Despite presiding over a career mostly taken up by action blockbusters that are a far cry from breakthrough arthouse films, Gal Gadot has grown into one of the most respected actresses of our generation.
Fast & Furious in 2009 marked the Israeli thespian’s breakout in Hollywood, a success she would top by landing the role of Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman in the DCEU. It’s unclear what the future will hold for Gal now that the superhero cinematic universe is getting rebooted, but we decided to review some highlights of her career nevertheless, ranking them from worst to best in this circle.
7. Knight and Day (2010)
Gadot had a brief role to play in Knight and Day, the 2010 action film spearheaded by Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Still, as far as supporting characters go, this one was a memorable performance from the Wonder Woman star. Knight and Day is a very middling, forgettable thriller when all is said and done, but it still bears the mark of James Mangold, who is one of the more acclaimed action filmmakers out there.
6. Red Notice (2021)
Red Notice is one of those films that only work because of their lead actors. In this case, those leads happen to be Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, who elevate a very generic script and make the movie actually bearable. In fact, thanks to this talent, you might actually lose yourself in the rhythm and start to have fun.
5. Death on the Nile (2022)
While this movie fell short of actually capturing the magic of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, there’s something charming about Kenneth Branagh’s honest attempt to bring Hercule Poirot to life. This time around, the enigmatic ensemble is led by none other than Gal Gadot, who portrayed the wealthy heiress Linnet “Linny” Ridgeway-Doyle in the sequel. Whatever else can be said of the sequel and its discernible shortcomings, Gadot was an amazing addition, at times single-handedly carrying the scenes.
4. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
This is probably the best movie on this list, but given the fact that Gadot only plays a minor part, it probably shouldn’t receive the top honors. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a brilliant sequel through and through, and Gadot’s character Shank also shines as the badass NPC racer, Shank. It’s a wonder why Gadot hasn’t been cast as a voice actor in more projects, because her somewhat raspy voice and distinct English accent make her a perfect choice for exotic characters.
3. Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016)
Keeping Up with the Joneses confirmed that Gal Gadot is perfectly capable of embodying a comic character. Besides, whoever thought of teaming her up with Isla Fisher is a genius, because their chemistry in that movie was through the roof, as strange as it might sound on the face of it. You put Zack Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, and Patton Oswalt in a movie, and you’re almost guaranteed to get comedy gold. So imagine our surprise when the character who shined the most among that ensemble was Gadot’s Natalie Jones.
2. Fast Five (2011)
Gisele was an important part of the original Fast & Furious movies. Gadot reprised her role in Fast Five in 2011 and served in Dominic’s crew, while also developing a romantic bond with Han. Gisele is not quite a femme fatale, with Gal trying to channel her inner heroine into the character, keeping her kind, but also surefooted. We singled out Fast Five because it was the best one out of the three entries she appeared in. The character seemingly perishes in the sixth entry, but it is revealed during the mid-credits scene of 2023’s Fast X that Gisele somehow survived.
1. Wonder Woman (2017)
Even after all these years, I still believe the first Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot is the best movie that came out of the DCEU. The 2017 solo outing might feature its fair share of generic plot elements and tired superhero tropes, but Gadot’s magical performance as Diana Prince turned it into something really special. It also proved to everyone that their initial reservations about Gadot were unfounded because we couldn’t have asked for a better Wonder Woman. If James Gunn is half as clever as we take him for, he’ll keep Gadot around for his DCU reboot in some capacity.
