Eric Bana is a renowned actor and comedian best known for his appearances in Troy and Hulk. He was born Eric Banadinovi in Melbourne to parents Ivan and Eleanor. Bana made his feature film debut in Andrew Dominik’s 2000 crime picture Chopper, a dramatic recounting of the life of renowned Australian criminal Mark “Chopper” Read, after a brief but fruitful career in Australian television throughout the mid-1990s. Like any good drama performer of the 2000s, Bana went all out for the lead role, putting on 30 pounds and spending private time with Read to enhance his portrayal of the role. His dedication and command of the part won him widespread praise, which led Ridley Scott to cast him in Black Hawk Down the following year, quickly securing Bana’s place in Hollywood.
In the years that followed, Bana established himself as a skilled dramatic performer, sharing the screen with Hollywood heavyweights like Natalie Portman and Daniel Craig. Bana has particularly shown himself to be a master of historical drama, having won awards for his work in Troy and The Other Boleyn Girl, two films that are on his resume. Here are ten of Eric Bana’s best movies to date in honour of his new thriller, Force of Nature (via Variety).
Black Hawk Down (2001)
If Bana is recognised mostly for historical movies, he is even more well-known for his war movies, with Black Hawk Down probably being the most well-known. The movie chronicles a US military attempt to save the Somalian people and apprehend Mohammed Farrah Aidid, the head of a militia. The majority of the movie is concerned with the US Army Rangers’ attempts to help the team that was killed in the intense fighting that breaks out between the American soldiers and Aidid’s militia.
Chopper (2000)
Bana made his acting debut in Chopper, an Australian crime biopic based on the life of notorious outlaw Mark “Chopper” Read. This is yet another biographical adaption. With 30 pounds added for the part and two days alone with the real-life Chopper Read to better comprehend the criminal’s thinking, Bana plays the principal role in this action-packed crime drama with passion and determination. The movie follows Read during his time in jail and their subsequent argument with Jimmy Loughnan, a former associate.
Hanna (2011)
In this action thriller, Saoirse Ronan plays the title character, Hanna, an assassin who was taught and trained to kill by her ex-CIA agent father, played by Eric Bana. The 16-year-old Hanna embarks on her life’s mission to kill senior CIA officer and her father’s longtime foe, Marissa Wiegler, played by Cate Blanchett, after years of training in hand-to-hand fighting. The movie culminates in a deadly fight between Wiegler and Hanna, which the young assassin thankfully wins after a frantic pursuit across Europe.
Hulk (2003)
The Hulk, an adaption of the origin story of the green giant by Ang Lee, is Eric Bana’s most well-known performance. Bruce Banner, played by Bana, suffers a terrible lab mishap in this Marvel adventure, turning him into the titular beast anytime he is under extreme stress. Banner is nearly killed in an explosion while being followed by the American Military and fighting his own fears (as well as his estranged father), but at the end of the movie it is shown that he is still alive and well and hiding in the Amazon.
Lone Survivor (2013)
The account of four US Navy SEALs’ pursuit of Taliban leader Ahmad Shah in June 2005 is shown in the film Lone Survivor, which was based from Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s autobiographical book of the same name. Bana portrays the real Lieutenant Erik Kristensen, who tragically perished in a helicopter crash while pursuing Shah along with the majority of his unit. The film is a dramatised account of what happened that day, a terrifying story of peril, stakes, and tremendous bravery on the part of everyone concerned.
Munich (2005)
In this spy thriller, helmed by Steven Spielberg and based on George Jonas’ book Vengeance, Avner Kaufman, played by actor Eric Bana, is charged with killing 11 people allegedly responsible for the Black September massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Kaufman closes out Munich horrified by his acts and paranoid from the guilt of having accidently killed numerous innocent people while pursuing the terrorist organisation. He battled his own guilt throughout these assassinations.
Star Trek (2009)
In J.J. Abrams’ reimagining of the iconic Star Trek series, which was released the same year as Bana’s quantum-leaping romantic comedy, television legends Kirk and Spock make a comeback to the big screen as inexperienced space explorers. Despite their lack of friendship at the beginning of the film, Nero, played by actor Eric Bana, forces the two of them to set aside their differences in order to save humanity. Bana proves he’s far more than just your average leading guy with his outstanding performance in this uncommon villain role.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Bana had already established himself as a master historical actor in Troy by the time The Other Boleyn Girl was released, but his portrayal of the cruel King Henry VIII solidified his status as a legend of historical drama. Unlike other depictions of the last of the Tudors, this movie places more of an emphasis on Elizabeth I’s mother, Anne Boleyn, and her sister Mary than it does on the king and his perhaps more renowned daughters, Queens Mary, and Elizabeth I. The Other Boleyn Girl tells the tale of two young girls who unwittingly became friends with a deadly family and one queen’s paranoia.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Bana plays a librarian with a rare genetic disease who travels through time against his will in the science fiction romance comedy The Time Traveler’s Wife. The story’s central relationship begins when Rachel McAdams’ rom-com queen character, Clare, who would play Henry, meets a younger version of Bana’s character, Henry. Despite the two’s intense love for one another, Henry’s intermittent and erratic time travel damages their relationship, making this soon-to-be classic a heartbreaking tale for the ages.
Troy (2004)
Bana was once again propelled into the spotlight with the Hollywood blockbuster Troy, a war movie inspired from Homer’s classic Iliad, riding the popularity of 2003’s Hulk. Bana performs the role of Hector, a prince of Troy and the leader of the Trojan army. Bana became well-known in Hollywood thanks to his performance of the Trojan Hector in the film’s pivotal fight, a magical collision of leather, iron, and great emotion.
