsible. {Photograph}: Crossroads Ent/Allstar

For his comedian tackle the longest organised crime trial in US historical past, veteran director of courtroom dramas Sidney Lumet entrusted Diesel to hold the movie. As a paunchy, ingratiating mobster who garrulously represents himself in courtroom, his bewigged star takes that probability and runs riot with it.

15. Quick & Livid 8 (AKA The Destiny of the Livid) (2017)

After the emotional highs of Livid 7, the eighth F&F instalment hinges on alpha male Dom betraying his loyal gang. The heel-turn is finally justified – it’s, inevitably, about household – but in addition provides a juicy glimpse of an unwalked profession path: Diesel as irredeemable villain.

Diesel surfs on a convertible car in mid-air — Surf’s up … xXx. {Photograph}: Reuters

14. xXx (2002)

An excessive sports activities celebrity is pressured to infiltrate an anarchist terror cell on this Bond-baiting shoot-’em-up. Sporting wild tattoos and a flamboyantly fur-collared coat, Diesel turns what ought to have been an obnoxious meathead right into a sly spy with knowingly sensuous swagger.

13. Boiler Room (2000)

This taut monetary thriller sees wannabe stockbroker Seth (Giovanni Ribisi) initiated into the murky world of hard-sell cold-calling; his cocky colleague Chris (Diesel) has the eel-slick patter required to reel in cautious buyers. Chris is a shark, however the pleasure he extracts from performing is infectious.

12. Quick and Livid 6 (2013)

Episode six cemented the F&F marque as a globetrotting motion franchise to rival Bond, with Dom and his scattered household recruited to take down a military-trained hijack crew. Skydiving automobiles apart, it’s refreshing to observe Diesel navigate the emotional hairpins of being caught between his present squeeze and a back-from-the-dead ex.

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11. Riddick (2013)

Outlaw … Vin Diesel in Riddick. Photograph: Universal Pictures/Allstar

This thrifty threequel opens with the eponymous outlaw left for dead on another hostile planet. When different factions crash in to finish him off, it becomes a sci-fi slasher with Riddick as the bogeyman. But the opening act focused on his stoic survival efforts is the real meat: it’s Diesel’s Cast Away.

10. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

That voice like booming heavy artillery ensures a youngish Vin Diesel stands out, albeit briefly, among the griping platoon of Spielberg’s second world war rescue mission. Poor Private Caparzo’s death – bleeding out while his comrades are pinned down by an enemy sniper – is one of the most wrenching moments in a film full of them.

9. xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

Xander who? Nothing speaks to Diesel’s towering self-belief more than the fact that he thought moviegoers were demanding a comeback from the heavily inked secret agent he’d last played in 2002. But it ended up being a headlong cocktail of global spy-jinks full of hot people doing daft things. Diesel practically vibrates as their proud, purring ringleader.

8. Strays (1997)

“Not one of us was raised by a father …” Written and directed by its then 30-year-old star, the scrappy but compelling Strays is the tale of a New York City hustler trying to evolve beyond his peer group of immature horndogs. Clearly intended as a Hollywood calling card, it nails the now-familiar Diesel screen image: shaved head, tank top, defiant self-reliance.

7. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Name that Dune: this hulking sequel ditched the spartan thrills of Pitch Black in favour of a wildly baroque space opera, propelling loner jailbird Riddick into a galactic ding-dong with a gothic death cult. On release it was regarded as such a clanger it stalled Diesel’s career, but two decades on, the hubris and heft seem pretty fun.

6. Knockaround Guys (2001)

Vin Dieseal in Knockaround Guys. — Tough enforcer … Knockaround Guys. Photograph: New Line/Allstar

In this underseen crime story, a quartet of young mafiosi scramble to recover a cash-stuffed holdall that has gone walkabout in a small Montana town. Unlike his entitled, often cartoonish buddies, Diesel’s tough enforcer Taylor – who takes care of his two-fisted business with brutal efficiency – understands how the world really works.

5. Fast & Furious 7 (2015)

The highest-grossing Fast and Furious movie to date is an emphatic demonstration of Diesel power: ripped rival Dwayne Johnson is hospitalised early doors so top dog Dom can butt bald heads with callous baddie Jason Statham. Wisely, Diesel also plays a crucial part in the extended but undeniably moving screen farewell to his late co-star Paul Walker.

Vin Diesel wearing a shirt that reads I AM GROOT — He certainly is. Photograph: Richard Young/Rex features

4. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) / Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017) / Avengers: Infinity War (2018) / Avengers: Endgame (2019) / Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) / Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (2023)

Is Diesel a wooden actor? Certainly when he is voicing Marvel’s beloved tree-like alien, exploring different inflections on his signature “I am Groot!” line. In the past decade, he has been a lanky wingman, a cute (but mute) baby and a squeakily pitched rebel teen. But in the newest instalment, both Groot and Diesel try some new things. Call it personal growth.

3. Pitch Black (2000)

When you crash-land your ship on a planet full of scary monsters, it’s useful to have a monster of your own. This low-budget, high-tension sci-fi survival thriller gifts Diesel the killer role of notorious convict Riddick, a slab of muscle with snazzy swimming goggles who seems genuinely amused by the dire circumstances. The result is a masterclass in badass.

2. The Iron Giant (1999)

Years before Groot, Diesel empathically voiced another intergalactic interloper, lending his death-by-chocolate baritone to the scrap-munching star of Brad Bird’s artful animation. In paranoid 1950s Maine, a young boy encounters an anxious mega-robot and – much like the audience – immediately decides this shy new friend must be protected at all costs.

1. Fast & Furious 5 (2011)

Your mileage may vary but the fifth F&F feels like the sweet spot in the now-sprawling franchise: brothers-in-arms Dom and Brian (Paul Walker) surfing a silver 1966 Corvette into mid-air; Dom’s courtly wooing of a local cop; a tight heist followed by the chaos of dragging a room-sized safe around downtown Rio. It’s roughly five movies crammed into one, and Diesel dominates them all.

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