Renowned actress, director, and activist Angelina Jolie has left her name in several chapters of history. As an actress, she’s received numerous awards and accolades for her performances in pictures like Girl, Interrupted, Maleficent, and Gia. Since 2011, Jolie has branched out into directing and received even more acclaim for her masterful work. With humanitarian awards, missions to refugee camps, and advocation for women’s rights under her belt, it seems there’s nothing Jolie hasn’t done!

Updated November 17th, 2022: Curious about the beginning of Angelina Jolie’s career? You’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with new entries.

Of course, everyone has to start somewhere, and Jolie got her first big break back in the late-1980s. Her appearance alongside father Jon Voight in Lookin’ to Get Out gave her the footing to build a portfolio of films throughout the 90s, and many of these hidden gems are a treat. Jolie has always been a force of nature on the silver screen, and her earlier works paved the way for her to become one of Hollywood’s most impressive performers. Recently, Jolie locked in a three-year deal with Fremantle. As we anticipate her adaptation of Without Blood, let’s take a walk down memory lane. Here’s our ranking of Angelina Jolie’s best 90s movies, ranked.

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10 The Bone Collector

     Universal Pictures

The eerie 1999 thriller The Bone Collector is based on a crime novel by Jeffrey Deaver, and Jolie portrays new cop Amelia Donaghy to Denzel Washington’s seasoned forensics scientist, Lincoln Rhyme. After a tragic accident left him almost completely paralyzed, Lincoln must join forces with Amelia to track down a malicious serial killer and put an end to his sadistic crimes. The duo has fantastic chemistry, and Jolie tackles the role of an up-and-coming police officer with much gusto.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 Love Is All There Is

     The Samuel Goldwyn Company

The world has never seen an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet quite like this Love Is All There Is. This 1996 rom-com pits the Sicilian Capomezzo family against the Florentine Malacicis, and the backdrop of 90s New York is perfect for taking the story to a new level.

Jolie stars as Gina Capomezzo, a lovely young lady who steals the heart of Rosario Malacici when she’s cast in the local church play (which is, of course, Romeo and Juliet). The story is a little cheesy, but Gina and Rosario have a sweet relationship and believable chemistry throughout the film.

8 Hell’s Kitchen

     The Kushner-Locke Company

This is a pretty interesting entry on Jolie’s list — though the film only grossed around $4,300 on opening weekend in 1998, the critical reviews are actually a lot higher than you might expect. Hell’s Kitchen tells the story of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong, and robber Johnny is jailed for five years.

Jolie’s character, Johnny’s ex-girlfriend Gloria, blames him for her brother’s death and implores her new boyfriend to kill him as revenge. Despite this, Johnny attempts to turn his life around by starting a boxing career when he’s finally released from incarceration.

7 Pushing Tin

     20th Century Fox

1999’s underrated dark comedy Pushing Tin saw Jolie on the silver screen alongside other huge industry names like Cate Blanchett, John Cusack, and Billy Bob Thornton. The comedy-drama showcases two couples — Mary and Nick (Jolie and Cusack), and Connie and Russell (Blanchett and Thornton) — both of whom are connected by Nick and Russell’s careers as air traffic controllers. The four find themselves deeply entangled in affairs and personal problems, and Jolie’s performance as the emotionally despondent Mary is very convincing.

6 Foxfire

Young Angelina Jolie made waves in this dramatic coming-of-age tale as Foxfire’s protagonist Legs, a wildly free-spirited teenager who shakes up the lives of four other high school girls. Based on the novel Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, Legs takes Maddie, Rita, Violet, and Goldie on a wild ride as the group dive into the world of crime and rebellion. The whole film is over-the-top, and Jolie gives a stellar performance as a lonesome drifter.

5 Without Evidence

     At Entertainment

Another early thriller in Jolie’s roster, 1996’s Without Evidence is based on the true story of the murder of Michael Francke, the former Head of Corrections in the state of Oregon. Francke informed his brother Kevin about a possible drug ring involving some of his work colleagues, and Kevin took it upon himself to investigate after his brother was killed. Jolie plays Jodie Swearingen, a woman heavily involved in the lies and deceit of the seedy lore surrounding Michael’s death.

4 Hackers

     MGM/UA Distribution Co.

Made in 1995 when the Internet was unfamiliar to most, Iain Softley’s crime thriller Hackers takes a deep dive into ‘cutting-edge’ technology and focuses on the lives of a group of teenage computer hackers. The plot follows Dade ‘Zero Cool’ (played by Jonny Lee Miller), his love interest Kate ‘Acid Burn’ (Jolie), their friends and their involvement in the online war. The film is pure fun, as long as you don’t take Hackers’ computer stuff seriously. Looking like a cyber-princess, young Jolie stole the show.

3 Playing By Heart

     Miramax Films

A relatively well-received romantic comedy, 1998’s Playing By Heart gives us Angelina Jolie in an ensemble cast of talented actors. The movie is divided between several characters and couples experiencing difficulties in life and love. Jolie takes on the role of Joan, a woman looking for a good time but ultimately finding love in a man she never expected, Keenan, played by Ryan Philippe.

2 Gia

     HBO

A heartbreaking, intimate look into the tragic life of Gia Carangi, one of the world’s first supermodels, this 1998 biographical drama about the darker side of the fashion and modeling industry is simply unforgettable. 23-year-old Jolie gave it her all in the portrait of the lonely self-destructive supermodel. Bringing a lot of innocence and fragility to Gia, Jolie won for her breakout role a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and was nominated for an Emmy Award.

1 Girl, Interrupted

     Columbia Pictures

Perhaps one of Jolie’s most recognizable works, Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 psychological drama that follows a group of young women dealing with mental illness and trauma in a psychiatric hospital. Jolie’s character, the sociopathic Lisa, serves as a rebellious force and encourages protagonist Susanna to attempt an escape from the hospital with her. It’s heart-wrenching and hard to watch at times, but the movie is impeccable and Jolie is truly a force to be reckoned with. Girl, Interrupted earned Jolie her first Oscar nomination and win for Best Supporting Actress.