Top 5 Jamie Bell Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 4 August 2015

Jamie Bell may only be twenty-nine but he has already enjoyed a film career that has spanned over a decade and sees him enjoy huge film success.

Jamie Bell in Fantastic Four

The British actor is set to return to the big screen this week as he takes over the role of Ben Grimm in the reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. The movie will see Josh Trank in the director's chair, while Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Michael B Jordan are on board as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm.

To celebrate the release of the film and the return of Bell, we take a look back over his acting career and some of his movie highlights.

- Billy Elliot (2000)

It was back in 2000 when Bell burst onto the big screen for the first time with Billy Elliot - hard to believe that this big British movie was his big screen-acting debut.

Bell took on the role of a young boy who is torn between his love of dance and the responsibility and expectations of his family in the Stephen Daldry directed film.

Bell's performance as Billy Elliot really did make everyone sit up and take note, as this was the British movie of 2000. From start to finish, this is a touching coming of age story that also explored the social and economic hardship that existed in the north of England in the eighties.

Bell is just wonderful as Elliot, a young boy who discovers that he must rebel against his family to be who and what he wants to be. Bell and Julie Walters make a terrific partnership as dancer and teacher and it is this relationship that really drives the film forward.

Walters takes on the role of Mrs Wilkinson and it is her belief and support of Billy that gives him the courage to strive for what he wants in life. Mrs Wilkinson becomes the support system that Billy does not have at home.

Billy Elliot was both a critical and commercial smash when it was released in 2000 and went on to win a whole host of awards - including Best British Film at the Baftas.

Billy Elliot is the movie that launched the acting career of Bell and since that success; the actor really has never looked back. Billy Elliot may be a film that is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, but it is a film that Bell is still - and will always be - synonymous with.

- Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

In 2006, Bell was part of the fantastic ensemble cast of war movie Flags of Our Fathers, which saw the young actor work with director Clint Eastwood for the first time.

Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, and Barry Pepper were also on board as they played America soldiers who fought the Battle of Iwo Jima during the Second World War. The movie follows six soldiers who raised the American flag during the battle.

Flags of Our Fathers was the first of Eastwood's two WWII movies - the second was Letters from Iwo Jima and explored the Japanese perspective of the battle with the Americans - and is one of the best WWII movies to hit the big screen in recent years.

For me, Flags of Our Fathers was a touching, sincere, and moving movie that explored ideas of heroism as well as depicted the horrors of war. This is a movie that is set in the U.S as much as on Iwo Jima and the juxtaposition between the two settings really does hit incredibly hard.

This is not a movie that has wall-to-wall battle scenes - which I think works in its favour - but when Eastwood did depict those moments, they were gritty, raw, and incredibly powerful.

Bell, Phillippe, Bradford, Beach, and the rest of the cast all give terrific performances as men whose lives are forever changed by what they experienced during the war. They may have gone to battle fighting for their country, but, in the end, they end up fighting for survival and the man next to them.

Flags of Our Fathers is a movie that is a real tribute to the heroes of Iwo Jima and is a war movie that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

- Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books of all time and the Charlotte Bronte novel has been adapted for the big and small screen many times. The last interpretation came back in 2011 when director Cary Fukunaga put his own stamp on this great tale.

The movie saw Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender take on the central roles of Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, while Bell was on board as St John Rivers. This may be a supporting role for Bell but he really is terrific in the film.

Rivers is a man who has a specific idea of what a woman should be and her place in the world. In this interpretation, he is quite a cold character who sees Jane as a potential wife and not really the strong, independent, intelligent woman that she is. The scenes on the moors where Jane rejects his offer of marriage are some of the film's best moments - played beautifully by Bell and Wasikowska

Jane Eyre may be a story that we have seen told many times on the big screen over the years, and yet, Fukunaga has brought a fresh and new feel to his interpretation.

Jane Eyre looks and feels thoroughly modern. Sweeping cinematography and a script that feels far younger than its 19th century home, make Jane Eyre an entirely refreshing place to be. Director Cary Fukunaga must take credit for such a subtle but fantastic job.

Jane Eyre is a movie that is beautifully crafted by the director and boasts some terrific performances - the chemistry between Wasikowska and Fassbender really does drive this movie forward.

- The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

Tintin is one of the greatest and most iconic comic book characters - created by Herge and introduced to the world for the first time back in 1929. In 2011, he was brought to the big screen and saw Bell take on this much-loved character.

The Adventures of Tintin saw Steven Spielberg in the director's chair, Peter Jackson serving as producer, and Bell using motion capture to bring Tintin to life. Bell was joined on the cast list by Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost.

The movie saw Tintin team up with Captain Haddock (Serkis) as they set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.

Firstly, The Adventures of Tintin is a stunning looking movie - once again, we see Weta weave their magic once again to bring this wonderful world to life. We already knew how great Weta were with the work that they did on the Lord of the Rings movies, but they really created a wonderful world and characters with The Adventures of Tintin.

While Tintin is a movie that really knocks it out of the park when it comes to the visuals, there are also some terrific performances to enjoy. Tintin was the first time that Bell has done an entire performance in motion capture, and yet he perfectly conveys emotions through this character and gives him heart. Of course, Serkis is no stranger to this form of acting and he and Bell make a terrific team as Tintin and Captain Haddock.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn was both a critical and commercial hit when it was released in the autumn of 2011 and it went on to win the Best Animated Feature Film Golden Globe. Sadly, it was not nominated in this category at the Oscars.

- Snowpiercer (2013)

Sadly, Snowpiecer was a movie that was not given the big release that is should... however, it is a movie that won over the critics and audiences that did see it and was one of the best sci-fi films of recent years.

The movie was based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige and marked the first English speaking film for director Joon-ho Bong.

Snowpiercer saw Bell star alongside Chris Evans, John Hurt, and Tilda Swinton and is set in the future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet. A lucky few managed to board and survive on the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe. However, a class system has emerged on the train and revolution is brewing.

Snowpiercer is another great ensemble movie for Bell as he and the rest of the cast are all terrific. It is a great central and supporting performance from Evans and Bell, while Swinton is almost unrecognisable as the rather nasty Mason.

Snowpiercer is a bold, beautiful, and action packed movie that explores some interesting themes and ideas. It is one of the most movies that really will have you on the edge of your seat and I loved every moment of the exciting ride.

This is also a bold and highly original movie that has an interesting mix of politics and violence. This was one of the most talked about and highly anticipated films of 2013... and it was one that really did not disappoint.

Bell takes on the role of Edgar, who is just one of many on the train that is battling to survive and has had enough of the class system that has been established. This is a movie about politics, battling to survive and battling for equality with a great cast on top form.