20 Best John Travolta Movies of All Time
From 'Basic' to 'Urban Cowboy,' Moviefone counts down the top 20 movies of John Travolta's career.
John Travolta as Bodie Davis in 'Mob Land.'
John Travolta is a true triple threat of a performer, as he can act, sing, and dance!
Travolta first gained attention in the late '70s as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV series 'Welcome Back, Kotter,' but quickly became a movie star after roles in 'Carrie,' 'Saturday Night Fever,' and 'Grease.'
After a decline in the 1980s, Quentin Tarantino revived Travolta's career by casting him as Vincent Vega in the Oscar-nominated 'Pulp Fiction.' Since then the actor has appeared in such popular films as 'Get Shorty,' 'Broken Arrow,' 'Face/Off,' 'A Civil Action,' and 'Primary Colors.'
With Travolta's new film 'Mob Land' opening in theaters on August 4th, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of John Travolta's career.
Let's begin!
20. 'Swordfish' (2001)
Rogue agent Gabriel Shear (Travolta) is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a n'er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything.
19. 'The Punisher' (2004)
When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle's (Thomas Jane) wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes 'the Punisher' -- a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family.
18. 'Phenomenon' (1996)
An ordinary man (Travolta) sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.
17. 'Urban Cowboy' (1980)
After moving to Pasadena, Texas, country boy Bud Davis (Travolta) starts hanging around a bar called Gilley's, where he falls in love with Sissy (Debra Winger), a cowgirl who believes the sexes are equal. They eventually marry, but their relationship is turbulent due to Bud's traditional view of gender roles. Jealousy over his rival leads to their separation, but Bud attempts to win Sissy back by triumphing at Gilley's mechanical bull-riding competition.
16. 'The Thin Red Line' (1998)
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.
15. 'Savages' (2012)
Pot growers Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.
14. 'Blow Out' (1981)
Jack Terry (Travolta) is a master sound recordist who works on grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.
13. 'Hairspray' (2007)
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions to be on Baltimore's most popular dance show - The Corny Collins Show - and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.
12. 'Look Who's Talking' (1989)
Mollie (Kirstie Alley) is a single working mother who's out to find the perfect father for her child. Her baby, Mikey (Bruce Willis), prefers James (Travolta), a cab driver turned babysitter who has what it takes to make them both happy. But Mollie won't even consider James. It's going to take all the tricks a baby can think of to bring them together before it's too late.
11. 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3' (2009)
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
10. 'Carrie' (1976)
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a shy and troubled teenage girl who is tormented by her high school peers and her fanatically religious mother, begins to use her powers of telekinesis to exact revenge upon them.
9. 'Broken Arrow' (1996)
When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins (Travolta) deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale (Christian Slater), is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.
8. 'Basic' (2003)
A DEA agent (Travolta) investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.
7. 'A Civil Action' (1998)
Jan Schlickmann (Travolta) is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.
6. 'Primary Colors' (1998)
In this adaptation of the best-selling roman à clef about Bill Clinton's 1992 run for the White House, the young and gifted Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) is tapped to oversee the presidential campaign of Governor Jack Stanton (Travolta). Burton is pulled into the politician's colorful world and looks on as Stanton -- who has a wandering eye that could be his downfall -- contends with his ambitious wife, Susan (Emma Thompson), and an outspoken adviser, Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton).
5. 'Get Shorty' (1995)
Chili Palmer (Travolta) is a Miami mobster who gets sent by his boss, the psychopathic "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina), to collect a bad debt from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a Hollywood producer who specializes in cheesy horror films. When Chili meets Harry's leading lady (Rene Russo), the romantic sparks fly. After pitching his own life story as a movie idea, Chili learns that being a mobster and being a Hollywood producer really aren't all that different.
4. 'Grease' (1978)
Australian good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and greaser Danny fell (John Travolta) in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?
3. 'Face/Off' (1997)
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent (John Travolta) undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind (Nicolas Cage), who murdered his only son. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.
2. 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977)
Tony (Travolta) spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney).
1. 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
A burger-loving hit man (Travolta), his philosophical partner (Samuel L. Jackson), a drug-addled gangster's moll (Uma Thurman) and a washed-up boxer (Bruce Willis) converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
