Known for her performances in independent films and blockbusters, especially period dramas, Keira Knightley has received several awards during her career. These include nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and a Laurence Olivier Award. Her most recent appearance was in Boston Strangler in 2023, but there are several other great films in her repertoire. Check out these six best Keira Knightley movies, ranked by their IMDb scores.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Our sixth selection for best Keira Knightley movies transports viewers back into the world of Jack Sparrow with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. In the second film in the series, Captain Jack Sparrow must race to find the heart of Davy Jones to avoid selling his soul to Jones’ service. To find the chest, Jack enlists the help of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley).
If that wasn’t hard enough, Will and Elizabeth have been sentenced to death, and their only way out is by retrieving Jack’s compass and bringing it to Lord Cutler Beckett.
–IMDb score: 7.4
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5. Love Actually (2003)
Coming in fifth on our list of best Keira Knightley movies is Love Actually, where Knightley plays Juliet. In the film, nine stories and eight couples are intertwined under one common theme: love in London, England, a month before Christmas. Among the characters are David, the new British prime minister who falls for his junior staffer, Sarah, a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother impedes her love life, and Harry, a married man tempted by his new secretary.
–IMDb score: 7.6
4. Atonement (2007)
Diving right into the period films is our fourth selection for the best Keira Knightley movies, Atonement. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Keira Knightley, and James McAvoy, the star-studded cast plunges viewers into life-changing events as 13-year-old Briony (Ronan) accuses her older sister Cecilia’s (Knightley) lover of a crime he (McAvoy) did not commit. Reading a letter she shouldn’t have, Briony misinterprets the situation between Cecilia and Robbie, later falsely accusing him of a crime to “protect” her family.
–IMDb score: 7.8
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3. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Jumping into the top three for best Keira Knightley movies is Pride & Prejudice, based on the classic novel by Jane Austen. The film focuses on five sisters: Jane, Elizabeth (Knightley), Mary, Kitty, and Lydia Bennet, living in Georgian England. One day, their lives get turned upside down when the wealthy and young Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy arrive in their neighborhood, later causing sparks to fly between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Will they be able to overcome their pride and prejudice?
–IMDb score: 7.8
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2. The Imitation Game (2014)
Sink into World War II with The Imitation Game, our second selection for best Keira Knightley movies. Based on the life story of Alan Turning, the British intelligence agency M16 recruits the cryptanalyst to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma, which was thought to be unbreakable. Alongside Joan Clarke (Knightley) and his team, Turning analyzes Enigma and builds a machine to decipher them. While all this is happening, Turning must come to terms with his private life, and the reality that he is gay in a world that does not accept it.
–IMDb score: 8.0
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Last but not least on our best Keira Knightley movies list is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The initial film in the series is the beginning of a fantastic tale between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley). Captured by Captain Barbossa, Elizabeth must rely on Sparrow and Turner’s quick wit to find her and save her from Barbossa and his crew of undead pirates. Captain Barbossa is looking to break the undead curse, unfortunately for Elizabeth, with a blood sacrifice.
–IMDb score: 8.1
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