There’s no denying thatAdrien Brodyis one of the most deservedly acclaimed actors of his generation - he was the youngest-ever Best Actor winner in 2003 for his lead role inThe Pianist, and since then, he’s consistently chosen ambitious and interesting projects. However, in the decades since his historic Oscars win, many of the actor’s most enjoyable films have flown completely under the radar. WithAdrien Brody now predicted to win another Oscar, it’s the perfect time to look back at his career.
Director Brady Corbet brought Adrien Brody right back into the spotlight last year with his astounding new projectThe Brutalist, which follows the life of a Hungarian immigrant who travels to America to achieve his dreams as an architect. It’s a hugely powerful film that explores themes of ambition, politics, and sacrifice in the pursuit of success. WhileThe Brutalisthas faced criticism for its alleged use of AI, it’s still shaping up to be a major contender at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
The Jacket
Cast
The Jacket is a psychological thriller following a military veteran who undergoes a shocking journey into the future. As he foresees his own death, he grapples with life-altering questions that could impact his survival and the lives of those he cares about.
The Jacketisn’t a particularly well-known film, much less a critically acclaimed one, but it remains one of the biggest surprises in Brody’s filmography. The story follows a war veteran who finds himself institutionalized for his mental struggles after returning home, only to discover that he’s been chosen as a test subject for secretive experiments. With an excellent supporting cast featuring names such as Daniel Craig, Keira Knightley, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Maybury’s film isa subversive and unpredictable drama that draws inspiration from the sci-fi genre in the most fascinating ways.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is a 1993 film adaptation of A. E. Hotchner’s memoir, depicting a young boy’s struggle for survival in a St. Louis hotel during the Depression. With his mother in a sanatorium and his father often absent on sales trips, he navigates life mostly on his own.
King of the Hillis one of Adrien Brody’s earliest roles, landing at a point in his career before he was particularly well-known as an actor. As such, it often goes overlooked among his other projects. But this powerful coming-of-age drama is an excellent example of how to do epic storytelling on an intimate scale.The narrative centers around a young boy who is separated from his familyin St. Louis during the Great Depression, forced to create a new life for himself and protect himself from the greed of those around him.
King Kong
Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name. When enterprising filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) decides to travel to the mysterious skull island, he hires naive young actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) to star in the film he intends to make. Denham’s crew of actors discovers the island’s big secret: Kong, a 25-foot-tall giant ape. Denham’s ambition gets the better of him, and he exploits Darrow’s bond with Kong to kidnap him, bringing him back to New York to exploit him for profit.
Hot off the heels of Brody’s Oscar-winning performance inThe Pianist, the actor’s role in Peter Jackson’sKing Kongadaptation is one of his best to date. The performance is best remembered forAdrien Brody’s crowd-pleasing driving skillsduring an unforgettable final-act car chase, but the whole movie is filled with underrated moments like this. While he’s not the star of the show,Brody is certainly the highlight of the supporting cast, which is saying something in a movie that also features Jack Black, Naomi Watts, and Andy Serkis.
Detachment
Detachment is a film directed by Tony Kaye that explores the lives of educators and students over three weeks, focusing on Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who offers insights while avoiding emotional connections as he moves from school to school.
WhileDetachmentis a more low-key entry in Brody’s filmography, that doesn’t make it any less deserving of recognition. The film centers around a substitute teacher who’s emotionally disconnected from his own life, coasting through his career until his entire worldview is changed by three separate women who ground him in reality.Detachmentis an extremely personal and honest filmabout the dangers of losing touch with the real world, and getting stuck inside your own head.
Adrien Brody Will Become Just The 8th Actor To Hold An Amazing Oscars Record If He Beats Timothée Chalamet For Best Actor
Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet are neck-and-neck in the Best Actor race for the 2025 Oscars. If the former wins, he’ll join an elite club.
WhileBrody’s performance inDetachmentis much more subtleand restrained than something likeThe BrutalistorThe Pianist, that works in the actor’s favor. It’s an archetype that audiences hadn’t really seen from him before, and he really makes it work here. The film has a very strong command of this character, and Brody’s expressive performance helps the audience more fully connect with him.
The Darjeeling Limited
The Darjeeling Limited (2007), directed by Wes Anderson, follows three estranged brothers who embark on a journey across India by train to reconnect with one another. Starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, the film blends drama and comedy as the siblings navigate personal grief and family tensions in the backdrop of India’s vibrant landscape.
The Darjeeling Limitedis rarely considered amongWes Anderson’s best projects, but that’s only because of the respective strength of the rest of his filmography. With such critical darlings asThe Grand Budapest HotelandThe Royal Tenenbaumsunder his belt, this staggering comedy-drama is often forgotten in the shuffle.The film follows three brothers who embark on a long train journeythrough India following the sudden death of their father, healing old wounds and repairing broken relationships.
Much of Wes Anderson’s filmography centers around the family dynamic and its tragic fragility, but few of them capture it as effectively asThe Darjeeling Limited.The film bears all the trademarks of the director’s signature visuals, albeit with rougher edges as he was just beginning to develop this style. The lead performances fromAdrien Brody,Jason Schwarzman and Owen Wilson are also flawless, as they bring to life some of the strongest and best-written characters of Anderson’s career.
