Adrien Brody movies: 12 greatest films ranked worst to best

For over two decades, Adrien Brody has held one of the most coveted titles in Oscar lore, as the youngest man ever to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Only age 29 when he won his Oscar for “The Pianist,” Brody has since gone on to an acclaimed career in both drama and comedy and has had the opportunity to work with some of the medium’s best directors — some beloved (Spike Lee, Wes Anderson), others not (Woody Allen, Roman Polanski) — but delivers great performances with them all.

Along the way, Brody’s work has been celebrated by both critics and the industry alike. In addition to his Oscar victory, he has been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards and three Emmy Awards, as well as earning nominations at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. With the upcoming release of his latest film, A24’s 215-minute epic “The Brutalist,” that list may increase very soon. It will debut in theaters on December 20, 2024.

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In Brady Corbet’s epic rendering of the corruption of the American Dream, Brody stars as László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian-born Jewish architect who escapes the Holocaust and emigrates to the U.S. in hopes of creating work of which he can be proud. But in spite of (or, perhaps, because of) the support of a wealthy patron (Guy Pierce), he finds that the dream, once achieved, is difficult to keep from being compromised. Brody has never been as raw before onscreen, as he reveals the character’s pain one dramatic layer at a time.

In honor of what looks to be a celebrated year ahead, let’s raise a glass and celebrate the actor by examining the 12 best Adrien Brody movies, ranked. Scroll through our gallery above (or click here for direct access).

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