As far as professional film and television careers go, Yahya Abdul Mateen II's is still relatively new. The 35-year-old actor has really only been in the Hollywood machine for six years (although he appeared in short films prior to that), getting his start in the feature film The Vanishing of Sidney Hall and the television series The Get Down. In those few years, though, he has made an impressive mark, already winning an Emmy Award (for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in HBO's Watchmen) and a Screen Actors Guild Award (as part of the ensemble of Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7).

Abdul-Mateen, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale, has worked steadily in both screen mediums over the past half-dozen years, appearing in superhero flicks (Aquaman), musicals (The Greatest Showman), and horror films (Us, Candyman), as well as diving into dystopian worlds (Black Mirror, The Handmaid's Tale).

His latest release, Ambulance, sees him star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. In the Michael Bay-produced action film, he is a man desperate to pay for surgery for his wife, and because of that, he agrees to a bank heist. But soon after that he'll be back on the big screen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and on the smaller screen in FX's limited series adaptation of Scent of Burning Flowers, which he will also executive produce through House Eleven10.

Here, Metacritic highlights Abdul-Mateen's top 10 titles across film and television so far, ranked by Metascore.

Watchmen

Metascore: 85
Best for: Fans of comic book adaptations that don't shy away from real-world issues
Where to watch: 

Damon Lindelof's 2019 one-season, Emmy-winning limited series adaptation of Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins' 1986 comic of the same title stars Regina King as Angela Abar, aka Sister Night, a wife, mother, and police officer who moonlights as a vigilante. In her world, vigilantes are outlaws and cops have to wear masks to keep their identities safe after an attack by the Seventh Kalvary. As Angela works to keep the peace in more ways than one, she finds herself at the center of multiple kidnapping plans to get ahold of Doctor Manhattan, who has god-like powers and is working with Hooded Justice (Louis Gossett Jr.), an original vigilante. As Angela gets deeper involved in this story, she realizes, she, too, has important connections to both. Abdul-Mateen plays Cal Abar, Angela's husband, who also has deep ties to the vigilante side of the story, but we won't spoil how.

"The series' scope is astonishing give its subject matter, and even more so given its relentless entertainment value." — Ben Travers, IndieWire

The Handmaid's Tale

Metascore: 82
Best for: Fans of
Where to watch:

Adapted from Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, The Handmaid's Tale follows June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) as she serves as the titular handmaid to a wealthy couple in the new political regime of Gilead in what was the former Northeast of the United States. She narrates her story of fighting to get herself and her daughter out of that dystopia, hoping her to reunite with her husband, who, we learn, is living in Canada. The Emmy-winning drama series that began in 2017 expands beyond the book to take in a wider political landscape that includes the differences between how handmaids are treated in Gilead and other parts of the country, as well as to explore the state of asylum north of the border. Abdul-Mateen guest-stars in the second season episode titled "Baggge" as Omar, a man who transports June on part of her escape journey.

"It's become a confident, emotionally rich series — but one that, by nature and obligation, is wrenching to watch." — James Poniewozik, The New York Times

Us

Metascore: 81
Best for: Fans of psychological horror mixed with social commentary and actual physical violence
Where to watch: 

Jordan Peele's 2019 horror film follows a young woman named Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) who attended a carnival as a child and met her doppelgänger. As an adult, her family takes a vacation to the same area, which gives her pause, remembering her experience. All of the years later, those doppelgängers have gained strength and been empowered to leave their underground world and confront those living and thriving with their same faces. Needless to say, things turn violent fast, as these doppelgängers have been tethered to their aboveground counterparts and are looking to severe those ties. Abdul-Mateen plays Adelaide's father, Russel Thomas.

"Perhaps Us stumbles near the end while straining for an operatic, shattering finale that explains everything that preceded it but, after capturing the zeitgeist his first time out, Peele avoids the sophomore slump by methodically laying out his riveting tale." — Tim Grierson, ScreenDaily

Black Mirror

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of
Where to watch:

Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones' episodic anthology drama originally premiere in 2011 in the U.K. and was later brought to Netflix. All of the episodes share themes of how technology is changing society and humanity (usually not for the better), with many of the episodes set far enough in the future that technology has advanced to the point of being able to alter a person's body, in addition to frame of mind and lifestyle. While the show has a distinct sci-fi feel, some episodes blend other genres in, including horror and even romance. Abdul-Mateen stars in the fifth season episode "Striking Vipers" as Karl Houghton, who reconnects with his friend Danny (Anthony Mackie) while playing a virtual reality game that ends up causing great changes to their IRL personal lives.

"The series might be made up of disparate stories that seemingly have nothing to do with each other, but the more time you spend ruminating on Black Mirror and turning it over in your head, the more those stories start to seem like part of the same thing, a world we're all marching toward, like it or not." Emily St. James, Vox

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of legal dramas and real-life activists
Where to watch: Netflix
Runtime: 129 minutes

Aaron Sorkin's Oscar-nominated film from 2020 tells the story of anti-Vietnam War protestors who are forced to stand trial on charges of conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Among those men are Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), and Bobby Seale (Abdul-Mateen). As the story follows the process of the trial, it investigates whether justice was served while also showcasing the ongoing violence and corruption that surrounded the case.

"Writer-director Aaron Sorkin takes the 'trial' part to heart, leading to a largely courtroom-bound affair that — while entertaining and splendidly cast — at its best echoes his early triumph with A Few Good Men." — Brian Lowry, CNN

Candyman

Metascore: 72
Best for: Fans of stories of racial injustice told through gory horror
Where to watch:

Nia DaCosta directed this 2021 horror film from a screenplay she wrote with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, meant to serve as a sequel to the film of the same title from 1992. This time around, Abdul-Mateen stars as Anthony McCoy, an artist who becomes obsessed with the titular legend after visiting the Cabrini-Green projects and meeting a man who witnessed the brutal murder of Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove), a man known for giving candy to neighborhood kids. Back in the '70s, the police accused him of putting a razor blade in a piece of candy, and they beat him to death for it. Now, rumor has it that if you say his nickname in the mirror five times, his spirit will appear and kill the person who called him. Anthony gets more intwined with Candyman than he bargains for on his quest to understand more about this story and this man, and what Candyman is a symbol for also begins to change.

"From the opening moments of Nia DaCosta's gory yet strikingly beautiful and socially relevant Candyman, it's clear we're in for an especially haunting and just plain entertaining thrill ride." — Richard Roepher, Chicago Sun-Times

The Get Down

Metascore: 69
Best for: Fans of period dramas 
Where to watch: Netflix
Seasons: 1

Executive produced by Baz Luhrmann (among others), this 2016 Netflix drama is set in 1970s New York so that it can chart the rise of both disco and hip-hop music through real news footage and its fictional characters' journeys. The one-season series if broken into two parts, with the first part taking place in 1977 when Zeke, aka MC Brooks (Justice Smith), starts a group called The Get Down Brothers with his friend Shaolin (Shameik Moore). Part 2 is set a year later, when the group has to face tough choices regarding their personal and professional lives. All throughout, they also contend with the crime in their city. Abdul-Mateen plays Cadillac, royalty in the local disco world as the son of the owner of one of the best after-hours spots in the city.

"New York has an incredible musical history, and even though it can be convoluted at times, The Get Down will take you on a lyrical journey through this great city that's hard to forget." — Terry Terones, The Gazette

First Match

Metascore: 68
Best for: Fans of coming-of-age dramas and complicated father-daughter relationship tales
Where to watch: Netflix
Runtime: 102 minutes

Based on writer-director Olivia Newman's 2010 short film of the same title, this 2018 feature film tells the story of Monique (Elvire Emanuelle), a teenage wrestler who gets into the sport because she wants to connect with her estranged father (played by Abdul-Mateen). He was a wrestling champion when he was younger, and after spending time in the foster care system in Brooklyn, N.Y., Monique decides to join an all-male wrestling team to get his attention and earn his love and respect. As much as she feels like the odds are stacked against her in life, she does manage to make important connections while on the team. But whether they are enough to make her feel comfortable, let alone loved, will be what lingers after the credits roll.

"While First Match is more ambitious than most films in the genre, it still provides moments to cheer our complicated heroine, whether she's on the mat or off." — Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times

The Matrix Resurrections

Metascore: 63
Best for: Fans of The Matrix franchise, alternate reality stories, and Keanu Reeves
Where to watch:

The Wachowski siblings' 2021 followup to their Matrix franchise sees Thomas Anderson, aka Neo (Reeves), having created a video game based on his memories as Neo. But he's struggling to distinguish his real life from his dreams at times, and his therapist has provided him pills for that, but he has stopped taking them. Instead, he works on a simulation that is running old code in a loop, and that code happens to be the moment Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) first found Neo within the Matrix. As Thomas, with the help of Bugs (Jessica Henwick) digs deeper, he realizes the Matrix is still around and more dangerous than ever. Abdul-Mateen plays Morpheus, who was previously played by Laurence Fishburne in the other films. However, his Morpheus is different in more than just looks.

"A swift, self-reflective, often funny and always original reimagining of the material." — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times

All Day and a Night

Metascore: 60
Best for: Fans of character-driven crime dramas with a touch of revenge tale
Where to watch: Netflix
Runtime: 121 minutes

Writer-director Joe Robert Cole's 2020 film is about an aspiring rapper Jakhor (played by Ashton Sanders) sent to prison, told by seeing the abuse he experienced at the hands of his drug addict father (played by Jeffrey Wright) and the crimes he turned to in his young years. Originally a petty thief, Jakhor ends up working for local gangster Big Stunna (Abdul-Mateen), which increases the violence in the types of crimes he commits to murder. Jakhor has his own sense of justice and doing right by his family, which becomes more complicated by the birth of his son.

"This is a grim, at times lurid tale with hard observations about growing up poor, Black, and male in America." — Ty Burr, The Boston Globe