The star power that Angelina Jolie holds is undeniable. Her face is one of the most recognizable in Hollywood; her name, one of the most hallowed. Jolie was born into a family who were no strangers to the industry. Her estranged father Jon Voight and late mother Marcheline Bertrand were both actors in their own right. Jolie began her career in the 90s, finding critical success for her appraised roles in Gia, playing real life supermodel Gia Carangi, which garnered her a Golden Globe Award, as well as the cult Classic Girl, Interrupted in which she played Lisa, a patient at a psychiatric hospital. This role would ultimately land her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, signalling the beginning of her career as a leading figure in the film industry. Jolie would go on to star in many critically successful roles as well as some of the most lucrative blockbusters in modern cinema.
Jolie’s career exploded in 2001 when she starred in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, an adaptation of the classic video game, playing the titular character. This would be the beginning of Jolie’s successful career as an action movie regular, and she would go on to star in several hugely successful action movies including Salt, Mr and Mrs Smith, and most recently, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thena in Eternals, which was a huge box office success. Jolie is a cinematic force, so let’s investigate her best action movies.
6 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
It would be remiss to discuss action movies and Angelina Jolie in the same breath without mentioning the movie that started it all: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Jolie’s career really took off once she assumed the role of Lara Croft from the iconic video game series. Jolie was already at a strong point in her career, having already won an Oscar for her involvement in Girl, Interrupted; however, the Tomb Raider franchise would propel her into true blockbuster success. The movie received mixed reviews from critics, but Jolie definitively proved that she was able to carry the legacy of the one of the most recognizable women-led action franchises, effectively kickstarting her career in the genre. Interestingly, Jolie had reservations about joining Tomb Raider. That said, she has since stated that she would consider returning as Lara Croft in the future.
5 Mr and Mrs Smith
The next entry on our list is the film that started one of Hollywood’s most publicized relationships, Mr and Mrs Smith, directed by Doug Liman. Jolie plays Jane Smith, who is struggling with a troubled marriage to her husband John (Brad Pitt). Unknown to one another, they are both secret agents who end up crossing paths, resulting in explosive action packed scenes with the backdrop of typical marital issues. Angelina spoke about how her role in Mr & Mrs Smith was inspired by her past marriages, and the film would become culturally relevant when Jolie and Pitt began their relationship.
4 Those Who Wish Me Dead
A more recent addition to Angelina’s catalogue of action successes is Those Who Wish Me Dead, directed by Taylor Sheridan. Angelina has discussed how her role in this film was therapeutic for her, arriving at a time when she was going through personal struggles, and how she was able to project this pain into her character. She would joke that Sheridan’s directing style was miserable, and she loved every second of it. In Those Who Wish Me Dead, Jolie played Hannah Faber, a smokejumper who is on the run from assassins. The film has been met with mixed reviews; however, Jolie’s performance was praised, and the film continues her legacy as a strong lead in action movies.
3 Salt
Jolie continued her hugely popular journey into the world of action movies with Phillip Noyce’s Salt. In this film, Jolie portrayed the main character, Evelyn Salt, who is on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy. Salt was a huge box office success, and continued Jolie’s success as a female lead in the often male-dominated world of action movies. Jolie was very particular about how she played Evelyn, and didn’t want to pander to the male gaze, insisting she didn’t make the character ‘pretty’, focusing on delivering a strong performance, which she did so successfully. Salt was initially supposed to be fronted by Tom Cruise, and Jolie took the role after he turned it down, which resulted in a much more interesting movie which was deserving of a continued franchise.
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Eternals
More recently, Jolie’s most anticipated role has been that of Thena in Eternals, a member of the superhuman group that the movie focuses on. Jolie expressed how she hadn’t been interested in superhero movies before this point and was attracted to Eternals due to the character-focused plot which rings truer to Jolie’s past projects. Jolie’s introduction to the marvel universe was met with a lot of media attention given her star power, and her presence is refreshing in the franchise. Jolie recently made headlines when she expressed her pride for Marvel for refusing to cut gay scenes in Eternals, a decision which led to the film being banned in gulf counties. Eternals can be viewed in cinemas worldwide now and will begin streaming on Disney+ in January.