Michael B. Jordan is growing an incredible career, but his early performance inFruitvale Stationremains his best to date. Jordan started out as a child actor, standing out in thecast ofThe Wireas Wallace. He then gained attention inFriday Night Lightsas Vince Howard, paving the way for his career in movies.
This year, Jordan had one of his biggest hits so far while also earning high praise forhis performance inSinners. The complex role of playing twins in the dark period vampire thriller is one of the high points of Jordan’s impressive career. However, it is his breakout movie role that he has yet to top.
Fruitvale Station Has Michael B. Jordan’s Most Powerful Performance
Jordan Plays Oscar Grant In The Tragic True Story
Michael B. Jordan was a rising star in Hollywood in the early 2010s thanks to his standout performance in thefound-footage superhero movieChronicle. However, it was in 2013 that Jordan proved how talented an actor he really is with a layered and emotional performance in the true-story dramaFruitvale Station.
Jordan’s performance is the center of the entire movie and what makes it so powerful.
The movie tells the tragic story of Oscar Grant (Jordan), a young man who was shot and killed while in police custody in the morning hours of New Year’s Day in Oakland, California. The movie follows Grant throughout his day, with his various relationships, and everything leading up to his death.
Jordan’s performance is the center of the entire movie and what makes it so powerful.Oscar is a complex character, a young man who had trouble with the law and was prone to anger, but was trying to turn his life around for himself, his girlfriend, and his young daughter. Jordan balances the anger and compassion in Oscar perfectly.
Fruitvale Stationis a somewhatoverlooked movie from the 2010s, though it was a critical hit with 94% onRotten Tomatoes. More importantly, the small film worked to launch Jordan as a truly gifted actor, winning several critics' awards for his breakthrough performance.
Fruitvale Station Started Ryan Coogler’s Partnership With Michael B. Jordan
Jordan And Coogler Have Made Five Movies Together
Along with being a breakthrough performance by Michael B. Jordan,Fruitvale Stationalso serves as thedirectorial debut of Ryan Coogler. In that sense,Fruitvale Stationis an even more pivotal movie in Jordan’s career as it helped establish his most important creative relationship so far.
To date,Jordan has appeared in each one of Coogler’s five theatrical movies. AfterFruitvale Station, they kicked off Jordan’s first franchise, revivingtheRockymovie serieswithCreed. While Coogler only directed the first movie, he remained a producer on the next two sequels.
Every Michael B. Jordan And Ryan Coogler Movie
Sinners (2025)
Elijah “Smoke” Moore & Elias “Stack” Moore
Coogler and Jordan then stepped into the MCU together withBlack Panther. Coogler created the world of Wakanda within the cinematic universe, while Jordan delivered an acclaimed performance as the complex villain, Erik Killmonger. He reprised his role in a short scene in the sequel,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Coogler and Jordan’s latest movie together is another massive hit for the duo, both critically and financially.Sinnersis a completely original realization from Coogler that blends big genre thrills with interesting characters and profound themes, making for one of the best movies of the year. Jordan also delivers two very different and equally exceptional performances.
With so much success together already, it seems inevitable that Jordan and Coogler will continue their relationship as one of thebest actor-director teamsaround. However, as big as their movies have gotten, it all started with the small yet powerfulFruitvale Station.
