Ethan Hawke Movies To Watch Ahead Of The Black Phone
Get Tickets BLACK PHONE opens June 24th
Ever since breaking out on the scene with movies like EXPLORERS and DEAD POETS SOCIETY in the 1980s, Ethan Hawke has become not only one of the most prolific actors of his time but also one of the most interesting. And that continues to be the case in 2022 with THE BLACK PHONE, Scott Derrickson’s upcoming supernatural horror that sees the Academy Award nominee take on the role of a mysterious child killer and follows his latest victim’s attempt to escape.
Before THE BLACK PHONE opens in AMC Theatres nationwide on June 24, 2022, and shocks audiences, now seems like the perfect time to take a look at just a few of the Ethan Hawke movies that you should check out in the meantime. Better yet, we’re also providing links to where you can watch each of them.
The Northman
Set in 9th-century Scandinavia, Robert Eggers’ 2022 historical epic, THE NORTHMAN, is based on the legend of Amleth, a folktale that would serve as the inspiration for William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The film follows Alexander Skarsgärd’s Amleth, a Viking prince who vows to avenge the death of his father — King Aurvandill War-Raven, played by Ethan Hawke — who was murdered by his uncle in an attempt to claim the throne as his own.
Although Ethan Hawke only briefly appears in THE NORTHMAN, his role is key to the development of Amleth’s character as well as his personal hero’s journey to right the wrongs brought upon his family and kingdom, no matter what it takes. Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Claes Bang and Willem Dafoe also star in this incredibly violent viking drama.
The Magnificent Seven
Akira Kurosawa’s decorated and highly influential 1954 historical epic, SEVEN SAMURAI, has been remade countless times over the years, with one of the biggest and most recent adaptations being Antoine Fuqua’s 2016 western, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Similar to the classic samurai film and the 1960 version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, this star-studded affair — Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and others make up the all-star cast — centers on a group of unlikely heroes tasked with protecting a small town from utter destruction.
In this version of the movie, Ethan Hawke plays Goodnight Robicheaux, a former Confederate sharpshooter who earned the nickname “Angel of Death” on account of his exploits during the Civil War. Despite suffering from a severe case of PTSD and known to explode in bursts of anger, he is deeply devoted to the “Magnificent Seven” and their cause, throughout their plan to protect Rose Creek.
The Purge
In June 2013, Blumhouse Productions released THE PURGE into the wild and gave birth to one of the most successful horror franchises in recent memory. Written and directed by James DeMonaco, the dystopian thriller follows the Sandin family as they take shelter in their secured home during the one night of the year where all crime is legal. But, even though they have state-of-the-art technology protecting them from the horror outside their front door, they still aren’t fully equipped to handle what the night holds.
Ethan Hawke is at the center of THE PURGE as James Sandin, a wealthy security system company owner who finds himself in a heap of trouble when his family’s home is invaded by a pair of uninvited guests, who effectively expose the chinks in his armor, as well as the vulnerabilities of his family life.
Before Sunset
Set nearly a decade after they first met and had a long walk along the streets of Vienna in BEFORE SUNRISE, Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and Julie Delpy’s Céline randomly bump into each other again in BEFORE SUNSET, this time in Paris. Over the course of the movie, which is told over the course of a single afternoon, Jesse and Céline talk about what they’ve been up to the past nine years — marriage, parenthood, change in careers, the deaths of beloved family members — and essentially pick up where they left off upon going their separate ways at the Vienna train station.
Following the same blueprint as its predecessor, BEFORE SUNSET is pretty much 80 minutes of two people talking about their hopes, dreams, and plans for life, but this time they appear to have more to lose than they did as two young strangers all those years earlier. And, with the screenplay being co-written by Ethan Hawke and July Delpy alongside director Richard Linklater, it is extremely funny, heartfelt and personal.
Training Day
Released in October 2001, Antoine Fuqua’s crime thriller, TRAINING DAY, follows Los Angeles police officer Jake Hoyt, played by Ethan Hawke, as he is taken under the wing of highly decorated narcotics detective Alonzo Harris, portrayed by Denzel Washington. But over the course of the one-day evaluation that could see him earn a spot on Harris’ team, Hoyt learns that your heroes aren’t always what they’re made out to be and that not all cops are law-abiding citizens who always do the right thing, but hopefully not too late.
Although the movie is mostly remembered for Denzel Washington’s Academy Award®-winning performance, and rightfully so, let’s not forget just how great Ethan Hawke is in TRAINING DAY. Over the course of a single day, the young and ambitious officer is transformed from someone whose naivety gets the best of him, to a seasoned cop who is painfully aware of the realities of the law enforcement profession and how power can corrupt someone into becoming their own worst enemy.
These are just a handful of the great Ethan Hawke movies that have shown off the actor’s great talents over the years. Other titles worth checking out include FIRST REFORMED, BOYHOOD, REALITY BITES and his 2018 directorial effort, BLAZE. With there not being much time until THE BLACK PHONE opens in AMC Theatres nationwide on June 24, 2022, some may have to wait until after you watch Scott Derrickson’s latest horror movie to enjoy an Ethan Hawke movie binge.
Get Tickets BLACK PHONE opens June 24th