Vin Diesel has had an extraordinarily varied career that extends far beyond the action movie stylings that he’s best known for. As a talented writer and director in his own right, Diesel started his career as a filmmaker before gaining mainstream recognition working with Steven Spielberg on one of the best war movies of all time.

The best Diesel movies include major blockbusters like The Fast and the Furious, but also lesser-known works with prestige directors. As a star whose talent for emotionally poignant performances and subtly powerful portrayals remains hugely underappreciated, looking back on Diesel’s impressive career, it’s clear there’s more to this actor than meets the eye.

1

Strays (1997)

While most will recognize Vin Diesel as a Hollywood actor, he actually got his start as the writer, director, and star of the indie drama Strays. This thoughtful exploration of a drug dealer and hustler who is fed up with the aimlessness of his life was a fascinating character study about a man’s search for meaning and the difficulties of breaking free of the monotonous grind of life on the fringes of society.

Diesel was inspired by his own adolescence in New York City, and Strays serves as a reminder that there’s a lot more to this star than just blockbuster releases. While Diesel never followed up Strays with a second feature film as a filmmaker, he did later write and direct the Fast & Furious short film Los Bandoleros in 2009.

2

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Many might not know that Vin Diesel achieved his major breakthrough in Hollywood in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. This star-studded war movie classic featured outstanding performances from the likes of Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, with Diesel portraying the battle-hardened soldier Adrian Caparzo.

Saving Private Ryan featured a surprisingly poignant performance from Diesel, as he brought compᴀssion and understanding to his portrayal of this vulnerable soldier. While Diesel’s screen time was limited, Caparzo left an enormous impact, and he was a major contributor to the long-lasting appeal of the film.

3

The Iron Giant (1999)

While The Iron Giant wasn’t a huge hit at the time, it has since earned a reputation as a true classic of modern animation. With Diesel lending his voice to the тιтle role, The Iron Giant was a captivating look at timeless themes of friendship, understanding, and self-sacrifice.

Diesel managed to tap into the humanity of his robotic character as lines like “I am not a gun” struck an emotional chord. While many other voice actors would have given a big and bombastic performance in an animated role like this, Diesel’s characterization of the Iron Giant was emotionally restrained and all the more powerful as a result.

4

Pitch Black (2000)

Vin Diesel truly broke through as a Hollywood leading man in Pitch Black, a sci-fi horror that signaled his movie star potential. Telling the story of an infamous criminal named Richard B. Riddick, Pitch Black saw his spaceship crash land on a desert planet populated by creatures who only come out at night.

With equal parts action and horror, Pitch Black featured a star-making performance from Diesel and would serve as his first ever franchise, with him returning for The Chronicles of Riddick in 2004 and Riddick in 2013. Although Riddick was first introduced as a remorseless killer, Diesel imbued his performance with real depth to reveal fascinating emotional layers to his character.

5

The Fast And The Furious (2001)

It’s impossible to think about Vin Diesel without immediately conjuring images of Dominic Toretto from The Fast and the Furious. As this star’s most iconic role, what started as a relatively grounded story of an undercover cop infiltrating a street racing gang has grown into one of the most over-the-top and outrageous franchises of all time.

Dominic Toretto is a true cinema icon, as his belief in found family and willingness to put it all on the line for those he loves made him one of the most beloved action heroes of all time. Diesel’s heartfelt performance and the emotional undercurrents of Toretto have become as integral to the Fast franchise as slick cars or racing.

6

Xander Cage (2002)

Vin Diesel followed the success of The Fast and the Furious by starring in yet another franchise starter as the thriller-seeking stuntman Xander Cage. As the story of a reluctant athlete-turned spy, Xander Cage is recruited by the NSA to infiltrate a group of ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Russian terrorists in a film that combines Diesel’s action movie charisma with the espionage genre.

Xander Cage is one of Diesel’s very best characters, and it’s a role he returned to in 2017 for the sequel subтιтled Return of Xander Cage. While it would have been very easy for Diesel to be typecast following the Fast franchise, this showcased his determination not to be pigeonholed by Hollywood.

7

Find Me Guilty (2006)

When looking at Vin Diesel’s career as a whole, there are certain films that stand out as particularly surprising. Find Me Guilty was an unlikely project, as Diesel teamed up with the prestigious director of 12 Angry Men for yet another legal drama, where a gangster decided to represent himself in court.

Diesel starred as Jackie DiNorscio, the real-life New Jersey mobster who went on trial with 19 of his colleagues for the crime of racketeering. As a powerful, dramatic turn from Diesel, Find Me Guilty highlighted Diesel’s often underappreciated talent for more mature roles that showcase him as much more than a blockbuster action movie star.

8

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Although audiences might not immediately recognize him, Vin Diesel was actually an essential member of the Guardians of the Galaxy team. As the voice of Groot, Diesel lent his voice to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a role that, despite only having one repeated line, was incredibly memorable and, at times, enormously heartfelt.

Much in the same way Diesel brought a sense of humanity to The Iron Giant, Groot was a character whose minimal simplicity was part of his appeal, as his utterance of “I am Groot” pulled on our heartstrings. As a character who was further developed with each installment, Groot was a testament to Vin Diesel’s often underappreciated mastery of subtlety.