Top 50 films on race relations in America

<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p>
<p>Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to reflect on how far we&#8217;ve come and how far we still have to go.</p>
<p>In that spirit, 鶹 Film Critic Jason Fraley is ranking the best movies ever on U.S. race relations.</p>
<p>Which films moved us forward? And which movie ranks No. 1?</p>
<p>Click through the gallery to launch the countdown.</p>
"Do the Right Thing," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Glory" and "In the Heat of the Night" famously dealt with race relations. (鶹 collage via YouTube)
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<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p>
<p>Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to reflect on how far we&#8217;ve come and how far we still have to go.</p>
<p>In that spirit, 鶹 Film Critic Jason Fraley is ranking the best movies ever on U.S. race relations.</p>
<p>Which films moved us forward? And which movie ranks No. 1?</p>
<p>Click through the gallery to launch the countdown.</p>

Top 50 Movies on Race Relations in America

50. “The Birth of a Nation” (1915) – D.W. Griffith

49. “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) – Spike Lee

48. “Gone with the Wind” (1939) – Victor Fleming

47. “Django: Unchained” (2012) – Quentin Tarantino

46. “Shaft” (1971) – Gordon Parks

45. “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (2019) – Joe Talbot

44. “Mississippi Burning” (1988) – Alan Parker

43. “The Butler” (2013) – Lee Daniels

42. “42” (2013) – Brian Helgeland

41. “Brian’s Song” (1971) – Buzz Kulik

40. “White Men Can’t Jump” (1992) – Ron Shelton

39. “The Blind Side” (2009) – John Lee Hancock

38. “Blindspotting” (2018) – Carlos Lopez Estrada

37. “Queen & Slim” (2019) – Melina Matsoukas

36. “Straight Outta Compton” (2015) – F. Gary Gray

35. “The Defiant Ones” (1958) – Stanley Kramer

34. “A Time to Kill” (1996) – Joel Schumacher

33. “Just Mercy” (2020) – Destin Daniel Cretton

32. “The Hurricane” (1999) – Norman Jewison

31. “Detroit” (2017) – Kathryn Bigelow

30. “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) – Martin Brest

29. “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989) – Bruce Beresford

28. “Green Book” (2018) – Peter Farrelly

27. “The Help” (2011) – Tate Taylor

26. “The Color Purple” (1985) – Steven Spielberg

25. “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961) – Daniel Petrie

24. “Fences” (2016) – Denzel Washington

23. “Crash” (2005) – Paul Haggis

22. “Hidden Figures” (2016) – Theodore Melfi

21. “Imitation of Life” (1959) – Douglas Sirk

20. “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) – Barry Jenkins

19. “Loving” (2016) – Joe Nichols

18. “Harriet” (2019) – Kasi Lemmons

17. “Lincoln” (2012) – Steven Spielberg

16. “Blazing Saddles” (1974) – Mel Brooks

15. “Remember the Titans” (2000) – Boaz Yakin

14. “Black Panther” (2018) – Ryan Coogler

13. “Boyz N the Hood” (1991) – John Singleton

12. “Twelve Years a Slave” (2013) – Steve McQueen

11. “Mudbound” (2017) – Dee Rees

10. “Glory” (1989) – Edward Zwick

9. “Fruitvale Station” (2013) – Ryan Coogler

8. “Malcolm X” (1992) – Spike Lee

7. “Selma” (2014) – Ava DuVernay

6. “In the Heat of the Night” (1967) – Norman Jewison

5. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” (1967) – Stanley Kramer

4. “Get Out” (2017) – Jordan Peele

3. “Moonlight” (2016) – Barry Jenkins

2. “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) – Robert Mulligan

1. “Do the Right Thing” (1989) – Spike Lee

 

鶹's Jason Fraley salutes movies on race (Jason Fraley)
鶹's Jason Fraley cuts a race movie mashup (2015) (Jason Fraley)

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at 鶹 as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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