James Jacks

Producer, also actor · Died January 20, 2014, aged 66 · USA

James "Jim" Jacks (December 29, 1947 – January 20, 2014 was an American film producer of several blockbuster films, and was also known for cultivating visionary independent film auteurs, having produced the first Hollywood films of Richard Linklater, Joel and Ethan Coen (the Coen Brothers), and Kevin Smith. Born December 29, 1947, Jacks grew up in a military family. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and from Cornell University with an MBA. He was working as a Wall Street financial analyst when he decided to be a screenwriter. Unsuccessful, he became head of production at Circle Films in the early- to mid-1980s and then senior vice-president of production at Universal Studios from the late-1980s into the early-1990s. In 1992, he became an independent producer with Alphaville Films, which he co-founded with Sean Daniel. He left Alphaville Films in 2004. The shrimp parmigiana at the Los Angeles restaurant Dan Tana's is named for him. Jacks died on January 20, 2014, of a heart attack at his Los Angeles home at the age of 66. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Jacks, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

What are James Jacks' films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action12 titles31^st

Comedy7 titles79^th

Crime2 titles78^th

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight

Morality

28%

Bonds

25%

Self

15%

Power

15%

Survival

9%

Society

8%

Ideas

1%

Justice8 Family bonds6 Freedom4 Friendship4 Redemption5 Revenge3 Romantic love3 Ambition3

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 22

Serious

Tone · Weight

lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 5 · Dark 8

Stylized

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 7

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 4 · Intense 14

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 7

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 7

Engaged

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

Easy watch

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 14 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 2

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

13

Thrilling

10

Absurd

5

Dread

5

Warm

4

Other

31

How their films linger

Fun12 Feel-good9 Rousing8 Bittersweet4 Haunting3 Unsettling3

How their films end · 3 with a twist

Happy15
Bittersweet8
Ambiguous1
Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Jacks' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Roku Channel (6).

Also on these channels

Howdy1 title, show their title on Howdy

Subscription and free streaming for James Jacks' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

The Scorpion King: Book of Souls(2018)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power(2015)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption(2012)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior(2008)
Producer
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(2008)
Producer
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Intolerable Cruelty(2003)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Hunted(2003)
Producer
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Dark Blue(2002)
Producer
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Scorpion King(2002)
Producer
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Rock - Just Bring It! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
as James Jacks
Rat Race(2001)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Mummy Returns(2001)
Producer
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Down to Earth(2001)
Producer
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Attila (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer
Attila(2001)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Gift(2000)
Producer
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Mummy(1999)
Producer
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
A Simple Plan(1998)
Producer
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Jackal(1997)
Producer
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Michael(1996)
Producer
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Don't Look Back(1996)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Mallrats(1995)
Producer
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Village of the Damned(1995)
Co-Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Tombstone(1993)
Producer
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Dazed and Confused(1993)
Producer
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Heart and Souls(1993)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Hard Target(1993)
Producer
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Raising Arizona(1987)
Executive Producer
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 28 titles from 1987 to 2018.

Biggest box office

The Mummy Returns (2001)

$444M worldwide

Highest rated

Tombstone (1993)

Midcredits 96^th

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting1 of 28Producing27 of 28 · 54^th

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s11 · crew2000s13 · 1 acting · 12 crew2010s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Jacks' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54^th percentile, the median of all 26; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51^st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

51^stpercentile

Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

46^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

94^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

75^th and up7
50^th to 74^th8
25^th to 49^th4
Below 25^th7

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

Universally Loved2
Universally Panned2
Crowd Pleaser11
Broadly Agreed6
Mixed5

Most divisive · producer

Attila (2001)

62^nd percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Tombstone (1993)

Midcredits 96^th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Jacks' work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles

Violence & Gore16 titles37–88 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most films

Sex & Nudity21 titles19–52 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all films

Profanity17 titles24–85 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most films

Alcohol & Drugs15 titles29–59 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all films

Frightening / Intense14 titles17–81 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most films

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.