While she has excelled in so many genres, Anne Hathaway’s work in thrillers stands out by giving her the space to play emotionally complex characters.
Within the wide world of Hollywood, Anne Hathaway has a reputation as a woman of many talents. From her charming turn as Mia Thermopolis in the Princess Diaries films to her devastatingly emotional portrayal of Fantine in the 2012 Les Misérables, her presence on screen feels natural no matter who she plays.
While she has excelled in so many genres, Hathaway’s work in thrillers stands out by giving her the space to play emotionally complex characters. She isn’t contained to a certain archetype in this realm of storytelling, either. As a femme fatale and a spoiled heiress, she appears equally at home in whatever role she happens to be playing. Here are seven Anne Hathaway thrillers to watch before Mothers’ Instinct, her forthcoming return into the genre in 2024 alongside Jessica Chastain.
7Passengers (2008)
Passengers (2008)
Passengers centers around Claire Summers (Hathaway), a fresh-faced therapist tasked with assisting in the healing of a group of plane crash survivors. As she gets to work, a passenger named Eric (Patrick Wilson) experiences a different emotional state than the others and requests to meet with Claire privately. Their increasingly close connection becomes all but professional, and Eric may hold the key to the reason why his fellow survivors are strangely vanishing.
How Passengers Draws in Audiences
As the main character Claire, Hathaway’s malleability as an actress shines through in this movie. As the secrets behind the disappearances and the mystery of the crash itself, surprising truths slowly begin to be revealed to Claire (and the audience alongside her). Without getting too much into spoiler territory, Passengers feels like a classic Twilight Zone episode mixed with The Sixth Sense – do with that information what you will.
6The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises
As fans know, The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final entry into the Dark Knight trilogy. As Christian Bale’s vision of Batman draws to a close in this movie, the stakes all culminate for the DC hero as he faces off against Bane. Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City years after his devastating encounter with the Joker and Harvey Dent, needing a push from jewel thief Selina Kyle to get back into business.
Why This Film is One of Hathaway’s Best
In The Dark Knight Rises, Hathaway plays Selina, otherwise known as the Cat/Catwoman herself. This role is one of her revolutionary turns, solidifying Hathaway’s talent as more than the relatable “everywoman” protagonist who she has so often portrayed. Strange and sultry on the outside, Selina’s true intentions are often obscured by her forbidding black getup that’s become such an iconic costume in media history. And that’s probably just the way she likes it.
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5Eileen (2023)
Eileen
Based on the dark and intriguing novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen tells the tale of two enigmatic women brought together by their work at a young men’s prison. The life of Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie) appears boring and largely fruitless, until she comes across the alluring psychiatrist Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway). She and Eileen develop a close-knit relationship, and Eileen becomes intertwined into Rebecca’s secretive life outside of work.
Why Eileen is a Necessary New Thriller
Eileen brings audiences a fresh-feeling story from an emotionally illustrative author, translating the complexities within the novel into the air of mystique exuded from its movie adaptation. Hathaway’s role as Rebecca brings the actress a startling new look, with a platinum blonde bob and an often-icy attitude to go with it. As the audience, we get to see the extent of Rebecca’s personality beyond what she initially shows herself to be. This change culminates in a true thriller brought to life by a duo of uncompromising actresses.
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4Serenity (2019)
Serenity
Serenity uniquely combines an idyllic island setting with the twists and turns of a gritty city mystery. As the Captain Ahab of Plymouth Island, Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) is preoccupied with catching an elusive tuna fish and taking guests on tours around his tropical locale. Karen Zariakas, (Anne Hathaway), Dill’s ex-wife, comes to his new paradise with a dark proposition. She wants Dill to facilitate the murder of her new partner, Frank, who is abusing Karen and the son whom she and Dill share.
How Hathaway Shines in Serenity
In Serenity, Anne Hathaway’s casting as Karen positions her as a majorly powerful player within the story. Karen’s motivation to get out of her new situation expresses itself through her persistence and the way she spares no expense. Without her presence, Dill’s life and objectives wouldn’t change as drastically as they do in the film – she is the catalyst for it all. Serenity’s plot twist comes completely out of the blue. Its reveal forces the story’s plot progression to devolve into an increasingly complicated reality, cementing the island as truly a different world.
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3The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
the last thing he wanted
The Last Thing He Wanted takes its source material from Joan Didion’s book that shares its title, automatically giving it more nuance than meets the eye. Audiences meet Elena McMahon (Anne Hathaway) as an accomplished journalist who grows more intertwined with her father’s work, serving as an arms dealer in his place when he is hospitalized. This switch lets her develop her budding story in Central America so much more closely by being immersed in the situation, seen through the lens of 1980s politics.
Why This Movie Makes the Cut
While it’s not one of Hathaway’s most beloved movies via audience interpretations, The Last Thing He Wanted does center her character Elena as a complex protagonist whose fate hangs in the balance between her family ties and her work life. Hathaway’s performance here showcases her versatility of portraying human emotion, especially in the face of life-changing event after life-changing event. From deaths around her to foreign affairs to earth-shattering revelations, Elena’s development takes her character through the wringer.
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2Dark Waters (2019)
Dark Waters
Dark Waters stands as an excellent example of environmentally conscious cinema, but the film also dips its toes into the thriller and historical drama genres as well. It captures some of the true experiences of lawyer Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) and his campaign against the chemical company DuPont during a water pollution scandal. In Parkersburg, West Virginia, the sudden deaths of multiple animals give way to Rob’s uncovering of the dangerous PFOA chemical behind it, and its massive impacts on human health.
How This Story Intrigues Audiences
The role of Sarah Barlage Bilott, Robert Bilott’s wife, stands as one of Hathaway’s most stunning performances. Robert’s years-long dedication to this huge pollution case affects Sarah from the beginning (who is pregnant), when Rob uncovers the PFOAs in their Teflon kitchen pans. The fallout of this environmental disaster influences so many aspects of their lives. It results in Rob suffering a minor stroke and Sarah’s fierce defense of her husband to his boss.
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1Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Ocean’s 8
The longtime series of Ocean’s movies has historically been male-centric, and that can be argued in terms of its mostly-male actors and its appeal to predominantly male audiences. Ocean’s 8 flipped the script, centering Danny Ocean’s sister, Debbie (Sandra Bullock), as the protagonist following her freedom from prison. Almost immediately after her release, Debbie devises a conniving criminal plan with a team of seven other women. Together, the eight of them plot the heist of the dazzling Toussaint Cartier necklace from the Met Gala in New York.
Why Ocean’s 8 Works so Well
As the affluent and flouncy Daphne Kluger, Anne Hathaway embraces the character of a well-off woman who is chosen to wear the coveted Toussaint on the eve of the Gala. She fully embraces the honor of modeling the necklace during that fateful night. From the start, though, she’s been roped into Debbie’s “secret” plans, and she isn’t as unassuming as viewers may think. Hathaway’s inherently regal screen presence serves her well in this portrayal, deepening her character here from the inside out.
