Years from now, when we look back on Vin Diesel's various films and characters, it's most likely that the image of his Fast and Furious character will be the first to come to mind. I mean, I see why one of Dominic Toretto's biggest stunts would be included in that mental picture; it's not like it isn't the actor's biggest role. But that's not the only thing Diesel has done throughout his career.
Over the years, Vin Diesel has lent his talents to franchises like xXx and The Chronicles Of Riddick, where he has been a badass all over the world, the galaxy, and beyond. And between roles like Xander Cage and Richard B. Riddick, Diesel has shown up in everything from World War II epics to intimate stories about people trying to make it in the world. The man can do it all.
This article contains spoilers from the movies mentioned in this list. Read on with caution!
xXx (2002)
Hot off the release of The Fast And The Furious the previous year, Vin Diesel took things up a notch for his first time portraying Xander Cage, an extreme sports enthusiast turned government agent in the 2002 summer blockbuster xXx. Outside of his role of Dominic Toretto, Xander Cage has to be Diesel's most badass character. And man, does he kick a lot of ass in this movie.
The first time we see Xander Cage, he steals a Senator's Corvette and drives if off a bridge for his own video series, "The Xander Zone." After that, we see Cage escape from a cartel stronghold on a dirt bike, outrun an avalanche with nothing more than a snowboard, and blow up a biological weapon, all with barely a scratch.
Pitch Black (2000)
Besides Fast And Furious and xXx, Vin Diesel is also known for his role as Richard B. Riddick in the Chronicles Of Riddick saga, which got started with the 2000 release of Pitch Black. In the movie, Riddick is convicted criminal being transported to a faraway prison planet when his transport ship is knocked off course. Upon landing on distant planet surrounded by three suns, Riddick and the other passengers have the bad fortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time during a rare total eclipse.
With flesh-eating monsters roaming the pitch black planet, Riddick, who has surgically altered that allow him to see in the dark, is the only one who can save his captor and the other passengers on the ship. When hope is lost for all but a few of the remaining passengers, Riddick blasts the life out of the savage beasts with the ship's thrusters before escaping the planet to a new life.
Bloodshot (2020)
You almost have to feel bad for Bloodshot at this point. Released just as theater chains around the United States began to shut their doors and everyone started isolating themselves at home, the 2020 comic book adaptation about a marine who is brought back from the dead as a super soldier didn't really stand a chance. Despite that, Vin Diesel's portrayal of Ray Garrison is worth mentioning.
I mean, what's not to love about a genetically-modified Vin Diesel taking down bad guy after bad guy in this highly explosive action movie? And if you're like most people out there and didn't get a chance to see it, fret not, as the film is now available digitally.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
I didn't know that Vin Diesel had a small role in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan until much later in life, but yeah, he's definitely in there (at least for a little bit). In case you haven't seen the movie in forever, or at all, this 1998 World War II epic centers around Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his small band of soldiers who go behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) before it's too late.
Vin Diesel's character, Private Adrian Caparzo, is only in a handful of scenes before he struck down by a German sniper who mortally wounds the young soldier. How Caparzo got there, however, is heroic if not for going against his captain's orders. When he sees a young girl crying in the middle of the city square, Caparzo runs out to save her. He's successful but is shot down by the enemy sharpshooter in the process.
Boiler Room (2000)
Boiler Room is one of those movies that's about money-hungry stoke brokers who didn't see the satire in Oliver's Stone's Wall Street and treat Gordon Gekko's words as gospel. Centered around the young and hellaciously crooked J.T. Miller investing firm, this 2000 crime drama shows just how far people will go to make a buck, even if it means bankrupting everyone else.
Although he's not the central character, or even that good of a guy in the film, Vin Diesel is heavily featured as Chris Varick, one of the partners in the firm that is eventually brought down by Giovanni Ribisi's character and the FBI. Throughout much of the movie, Varick is seen quoting Gekko (which is very impressive) and closing deals with unsuspecting victims. The scene in which Varick convinces a doctor to buy 2,000 shares that will soon be worthless, he's very reminiscent of Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. You almost like the guy, he's that convincing.
Find Me Guilty (2006)
Before Vin Diesel returned to the world of Fast And Furious, he took a spin at starring in a non-action role in the 2006 crime comedy Find Me Guilty. Diesel plays Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio, a real-life mobster who represented himself in a federal RICO trial in the 1980s. Much like the real DiNorscio, Diesel is extremely personable and charismatic throughout the entire trial that ultimately leads to acquittal of all 20 defendants.
The way that Diesel (who looks nothing like himself from previous movies) plays and jokes with the jury throughout trial makes the judge, prosecution, witnesses, and his co-defendants more than a little ticked off at times, creates some of the funniest courtroom scenes in the past 20 years. It's a shame we haven't seen Diesel take on more roles like this in the years following the release of Find Me Guilty.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
Though we don't see Vin Diesel's signature bald head and confident smirk in Guardians Of The Galaxy or other MCU movies in which Groot appears, Vin Diesel's take on the alien tree monster turned superhero is impressive, especially when you consider that he is able to convey so much emotion and humor through three words: "I am Groot." Through all three variations of the cutest Guardian of the Galaxy, Diesel adds more personality to a computer-generated talking tree better than anyone else.
Whether it's in the fully-matured Groot we see in the first Guardians film, the toddler-like version from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, or the snot-nosed teenager incarnation from Avengers: Infinity War, the character continues to kick ass. From his self-sacrifice to save his friends to freeing Rocket and Yondu from Taserface to riding on the shoulders of Thor, Groot has proven that he can come through for his friends no matter the odds. I for one can't wait to see what Groot has in store for everyone in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3.
Strays (1997)
Here's a funny story about Vin Diesel. Before he was stealing vaults in Brazil, crashing planes into satellites, or fighting aliens in the dark, Diesel was writing, directing, and starring in his own films. It all started with the 1995 short Multi-Facial about an actor struggling to find a job and himself in New York City, but then he followed it up two years later with his feature length debut Strays.
The 1997 drama follows the life of low-level drug dealer, Rick, as he grows increasingly frustrated with his line of work, his friends, and pretty much everything else about his life and decides to make a change before it's too late. There's one scene in particular where his friends are bragging about giving girls STDs until Rick loses it completely and goes on a rant that even Dominic Toretto would enjoy. Diesel's performance showed the world what he was capable of pulling off and had a lot to do with the success he met later on.
The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
Though not as well-received as some of his other big-budget action movies, Vin Diesel's appearance in the 2015 fantasy action film isn't as bad as critics make it out to be. Sure, it's not Diesel's best performance, but it definitely isn't The Pacifier.
When the powerful Witch Queen is slain by the hands of Diesel's character, Kaulder, she curses the witch hunter with immortality so that he will never seen his lost wife and child again. When the powerful witch returns centuries later, only Kaulder can stop her and save humanity. With an arsenal of weapons and skills from long ago, the last witch hunter has some pretty badass tricks up his sleeve. I just wish he kept that gnarly beard throughout the entire movie.
See, Vin Diesel can do more than just drive cars at insane speeds, jump off bridges, and fight a submarine with a car. These movies might not have the over-the-top action set pieces as those in the Fast And Furious franchise, but they're all badass in their own ways.
