Adrien Brody has established himself as one of the best living actors of our time. With a career spanning from the late 1980s to the present day, Brody has become known for his ability to play a wide range of characters. From his role as eccentric surrealist painter Salvador Dalí in Midnight in Paris to his Oscar-winning performance as a survivor of the horrors of the Holocaust in The Pianist, Adrien Brody brings a mesmerising all-in approach to each of his performances.
In his latest film The Brutalist, Brody plays a famous Hungarian-Jewish architect who must rebuild his life and career from scratch after fleeing to the United States during the second World War. His performance has already been nominated for an Academy Award, reminding us of his incredible acting abilities, so what better time to take a look at Adrien Brody’s best movies to date? Take a look at 10 of Adrien Brody’s best movies, and find out where you can stream them below!
The Pianist
Adrien Brody won an Oscar for Best Actor at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003 for his portrayal of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the horrors of the Holocaust and the destruction of World War II in Warsaw. Brody prepared for the role by dropping a significant amount of weight and mastered some of Chopin’s most complex pieces so that his hands could be used in shots of him playing piano. At 29, Brody’s Best Actor win made him the youngest person to date to win the award.
The Brutalist
Brody was nominated again for Best Actor at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025 for his role as László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect who flees World War II with his wife to the United States. Once there, he realises his reputation was also left behind in the destruction of Europe, and he must work again to establish himself in a hostile new country. However, a chance meeting with a millionaire changes his luck and life forever.
Midnight in Paris
Midnight in Paris is a 2011 film directed by Woody Allen. The film stars Owen Wilson as Gil, a nostalgic screenwriter visiting Paris with his fiancée and her family. As his uncertainty about the relationship grows, he discovers a way to travel back in time to the 1920s where he hobnobs with some of the most well-known artists and intellectuals of the time. In his small but memorable role, Adrien Brody plays the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí to exuberant effect, complete with moustache twirling and wide-eyed chat about rhinoceroses.
The Darjeeling Limited
This Wes Anderson comedy-drama from 2007 tells the story of brothers Jack (Jason Schwartzman), Peter (Adrien Brody), and Francis (Owen Wilson) who go on a journey across India together in an attempt to heal their relationship in the aftermath of their father’s death. Brody’s portrayal of Peter demonstrates both his comedic chops and his masterful ability to show heartfelt emotion as the brothers struggle to reconcile.
Detachment
This 2011 drama from director Tony Kaye sees Adrien Brody star as Henry Barthes, a substitute English teacher who takes a one month position in a struggling American high school. As he gains the students’ trust and respect, he helps them face both personal and academic challenges — while struggling to keep afloat amidst his own personal troubles. In this role, Brody puts his full dramatic prowess on display as his character navigates the complexities of being a teacher trying to support troubled teens.
Summer of Sam
This 1999 drama from acclaimed director Spike Lee tells the story of two childhood friends living in an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx in 1977 when the Son of Sam serial killer starts his killing spree. With the shootings setting the backdrop for the summer, two childhood friends Vinny and Ritchie contend with relationship struggles and their own growing differences. Brody portrays Ritchie, who returns to the Bronx after some time away with a new punk style and a British accent that makes some in the neighbourhood suspicious of him.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
This 2014 Wes Anderson film set in the 1930s tells the story of Gustave, the hotel concierge who provides first-class service to all the guests, but finds himself framed for one of their murders. In this story, Brody plays Dmitri, the villainous son of the owner of the Grand Budapest Hotel who will stop at nothing to steal what he thinks is his rightful inheritance. Brody brings a wicked flare to the part, proving he’s more than capable of playing more sinister roles.
The Village
In M Night Shayamalan’s 2004 horror film, Brody plays Noah, one of the inhabitants of an isolated village in 19th century Pennsylvania whose members live in fear of the creatures living in the surrounding woods. Reality and myth are blended into a narrative of fear to keep the younger members of the population rooted in the town. Brody plays a small but key role in the film, and his portrayal of Noah encapsulates both the innocence and the misguided evil of the character.
The French Dispatch
In this 2021 comedy-drama from director Wes Anderson is divided into five distinct chapters, and Brody appears in the second, The Concrete Masterpiece. He plays the eclectic art dealer Julien Cadizio, who serves a sentence with artist Moses Rosenthaler in the Ennui prison and becomes a passionate fan of his work. The role shows Brody’s ability to provide an expressive, almost silent film-like performance that is both over-the-top and completely convincing.
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson’s 2023 alien saga is set in the 1950s in a fictional desert town where a Junior Stargazer convention is taking place. As the attendees arrive in Asteroid City, an unexpected alien visit upends the convention and their lives. Brody plays a small role in the film as the director of the play depicting the events, Schubert Green, whose deteriorating relationship with his wife causes him to live in the studio for the entire run of the production. Here, Brody crafts a character whose macho tendencies are deeply but believably complimentary to his theatrically wounded nature.
Where to watch Adrien Brody movies streaming online
Find out how (and where) to stream Adrien Brody movies online by scrolling down to the list below. The films are all available to stream online across a variety of platforms in the United Kingdom, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ITVX and more!
