Angelina Jolie's 10 Best '90s Movies Ranked

Angelina Jolie remains one of the biggest movie stars of her time despite appearing less and less on screen over the years, and it was in the '90s that she made it clear not just how big of an icon she was, but what a talented actress she was as well. Daughter of Oscar winner Jon Voight and the late actress Marcheline Bertrand, Angelina Jolie was always destined for something big in Hollywood. After an initial role in Looking to leave Alongside her father, Jolie began her career in earnest in the early 90s.

His first major role came in the 1993 low-budget science fiction film Cyborg 2but she continued to win roles even after that failure. Each year, Jolie seemed to get a little more skilled and competent until she was nominated at some of the biggest award ceremonies later in the decade. The '90s were filled with tabloid stories about Jolie and her famous relationships, but what's often overlooked about her celebrity is Angelina Jolie's wide range of underrated performances, many of which took place in the 1990s.

10

Cyborg 2 (1993)

Angelina Jolie plays Casella “Cash” Reese

Cyborg 2Angelina Jolie's first foray into acting after a decade away from the business, it is the second film in the low-budget sci-fi franchise and has all the over-the-top violence, bad visuals, and ridiculous plots that the low-budget science fiction world is. generally known. In Cyborg 2Jolie stars as Casella “Cash” Reese, a cyborg built to carry out assassinations and other forms of espionage.

However, after learning that her creators intend to blow her up at the headquarters of a rival company, she turns against her inventors and fights to survive. As she tries to discover the origins of her creation and live long enough to destroy her enemies, she begins to fall in love with another cyborg, Colt-45 (Elias Koteas). While there isn't much to redeem the film, and it was embarrassing enough to keep Jolie from auditioning for a year, her willingness to continue afterwards signaled Jolie's resolve in the face of setbacks (via MadeInAtlantis).

9

Playing God (1997)

Angelina Jolie plays Claire

In Playing GodDavid Duchovny stars as Dr. Eugene Sands, a talented surgeon who has his license revoked after operating under the influence of stimulants. Drowning his sorrows in a bar, mob boss Raymond Blossom (Timothy Hutton) decides to hire him as a mob doctor after seeing him perform a life-saving operation at the bar. While working for the mob, Eugene begins a secret romance with Raymond's wife, Claire (Angelina Jolie).

It's a fairly detailed crime thriller with a twist or two, and for the most part it doesn't offer anything new. However, the three main actors do an excellent job in their respective roles and Jolie and Duchovny have good chemistry. Surprisingly, the usually icy Jolie plays the role of the mob wife a little too warmly, and it's clear that she was still trying to find the right tone in her performance.

8

Pushing Can (1999)

Angelina Jolie plays Mary Bell

Pushing Can is a comedy-drama directed by Mike Newell, starring John Cusack as Nick Falcone, an air traffic controller who has a rivalry with a co-worker, Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton). The pair's rivalry escalates when Nick sleeps with Russell's wife, Mary (Angelina Jolie), after the two spend a night together. Nick, unsure how Russell will retaliate, begins to suspect his coworker of sabotaging him, and it's only a crisis that finally brings everyone together.

Jolie's role is rather thankless and is written vaguely and somewhat superficially. Even so, she manages to bring a bit of pathos and emotion to the charactereven when she's crying over plants for no apparent reason. Jolie rarely calls in for an appearance, and it would have been easy to do so here. Instead, she turns a nothing character into an interesting performance.

7

Firefox (1996)

Angelina Jolie plays Margaret “Legs” Sadovsky

Fire Fox sees Angelina Jolie co-starring as Margaret “Legs” Sadovsky, a teenage drifter who one night takes refuge in a school. There she meets Madeline “Maddie” Wirtz (Hedy Burress), a senior hoping to take it easy in her senior year of high school. Intrigued by Legs, Maddie and her friends, Rita (Jenny Lewis), Goldie (Jenny Shimizu) and Violet (Sarah Rosenberg) follow his advice and confront a teacher who sexually harasses them.

The confrontation goes wrong and everyone is forced to flee. Hiding together, the girls form a close friendship and engage in acts of rebellion as a response to their restricted and unfair lives. Legs is not an exceptionally new character, but Jolie imbues her with life and strength, which makes it clear why the other girls trust her. Burress may be the film's narrator, but Jolie makes the film hers.

6

The Bone Collector (1999)

Angelina Jolie plays Amelia Donaghy

Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Jeffrey Cleaver, The Bone Collector follows quadriplegic homicide detective Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington), who has just joined a rookie patrol, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie). When Amelia stumbles upon the crime scene of a serial killer, she and Lincoln team up to capture the killer before more bodies pile up.

The Bone Collector at times it's closer to a horror film than a hardboiled detective film and many of the plot twists and circumstances are a little too absurd to be taken entirely seriously. Fortunately, acting isn't the problem at hand. The Bone Collectorand Jolie's work as the rookie but talented officer works perfectly alongside Washington's washed-up veteran detective. Jolie works hard to make sure the film's silliness remains fun and not boring.

5

Hackers (1995)

Angelina Jolie plays Kate Libby/”Acid Burn”

While Hackers may not be the best film Angelina Jolie has ever been in, there's little doubt that her starring role as Kate “Acid Burn” Libby in the cult hit is what elevated Jolie to new heights in Hollywood. Hackers follows a group of amateur high school hackers who compete against each other to take down the parts of the government and financial systems they find oppressive. When they uncover a criminal conspiracy, they put their hacking skills to use for the greater good.

Produced during the rise of the internet and the growing interest in hackers and the cyberpunk subculture, Hackers is an extremely outdated film that could really use a reboot. However, the cheesiness of the hacking and the misunderstanding of what the internet would be are part of the film's charm. Furthermore, Jolie's performance as Kate is winning as both an action star of sorts and a romantic lead, an early example of a dual role in which she would frequently excel in the future.

4

Playing by Heart (1998)

Angelina Jolie plays Joana

In Playing by heartAngelina Jolie co-stars as Joan in this comedy-drama about a set of seemingly unrelated characters whose stories end up having some interesting connective tissue. The film follows the budding or failing romances of several characters played by an all-star cast including Ellen Burstyn, Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery and Gillian Anderson. Joan has just ended a relationship and is interested in starting something new with a man she met at a club.

It's a delightful and criminally underrated film, and watching each plot unfold until the end has a satisfying puzzle-box feel. Jolie is a particular standout in the cast, showing real, powerful growth despite her limited screen time. It's a warm and rewarding film and Jolie is a key part of making sure the story sticks.

3

George Wallace (1997)

Angelina Jolie plays Cornelia Wallace

The first of two TV movies in which Angelina Jolie appeared, in the 1990s, George Wallace is a biographical film about the complicated American political figure, George Wallace (Gary Sinise), the 45th governor of Alabama. Angelina Jolie co-stars as Wallace's second wife, Cornelia Wallace. The film follows Wallace's rise in politics and his staunch opposition to integration, a platform exemplified by his notorious quote uttered during his inauguration, “…I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.“

George Wallace also examines his later life, surviving an assassination attempt, and his apparent regret regarding the racism that marked much of his past. Jolie won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance and was nominated for an Emmy in the same category. It was the first major recognition for Jolie, who plays the temperamental Cornelia with energy and humanity.

2

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Angelina Jolie plays Lisa Rowe

Winona Ryder stars in the beloved drama Girl, interrupted as Susanna Kaysen, a high school student who suffers a nervous breakdown after overdosing on aspirin and Adderall. She is sent to Claymoore, a local psychiatric hospital, where she meets other girls her age, each trying to learn how to cope with a mental or behavioral disorder. One of these girls is Lisa Rowe (Angelina Jolie), a diagnosed sociopath who has been in the hospital the longest and often tries to escape.

Lisa becomes close friends with Susanna and a few other girls and invites them along in her escape attempts. Despite her constant lies and manipulative behavior, Susanna cares about her friends and Jolie's performance is heartwarming in how close she brings Susanna to making some kind of real connection for the first time in her life.. It is one of Jolie's most intense and beautiful performances and earned her a SAG, a Golden Globe and an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress categories.

1

Gia (1998)

Angelina Jolie plays Gia Carangi

A TV movie for HBO, Gia is a biopic about Gia Carangi, played by Angelina Jolie, widely considered the first supermodel. Gia follows the model's rise from unknown to superstar, but the loneliness of celebrity life begins to take its toll and Gia begins experimenting with cocaine and heroin. She also falls in love with a makeup artist, Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell), but their passionate affair ends after Linda makes Gia choose between her and her drugs.

Jolie was nominated for an Emmy in the Best Lead Actress category and won a Golden Globe and a SAG in the same category for her performance. It's a completely uninhibited performance from Jolie, who gives the character everything she has in one of her most complete roles. She completely disappears into the role and even in Gia's most emotional moments, Angelina Jolie it gives the character a weight and sadness that is as poignant as it is moving.