Anthony Mackie made his debut in the 2002 American drama film, ‘8 Mile’ where he portrayed Clarence "Papa Doc." The film garnered praise from critics and was a major commercial success, grossing over $242.9 million on a budget of $41 million. The following year, he appeared in the American action comedy film ‘Hollywood Homicide’ directed by Ron Shelton. The film received a lukewarm response from critics and was a commercial failure. He next appeared in films like ‘Brother to Brother’ (2004), ‘Million Dollar Baby’ (2004), ‘The Man’ (2005), ‘Freedomland’ (2006), ‘Half Nelson’ (2006), ‘We Are Marshall’ (2006), ‘Ascension Day’ (2007), and ‘Eagle Eye’ (2008). In 2009, he portrayed Tupac Shakur in the American biographical drama film ‘Notorious’ directed by George Tillman Jr. The film received a mixed response from critics and grossed over $44.4 million on a budget of $20 million. He next starred as ‘Marcus Washington’ in the 2010 drama film ‘Night Catches Us’ directed by Tanya Hamilton. The film was lauded by critics and received an approval rating of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Mackie continued to star in films like ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ (2011), ‘Real Steel’ (2011), ‘Man on a Ledge’ (2012), ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ (2012), ‘Pain & Gain’ (2013), and ‘The Fifth Estate’ (2013).
In 2014, he played the role of ‘Sam Wilson / Falcon’ in the American superhero film ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ directed by the Russo brothers. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a major commercial success, grossing over $714.4 million on a $170–177 million budget. He reprised his role as ‘Sam Wilson / Falcon’ in the 2015 Joss Whedon-directed American superhero film ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’ The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a phenomenal box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time. He was next seen in films like ‘Triple 9’ (2016), ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016), ‘Detroit’ (2017), ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018), ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019), ‘Point Blank’ (2019), ‘Seberg’ (2019), and ‘The Banker’ (2020). He was last seen in the 2021 American psychological thriller film ‘The Woman in the Window’ directed by Joe Wright. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics.