Ethan Hawke is perhaps the most under celebrated actor of our time. While the tabloids (and untold numbers of teenage girls) fawn over characters like Brad Pitt and Jude Law, Ethan Hawke maintains relative anonymity in the metropolis of New York City. Although he’s been nominated twice for academy awards, he has yet to win. So, here is an honorary look at five of Ethan Hawke’s best films.
1) Gattaca
This movie explores what life would be like if everything in life were based on how good your genes are. In this movie Ethan Hawke’s character Vincent Freeman is one of the last babies born naturally, that is, without genetic modification. As a natural born baby he is born with a heart defect that would prevent him from achieving his goal of going into space. In order to gain a position at a company that his genes would normally disqualify him for, he pretends to be the newly paralyzed Jerome Morrow. Along the way he finds love with another natural born baby named Irene Cassini, played by Uma Thurman.
2) Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise is a grand movie, not to be confused with the less than adequate sequel, Before Sunset. In Before Sunset, Ethan Hawke plays Jesse, an American tourist who meets Celine, a French student, in a chance encounter aboard the eurorail. What ensues is literally one day of intense connection. As they wander the streets, cafes, and parks of Vienna they talk about love, life, and all its little mysteries. A naturalistic film style really brings this movie to life.
3) Assault on Precinct 13
This movie is a classic example of good versus evil. In this movie, Ethan Hawke plays Jake Roenick, the head of Precinct 13, a soon to be closed police station in a nearly deserted area of Detroit. In the midst of their New Year’s Eve celebration Jake learns that the notorious gangster Marion Bishop (played by Lawrence Fishbourne) is going to be transferred to his nearly defunct and understaffed jail. Unfortunately for Jake and his team, tonight is the night that Marion Bishop’s cohorts decide to bust him out of jail. With only a small group of policemen and a rag tag group of prisoners that they decide to arm against the whole gangster community of Detroit, it’s certainly not a fair fight. With constant twists and turns at every step, this movie is a sure thriller.
4) White Fang
One of Ethan Hawke’s earliest movies, this movie also did a wonderful job of showcasing Ethan Hawke’s remarkable acting range. In this movie Ethan Hawke plays Jack Conroy, the rookie half of a gold prospecting pair headed for Alaska. Along the way he rescues the half wolf-half dog titular character, White Fang, from the hands of a cruel dog-fighter. Eventually White Fang returns the favor when the same cruel dog fighter seeks his revenge by attempting to kill Jack and steal his new found gold: All-in-all a wonderfully endearing movie.
5) Training Day
In this movie Ethan Hawke plays a rookie cop named Jake Hoyt who just joined the narcotics division. As a rookie he has to be trained by a senior officer named Alonzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington. Unfortunately for Jake, Alonzo is a rogue cop that abuses suspects, steals money, and deal in drugs himself. As the movie follows his first day on the job Jake learns that good and bad aren’t always black and white and that the enemy can be much closer than you think.
Runner’s up for Ethan Hawke’s best movies include Dead Poet’s Society, Hamlet, and Snow Falling on the Cedars.
