Helen (Keira Knightley) and Sam (Ben Whishaw) holding wine glasses on a balcony in Black Doves Netflix recently released a new thriller series starring Keira Knightley called Black Doves, and this project has quickly proven that the British actress needs to appear in more action movies. Knightley’s career began at a very young age, when she took on a small part in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. From there, the actress earned her breakout role in 2002’s Bend it Like Beckham, and soon after, she earned her iconic role as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Carribean franchise. Knightley has long impressed Hollywood, but Black Doves shows she has even more to offer.

Released in early December 2024, Black Doves is a thriller that centers on Helen, the wife of the Secretary of State for Defense who is also part of a spy organization called the Black Doves. When Helen’s husband is killed by London’s underground criminals, she is in danger of being discovered, which leads her employers to send an old friend named Sam to protect her. Despite premiering a few weeks ago, Black Doves has already earned an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has shown a new side to Knightley that audiences have been missing.

Black Doves Shows How Keira Knightley Shines In Action Movies & TV Shows

Knightley’s Power Has Briefly Appeared In Other Movies

Keira Knightley pointing a pistol as Helen in Black Doves Helen (Keira Knightley) and Wallace Webb's (Andrew Buchan) smile next to each other in Black Doves Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) with a blood-covered face talks to Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) in Black Doves Reed (Sarah Lancashire) and Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) talking to each other in a church in Black Doves season 1, episode 6 Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) as Daisy years earlier in Black Doves Keira Knightley pointing a pistol as Helen in Black Doves Helen (Keira Knightley) and Wallace Webb's (Andrew Buchan) smile next to each other in Black Doves Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) with a blood-covered face talks to Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) in Black Doves Reed (Sarah Lancashire) and Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) talking to each other in a church in Black Doves season 1, episode 6 Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) as Daisy years earlier in Black Doves

The main aspect of Knightley’s role in Black Doves that is exciting is the fact that audiences have rarely seen her in this type of role. As Helen, Knightley must be tough, fierce, and ready for combat at any moment. In the series, she shows off her talent as an action star, and even goes so far as to be scary and intimidating. Viewers never doubted that Knightley could take on this type of performance, but to actually see it is incredibly motivating. In fact, this dark, edgy role seems strangely well-suited to the actress.

Of course, Knightley’s previous roles have not been entirely sweet and innocent. Knightley’s most popular franchise, Pirates of the Carribean, saw her in equally dangerous situations where she had to shoot first and ask questions later. At first glance, Elizabeth looks like a fragile flower, but she quickly proves to her pirate captors that she will not go down without a fight. In later movies, she even takes on the role of a pirate. In this way, Pirates of the Carribean set Knightley up to be a convincing spy in Black Doves.

Black Doves Is Keira Knightley’s First True Action Role In Years

Knightley’s Experience With Action Movies

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth scolding some of the people in Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl

Another element of Black Doves that makes it stand out within Knightley’s best movies and shows is the fact that Knightley hasn’t been part of an action project in many years. Pirates of the Carribean saw her in a somewhat action-centered light, and the actress has been part of movies labeled as action, but her playing a combat-heavy character hasn’t occurred in quite a long time. In recent years, Knightley has mostly taken on drama and comedy roles. More than that, her most recent movies have gone somewhat under the radar. Thus, Black Doves is easily recognizable as a change for the actress.

In this way, Knightley has never really been the action hero at the center of the story: until now.

Within Knightley’s resume, only a few action movies actually seem relevant. Aside from Pirates of the Carribean, Knightley has appeared in films such as Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, London Boulevard, and King Arthur. However, even within these films, Knightley typically plays a more subdued character. Although King Arthur’s Guinevere is surprisingly skilled with a sword, she is far from the scariest soldier on the field. In Jack Ryan, Knightley plays a medical student. In this way, Knightley has never really been the action hero at the center of the story: until now.

What Keira Knightley Has Done Since Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

Best Keira Knightley Projects To Watch After Black Doves

Keira Knightley standing on a bridge with the wind in her hair as she looks over her should in Black Doves

Clearly, Black Doves is a big moment for Knightley’s career. Therefore, many may be wondering what the actress has been doing between now and her final major appearance in the Pirates of the Carribean franchise. Following 2007’s Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End, Knightley has appeared in notable feature films such as Atonement, Anna Karenina, Begin Again, and The Imitation Game. For the most part, Knightley has stuck to historical pieces and dramas, but more recently, she has delved further into the crime genre. For example, she starred in the 2023’s series, Boston Strangler.

Ultimately, this type of crime project is exactly what audiences should pick up after watching Black Doves. For those who want to see Knightley take on more conspiracies and bad guys, Boston Strangler is a perfect follow-up. Other strong alternatives include the 2019 film, Official Secrets or London Boulevard. She even has high-stakes films outside the crime genre, including Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Everest. However, Black Doves is the perfect opportunity to see Knightley in a completely new light.