Four-time Oscar-nominee Ethan Hawke has been a mainstay in Hollywood for over three decades now. In 2025, his name is as popular as ever thanks to his roles in Black Phone 2, and Blue Moon. The latter is garnering significant Oscar buzz for the actor yet again.
While he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, Hawke has been through periods in his career where things went a little quiet. He has worked steadily, but for a brief moment he fell into the B-movie realm. However, tucked away within that phase were some hidden gems. Also, there are movies from the beginning of his career that have since been forgotten in favour of his blockbusters. So, here are 5 underrated Ethan Hawke movies you should definitely add to your watchlist.
5. Tesla (2020)
Biographies and docudramas tend to do well with prestigious awards ceremonies like the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards. This film seemed poised to triumph. With Tesla now being one of the biggest companies in the world, you’d think that people would be intrigued about the man who inspired them; Nikola Tesla. However, Michael Almereyda‘s sweeping drama Tesla falls into the realm of underrated Ethan Hawke movies, but not because of Hawke’s performance.
Hawke leads the ensemble as Nikola Tesla, a pioneering electrical engineer who Elon Musk named his company after. The film chronicles the visionary inventor’s relationships with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan‘s daughter Anne, while he navigates a breakthrough in transmitting electrical power and light. While the film was praised by a plethora of critics, it fell flat with audiences. However, Hawke carries the picture with a tour-de-force rendition that brings energy and charisma to an otherwise rather slow and muddied narrative.
4. In a Valley of Violence (2016)
In a Valley of Violence boasts a classic villainous role from John Travolta and a sizzling hero role from Ethan Hawke. Despite being renowned for the horror genre, writer/director Ti West crafted a taut Western movie filled with suspense, action, and drama. The plot is rather straight-forward and riddled with Western tropes; a mysterious stranger rides into town and tangles with the corrupt lawmen. Yet, it stands on its own two feet.
The film is elevated with its deep character studies, delivered exceptionally by Hawke and Travolta, who burst into light when they share the frame. What West managed to do so effectively here was merge an array of genres but still stay true to the Western feel, resulting in a truly underrated movie that deserves a second chance. Falling into the category of underrated Ethan Hawke movies, this one showcases his ability to anchor a genre film with charisma and grit, reminding us why he really is one of cinema’s most versatile leading men.
3. Good Kill (2014)
Among underrated Ethan Hawke movies, Andrew Niccol‘s Good Kill stands out as a quietly powerful examination of modern warfare. Hawke plays Thomas Egan, a family man and drone pilot who begins questioning the ethics of remote killing from an air-conditioned trailer in Nevada. While some viewers expected action-packed thrills, the film deliberately eschews spectacle for introspection – and that’s precisely its strength.
Sometimes filmmaking is at its best when it poses challenging questions about contemporary issues rather than simply entertaining the audience. Hawke commands the screen with understated intensity, conveying Egan’s moral erosion through subtle shifts in expression and body language. His performance captures a man drowning in ethical quicksand, proving he doesn’t need explosions or shootouts to dominate a film. Simply put, Good Kill rewards patient viewers willing to grapple with uncomfortable truths about 21st-century combat.
2. Reality Bites (1994)
Reality Bites isn’t just one of many underrated Ethan Hawke movies, it’s a straight-up underrated film altogether. Directed by Ben Stiller (who also co-starred in the film), this romcom now feels like a who’s who of 90s actors that would go on to do massive things in the industry. There is no clear-cut lead here, meaning every member of the cast brings their best to try and steal the show. The result is a powerfully acted romcom with a dramatic twist.
Reality Bites tells the tale of a group of film school graduates who navigate the daunting journey into adulthood – chasing the perfect careers, relationships, and social lives. Perhaps where this movie slipped under the radar is with the fact that it is a coming-of-age movie that came a couple of years too late after the coming-of-age boom in the late 80s. It’s a simple story told through rich character development, equipped with snappy dialogue and a laid-back feel that can intensify when needed. If you’ve never seen it, it’s the perfect film to watch to witness the rise of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The stacked supporting cast includes Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn, and Renée Zellweger.
1. Predestination (2014)
Predestination might very well be the ultimate proof of Ethan Hawke’s eclectic range as a thespian. Based on a Robert A. Heinlein story, this mind-bending sci-fi thriller follows a temporal agent on his final assignment: travel back to 1975 to prevent a devastating New York bomb attack. What begins as a straightforward mission spirals into something far beyond the bounds of possibility.
Without a star-studded ensemble to share the load, Hawke shoulders this grand-scale sci-fi film almost single-handedly. For an actor who cut his teeth in the indie world alongside frequent collaborator Richard Linklater, Predestination represents a fascinating evolution – proof he can command action, drama, and white-knuckle suspense with equal skill. Directors Michael and Peter Spierig crafted an intricate temporal puzzle, but it’s Hawke’s grounded performance that anchors the film’s reality-warping twists. Although it may have been overshadowed by sci-fi movies close in release date, like Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow and Ex Machina, Hawke’s performance alone makes this worth a watch. He navigates the labyrinthine plot with intensity and intelligence, making the impossible feel tangible and keeping audiences riveted through every temporal loop.
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