My Top 10: Ethan Hawke Films

Ethan Hawke always seems to be one of those actors that everyone forgets about. But every time, he has a new film coming out, we always remember how good he is.
Probably one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated actors of our time, Hawke continues to be consistent in not just his roles, but his choice of films to be part of.

From sci-fi, to full-on action to emotional drama, Hawke has a solid variety in his roles. However, one director that he seems to get the best of him is Richard Linklater.
With his latest film Boyhood looking to succeed at this year's Oscars, Hawke is currently part of something special.

Just missing out on my top 10 is First Reformed. It sees Hawke as a priest of a small church in New York. After a tragedy occurs with one of his clients, a mounting despair grows on the priest as worldly concerns start to flood his mind.
It's a quite captivating drama-thriller and Hawke is the big draw. Some people are calling it this generations Taxi Driver. It might not be as iconic as the Martin Scorsese classic. But it is still certainly worth checking out.

Out of his 62 films, I have only seen 21 of them. I will rank all of the films I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:

22) Daybreakers
21) The Purge
20) Explorers
19) Regression
18) Sinister
17) Good Kill
16) What Doesn't Kill You
15) Assault On Precinct 13
14) White Fang
13) Lord Of War
12) First Reformed
11) First Reformed

10) Predestination - A real hidden gem that was poorly promoted.

Along with an unreal breakthrough performance by Sarah Snook, Hawke plays a time-travelling temporal agent who is pursuing the one criminal he has yet to catch.

It is definitely a big surprise and gives us a refeshing take on the time-travel genre.

9) Before Midnight - The third and final part to the amazing 'Before' trilogy.
Directed by Richard Linklater, we see Hawke and Julie Delpy's character relationship reach the family stage.

Since their first meeting in Vienna, their relationship has become one of the most memorable romances in film history.

It may be the weakest of the three. But it is still a great watch and it is the type of film that shows how great independent films are.

8) Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Not to be confused with the Before trilogy, this is a tense crime thriller that shows the aftermath of a robbery of two brothers that goes horribly wrong.

Alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Hawke produce great performances to make the film bleak and brutal.

7) The Northman - A visually stunning revenge thriller set during the time of the Vikings. It sees a prince embark on an epic quest of revenge.

While this film has Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor-Joy taking centre stage, Ethan Hawke as King Aurvandil still plays a vital role in this entertaining story.

6) Training Day - Even with Denzel Washington winning an Oscar for his performance in this, Hawke also managed to get a nomination of his own and this very tense crime thriller.

It sees Hawke's character play a rookie cop on his first day on the job. Teaching him the ropes is a rogue detective who is not what he seems.

The films romps along to something quite unexpected. Yes Washington's performance is unparalled, but Hawke's contribution is key to the success of this film.

5) Boyhood - Back with Linklater and 12 years in the making.

This astonishing achievement in film-making has finally put Linklater on the map.
It shows the story of a boy's childhood and the struggles during his childhood.

There are great performances and it is amazing to literally see a family grow in front of your very eyes.

4) Dead Poets Society - Hawke's first big role as one of the students that is inspired by an English teacher.
They discover their love for poetry and seizing the day.

With the teacher brilliantly played by Robin Williams, this is a moving coming-of-age drama that everyone should when they are looking for inspiration.

3) Before Sunset - Nine years after their unforgettable encounter, they meet again.

During Ethan Hawke's characters book tour in Paris, Julie Delpy's character meets up with him for what begins as an afternoon catch-up.

From the very start, you just get so engrossed in these characters once again, and the script is just so perfect for this sequel.

2) Before Sunrise - The story that began the most unlikely of trilogies.
Richard Linklater directs a chance meeting between two strangers on a train, that ends being the most unforgettable night in Vienna.
Unfortunately, they know that this will be their only night together.

It is films like this that makes us go to our local arthouse cinemas. For me, it is the best modern romance film.

1) Gattaca - A wonderful sci-fi set in a future where your DNA determines what type of life you have.

Hawke stars as a janitor who wants to live his dream and travel in space. By doing so, he gets help from an ex-Olympic swimmer and he uses his DNA to get there.

It somehow continues to remain forgotten as one of the greatest films of the 1990's. This is a movie that deserves a lot more recognition.