ActorEthan Hawkeis pretty much the male ambassador for Gen X ennui. He cemented his status as the Gen X poster boy with his earlyroles inDead Poet’s Society,Reality Bites, and theBeforetrilogy. As he’s aged, Hawke hasn’t remained stagnant, he has aged nicely into the kind of actor who really sinks his teeth into every role.
Hawke has been nominated for four Academy Awards. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2002 and 2015 forTraining DayandBoyhoodrespectively. He was also nominated for two Best Adapted Screenplay Awards in 2005 and 2014 forBefore SunsetandBefore Midnight. He’s directed three films as well as a documentary and three off-Broadway plays, but that’s still not all; Hawke has also written three novels and one graphic novel. He’s not a one-trick pony. Far from it.
His recent appearancesinMoon Knight,The Black Phone, andLeave the World Behindhave put the spotlight on him again, and people are impressed with his versatile acting prowess and the ability to make any character his own. If you want to catch up on some of Hawke’s best works throughout the years, here is a list of the actor’s best movies.
Updated 27th November 2023: Fans of Ethan Hawke will be glad to hear that this article has been updated with more analysis of the actor’s best roles.
12First Reformed (2017)
InFirst Reformed,Ethan Hawke plays Reverend Ernst Toller, who is having a crisis of faith. He is a former military chaplain whose son was killed in the Iraq War, and he turns to alcohol to cope. Meanwhile, his church struggles to survive at a crossroads with dwindling membership; it’s becoming more of a tourist stop for its role in the Underground Railroad. The reverend begins a strange, healing relationship with a newly widowed woman (Amanda Seyfried) in a nod to classic art filmsWinter LightandDiary of a Country Priest.
Why You Should Watch It
Hawke’s character in the movie offers a ponderous look into a person’s crisis of faith after a traumatic life event. His powerful performance indirector Paul Schrader’s moving exploration of faith was hailed by critics and nominated for Best Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. The other actors in the movie, especially Seyfried, also make for an excellent watch, meaning the psychological drama is an impressive, albeit dark, watch.
Rent on Prime Video
11The Black Phone (2022)
The Black Phone
The Black Phoneis a 2022 horror movie where a man simply called “The Grabber” kidnaps and kills children. The sadistic man plays games with his victims and punishes them if they try to break free. One day, a boy named Finney (Mason Thames) gets kidnapped by The Grabber and locked inside his basement. He discovers a phone in the house that receives calls from the murderer’s past victims, who help him stay alive.
Ethan Hawke plays the character of the sadistic Grabber in the movie and is truly terrifying in the role. Even though it is not his first appearance in a horror movie, he never really played a character so truly evil and terrifying as The Grabber. Hawke’s performance in this movie along with the unique plot, which is based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, make it a great horror thriller.
Stream on Peacock TV
10The Purge (2013)
Inanother horror role for Hawke,The Purgeis an utterly creepy film. In the movie which launched a sweeping franchise, Ethan Hawke is forced to keep his family safe during the annual 12-hour period during which all criminal activity – including murder – is legal.
Hawke’s status as the beloved GenX poster boy helps audiences connect with the terror his character feels trying to protect his family. Without the built-in associations with the actor, the film doesn’t create enough character development to warrant an emotional connection, so Hawke’s presence definitely grounds the horror. The film in itself is one of the best home invasion horror movies of the last decade.
Stream on DirecTV
9Maudie (2016)
Starring Sally Hawkins alongside Ethan Hawke,Maudieis a biographical drama film that came out in 2016. It is based on the life of a famous folk artist from Canada, Maud Lewis. It is not only a heartwarming story of Maud gaining popularity due to her talent, but also a sweet love story between Maud and Everett Lewis (Hawke). When Maud’s brother sells their family home, she moves in with Lewis to work as a cleaner for him in exchange for a room. Lewis supports her dreams and eventually, the two of them get married.
The film even has a very sweet twist which will definitely make you tear up. It is also a great look into the life of Maud Lewis and how she overcame all the obstacles that life threw at her to become a beloved artist. Both Hawkins and Hawke have done a tremendous job of bringing the characters to life on screen.
Dead Poets Society
In 1989, Ethan Hawke had his breakthrough role inDead Poets Society.The film, and his role in it, was such a hit that he dropped out of college at Carnegie Mellon University in order to pursue an acting career. He was just 19 whenthe Robin Williams filmwas released. Hawke was one of the main characters who benefited from Williams’ character John Keating’s unorthodox teaching methods. He was initially intimidated by the star but learned near the end of shooting that Williams was intimidated by him, predicting the great career Hawke had ahead of him.
Dead Poets Societyis considered to be one of the greatest coming-of-age dramas of all time. The film, while heartbreaking, will invoke feelings of great passion and sympathy in the hearts of the audience. The actors, including Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Gale Hansen did a fantastic job of bringing their characters to life on screen and making the audience fall in love with them.
Stream on Paramount TV
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Starring Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the roles of brothers Hank and Andy, the crime thriller movieBefore the Devil Knows You’re Deadtells the story of how their effort to rob their own parents' jewelry store due to some financial problems goes horribly wrong. The movie, however, is more than just a thriller as it mostly focuses on the complicated relationship between the brothers and their father, Charles.
Most significantly, the storyline ofBefore the Devil Knows You’re Deadis incredibly gripping. Both Hawke and Hoffman are great in their respective roles, as is Albert Finney in the role of Charles. The way this movie portrays the dynamic between the two brothers and their father gets more interesting as the story fully unfolds into one of betrayal and deceit, helped by its non-linear narrative going back and forth in time. A fantastic balance between a thriller and a family drama, this film is a must-watch for Hawke fans.
Stream on Hulu
6Training Day (2001)
Training Day
InTraining Day, Ethan Hawke’s narcotics unit cop Officer Jake Hoyt is paired up withAcademy Award winner Denzel Washington’sseasoned but corrupt Narcotics unit cop Detective Alonzo Harris on a training mission with the LAPD through gang and crime-ridden neighborhoods. The film is enthralling as we see the two officers get themselves into several life-and-death situations during the one-day evaluation of Hoyt, who is up for a promotion.
The film earned Washington a well-deserved Oscar and Hawke an Oscar nomination for his extremely tense, stressful performance as an idealistic man in way over his head in this dark classic. Both of these actors played their characters flawlessly and gave us the nail-biting end we expect from a fast-paced film like this. It becomes even more exciting when we learn that the character of Alonzo was based on a real corrupt Narcotics officer of the LAPD named Rafael Perez.
Stream on Max
5Predestination (2014)
Predestination
Predestinationis a sci-fi action thriller based on a short story named—All You Zombies—by author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of a time-traveling agent named Agent Doe, who is sent on one final mission to catch a bomber who has been evading him forever. On his final mission, several mind-bending occurrences take place.
The movie is so full of sudden and unexpected revelations that it can be a bit hard to keep up. Nonetheless, it has an amazing storyline with Hawke andSuccession’s Sarah Snook at the center of it. Both of them did a fantastic job in the movie, and it is truly a treat for sci-fi lovers. The movie moves at a break-neck pace, and you might have to go back in after finishing it to understand the whole film better. However, this mind-bending tale is surely one of Hawke’s best works.
Stream on Pluto TV
4Reality Bites (1994)
Reality Bites
For many people of Ethan Hawke’s generation,Reality Bitesis his definitive film. It’s what makes him the Gen X mascot and associates him with intelligent but disaffected youth everywhere. The 1994 film follows a group of twenty-somethings fresh out of college in Houston.Winona Ryder playsLelaina, a broke aspiring documentary filmmaker. Hawke is Troy, Lelaina’s friend and sometimes boyfriend who is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. He’s charming, frustrating, but ultimately realistic.
The movie, even though essentially a romantic comedy, has plenty of moments where the reality of love and life truly comes through. The audience will be able to relate to these 20-something main characters who are all trying to cope with different crises. Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Ben Stiller and the other actors in the movie were phenomenal in their respective roles. The young Gen X graduates trying to survive and find love and work in a ruthless city make for a very realistic and heartwarming tale.
Stream on Peacock
3Gattaca (1997)
The 1997 sci-fi movieGattacastars Ethan Hawke in the role of Vincent Freeman, who is a “genetically inferior” man who is denied the chance to travel in space due to his condition. When Vincent’s lifelong dreams are crushed due to him being born naturally and thus cited as an “in-valid,” he assumes the identity of a swimming star named Jerome Eugene Morrow to get on an upcoming space mission. Other than Hawke, the movie also stars Jude Law and Uma Thurman.
The movie tells a heartwarming story of a man chasing his dreams even though luck and society are not on his side. It offers great commentary on what the future of Earth might look like if humanity starts to depend too much on genetic modification and how people with less potential will be cast to the side and forgotten. Not only doesGattacahave a thoughtful story to chew on, but it also has all the trappings of an exciting and gripping sci-fi movie to boot.
