Angelina Jolie most commercially successful films, including "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) and "Beowulf" (2007), overtly relied at least in part on her sex appeal, with "Empire" stating that her "pneumatic figure", "feline eyes", and "bee-stung lips" have greatly contributed to her appeal to cinema audiences. Conversely, "Salon" writer Allen Barra agreed with critics who suggested that Jolie's "dark and intense sexuality" has limited her in the types of roles she can be cast in, rendering her unconvincing in many conventional women's roles, while Clint Eastwood, who directed her Oscar-nominated performance in "Changeling" (2008), opined that having "the most beautiful face on
Angelina Jolie required her to learn an English accent and undergo extensive martial arts training to play the archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft. Although the film generated mostly negative reviews, Jolie was generally praised for her physical performance; "Newsday"s John Anderson commented, "Jolie makes the title character a virtual icon of female competence and coolth." The film was an international hit, earning $274.7 million worldwide, and launched her global reputation as a female action star. Jolie next starred opposite Antonio Banderas as his mail-order bride in "Original Sin" (2001), the first of a string of films that were poorly received by critics and audiences