15 Adrien Brody movies that are must watch if you loved him in The Brutalist

With a captivating performance by Adrien Brody in The Brutalist, audiences are left in awe. Perhaps you are one of those who want to explore more of his impressive filmography. Standing tall for almost three decades, Brody never failed to impress the audience with his flamboyant versatility, from being a dramatic lead to a quirky supporting character. Brody has done Oscar-winning performances and has been a darling in quite a few indie films. His treasure chest of cinematic gems is ready to be explored.

We shall explore 15 movies in this list that are vital to an accolade-worthy Adrien Brody watch list that celebrates the actor's range, depth, and commitment to the craft.

15) Summer Of Sam (1999)

Caught in New York City in the glorious 1970s, Adrien Brody plays Richie in Summer Of Sam, a punk rock-loving, defiant young man who is struggling to find himself. With Brody's raw, edgy energy, this characterization perfectly captures typical teenage angst and brooding. As Brody tells Richie's story through his dealings with various people and situations that life throws at a teenager, the performance so brilliantly underlines and adds depth and nuance to the exploration in the film: community, loyalty, and the love of music.

14) Liberty Heights (1999)

In Barry Levinson's nostalgic coming-of-age tale, Liberty Heights Adrien Brody plays Van Kurtzman: a young, rich, charismatic Jew living in 1950s Baltimore. The broody Mr. Brody mellows into an easy, affable charm that somehow eludes the complexities of adolescence and the difficulties both real and imagined of traversing variously colored worlds. Brody imbues warmth and humor into the film's thoughts of community, family, and the mighty power of friendship, as Van goes through the almost always-changing roster of his relationships and selfhood.

13) The Thin Red Line (1998)

In the lyrical, philosophical war drama of Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line, Adrien Brody becomes Corporal Fife, who is an innocent soldier, the embodiment of chaos and brutality during World War II. The performance from Brody is quiet and intense, bringing out fear and confusion, hence the disillusionment in war. That is, Brody shows himself to be real in the portrayal of Fife, who seeks to negotiate the battle of combat. The performance takes the film deeper into an emotional metaphor of the human condition.

12) Midnight In Paris (2011)

In Woody Allen's whimsical romantic comedy Midnight In Paris with Adrien Brody as one of the iconic surrealist artists of Spain, Salvador Dali. Brody brings a delightfully over-the-top energy to the role that is a perfect reflection of Dalí's flamboyant personality and artistic genius. When navigating through the Parisian art scene with Owen Wilson's Gil, Brody adds a flavor of delightful moodiness that combines humor and charm with a touch of lunacy in Midnight's celebration of love, art, and the power of imagination.

11) Detachment (2011)

In Detachment Adrien Brody plays the character of Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who finds it hard to touch base with his students—as well as his own life—and still hopes that there will be meaning in it for him. Brody gives a brilliant performance and gets to show something the role demands: the various nuances that make teaching in a ghetto school so ambiguous and miserable. The harsh realities of the education system are the subject of Henry's meandering course through the film, and Brody adds dimension, emotion, and urgency to this ultimately depressing film about the human experience.

10) Blonde (2022)

The renowned American playwright and husband of Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller, gets to be played by Adrien Brody in Andrew Dominik's bold, unflinching biographic drama, Blonde. Brody recreates the role with a thoughtful response and introspection, full of the spines of a complex yet energetic and sometimes tortured relationship between Miller and Monroe.

Such human full depth, dimension, and vulnerability are brought to bear on the discussion inside the film about all matters of love, identity, and the magic of art as Miller trudges through the morass of his confusing marriage by career, lending Brody's performance additional dimension, nuance, and evident vulnerability.

9) The Village (2004)

The Village by M. Night Shyamalan is a thriller movie shrouded with suspense. It features a performance by Adrien Brody playing Noah Percy, a troubled quiet young man captured in a dark and remote setting surrounding a mysterious forest. In these performances, Brody lends out one of the subtlest and most introspective performances in which he tries to capture all the complex, inner torment of Noah.

Within the secrets and lies of the village, Brody's performance gives added depth, emotion, and an added sense of foreboding to the exploration of fear, trust, and finally the power of other, the unknown.

8) The Jacket (2005)

Jack, an ex-Gulf war soldier played by Adrien Brody in John Maybury's psychological thriller The Jacket, finds himself lost in his experiences and traumas. Haunting and introspective, Brody plays up the entanglements of Jack's needs and the turmoil within. Brody is imbued with a touch of great urgency, scope, and determination in the film's intense exploration of identity, memory, and the human mind as Jack moves through a beautifully laid border between madness and reality.

7) King Kong (2005)

King Kong, an epic adventure by Peter Jackson, features Adrien Brody as Jack Driscoll, a playwright and adventurer tangled in the mission to capture the legendary ape. Brody brings a dashing and charismatic performance to the role, capturing Jack's sense of wonder, courage, and creativity.

As Jack sidesteps the dangers of Skull Island and the complexities of his own heart, Brody's performance adds humor, charm, and a touch of romantic melodrama to the film's celebration of adventure, imagination, and storytelling.

6) The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

In Wes Anderson's delightfully quirky animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale, Adrien Brody lends his voice to Rickity, a lovably awkward and insecure opossum. Brody brings a humorous and endearing quality to the role, perfectly capturing Rickity's awkwardness and charm. As Rickity joins Mr. Fox's daring heist, Brody's performance adds comedic flair and warmth to the film's celebration of friendship, family, and being true to oneself.

5) The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

In Wes Anderson's moving and funny drama The Darjeeling Limited, Adrien Brody plays Peter Whitman - a troubled, disillusioned young man traveling through India undergoing a spiritual journey along with his estranged brothers. Brody definitely delivers a performance rich with nuances as well as compassion, portraying Peter's many conditions, weaknesses, and severe internal emotional wounds.

In fact, while Peter goes through the various obstacles of his relationships and inner conflict, Brody's delivery brings depth, emotion, and a sense of ache to the film's exploration of family, identity, and meaning.

4) Asteroid City (2023)

In the movie "Asteroid City," directed by Wes Anderson, the talented actor Adrien Brody adds all his unique flair and talent to the myriad cast members in this film. His character is inspired by iconic yesteryear actors like Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift and allows Brody to demonstrate the full capacity of his performance abilities and also the means by which he can introduce fine touches to it.

Of course, Brody always makes a special difference when he collaborates with Anderson, and in this case, he makes the character part of its crazy and compelling narrative. Whether a long-time fan or just getting to know Brody, you're sure to be entranced by his performance in Asteroid City.

3) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

In Wes Anderson's glorious and fanciful comedy-drama called The Grand Budapest Hotel, Adrien Brody performs Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis, a villainous and plotting son from a wealthy family. He indeed colors the part with his delightful and overly imposing energy, capturing the arrogance, entitlement, and dramatically exaggerated importance of self that characterize Dmitri.

As Dmitri becomes entangled ever wider in the plot and with its colorful characters, Brody's performance circles between humor, charm, and a little madness into the celebration of those dimensions of the passing time known as friendship and loyalty.

2) The French Dispatch (2021)

An anthology film whose visuals dazzle while amusingly eccentric is The French Dispatch directed by Wes Anderson. It's about an art dealer Julian Cadazio played by Adrien Brody and described as charmingly unscrupulous. The actor seemed to bring a slightly deranged smooth charm into the role translating to Julian's passion for art, crooked ethics in his dealings, and his delightfully eccentric disposition.

As per the film's celebration of art, culture, and the power of storytelling, Brody's performance adds humor, charm, and a touch of sophistication as Julian takes on the complex world of art criticism and collecting.

1) The Pianist (2002)

In Roman Polanski's moving biographical drama The Pianist, Władysław Szpilman is played by Adrien Brody, who portrays as a young son of a talented Polish Jewish pianist but suffers to survive the Nazi occupation in Warsaw during World War II. The performance given by Brody has a really haunting feeling, being deep and emotional in his role to capture Szpilman's courage and resilience in maintaining his art and humanity since it is against an unimaginable horror.

As Szpilman survives the richly treacherous landscape of war-torn Warsaw, Brody's performance adds depth, emotion, and a sense of urgency to the film's exploration of hope, survival, and the transformative power of music.