Jessica Chastain’s Best Movies, Ranked
During the last decade, Jessica chastain slowly established herself as an important figure in Hollywood. By working with respected directors like Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow and Guillermo Del Toro, Chastain has been able to develop a talent for playing strong and savvy women who often have deep emotional difficulties. Since taking the limelight, Chastain has received two Oscar nominations, and her third may be on the way thanks to the recent release of Tammy Faye’s eyes, where she underwent a dramatic transformation to play the famous televangelist.
With Tammy faye, Chastain recently starred in Del Toro’s Alley of nightmares acclaimed, and plans to play a one-time villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having previously starred in the X Men movie Dark phoenix. Here are the best Jessica Chastain movies, ranked:
ten Miss Sloane
In this political thriller directed by John Madden, Jessica Chastain embodies the kind of character she plays best: a strong and determined woman. Miss Sloane follows a Washington lobbyist known for her impeccable success. One day Elizabeth Sloan is approached by a gunmaker who wants to oppose a gun control bill but refuses his offer and ends up working with politicians trying to control sales of guns. weapons in America. While the fast-paced storyline is entertaining, and the film offers an interesting glimpse into the world of political intrigue and machination, Miss Sloane is ultimately worn by Chastain, which is the real highlight here.
9 Without faith or law
Inspired by a true story and set during the 1931 Prohibition era, Without faith or law follows the Bondurant brothers, a family gang that runs a contraband business in Virginia. It’s a rather violent and brutal story of revenge after the brothers refused to bow to the whims of Special Assistant Charles Rakes, which ended in an intense war. Without faith or law isn’t a perfect movie, but its setting, cinematography, and performance make it a worthy vehicle for Jessica Chastain accomplices and gangster drama fans. Chastain plays a woman who fled the brutal anonymity of Chicago to find herself in a gang war in Virginia, bringing much-needed feminine energy to a tale led by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clark and Guy Pearce.
8 Ugly
Ugly is a 2011 film about an aspiring young white reporter played by Emma Stone who writes a book about the experience of dark maids in Mississippi of the 1960s. The film features a cast of extremely talented actresses like Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Allison Janey and Jessica Chastain, who became a star thanks to her role. While Chastain had worked in Hollywood for years, it was the film that introduced her to the greatest number and earned her her first Oscar nomination. She gives a gracious and lovable performance as Celia Rae Foot, one of the few white characters to treat her domestic workers with minimal respect. The film was understandably criticized by writers like Roxane Gay for its use of certain tropes, like making black characters “magical” characters, but it was commercial and critical success, earning a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars. It remains one of Chastain’s most popular films.
seven Molly’s game
Renamed west wing and Social network screenwriter Aaron Sorkin made his directorial debut with Molly’s game, a film based on the true story of former Olympic athlete Molly Bloom, who begins hosting poker games for celebrities and elite. Chastain plays Molly and blends in perfectly with this Sorkian tale filled with humor, sharp lines and quick dialogue. On top of that, Chastain is able to imbue Molly with her signature strength as an actress, while also allowing for emotional sweetness. It’s a good movie for Sorkin and Chastain fans.
6 One of the most violent years
One of the most violent years introduces Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain at what was arguably the climax of their critical praise. Hot Inside Llewyn Davis and Dark zero thirty, Isaac and Chastain starred in JC Chandor’s crime drama about the small business owner of a heating oil company grappling with hijackers and violence in his cut-throat and corrupt industry. Chastain is a perfect match for Anna, Oscar Isaac’s fictional wife, as the character is fiercely uncompromising; she urges her husband to respond violently to the attacks of their enemies. Chastain plays the confident “woman behind the scenes” archetype naturally enough, elevating the film’s overall narrative stakes, but providing a unique and bombastic flair to her character. This dynamic image has helped consolidate A24’s status as a distributor of taste films,
5 Crimson woodpecker
When Crimson woodpecker Released in 2015, it met with mixed reviews from critics, but this beautifully shot Guillermo del Toro film has only gotten better over time. It’s a strange and supernatural romance (in the register of The Wuthering Heights and other dark and gothic love stories) starring Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain. Playing the villain of the film was a great opportunity for Chastain to expand his somewhat cohesive filmography into the realm of fantasy, and she delivered with her most hateful, evil, and egotistical characters. The film’s wardrobe, tone, and gravity perfectly suit his style of powerful acting. Crimson woodpecker is a marvelous, brooding and romantic film that succeeds in its mission of evoking the macabre with gothic imagery and themes.
4 Dark zero thirty
Chastain’s turn as a CIA intelligence analyst named Maya in Dark zero thirty is arguably his most important role to date. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who made the Oscar winner Similar to War The Hurt Locker, this film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, but it probably came closest to the Best Actress award. As a determined and fully committed FBI agent, Chastain is an essential ingredient in this film about the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden after 9/11. He was acclaimed almost universally by the American media, but some have questioned his ties to the Obama administration, and The Guardian went so far as to call him “pernicious propagandaAlso, the performance film is not one of the greatest depictions of the darkness of war (and can even approve it). Still, it’s Chastain’s most significant display of his confident acting style, and if it hadn’t been for Jennifer Lawrence’s performance in The Silver Lining Playbook, Chastain may have become an Oscar winner.
3 Interstellar
Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar tells the story of an astronaut who undertakes a mission to travel through a wormhole near Saturn in order to find a new planet on which humanity can live. McConaughey leaves behind his daughter, who grows up to be a successful NASA astronaut played by Chastain. This is a typical Nolan movie, so it’s built on an ambitious and expansive plot filled with exciting philosophical thought experiments, but Interstellar contains the director’s most moving work, and it is this kind of pathos that Chastain exploits. While not the primary focus of the film, Chastain is a crucial addition to a great ensemble and she has helped Nolan bring her complex and unique vision to life. Whether one is a fan of his work or not, the technical skill and craftsmanship of this film is unmistakable, and Chastain’s performance remains emotionally resonant.
2 To protect
Directed by Jeff Nichols, To protect explores themes of existential uncertainty, fear of death, and the protective nature of love. Michael Shannon plays an oil worker who begins to have doomsday visions that may or may not be the result of mental trauma. Chastain plays his dismayed wife in a versatile performance that sees the actress explore more nervous and fragile moods than in her typical roles. It’s surprisingly well suited to the film’s suspenseful yet meditative pace. To protect shines through its originality and its desire to portray the haunting anxieties of mortality. It also stands out in Chastain’s filmography as one of his most evocative and impressionistic works. The film won the Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique in Cannes and shared the Fipresci Prize of the International Federation of Cinema Critics with Le Havre and The Minister.
1 Tree of life
Terrence Malick Tree of life isn’t just the best movie Jessica Chastain has starred in, it’s one of the best movies of its decade according to the two Roger ebert and the Associated press. Malick’s films are often divisive and Tree of life was no exception thanks to its abstract introduction that many viewers disliked. Nonetheless, it’s a sublimely beautiful and utterly unique film that truly explores the potential of the cinematic medium.
This film could not have asked transcendent questions about existence, God and the source of life without the performances of Brad Pitt and Jessica chastain to anchor the film in individual humanity. The couple play as a couple who raised their children behind a white picket fence, but Sean Penn’s character grows up and resents his father for his abusive behavior. To contrast Pitt’s brutal gestures and male performance, Chastain brings a gracious energy that reminds Penn’s character and the viewer of those rare moments of contentment that make life worth living. She is almost literally angelic with her otherworldly performance. Malick’s cinematic masterpiece broke the rules of mainstream cinematography, intrigue, and editing to explore some of the most fundamental questions about human existence. Chastain’s performance here is arguably his most important contribution to the history of cinema.
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