The 22 Best Ethan Hawke Movies Ranked

Ethan Hawke's filmography is incredible, with some great movies on it. In a career spanning five decades, the Texas-born star has appeared in more than 80 films in almost every genre imaginable.

As with most actors' back catalogs, there are some stinkers, but for the most part, Hawke's credits should make him proud.

In this piece, we'll take you through the 22 best movies in which Ethan Hawke has a performing role.

1. Gattaca (1997, directed by Andrew Niccol)

Gattaca is a dystopian sci-fi thriller set in a society driven by eugenics where children get conceived through genetic selection. It's about a genetically inferior man, Vincent Freeman (played by Hawke), who takes on the identity of a superior one to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.

It's an engaging, intelligent movie that makes you think, especially scientifically. Gattaca is energetic, the script is excellent, and Hawke is terrific in the leading role.

2. Juliet, Naked (2018, directed by Jesse Peretz)

Juliet, Naked is a rom-com based on Nick Hornby's 2009 novel. It's about a woman's unlikely romance with a singer-songwriter who is coincidentally the subject of her boyfriend's long-time music obsession.

The plot is pretty derivate, but Juliet, Naked is brilliant regardless, thanks to its outstanding cast, which includes Hawke as the musician, Rose Byrne as the woman, and Chris O'Dowd as the boyfriend. Hawke's chemistry with Byrne is particularly fabulous.

3. The Black Phone (2021, directed by Scott Derrickson)

The Black Phone is a supernatural horror movie that adapts Joe Hill's 2004 short story. The film centers on an abducted teenager who uses a mysterious telephone to communicate with the previous victims of his unhinged abductor.

This movie's source material was great, and this adaptation is just as good. Though not as scary as it could be, it's frightening and entertaining. Hawke is excellent as the psychotic child kidnapper known as “The Grabber.”

4. Predestination (2014, directed by the Spierig Brothers)

Predestination is an Australian sci-fi action-thriller based on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 short story “All You Zombies.” It follows a temporal agent's final assignment pursuing the one criminal who's eluded him throughout time.

It's a pleasantly intelligent time travel movie that will entrance viewers from beginning to end and make them contemplate their identity. While Hawke is great as the time agent, Sarah Snook steals the show as “The Unmarried Mother.” Additionally, this movie's twist is a doozy.

5. Dead Poets Society (1989, directed by Peter Weir)

Dead Poets Society is a drama movie about an English teacher who inspires his students by teaching poetry in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative boarding school Welton Academy.

Robin Williams is genuinely inspirational as teacher John Keating in this movie, and Hawke is excellent as his young student Todd Anderson. It's a brilliant, graceful, restrained, and frankly stunning film deservedly nominated for four Academy Awards, winning the gong for Best Screenplay.

6. Maggie's Plan (2015, directed by Rebecca Miller)

Maggie's Plan is a rom-com based on Karen Rinaldi's original story, which later became the novel The End of Men in 2017. It's about the eponymous woman who wants to have a baby alone, but her plans get complicated when she gets romantically involved with a married man.

Greta Gerwig is brilliant in the eponymous role in this movie, with Hawke and Julianne Moore rounding off a terrific core cast who create a fantastic trio. It's an absorbing, clever film with a few laughs and a subversive twist on rom-com norms.

7. The Truth (2019, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda)

The Truth is a drama movie chronicling the stormy reunion between an actress and her scriptwriter daughter after the actress published her memoirs, depicting the pair's relationship as a fabricated fairytale.

It's a funny, sensitive, gentle, yet emotionally hard-hitting movie that explores themes like responsibility and the fluidity of roles in the parent-offspring relationship. Catherine Deneuve is simply outstanding as French actress Fabienne Dangeville.

8. Born to Be Blue (2015, directed by Robert Budreau)

Born to Be Blue is a Canadian drama movie that tells the reimagined story of legendary American jazz musician Chet Baker's career comeback in the late 1960s.

Hawke plays Baker in this movie, and the actor does a grand job. Born to Be Blue takes a few creative liberties regarding Baker's life, but it doesn't pretend to do anything else. It's a great, inventive, compelling film with a vivid look and an evocative story.

9. A Midnight Clear (1992, directed by Keith Gordon)

A Midnight Clear is a World War II drama based on William Wharton's 1982 novel. It's about an American intelligence unit discovering a German platoon that wants to surrender.

With an impressive ensemble cast that includes Hawke, Gary Sinise, Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, and Arye Gross, A Midnight Clear is an excellently performed and gorgeously filmed movie. It's more sensitive and cheerful than most war movies, making it incredibly enjoyable.

10. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007, directed by Sidney Lumet)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a crime thriller about two brothers organizing the robbery of their mother and father's jewelry store and the plan going badly wrong. The movie plays out nonlinearly, repeatedly moving back and forth in time.

Hawke stars alongside the fantastic Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney. It's expertly directed and performed and wonderfully examines dysfunctional families. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a captivating movie from start to finish.

11. Maudie (2016, directed by Aisling Walsh)

Maudie is a biographical drama film about the life of folk artist Maud Lewis, who painted in Nova Scotia, and the various personal struggles she faced, including rheumatoid arthritis and a family that didn't believe in her talent.

Sally Hawkins is exceptional in the eponymous role, and Hawke's performance as her spouse equals it. The movie gives a great insight into a truly fascinating life, and it's warm, intelligent, sentimental, and undoubtedly a tear-jerker.

12. The Northman (2022, directed by Robert Eggers)

The Northman is an epic historical action thriller based on the legend of Amleth, a Viking prince who embarks on a quest to avenge the savage murder of his father, King Aurvandill.

This movie is an extraordinary visual spectacle. It's atmospheric to the point of palpability – the audience can almost physically feel the surreal and grisly aura it gives off. The brilliant cast, which includes Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Björk, and Willem Dafoe, is all sublime.

13. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022, directed by Rian Johnson)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a murder mystery movie and a standalone sequel to 2019's Knives Out. In this one, Southern detective Benoit Blanc travels to a mansion on a private island in Greece for his latest case.

The fantastic cast includes Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. Hawke has a mere cameo as the billionaire mansion owner's assistant. It's hugely entertaining, intricate in detail, funny, and excellently performed.

14. First Reformed (2017, directed by Paul Schrader)

First Reformed is a psychological drama about a Protestant minister serving as pastor of a historic church in upstate New York who struggles with his faith as the attendances of his church services dwindle.

Hawke is superb as the minister in this one, perfectly conveying the character's existential crisis. It's a suspenseful, intriguing, and sensitive movie, and it's clear that great passion went into making it. Watching it is quite a blistering experience.

15. Before Sunset (2004, directed by Richard Linklater)

Before Sunset is a romantic drama movie, the sequel to 1995's Before Sunrise and the second installment in Linklater's Before trilogy. In this one, which takes place nine years after the franchise's main characters Jesse and Céline first met, they encounter each other once more on the French leg of the former's book tour.

Despite being the weakest offering in the trilogy, Before Sunset is still excellent. It's witty, funny, poignant, and enthralling. Hawke and Julie Delpy have exquisite chemistry, and the superb dialogue makes the film extraordinarily engaging and watchable.

16. Blaze (2018, directed by Ethan Hawke)

Blaze is a biographical drama based on the life of country musician Blaze Foley. It includes scenes of Foley's life and career, interviews with two of Foley's friends on the radio, and the little-known star's final performance and recording.

Hawke only has a minor role as a DJ in the movie he directed, but the rest of the talented cast perform superbly. It takes an unconventional approach to biopics, but it's fantastic. It gives a great, if not somewhat reimagined, look into the life of the legend of the Texas Outlaw Music movement.

17. Quiz Show (1994, directed by Robert Redford)

Quiz Show is a historical mystery movie dramatizing the Twenty-One quiz show scandals of the 1950s. It adapts the memoirs of a U.S. Congressional lawyer called Richard N. Goodwin, who investigated accusations of game-fixing by show producers.

Hawke's cameo as a Columbia student is minor, but he's in the movie, so it counts! Quiz Show received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning none. That said, it's an incredible movie that's thoroughly entertaining. John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and, in particular, Ralph Fiennes are exceptional.

18. Boyhood (2014, directed by Richard Linklater)

Boyhood is an epic coming-of-age drama, filmed from 2002 to 2013, depicting the childhood and adolescence of a boy from age six to eighteen as he grows up with divorced parents in a small town in Texas.

Hawke and Patricia Arquette are terrific as the boy's father and stepmother. Boyhood is a brilliant study of the human condition and an incredibly hard-hitting film on an emotional level. It's also very no-nonsense and straight-to-the-point, which makes it easy to take in.

19. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012, directed by Alex Gibney)

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is a documentary movie looking into the first known protest against clerical sex abuse in the United States by four deaf men who experienced said abuse.

Along with Jamey Sheridan, Chris Cooper, and John Slattery, Hawke provides the voice of one of the deaf interviewees. It's an outstanding, powerful, and harrowing documentary that inspires everything from anger and shock to sympathy and awe. It's also a fantastic showcase of the beauty and eloquence of American Sign Language.

20. Before Midnight (2013, directed by Richard Linklater)

Before Midnight is a romantic drama movie, the sequel to 1995's Before Sunrise and 2004's Before Sunset, and the third installment in Linklater's Before trilogy. In this one, Jesse and Céline, now a couple, spend a summer in Greece on vacation with their children.

Hawke and Julie Delpy give powerful performances in this one, resulting in a great viewing experience. It's brilliantly written, engaging, witty, and painstakingly honest. Before Midnight gives an intriguing insight into relationships, love, long-term commitment, and marriage.

21. Seymour: An Introduction (2014, directed by Ethan Hawke)

Seymour: An Introduction is a documentary movie about the unique career of Seymour Bernstein, a classical pianist who, at the age of 50, abandoned his rising career as a concert pianist to live a more modest, private life as a composer and music educator.

Hawke directs this documentary expertly and appears as himself in it. Bernstein, whom Hawke describes as a mentor, comes across as so genuine and likable that it's a pleasure to watch. This documentary is intriguing, with heart, emotion, frankness, and openness in droves. It's one you really must see.

22. Before Sunrise (1995, directed by Richard Linklater)

Before Sunrise is a romantic drama movie, the first installment in Linklater's Before trilogy, and the one in which protagonists Jesse and Céline meet for the first time on a Eurail train and disembark in Vienna to spend the night together.

It's close to being the perfect film. It's a gorgeously filmed movie, exquisitely performed by Hawke, Julie Delpy, and the supporting cast, intelligent and unashamedly romantic. Everything about Before Sunrise is an undeniable success. If you're yet to have the pleasure of seeing it, make a point of doing so soon.

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.