Anthony Mackie is one of the best known actors in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mackie originally played the superhero Falcon in the MCU, but took up the mantle of Captain America from Chris Evans in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. Mackie made his big-screen debut as Cap in Captain America: Brave New World, where he finds himself at the centre of an international incident involving the President of the United States.
But while Mackie may be most recognised as Falcon and now Captain America, he has also played some great roles in anything from war dramas like The Hurt Locker to buddy comedies like Pain and Gain. Check out 10 of Anthony Mackie’s best performances in movies, and find out where you can stream them in the United Kingdom below!
8 Mile
In rapper Eminem’s 2002 biopic 8 Mile, Mackie plays the leader of the Free World gang, Papa Doc (aka Clarence). In the film, Papa Doc and his gang go after Jimmy, beating him up the night before the big rap battle. But the day after, Jimmy absolutely destroys them on stage — and Mackie plays poor Clarence like a pro.
The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 Best Picture winner sees Mackie star alongside Jeremy Renner as Sergeant JT Sanborn. The two are part of a US military squad defusing bombs during the Iraq War, and the film follows them through their experiences there, including traumatic combat situations that highlight the horror of war.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Mackie was first introduced into the MCU as Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) in The Winter Soldier. At the time, Chris Evans was still in the role of Captain America, but the film introduced one of Sam’s Cap’s closest buddies, Bucky Barns (aka The Winter Soldier). While Mackie was part of an ensemble cast with more focus on Evan’s Cap, he was still able to establish Sam as a formidable member of the team while getting in some good banter with the other Avengers.
The Adjustment Bureau
In The Adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon stars as David, an up-and-coming politician who stumbles onto an existential secret: that an organisation known as the ‘Adjustment Bureau’ is actually in charge of human free will. Mackie plays one of the Bureau's agents who becomes David’s ‘caseworker’ and ultimately an ally in establishing his own destiny.
Captain America: Brave New World
In his big-screen debut in the role, Mackie takes up the shield of Captain America. He was first introduced into the role in the MCU television series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In Brave New World, Mackie’s Cap finds himself in the middle of an international incident, and must save the day multiple times with the help of some old and new allies.
Point Blank
Mackie is a master at playing action roles using a mix of humour and more than a little blood. In Point Black, he plays Paul, an ER nurse who finds himself teaming up with a dangerous criminal in his care (played by Frank Grillo) in order to get his pregnant wife back after she is kidnapped by a notorious gang.
Triple 9
In Triple 9, Mackie plays a corrupt Atlanta police officer, Marcus, who is paired with a new partner, Chris, played by Casey Affleck. Marcus is involved in a plan to steal information from the Department of Homeland Security, and plans to sacrifice Chris to carry out the plan. Mackie gives an excellent performance in Triple 9, giving Marcus a three-dimensionality that makes it hard to dislike him.
Synchronic
In this leading role, Mackie plays Steve, a paramedic alongside Jamie Dornan’s Dennis. When they keep coming across the same gruesome type of accident, at first they think nothing of it. But when Dennis’ daughter goes missing, they realise there is a drug that allows the user to cross dimensions tying everything together in a mindbending thriller.
Pain and Gain
In this action comedy, Mackie plays a body builder, Noel, alongside Mark Wahlberg’s Daniel and The Rock’s Paul. In this film based on a true story, Daniel plots to achieve the American Dream via extortion, and recruits gym buddies Daniel and Paul together to help him kidnap a wealthy member of their gym.
Detroit
Teaming up once more with director Kathryn Bigelow, Mackie plays Karl Greene, a Vietnam veteran. The film tells the true story of the 1967 Detroit riots that culminated in the Algiers Motel incident in which several civilians were killed by police officers.
Where to watch the best Anthony Mackie movies streaming online
Find out how (and where) to stream the best Anthony Mackie movies online by scrolling down to the list below. The films are all available to stream online across a variety of platforms in the United Kingdom, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ITVX and more!
