After winning a Golden Globe for embodying the monstrous, eponymous doctor in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Oscar Isaac now stars as another troubled virtuoso, Italian poet Dante Alighieri, in director Julian Schnabel’s film In the Hand of Dante. The drama takes place across two interconnected timelines: the first follows Dante in the 14th century as he works on his preeminent three-part poem The Divine Comedy; and the second tracks a 21st-century author, also portrayed by Isaac, on his violent journey to find Dante’s rumored original manuscript. Both characters question their place in the universe, what it means to be good or evil, and how their art is impacted by their morality.
Isaac is no stranger to the spectrum of right and wrong. He’s portrayed AI-obsessed CEO Nathan Bateman in Ex Machina; an ancient, godlike mutant in X-Men: Apocalypse; and a nefarious alt-universe Spider-Man named Miguel O’Hara in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Despite these more complicated turns, he’s also played his fair share of heroes: Rebel Alliance pilot Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy; Duke Leto Atreides in Dune; and Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, in the superhero series Moon Knight.
Whether he’s the hero, the villain, or something in between, you can watch the following Isaac performances on Netflix.
Rachel Weisz (Vladimir) leads this historical drama as mathematician and philosopher Hypatia, who ensconces herself in the Library of Alexandria as she investigates the boundaries of Rome’s mathematical knowledge. Isaac plays her aristocratic student, Orestes, who grapples with his love for her. Meanwhile, a religious war brews in the streets as opposing forces arrive in Roman Egypt. This biopic, directed and co-written by Academy Award winner Alejandro Amenábar (The Sea Inside), also stars Max Minghella (Babylon).
Season 2 of creator Lee Sung Jin’s anthology series returns with, well, an all-new beef. When a young Gen Z couple, Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), witness an alarming fight between their millennial boss, country club manager Josh (Isaac), and his wife, Lindsay (Carey Mulligan), they become entangled in the pair’s deteriorating marriage. As tensions rise, both couples use their positions to try and curry favor with the club’s new billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), who’s managing her own international scandal involving her second husband, Dr. Kim (Song Kang-ho). William Fichtner (Mom), Mikaela Hoover (ONE PIECE), and Matthew Kim also star.
Writer-director Alex Garland’s (Civil War) directorial debut stars Domhnall Gleeson (A Futile and Stupid Gesture) as Caleb Smith, a programmer who wins a trip to his reclusive CEO Nathan Bateman’s (Isaac) lavish home, where he learns that Nathan has developed an AI-powered android named Ava (Alicia Vikander). Nathan asks Caleb to perform tests on Ava to determine how sentient she really is — but he doesn’t anticipate them striking up a real relationship with potentially disastrous consequences. Sonoya Mizuno (Maniac) also stars in this sci-fi flick that won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel comes to life in writer-director del Toro’s Frankenstein, the story of a mad genius, Dr. Frankenstein (Isaac), who’s seeking to create life from death. Through his many experiments, he births the Creature (Elordi). But Frankenstein’s actions have unforeseen consequences, and he soon finds himself fighting for his own life. Mia Goth (Pearl) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) co-star in this Gothic sci-fi tale, which won three Oscars for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design.
This drama, based on the 2002 novel by Nick Tosches, follows the parallel lives of Italian poet Dante Alighieri (Isaac) in the 14th century and a 21st-century New York author, Nick (also played by Isaac), after he’s recruited by a mafia don (John Malkovich) to steal Dante’s original manuscript of The Divine Comedy. As Dante seeks inspiration to write his most famed work, Nick finds himself struggling with his violent new reality. Gal Gadot (Red Notice), Gerard Butler (Den of Thieves), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Al Pacino (Dead Man’s Wire), and Jason Momoa (Slumberland) also star.
When Hollywood director Tom (Garrett Hedlund) takes a trip to the Mojave Desert to get away from his stressful life and career, he runs into a mysterious drifter, Jack (Isaac), who takes an outsized interest in him. After a brief, violent encounter, Tom thinks he’s rid himself of the interloper, only for Jack to return — and track him to his Los Angeles home. This thriller, written and directed by Oscar winner William Monahan (The Departed), also stars Mark Wahlberg (The Union), Walton Goggins (Fallout), and Louise Bourgoin (I Am a Soldier).
Isaac leads a crew of former US Army Delta Force members as Santiago “Pope” Garcia in Triple Frontier, which co-stars Ben Affleck (The Rip), Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story), Pedro Pascal (Narcos), and Hedlund (Mudbound). When Pope, who’s been working with local police in Colombia to combat drug cartels, learns of a jungle-bound safe house containing $75 million, he approaches his retired comrades to help him steal the cash. This action adventure was directed by Oscar nominee J.C. Chandor (Margin Call) and co-stars Adria Arjona (Hit Man).
