Hilary Swank Movies
A professional actress since the age of 16, when she moved to Los Angeles from Bellingham, WA, Hilary Swank first appeared onscreen in 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Two years later, she earned a rudimentary degree of fame when she was picked to star in The Next Karate Kid, but this recognition proved fleeting. Swank subsequently appeared in a number of minor films and did a year-long stint on Beverly Hills 90210. In 1999, however, she won both acclaim and recognition for her lead role in Kimberly Peirce's independent drama Boys Don't Cry. Based on the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a woman whose decision to lead her life as a man met with dire consequences, Boys Don't Cry was one of the year's most lauded films, with particular praise going to Swank for her stunning performance. She went on to win a number of honors for her work in the film, including Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Actress, at the mere age of 25.Predictably, Swank's workload increased significantly after her Oscar win in 2001, and the actress found herself starring in several lesser known but nonetheless challenging roles, including Sam Raimi's psychological thriller The Gift, as well as The Affair of the Necklace with future Oscar winner Adrien Brody. She also accepted a meaty supporting role as an eager-to-please rookie detective alongside Hollywood veteran Al Pacino in 2002's Insomnia. However, Swank did take a break from brooding period pieces and serious explorations of sexuality for one unapologetic big-budget summer blockbuster -- Jon Amiel's The Core (2003), in which she co-starred as one of several individuals chosen to journey to the Earth's core in hopes of jump-starting the collapsing electromagnetic forces.
Though she may have cut loose in a few post-Oscar popcorn munchers in a bid to blow off some steam onscreen, Swank had already gained a reputation as a serious-minded actress whose quickly evolving onscreen talent pointed to many great things to come in the future. Meanwhile, Swank and then-husband Chad Lowe (brother of Rob Lowe) mounted Accomplice Films, a Big Apple-based production house, in early 2004. Swank inaugurated this triumph with an executive producer credit on the quirky, little-seen auto-accident drama 11:14. Swank took the lead in the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated 2004 HBO women's suffrage drama Iron Jawed Angels, which also featured Anjelica Huston and Frances O'Connor. Soon after, Swank starred as a South African-born attorney in Tom Hooper's political drama Red Dust.
If audiences awaiting another knockout performance from Swank failed to catch her winning turns in Iron Jawed Angels and Red Dust, there was virtually no escaping her unforgettable evocation of a determined female pugilist in director Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004). As Robert De Niro did for another boxing picture over 20 years prior, the already tough-as-nails Swank physically transformed herself to an astonishing degree for the role, immersing herself in a holistic diet of egg-white shakes, fish, vegetables, and protein bars, and testing the barriers of endurance with 4 1/2-hour-a-day, six-day-per-week workouts. This harsh regimen enabled her to pack on 19 pounds of muscle. The gamble paid off onscreen as well. Swank's remarkable vitality and sincerity buoyed the film, which took home the Best Picture prize at the 77th Annual Academy Awards and netted Swank the highly coveted Best Actress award at the same ceremony -- a win that helped to bring Eastwood's critically lauded film a total of four well-deserved Oscars.
Doubtless encouraged by the success of Baby, Warner Bros. extended a one-year production deal to Accomplice Films in March 2005 -- an offer that Swank and Lowe immediately embraced, even as they filed for divorce in early 2006.
Meanwhile, if Swank stayed offscreen in 2005, she quietly geared up for a full slate of roles. The first in production was a Warners horror picture called The Reaping, produced by Joel Silver and Bob Zemeckis' Dark Castle Entertainment and directed by Stephen Hopkins. The film starred Swank as a professional defrauder of religious miracles overwhelmed by her inability to account for the Biblically overtoned horrors that plague a small town. In fall 2006, Swank co-headlined Brian De Palma's noir flop The Black Dahlia with Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, and Aaron Eckhart -- an adaptation of James Ellroy's novel based on the infamous, still-unsolved L.A. murder case of the title.
More successfully, Swank also began a two-picture collaboration with director Richard LaGravenese (Living Out Loud, A Decade Under the Influence). The first, Freedom Writers, was adapted from Erin Gruwell's memoir. Essentially a reworking of Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds, the picture dramatized Gruwell's (Swank) successful attempts to turn "at risk" children around in the classroom. Swank's second LaGravenese effort, P.S., I Love You, was an adaptation of Cecelia Ahern's novel about a widow who is launched on a series of jaw-dropping adventures by some letters bequeathed to her by her dead husband. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
In the 2004 presidential election, Ohio became the state that decided who would lead the nation for the next four years; throughout the campaign, both George W. Bush and John Kerry realized it was a key "swing state" which could go to either candidate, and they devoted much of their time and resources to bringing in the vote in the Buckeye state. The controversies of the 2000 election led many to suspect that voter fraud could be a possibility, and many were watchful for tampering of voting machines or registration rolls. Filmmakers James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo brought their cameras to Ohio for the final weeks of the election, and ...So Goes the Nation is a documentary which offers a detailed look at both Bush and Kerry's campaign staffs as they make the final push toward victory or defeat. While examining the possibilities of election tampering, ...So Goes the Nation primarily concerns itself with the differences between the campaign styles of the candidates and how their behind-the-scenes staffs struggles to swing voters to their man, with Kerry concentrating on domestic issues of economics, health, and security while Bush spoke of the war on terror and Kerry's alleged "flip flopping" and service record in Vietnam. ...So Goes the Nation received its World Premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Greg Marcks' 11:14 intertwines five different storylines that all lead up to a series of events that happen one evening at 11:14. The audience is made privy to connections between the characters that they themselves are unaware of. The audience will see how various lies and deceptions lead to murder. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Thomas, Blake Heron, (more)
- 2009
- PG
- Add Amelia to Queue
Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in director Mira Nair's biopic tracing the life of famed aviator Amelia Earhart -- who made history in 1932 by becoming the first woman ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Five years later, as Earhart attempted to fly around the world, the pilot and her plane simply vanished after crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor co-star in the Avalon Pictures production. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, (more)
Longtime actor Chad Lowe makes his feature directorial debut with this quiet family drama focusing on two young brothers as it explores the elaborate family dynamics and rapidly-evolving social attitudes during the dawn of the 1970s. Simon (John Hurt and Judith Messerman (Rita Wilson) are progressive parents who want nothing but the best for their two boys Clive (David Call) and William (Brett Davern). A highly-intelligent math prodigy whose seems set to claim the top prize at the upcoming mathmatics competition, troubled Clive frequently disconnects from his doting parents by speaking in a made-up language that nobody but himself can understand. William, on the other hand, is just trying to get by as he struggles to work his way out from under the formidable shadow cast by his older sibling. When Clive's provocative girlfriend Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg enters into the equation harboring a decidedly sensitive secret, the tempestuous relationship between the two brothers will soon put to the ultimate test. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brett Davern, David Call, (more)
- 2010
- R
The true story of acclaimed lawyer Betty Anne Waters comes to the screen in this docudrama directed by Tony Goldwyn, and starring Hilary Swank. Her brother convicted for a 1983 murder/robbery he didn't commit, unemployed, single mother of two Betty begins studying law in order to help prove his innocence. Over the course of the next decade, Betty continues studying to earn her law degree, eventually passing the bar in 1995 and actively taking up her brother's case. By challenging the conviction with DNA evidence, Betty is ultimately able to prove her brother's innocence and win back his freedom. Sam Rockwell and Minnie Driver co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank
Director Craig Lucas teams with screenwriter Elyse Friedman for this sociologically-slanted comedy drama concerning three eccentric siblings who were forced to grow up in an environment with no actual grown ups. In a typical family, the pattern usually goes something like this: Parents have children, children grow up, children move out, and family comes together for visits on holidays and special occasions. Unfortunately for Morrie Tanager, any concept of normalcy was thrown out the window when his parents died, and he was left to raise his two siblings Ida and Jay in the family home. These days Morrie shares the home with his wife Betty, Ida is a promiscuous artist who's always traveling despite the fact that she's perpetually broke, and Jay is a reclusive weirdo who frequently conducts antisocial experiments. All that the perpetually constipated Morrie wants out of life is to please his wife Betty. While it's been quite a while since siblings Morrie, Ida, and Jay have all been together under one roof, those familiar childhood dynamics quickly return when Ida comes knocking at the exact moment Jay goes supernova. As neurosis and instability suddenly cascades through the home like a dysfunctional Niagara Falls, Morrie and Betty suddenly find their delicate attempts to secure Morrie's tenure washed down the river right towards the big drop. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Perry, Ginnifer Goodwin, (more)
Based on a true story, this drama was adapted from the life of Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, a woman who chose to live her life as a man and suffered tragic consequences as a result. In 1993, 20-year-old Brandon (Hilary Swank) leaves Lincoln, Nebraska for the nearby community of Falls City, where she sports a crew cut, favors jeans and boots, and is regarded as a man by most of the people in town. While Brandon's friend Lonny (Matt McGrath) warns her that sexual outsiders aren't looked upon kindly in Falls City, she develops a reputation for being something of a ladies' man, and is soon living with a single mother named Candace (Alicia Goranson). But when Brandon meets teenage Lana (Chloe Sevigny), the two become romantically involved almost immediately. Brandon makes friends with Lana's mother (Jeanetta Arnette) and a burly ex-con named John (Peter Sarsgaard). John and his buddy Tom (Brendan Sexton) run with a rough group of men who like to drink and carouse, and they accept Brandon as one of their own. However, when Brandon ends up in jail on a traffic violation, her secret comes out, and, while Lana stands by Brandon's side, John and Tom feel betrayed -- and their anger soon boils over into violence. A distinguished feature debut for director Kimberly Peirce, Boys Don't Cry was enthusiastically received in its showings at 1999 film festivals in Venice, Toronto, and New York. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, (more)
The idea of fusing teen sex-comedy and horror genres into a boffo box-office bonanza seems like classic braindead Hollywood-think... but somehow, beyond all reason, the makers of this film manage to pull it off. Much of the credit goes to director Fran Rubel Kuzui (Tokyo Pop) who chooses wisely to let the jokes and action rip by so quickly that viewers won't have time to realize there's practically nothing going on. Also excellent is Kristy Swanson as the bubble-headed cheerleader who learns from a Van Helsing-ish stranger (Donald Sutherland) that she's, like, the reincarnation of this pure female warrior and stuff, destined to rid the world -- or at least the Valley -- of vampires. No sooner is the Buffster being schooled in the ways of vampire butt-kicking (much to the consternation of meek pretty-boy beau Luke Perry) than the lead vampire (Rutger Hauer) and his leering cronies show up -- and leading up the pack is none other than Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens. Fans of this film's popular TV offspring will appreciate the fang-sharp humor but may be surprised to find little evidence of the spooky atmosphere that permeates the series -- though there are some inspired moments, particularly the ridiculous death-by-ruler scene. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, (more)
Future Oscar winner Hilary Swank gives an excellent account of herself in this made-for-TV movie as Lisa Connors, a college student who is pressured into pledging for the campus' most prestigious sorority by her ambitious mother (Isabella Hoffman). Among the other pledges is the desperately lonely and insecure Shelby Blake (Jenna von Oy), who, like Lisa, is forced to endure unspeakable humiliations during the hazing process. When Shelby dies in a fall from the college clock tower, her death is declared a suicide, but Lisa doesn't buy this verdict (nor does the viewing audience, who knows that Shelby was killed following the orders of snobbish sorority girl Drea Davenport [Sarah Chalke]). At the risk of her own reputation and academic future, Lisa embarks upon a crusade to uncover the truth behind Shelby's demise, making powerful enemies all along the way. Originally an "NBC World Premiere Movie," Dying to Belong first aired February 24, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, (more)
- 2008
An ambitious television producer travels to Romania for an exclusive interview with an infamous arms dealer, and discovers to her horror that the elusive criminal is in fact a contemporary Dracula. Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank pulls double duty as producer and star of this nightmarish adaptation of author John Marks' best-selling novel. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank
Assigned the thankless task of teaching freshman English at a gang-infested Long Beach, CA high school, a 23-year-old teacher resorts to unconventional means of breaking through to her hardened students in director Richard LaGravenese's adaptation of Erin Gruwell's best-seller The Freedom Writer's Diaries: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Her students had been written off, and her chances of succeeding scoffed at, but Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wasn't about to go down without a fight. Long Beach is a place where a new war is waged with each passing day, and when the hardened students who walk those dangerous hallways sense an outsider attempting to understand their plight, their cynical resentment threatens to keep a deadly cycle in motion. Despite the initially hostile reaction she receives in the classroom, Gruwell uses the writings of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo to teach her students not only the basis of the English language, but compassion and tolerance as well. Later, when the time comes to tell their own tales in a project specially designed to explore the daily violence that the majority of students have grown numb to, the barriers that had once stood so strong gradually begin to crumble. When the only chance for survival is to befriend the person who was once your mortal enemy, the world is opened to a whole new realm of possibilities. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, (more)
- 1992
A girl named Cheryl (Wendy Cox) has a crush on Ben (Jeremy Miller), but he pays no attention to her, preferring instead to pine over the "unattainable" Sarah Serotsky (played by a very young Hilary Swank). Finally, Cheryl gives up and begins dating Luke (Leonardo DiCaprio). But when Sarah tells Ben to get lost, he tries to date Cheryl on the rebound--thus sparking an intense rivalry between Ben and Luke! Tracey Gold (Carol) does not appear in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
To dissuade Chrissy (Ashley Johnson) from the notion that adults party all night once she goes to sleep, Jason (Alan Thicke) allows her to stay up past her bedtime--on the very night that the Seavers' nouveau-riche neighbors throw a lavish (and boisterous) Halloween costume party. Elsewhere, Ben (Jeremy Miller) acts as "tour guide" for Luke (Leonardo DiCaprio) when the latter enters Dewey High School. Future Oscar winner Hilary Swank appears as Ben's snooty classmate Sasha Serotsky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Young Frank (Eddie Mills), an outcast in his small lumber mill town, falls for the gorgeous Sylvia (Hilary Swank), the daughter of an engineer hired by the grizzled mill owner, Logan Reeser (Jason Robards), to save the business -- and the town. A greedy investor (Stanley DeSantis) wants Reeser to rape the redwood forest or close the mill. With a little luck and lots of enthusiasm, the young couple devises a scheme to save the town, despite the treacherous doings of a jealous rival (Randall Batinkoff). ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., Eddie Mills, (more)
Director Christopher Nolan follows up his breakthrough sophomore film Memento with this remake of a stylish Norwegian thriller. Al Pacino stars as Detective Will Dormer, a Los Angeles Police Department legend who temporarily escapes an internal affairs investigation that may ruin his career by traveling to Nightmute, AK, the remote site of a murder that has the local authorities flummoxed. Along with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), and the small town's wide-eyed rookie investigator, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), the exhausted Dormer probes the brutal slaying of a teenage girl who was rumored to have a secret lover. A clever ruse quickly lures the killer into a police trap, but the suspect escapes and a tragic accident at the scene leaves Dormer at the mercy of the murderer, a pulp crime novelist named Walter Finch (Robin Williams). As Finch plays a dangerous game of extortion with Dormer, the detective's mental health deteriorates rapidly from guilt over his complicity in a crime and sleep deprivation compounded by the lack of darkness in the land of the midnight sun. Meanwhile, the bright and dogged Ellie continues putting the pieces of a complex puzzle together despite Dormer's skillful attempts to lead the investigation toward the right suspect, but away from his own malfeasance. Insomnia co-stars Paul Dooley, Nicky Katt, Maura Tierney, and Jonathan Jackson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Robin Williams, (more)
German filmmaker Katja von Garnier directs the HBO original movie Iron Jawed Angels, inspired by a pivotal chapter in American history. Hilary Swank plays Alice Paul, an American feminist who risked her life to fight for women's citizenship and the right to vote. She founded the separatist National Woman's Party and wrote the first equal rights amendment to be presented before Congress. Together with social reformer Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), Paul struggled against conservative forces in order to pass the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. One of their first actions was a parade on President Woodrow Wilson's (Bob Gunton) inauguration day. The suffragettes also encountered opposition from the old guard of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, Carrie Chapman Catt (Anjelica Huston). The activists get arrested and go on a well-publicized hunger strike, where their refusal to eat earns them the title of "the iron-jawed angels." Iron Jawed Angels was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 before its television premiere on HBO. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, (more)
An uneven, patchy script does nothing to help this humdrum story about a man dedicated to obtaining some suitcases full of counterfeit money - just as good as the real thing to him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Payne, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, (more)
The story of September 11, 2001 is fully explored by filmmaker Linda Ellman in a documentary focusing on events preceding, during, and following the tragedy that befell the nation on that fateful day. Created with the full support and involvement of the victim's families, Ellman's truth-seeking film is a revelatory work that begs to be seen by anyone still searching for answers about boldest act of terrorism ever committed on American soil. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Hilary Swank, (more)
A grieving widow finds her husband's warmth radiating from the afterlife when she discovers that he left her a series of tasks to be revealed in ten monthly messages and designed to help her overcome her sorrow while gradually making the transition into a new life. Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) is a New York real estate broker whose good-humored husband, Irishman Gerry (Gerard Butler), always stood by her side. Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, Gerry succumbs to a brain tumor and Holly is left to face an uncertain future. No one in the world knows Holly better than Gerry, not even her mother (Kathy Bates) or her best friends, Sharon (Gina Gershon) and Denise (Lisa Kudrow). But while Holly remains unsure if she can go on without the love of her life to help guide her, Gerry has planned ahead. On Holly's 30th birthday, she receives a cake and a special tape recording from Gerry that implores her to get out and celebrate instead of staying in and mourning. Later, as the months wear on, a series of additional messages arrive from Gerry -- always delivered in the most remarkable and surprising of ways. With each new message comes a new adventure, and each letter signs off in the same familiar way: "P.S. I love you." Despite the fact that Holly's mother and friends think these humorous, posthumous messages are keeping Holly bound to the past, the truth is that they are lovingly guiding her into the future while proving that sometimes death isn't just the end, but a new beginning as well. Director Richard LaGravenese teams with screenwriter Steve Rogers to adapt author Cecelia Ahern's best-selling novel. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, (more)
This episodic German film utilizes an all-American cast to present a fresh perspective on life in modern-day Tinseltown. In one of the stories, a young woman leaves her lover because he carries a gun and she is afraid of violence. She gets a job working at a posh cafe and ends up involved with a rich, self-centered young lawyer who cruelly uses her in a moment of passion. The tale then switches to the lawyer and his wife as they spar over their adulteries while eating dessert. In a different story, a promising young actor, convinced that he is gay, wins an Oscar and loses the love of his jealous boyfriend. A tragedy ensues, but it leads the award-winner to a new realization, one that comes from the ministrations of a teenaged female prostitute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A dedicated human rights lawyer and a political activist who suffered at the hands of South African police officer with no regard for human life finds that the only thing more dangerous than standing up for your beliefs is the discovery of the truth in director Tom Hooper's adaptation of Gillian Slovo's captivating novel. Tortured at the hands of police officer Dirk Hendricks (Jamie Bartlett) for his efforts in seeking equality under the brutal apartheid regime, social activist Alex Mpondo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is shocked upon learning that Officer Hendricks is now seeking amnesty for his violent deeds. When human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant (Hilary Swank) returns to her South African home to represent Alex, she quickly discovers that the deeper she delves into the past, the more she has to fear in the present. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor, (more)
