'Defending Jacob': Top 5 Chris Evans films to watch while waiting for the Apple TV+ crime drama
There's more to Chris Evans than just being Captain America. From playing Jake in 'Not Another Teen Movie', to a party boy in 'London', the Boston actor has come a long way. He's donned the suit and picked up the shield as Cap in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in three standalone films, 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (2011), 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (2014) and 'Captain America: Civil War'. Add to these, the four-part Avengers installments and that's enough fame and fortune to last several lifetimes.
Now that his Marvel stint is pretty much done (The world still wants him back as Cap), the 38-year-old has gone on to star in a few movies that aren't superhero flicks. Evans is also set to star in 'Defending Jacob', the much-anticipated Apple TV+ crime drama where he plays a Massachusetts Assistant District Attorney whose 14-year-old son is accused of murder. Created by Mark Bomback and directed by Morten Tyldum, the 10-part series stars Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Sakina Jaffrey, Betty Gabriel, and JK Simmons.
Premiering on April 24, the official synopsis reads: "'Defending Jacob' is a limited drama series that unfolds around a shocking crime that rocks a small Massachusetts town, and follows an assistant district attorney who finds himself torn between his sworn duty to uphold justice and his unconditional love for his son."
And while we wait patiently for the series to debut, here are our picks of the top five films where Evans has proved that he could star in different genres.
'Gifted' (2017)
'Gifted' is an emotional flick that sees Evans play Frank Adler, a doting uncle, and de factor guardian. The story follows a single man raising his intellectually gifted niece and fighting for her custody with her grandmother who wants to push the child. The film boasts of a healthy approval rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics' consensus reading: "Gifted isn't quite as bright as its pint-sized protagonist, but a charming cast wrings respectably engaging drama out of a fairly predictable premise."
'Gifted' is directed by Marc Webb and written by Tom Flynn and stars Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer in supporting roles.
'Sunshine' (2007)
Much before his debut as Captain America, Evans starred in 'Sunshine', a Danny Boyle-directed visual masterpiece. The events of the film are set in 2057 where a team of eight astronauts attempts to jumpstart a dying sun back to life. The ensemble cast features Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, and Chipo Chung. The movie was positively received by critics who praised Boyle for the stunning graphics and intelligent action.
'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' (2010)
Edgar Wright's action-comedy was based on the graphic novel series 'Scott Pilgrim' by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Evans played Lucas Lee, a hotshot skateboarder who faces off against Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a slacking musician. For those who have seen him as a true leader and an inspirational superhero in the MCU, watching him play a baddie is a new experience. Plus, the movie is downright funny.
'Snowpiercer' (2013)
Between 'Avengers' and 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', Evans starred in a science-action flick, 'Snowpiercer' based on the French graphic novel 'Le Transperceneige' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette.
The movie takes place aboard the Snowpiercer, a luxury train, carrying the last remnants of humanity after an attempt at climate engineering goes terribly wrong creating a new Snowball Earth. Evans plays Curtis Everett, a member of the lower-class tail section passengers as they lead a revolution against the elite of the front of the train. The film is directed by Bong Joon-ho and opened to positive critical acclaim.
'Knives Out' (2019)
Rian Johnson's crime whodunit stars Evans as Hugh Ransom Drysdale. The film features an ensemble cast, starring Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer. Craig plays a detective investigating the murder of a family patriarch while Evans plays the role of a baddie.
The film boasts of a staggering 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics' consensus reading: "'Knives Out' sharpens old murder-mystery tropes with a keenly assembled suspense outing that makes brilliant use of writer-director Rian Johnson's stellar ensemble."
Let us know which are your favorite Chris Evans movies.
