Eric Bana is an Australian actor and comedian whose life in the entertainment world began in his native Australia on the sketch comedy television series Full Frontal. He has since carved out a successful acting career in Hollywood.

Bana has appeared in over thirty movies since his first film Credit in 1997's The Castle. Like most actors, his filmography has some terrible titles but plenty of good and great ones.

In this piece, we'll take you through Bana's 22 finest movies, ending with his best.

1. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008, directed by Justin Chadwick)

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical romantic drama movie based on Philippa Gregory's 2001 novel. It's a fictionalized story of the lives of King Henry VIII's one-time mistress Mary Boleyn and her sister, Anne, who became the ill-fated second wife of the infamous monarch.

Bana plays an unfamiliar version of King Henry VIII of England, and while it's entertaining, it's also bizarre and confusing. Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman play Mary and Anne Boleyn in an equally enjoyable but peculiar way. Jim Sturgess, Kristin Scott Thomas, Mark Rylance, David Morrissey, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, Maisie Smith, Alfie Allen, and Andrew Garfield also appear in the ensemble cast. The Other Boleyn Girl is strange and oddly edited but fast-paced and amusing.

2. The Nugget (2002, directed by Bill Bennett)

The Nugget is an Australian comedy movie about three road worker friends who stumble upon the world's biggest nugget of gold and believe they've become instant millionaires. Still, the situation doesn't bring the satisfaction they expect.

Bana plays Lotto, one of the trio who's generally an unlucky man, alongside a cast of Ozzie actors. The Nugget is quintessentially Australian, so the humor may not be for everyone, but it's funny in parts, has likable characters, and a valuable lesson in money not guaranteeing happiness. It is, however, extremely predictable.

3. The Forgiven (2017, directed by Roland Joffé)

The Forgiven is a South African drama movie based on Michael Ashton's play The Archbishop and the Antichrist. It's a fictional story about Archbishop Desmond Tutu searching for answers during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and his meetings with a fictional character called Piet Blomfeld.

Forest Whitaker plays Archbishop Desmond Tutu in this one and is excellent. Bana portrays the fictional Piet Blomfeld and is equally good. The Forgiven is too slowly paced, but its several powerful narratives, compelling performances, and strong message about forgiveness make it worth watching.

4. Romulus, My Father (2007, directed by Richard Roxburgh)

Romulus, My Father is an Australian drama movie about a Romanian immigrant to Australia after World War II, his wife, and their struggles to raise their son in the face of great adversity.

Bana plays the eponymous Romulus, his wife plays Franka Potente, and Kodi Smit-McPhee plays their son Raimond. Romulus, My Father is a dark film with many sad moments. Still, the acting is terrific, the cinematography is gorgeous, it's so tranquil that watching it is an almost soothing experience, and it's a great expression of the bond between fathers and sons.

5. Love the Beast (2009, directed by Eric Bana)

Love the Beast is a feature-length documentary film documenting the 25-year history of Eric Bana's first car, a 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop that he purchased at fifteen for A$1100, fixed up, and raced. It conveys the car's role in Bana's life and those of his family and friends.

It's an outstanding automotive documentary that car fans will love, but it won't be for everyone. It features significant contributions from Bana, Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, and Jeremy Clarkson. Love the Beast brings Bana's car to life and is sweet, moving, and unpretentious.

6. Hulk (2003, directed by Ang Lee)

Hulk is a superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It's an origin story explaining how Bruce Banner became the eponymous character involving gamma radiation, his pursuit by the United States military, and his clash with his biological father, who also gains superpowers.

This one has a great cast, including Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. Bana plays Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, and does okay. Hulk is an ambitious film with some nifty and inventive split-screen scenes in the mold of comic book panels. It has some great action and outstanding performances from Connelly and Elliott, but it is too long.

7. Troy (2004, directed by Wolfgang Petersen)

Tory is an epic historical war movie loosely based on Homer's Iliad and the decade-long Trojan War. It portrays the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the people involved, including famous figures Achilles, Hector, Paris, Agamemnon, and Helen.

Brad Pitt is the film's lead as Achilles, and Bana plays Hector, with both men shining. The fantastic supporting cast includes Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, Brendan Gleeson, Rose Byrne, and Peter O'Toole. Troy is a tremendous spectacle with some fantastic action scenes. However, it's an inaccurate adaptation of the real story and lacks emotion.

8. The Finest Hours (2016, directed by Craig Gillespie)

The Finest Hours is an action thriller movie based on Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman's 2009 non-fiction book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue. It chronicles the historic rescue of the crew of SS Pendleton by the United States Coast Guard in 1952 after the ship broke in half off the New England coast.

It stars Chris Pine as crewman Bernard “Bernie” Webber, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Bana, who plays Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff. The whole cast is excellent in this. It's a highly detailed film that's beautifully old-fashioned. The Finest Hours is a dramatic rescue movie with a fair amount of tension, but it's not as exciting as it should be.

9. Funny People (2009, directed by Judd Apatow)

Funny People is a comedy-drama movie about a retired stand-up comedian turned movie star who, after getting diagnosed with a terminal illness, attempts to fix the relationships in his life while befriending an up-and-coming star.

It stars Adam Sandler as George Simmons, the retired comedian, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, and Bana as Clarke, the man married to George's ex-fiancée. It's a well-acted film, and Bana does a decent job in his role. As you'd expect, Funny People is amusing but extraordinarily well-written and has a lot of emotional depth. It's too long, though.

10. Hanna (2011, directed by Joe Wright)

Hanna is an action thriller about the eponymous girl raised in the wilderness of northern Finland by her ex-CIA operative father, who trains her to be a skilled and deadly assassin.

The brilliant Saoirse Ronan plays the eponymous Hanna Heller, and Bana plays her father, Erik Heller, and is also fantastic. The excellent supporting cast includes Cate Blanchett, Jason Flemyng, Vicky Krieps, and Tom Hollander. Hanna is a well-acted, deftly-crafted film with loads of energy and fantastic action scenes that will take your breath away. It does, however, burn out a little compared to its frantic and exciting start.

11. Blueback (2022, directed by Robert Connolly)

Blueback is an Australian drama movie about a young girl who goes diving and befriends a wild blue groper, resulting in her becoming a passionate activist for the protection of Australia's coral reefs and their ecosystems from destruction.

Abby, the girl who befriends the fish, is played perfectly by Ariel Donoghue, Ilsa Fogg, and Mia Wasikowska at different ages. Radha Mitchell also has a crucial role. Bana plays “Mad” Macka, another diver, and performs his part well. Although Blueback is a preachy film, it focuses on an important topic and message. It's a lovely mother-daughter film that's visually gorgeous, sweet, sincere, and one for the whole family to enjoy.

12. Lone Survivor (2013, directed by Peter Berg)

Lone Survivor is a biographical war movie based on Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson's 2007 non-fiction book. It's a dramatization of the unsuccessful United States Navy SEALs counter-insurgent mission Operation Red Wings, in which a four-person team got tasked with tracking down a Taliban leader.

Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster play the team members, and Bana plays Erik S. Kristensen, a Lieutenant commander who died on a search and rescue mission to assist the quarter. All five men are superb. Lone Survivor is a vivid account that's grueling, gritty, focused, and intelligent. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

13. Black Hawk Down (2001, directed by Ridley Scott)

Black Hawk Down is a war movie based on journalist Mark Bowden's 1999 non-fiction book. It chronicles the U.S. military's 1993 raid in Mogadishu, and the eponymous Black Hawk helicopter shot down in enemy territory by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The outstanding ensemble cast includes Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Ewen Bremner, Orlando Bloom, Sam Shepard, Ioan Gruffudd, Jason Isaacs, Tom Hardy, Ty Burrell, Jeremy Piven, and Bana, who plays SFC Norm “Hoot” Gibson with absolute assurance. Black Hawk Down earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, and won two for Best Editing and Best Sound. It's a visceral portrayal of war that's ambitious, beautifully filmed, expertly performed, and exciting, and it'll have you on the edge of your seat throughout.

14. Chopper (2000, directed by Andrew Dominik)

Chopper is an Australian crime drama movie based on criminal turned author Mark “Chopper” Read's autobiographical books. The plot chronicles Read's life, particularly his time behind bars.

Bana plays the eponymous character in his breakout role, and it remains his finest showing. He's superb as a man who's equally charming and twisted. Chopper is an intelligent, shocking, disturbing film about an undoubtedly intriguing individual, buoyed by an outstanding performance from Bana and a talented supporting cast. It now has a cult following.

15. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022, directed by Akiva Schaffer)

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a live-action-animated hybrid adventure comedy movie based on the eponymous characters and a continuation of the 1989 animated TV series. The film takes place in a world where cartoons live among humans and follows Chip and Dale as they reconcile thirty years after their show got canceled to investigate the kidnapping of their friend and co-star, Monterey Jack.

Bana voices Monterey Jack, the cheese-loving Australian mouse, and does a brilliant job. The terrific cast and voice cast include John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and J.K. Simmons. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is fast, energetic, funny, and superbly performed, and it impressively blends its live-action and animated ingredients.

16. Back to the Outback (2021, directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps)

Back to the Outback is a computer-animated adventure comedy movie about a group of Australian animals who plot a daring escape to the Outback from their zoo, where humans annoy them by spending all day gawking at them.

The incredible predominantly-Australian voice cast includes Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Guy Pearce, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, and Bana, who plays Chaz Hunt, a zookeeper who pursues the escaped animals. They're all fabulous. Back to the Outback is a gorgeous-looking film with perfect character design and a great score. It's expertly performed, funny, and delivers a warm message about not judging anyone by their appearance.

17. The Castle (1997, directed by Rob Sitch)

The Castle is an Australian comedy movie about a working-class family from Melbourne, Australia, who go head-to-head with city hall after being instructed to leave their beloved family home to enable infrastructural expansion to happen.

Bana plays Con Petropoulous, an accountant and amateur kickboxer who's the husband of the family's only daughter, Tracey. It was his first movie role, and he's excellent. The Castle is considered iconic and one of the funniest Australian comedy movies ever. It's teeming with intriguing, likable, and eccentric characters that you'll root for and exceptionally performed by its outstanding cast.

18. The Dry (2020, directed by Robert Connolly)

The Dry is an Australian mystery drama thriller movie based on Jane Harper's 2016 novel. It's about a federal agent who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, opening a decades-old wound regarding the unsolved death of a teenage girl.

Bana plays Aaron Falk, the federal agent, and performs incredibly. The Dry is a slow-burning film that takes some time to get going, but it's gripping, tight, gritty, and tense. It's one of those movies that will have you sitting uncomfortably in your seat but unable to look away because of its brilliance.

19. Munich (2005, directed by Steven Spielberg)

Munich is an epic historical drama movie based on George Jonas' 1984 non-fiction book Vengeance, which chronicled the Mossad assassinations following the 1972 Munich massacre.

The brilliant cast includes Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, and Geoffrey Rush, with Bana in the lead role as Avner Kaufman, based on the Israeli-American security consultant and founder of Interfor International, Yuval Aviv. Bana's portrayal is complex and convincing, but he got no Oscar recognition tragically. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, but won none. Munich is classy, audacious, dark, courageous, and masterfully acted and directed.

20. Star Trek (2009, directed by J.J. Abrams)

Star Trek is a sci-fi action movie, the first installment in the rebooted series and the eponymous franchise's eleventh film overall. It follows James T. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew in an alternate reality fighting against Nero, a Romulan villain from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets.

It stars Chris Pine, John Cho, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood, Anton Yelchin, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldaña, and Bana, who brilliantly portrays Nero and improvizes the character's speech patterns. Star Trek is a technical triumph with striking visuals, a great story, fantastic action, and superb performances from its all-star cast. Whether you're a fan of the original Star Trek series, new to the franchise, or somewhere in between, you'll love this film.

21. Mary and Max (2009, directed by Adam Elliot)

Mary and Max is an Australian independent stop-motion adult-animated comedy-drama movie about the lives and friendship of the two unlikely eponymous pen-pals; a lonely Australian girl and an overweight American man with Asperger's syndrome.

It has an outstanding voice cast, including Barry Humphries as the narrator, Toni Collette as Mary Daisy Dinkle, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max Jerry Horowitz, and Bana as Damien Popodopoulos, Mary's Greek Australian neighbor who she develops a crush on. Everyone performs superbly. Mary and Max is an inventive, expertly crafted, emotional, and witty film that deserves much more recognition than it's received.

22. Finding Nemo (2003, directed by Andrew Stanton)

Finding Nemo is a computer-animated comedy-drama adventure movie about an overprotective clownfish who, along with a forgetful regal blue tang called Dory, searches for his only son who's gone missing, the eponymous Nemo.

The supremely talented voice cast includes Alexander Gould as Nemo, Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, and Bana, who voices Anchor, a friendly hammerhead shark, with plenty of enthusiasm. It remains one of Pixar's (and indeed Disney's) best films, which is no mean feat, given the quality the studio has produced. Finding Nemo is gorgeously animated, charming, enchanting, and funny, with great characters and a fantastic story.