Keira Knightley is a British actress well-known for her starring roles in period dramas about complex female characters. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards.
Knightley began acting in 1995 at the age of ten and made her breakthrough in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham. Since then, she has appeared in some highly critically acclaimed films. Here are Keira Knightley's ten best-rated films, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
A Dangerous Method (78%)
Though viewers weren't fans of this film as much as critics were, it's one of Keira Knightley's most praised performances. She stars alongside Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen in this historical fiction that explores the early days of psychoanalysis.
Knightley portrays a Russian woman named Sabina Spielrein, who sees Dr. Carl Jung (Fassbender) to seek treatment for hysteria. Jung tests Sigmund Freud's methods, which prove to be successful, but it seems that Jung is caught under Sabina's spell.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (79%)
The first film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series was released in 2003. Knightley stars as Elizabeth Swann, the daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann.
In the franchise's first film, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is joined by a blacksmith who wants to free the love of his life from the pirate's associates. Jack's crew has kidnapped her after suspecting she possesses something valuable.
Official Secrets (83%)
Official Secrets is a 2019 war thriller directed by Gavin Hood. Knightley stars as a British intelligence officer who, in 2003, receives a shocking message from the NSA. She learns that the USA is enlisting Britain's help to blackmail the UN into voting for an invasion of Iraq.
Knightley's character must grapple with the decision of what to do with this information, whether she can stand by and watch the world descend into war. Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, and Matt Smith also star.
Begin Again (83%)
Gretta (Knightley) is a budding musician who finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) leaves her. But soon, a record label executive named Dan (Mark Ruffalo) notices her talent.
The musical drama takes a romantic turn as the two form a strong bond. James Corden also stars in the film, which has been compared to director John Carney's earlier and more praised musical Once (2007).
Atonement (83%)
Based on Ian McEwan's novel of the same name, Atonement is an Academy Award-winning adaptation directed by Joe Wright. The film stars a young Saoirse Ronan alongside Knightley, James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and others.
Knightley portrays Cecelia Tallis, who becomes romantically involved with Robbie (McAvoy), a man who has worked for the family for years. Her younger sister Briony (Ronan) falsely accuses Robbie of being a "sex maniac" and possible rapist, ruining his relationship with Cecelia and ultimately leading him to serve for the British army in the Second World War.
Bend It Like Beckham (85%)
Keira Knightley's breakout role is this 2002 sports drama, in which she portrays Juliette Paxton, a rebellious girl who is determined to be a professional soccer player.
Her parents are more or less conservative and want her to stop bending the rules, and instead follow what they deem to be a more traditional path in life for a girl: find a husband and busy herself at home, attending to his needs.
Pride And Prejudice (86%)
Jane Austen's classic novel Pride And Prejudice has been adapted for the screen several times, and Keira Knightley stars in the 2005 film opposite Matthew MacFadyen. Her role as the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, earned her an Oscar nomination.
Elizabeth's mother (Brenda Blethyn) is obsessed with finding wealthy husbands for her daughters, but Elizabeth would rather focus on establishing herself as a respected woman in society. Her father (Donald Sutherland) supports Elizabeth and would prefer her to marry for love than money. But when she meets Mr. Darcy (MacFadyen), she is quick to judge his proud behavior.
Colette (87%)
Keira Knightley plays the titular character, an author named Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who agrees to be the ghostwriter of her husband's novel. However, she soon decides to fight for creative ownership of the work.
The biopic is set in early 20th-century Paris, where Colette writes the semi-autobiographical novel for her husband after moving from the French countryside. The couple becomes the talk of Paris as the book becomes a bestseller. But Colette is inspired to fight against the constraints of gender roles imposed by society and revolutionize the world of literature, and the way people express their gender and sexuality.
Misbehaviour (88%)
Misbehaviour is a 2020 film that unfortunately premiered amid the COVID-19 pandemic, so it hasn't had the chance to be seen by many viewers. Critics have praised the film, which follows a team of women who plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant in London.
In reality, the Miss World competition was the most-watched television program in the world, but the Women's Liberation Movement claimed that it demeaned women. The organization became famous by invading the stage and disrupting the broadcast. When the broadcast resumed, the first black woman was crowned Miss World, which turned the Western ideal of beauty upside-down.
The Imitation Game (90%)
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Keira Knightley's best film is The Imitation Game (2014), in which she stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. The film is directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, whose efforts earned him an Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay.
Cumberbatch's Alan Turing is a British mathematician who joins a cryptography team to decipher a German code. A team of other mathematicians helps him build a machine to crack it.