Ethan Hawke's stardom struck in the 90s and successfully carried on to the 2000s, appearing in films ranging from action blockbusters to rom-com flicks. Hawke is a rare find with a skill set applicable to tons of characters, playing both heroes and villains.
From his role as the naive rookie cop in Training Day to the father in Boyhood that took years to film, Hawke's resume has made him one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. With that, here are the top Ethan Hawke roles, ranked according to IMDb.
10 Tape (2001): 7.3
Tape features an extremely small cast; two actors and an actress. Despite the lack of characters, the movie tells a compelling story of friendship and heartbreak as three friends reunite to weave through old memories. Coming off of the success of Before Sunrise from 1995, Hawke plays a troubled character whose recent substance abuse has started to take over his life. Much like 2004s best picture winner, Crash, is an emotional roller coaster that explores old friendships and how small the world can really be sometimes.
9 Before The Devil Know's You're Dead (2007): 7.3
This crime thriller takes a unique spin on a robbery with the criminals stealing from their parent's store. Hawke stars alongside the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who offers incredible performance, dwelling into the psychology of the two.
The film's cast also includes the late Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei who deliver equally riveting performances. Not only that, but the movie is known for its promotional poster art, with the title surrounded by devils horns and a tail.
8 Predestination (2014): 7.5
Predestination follows a time-traveling agent on his last mission to find the criminal he could never catch. Time movies can be hard to follow but Hawke weaves together the story seamlessly and delivers a great performance in this crime thriller. On top of that, Predestination was released in 2014 and received positive reviews proving Hawke is not a one-hit-wonder from the 90s and 2000s.
7 Lord Of War (2005): 7.6
Lord of War is most notably known for starring Nicholas Cage as it's one of his most famous movies, but Ethan Hawke played a supporting role as well. Despite the lack of top billing or stardom, Hawke played the smaller role of Jack Valentine in a film that exposes the underbelly of war production.
Weapons manufacturing may look good on the outside, but Cage and Hawke masterfully reveal the dark side to it all, offering a commentary on the futility of war.
6 Training Day (2001): 7.7
Training Day is not only one of Hawke's most memorable roles but Denzel Washington's as well. Hawke stars as rookie cop Jake Hoyt on his first day as a narcotics officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. In the span of one day, Jake is shown how Alonzo (Denzel Washington) works as a corrupt cop, manipulating people and crime scenes for his own benefit. Both characters are often quoted for their one-liners and timeless pieces of dialogue, as one is a by-the-book police officer and the other a dirty cop.
5 Gattaca (1997): 7.8
Gattaca is not the average sci-fi movie, examining human genetic code rather than extra-terrestrial life. Hawke plays a genetically inferior man who attempts to pose someone whose genetic code is stopping him from space travel.
Despite the sci-fi elements the movie offers some interesting commentary on human life, philosophical at times as the human race attempts to perfect themselves. Also starring in the film alongside Hawke is Jude Law, whose tragic character represents the futility of human perfection.
4 Before Midnight (2013): 7.9
The trio of movies (Before Sunset and Before Sunrise) follows the love life of two strangers who met each other on a train bound to Austria. Before Midnight is the third entry in the series which picks up almost 20 years after characters Jesse and Celine met on the train. Ethan Hawke has played a number of characters but one of his most famous is from this series.
3 Boyhood (2014): 7.9
As one of the longest movies to make, Boyhood tells the story of a kid growing up, literally. From 2002 to 2013 the movie was filmed and followed the life of Mason as he deals with being a teenager. The movie is known for its unique approach to film-making, following the life of the same character and actor as he grows up. Not only does it make it more believable, but accurate considering the ups and downs the actor witnessed in his own life which was reflected in the character of Mason.
Hawke played Mason's father and once again did not have top billing. But even without it, Hawke plays a smaller role but integral to the overall success of the movie.
2 Before Sunset (2004): 8
Before Sunset is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Before Sunrise which introduced the characters, Jesse and Celine, on a train bound for Vienna. The sequel follows the two characters once again when they meet during Celine's book tour. The series is known for being one of the most successful in making every entry better than the last and has a huge following behind it.
1 Before Sunrise (1995): 8.1
Before Sunrise kicked off the much-loved romance series which follows (wait for it) Ethan Hawke as Jesse and Julie Delpy as Celine on a train. The end up falling in love only to realize they'll never see each other again (at least not for a very long time).
Not only is this Hawke's top-rated role on IMDB but it's also the role that brought him stardom and leads to other memorable roles in movies like Training Day.
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