My Favorite Idris Elba Movies So Far

If you don't know my love and admiration for Idris Elba, now you know. I've been thinking about the first time I laid eyes on him for days, but I can't recall. But, I do remember him being on the cover of Essence Magazine with this warm grin, sparkling whites with a crisp white unbuttoned shirt. His eyes said, "come here," but his smile said, "I know I look good." Recently he was a guest on the "Who We Be" podcast, and to hear that he never found himself attractive because of this profoundly melanated skin growing up made my heart melt. The "Sexiest Man Alive" never viewed himself as sexy.

At first, I was surprised, but I also remembered that these aren't titles that he gave himself. These titles are based on the majority and perception. Some may not find him attractive, and that's ok, just don't tell me because one, I don't care, and two, I'm one-thousandth percent sure I never asked you what you thought. Don't piss on my fantasy. I've had many celebrity crushes, but Mr. Elba has my heart. He just doesn't know we're married in spirit. Do I sound crazy? Probably but guess what? Lean in close. I really don't give a shit. Why should I care about others' perceptions of me? One thing people will never be is me, so why not live freely?

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Besides his looks, he's a good actor. I love the fact that he pushes his limits. He isn't typecast in playing the same types of roles *cough* *cough* The Rock. I love Dwayne Johnson, but he's not Idris. As I was surfing through streaming service land, I decided to look up Idris Elba and watch the movies or shows that I may have missed. I can honestly give myself a pat on the back because I've seen most of them. I love manifestations and speaking things into existence, so I'm predicting that he will win an Oscar in the next two years. If he doesn't, then well, I'll be calling Oscar's corporate office to file a complaint. If I can do it with Jack N The Box, I can do it with the Oscars. I decided to list some of my favorite Idris Elba movies and explain why without talking about his looks. This will be a challenge, so here goes nothing.

Hobbs & Shaw

Character: Brixton Lore

We all love an antagonist.

Before I give any backstory, I wanted to highlight what an antagonist is, knowing this may help you, future writers, out there. It just simply means "a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary."

Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to provide some backstory on this character. According to fandom Brixton Lore

"Is a former MI6 agent who betrayed them to seek a viral biological weapon known as the Snowflake. His body was modified by Eton, which gave him superhuman powers (hence his nickname "Black Superman") to be used as a tool by this organization to claim and unleash the Snowflake to kill most of humanity under orders; of its mysterious director."

What I loved about his character was his athletic ability to jump out of buildings, ride a motorcycle, shoot a gun, take a punch, and still have enough juice to obtain what he needed. Idris already has an athletic built, so the uniform of choice displayed that. He had a mission, and he was going to complete that mission at all costs. According to the movie, he was ageless in this film, and that was the point without the "Snowflake," he would've died years ago.

I also admired the fact that he didn't change his accent to American. Jason Statham didn't have to do it, and neither should Idris. The movie had all the different elements of the Fast & Furious series. I hope that they do a spin-off to this character. I think the audience needs some back story.

The Jungle Book

Character: Shere Khan

Look at what we have here another antagonist. I made fun of The Rock earlier, and I hope I don't eat my words. Out of all of the live Disney remakes they've done so far, The Jungle Book has been my favorite. This was a $175 million film, and it looks like they spent every penny. They put the "live" in live-action. If you've never heard of The Jungle Book, then I would politely ask, "where the hell have you been?" But, I will still bless those beautiful eyes of yours to provide a backstory. My new BFF Fandom states, " Shere Khan is considered suave and charming, yet is deeply feared as the most ferocious predator in the jungle. His reputation was such that he needed only to show himself to intimidate his victims."

I loved this film because it was different for him. This was the first time seeing him speak for a character, and again, I'm happy they didn't make him get rid of his accent. It added a bully dynamic to the surface. If scaredy-cat was a character, then it would be Shere Khan. His experience with humans and fire was traumatic for him. Instead of trying to get revenge, he should've found a jungle therapist. If they can talk, then he can indeed speak to a professional. According to my therapist, anger isn't a stand-alone emotion, shocking, but fear is permanently attached to some prerequisite to another feeling; for me, my anger tends to come from feeling hurt.

Takers

Character: Gordon Jennings

I can't provide much background on a group of bank robbers. The action of his character is terrible. Robbing and stealing don't scream a "good human being" but, I can say that he needed the money to help his sister, who is an addict, and in and out of rehab facilities. He wanted that money to create a better life for her. What person can't admire sibling love and is willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to give someone a better life? I also found this film hard to watch because Paul Walker passed away before the movie premiered. He was the most sophisticated robber I've ever seen.

Luther

Character: John Luther

For starters, the last season of Luther was a ripoff. Who ends a series with only four episodes? I was agitated, but the Netflix gods have spoken and announced that Luther will be turned into a movie. I will be interested to see how they continue the story through a movie format. Idris Elba's 'Luther' Movie Reportedly Coming to Netflix - What's on Netflix (whats-on-netflix.com)

He played a British DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) for the Serious Crime Unit; he's the detective you want to call to catch serial killers. With any good detective comes inner demons. As he solves crimes to keep his community safe, he is simultaneously mourning his late wife. I can admire a detective who can fight crime without a gun. I would find that fascinating every time I would watch. The series was very dark, and you rarely saw him smile, which I'm sure was challenging for him. He comes off as very charming to me, and I am being biased.

Concrete Cowboys

Character: Harp

According to MSN, " Harp is a part of the Fletcher Street community, and he's a proud Black cowboy. A horse literally lives in his house. Harp spends his days working at the stables and his nights sitting around a campfire with other Fletcher Street cowboys, drinking beer and talking about the ways white folks wiped the memory and image of the Black cowboy from history. They want to preserve it, to make sure America can't forget where cowboys came from.

Now, who doesn't want to see the Sexist Man Alive riding on a horse? The movie also had another celebrity crushes to grace the screen Rapper/Actor Method Man. I will write about him another day lets focus. I admired most about the film because Idris is allergic to horses; I didn't know that was a thing. He felt that this story needed to be told, so why not pop a Benadryl and bring the character to life? It introduced an untold tale that most may not know about. Black cowboys, young and old, are using horses to help the youth stay out of trouble. When you sprinkle in gentrification, it really exposes why those people fight so hard for their city and identity. A horse brought a father and son together to create a powerful bond. It was a feel-good story.

As someone who doesn't like to put her eggs in one basket, I will end my list for now. If you haven't, click the subscribe button to update all of my Vocal stories and part two of this list.