Adrien Brody Movies
An actor who hovered far too long on the brink of stardom before getting his due recognition, Adrien Brody spent much of his early career falling victim to the slings and arrows of outrageous PR. Possessing undeniable talent and looks that recall both the wasted elegance of an Aubrey Beardsley illustration and a young and hungry Al Pacino, Brody spent much of the 1990s as a candidate for his generation's "next big thing." But despite roles in two high-profile movies -- Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line (1998) and Spike Lee's Summer of Sam (1999) -- and the publicity that accompanied them, it was not until Brody was cast as the lead in Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002) that he won the recognition which had previously eluded him.Born on April 14, 1973, in New York City, Brody was raised in Queens. The son of a schoolteacher and a celebrated photojournalist, he was drawn to acting from an early age. Brody's first taste of show business came when he was 12-years-old and performed as a magician at children's parties; with his mother's encouragement, he subsequently enrolled in acting classes, attending both the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the High School for the Performing Arts. He found his earliest work in off-Broadway productions, and made his television debut in 1998 with a PBS movie and a turn as Mary Tyler Moore's son in the comedienne's ill-fated sitcom Annie McGuire.
Following his professional debut, the actor returned to school and attended a year of college before being cast in Steven Soderbergh's 1993 Depression-era drama King of the Hill. The film, which cast Brody as its protagonist's delinquent mentor, met with wide critical acclaim and presented him with new opportunities. He won roles in several films, including 1994's Angels in the Outfield and 1997's The Last Time I Committed Suicide, a paean to the beat generation that co-starred Keanu Reeves, Gretchen Mol, and Claire Forlani.
That same year, Brody had lead parts in The Undertaker's Wedding and Six Ways to Sunday, two fairly obscure films that paved the way for both more high-profile work and a turn as one of Vanity Fair's "Hot, Young, and Full of Fun" cover boys. With the 1999 cover and principal roles in two highly anticipated films, The Thin Red Line and Summer of Sam, Brody seemed perfectly positioned to step into the limelight. Unfortunately, his scenes in the former ended up on the cutting room floor, victims of time constraints. But Brody's turn as a bisexual punk in the latter earned positive notices, and was hailed by numerous critics as one of the strongest points in Lee's flawed but compelling film.
Brody continued to do solid work in films like Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights (1999) and Ken Loach's Bread and Roses (2000), but it wasn't until he was cast as the eponymous protagonist of Roman Polanksi's The Pianist that critics -- and the Academy -- really took notice of his work. For his portrayal of the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist struggling to survive the Holocaust in the Warsaw Ghetto, Brody invested himself mentally, emotionally, and physically in the role, and was rewarded for his dedication with numerous honors, including the French César and an Oscar that made him the youngest-ever recipient of the Best Actor award. Many observers felt the quality of his performance in the film was matched by that of his acceptance speech, given only days after the U.S. went to war with Iraq: after bestowing a long kiss on a very surprised Halle Berry, who presented him with the award, he went on to give a speech that managed to combine heartfelt gratitude with an eloquent plea for peace and goodwill. It was an accomplishment that brought much of the ceremony's audience to a standing ovation and ensured that although fame had eluded him in the past, Brody had finally and deservedly won his time in the limelight.
Brody followed up his triumph as The Village idiot in M. Night Shyamalan's allegorical film, and starred in the little-seen psychological thriller The Jacket. However, in 2005, Brody starred in Peter Jackson's gargantuan remake of King Kong. He returned to more independent films as a man attempting to unravel the mysterious death of George Reeves in Hollywoodland, and teamed with Todd Haynes in his unconventional Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Updated from the 1951 film of the same name, Angels In The Outfield takes liberties with the original to bring sentimental values to a modern setting. Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a foster child whose irresponsible father promises to get his act together when Roger's favorite baseball team, the California Angels, wins the pennant. The problem is that the Angels are in last place, so Roger prays for help to turn the team around. Sure enough, his prayers are answered in the form of angel Al (Christopher Lloyd), and, before you know it, the Angels' bitter manager (Danny Glover) is watching in amazement as his team starts making the plays -- with the help of angels visible to the audience only as glowing special effects. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Tony Danza, (more)
- 2009
An English-language throwback to the type of distinctly Italian thriller that earned him the international reputation as "The Italian Hitchcock," Dario Argento's Giallo once again teams the director with producer and younger sibling Claudio Argento to tell the tale of a serial slasher with a penchant for cutting beautiful women. After discovering that her sister has been abducted by a notorious serial killer who operates under the name "Yellow," an American flight attendant enlists the aid of an Italian investigator in seeking out her missing sibling. Asia Argento, Adrien Brody, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Elsa Pataky star in this thriller, penned by screenwriters Jim Agnew and Sean Keller. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elsa Pataky
Strap yourself in for the Gumball 3000, an extreme drive-by-day/party-by-night 3,000-mile spectacle that features speed, fearless celebrities and high-powered exotic cars. From Paris through Europe and back to Cannes, this is racing as never seen before with this glitzy trip through the wildest road race this side of Cannonball Run. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
In this moving drama set near the turn-of-the-century, a New York orphan is placed aboard the notorious orphan train (part of a government program in which parentless inner city kids were shipped to midwestern farms to be adopted out or used for cheap labor in hopes of bettering their lives) and sent to a Nebraska farm. The family who adopts him still grieves over the loss of their first son and at first tries to use the new boy as a replacement for him. But the young man wants to be loved and appreciated for being himself and a struggle ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A 15-year-old cheerleader named Angel (Shannon Doherty) falls for Tony, a dope-smoking, leather-clad punk (Antonio Sabato Jr.). He robs two stores, making her a local pariah. Her family moves to Bakersfield to make a new beginning, and she falls in love with a local jock. But Tony breaks out of jail, kills a cop and comes hunting for her. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Adrien Brody and Penélope Cruz star as legendary Spanish matador Manolete and his tempestuous girlfriend Lupe Sino, respectively, in director/screenwriter Menno Meyjes' tale of love and bullfighting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Penélope Cruz, (more)
- 2003
This 2003 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Adrien Brody and features musical guests Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Wayne Wonder, (more)
- 2008
Two scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) embark on a dangerous journey when they splice human DNA into preexisting genetic-engineered experiments in this sci-fi thriller from director Vincenzo Natali and executive producer Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth). ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, (more)
- 2009
Adrien Brody stars as a courier who's been given the task of delivering a briefcase to a member of the mob in hiding while various crime families and corrupt officials are hot on his heels. Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) directs from a script by Wanted scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Narrated by motorcycle enthusiast Ewan McGregor, The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid documents a celebrated 2005 MotoGP race. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
The mother of undertaker Mario Bellini (Adrien Brody) would like to see him married, but the ladies aren't especially entranced by his funeral parlor -- where profits are soaring due to an ongoing mob war. To bring peace, Alberto (Burt Young), boss of the Strachitella family, has his gun-wielding brother Rocco (Jeff Wincott) bumped off. But it's only a staged death, and Mario is told to hide Rocco at the funeral home. Mario takes an interest in Rocco's wife Maria (Kari Wuhrer). Rocco can't keep away from Mario's girlfriend Louise (Holly Gagnier). Maria goes into a murderous rage when she discovers Rocco has been cheating on her. She kills her husband, and then turns to Mario for help. Shown at Montreal's 1997 World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Jeff Wincott, (more)
- 2003
- Add Tori Amos: A Sorta Fairytale [DVD Single] to QueueAdd Tori Amos: A Sorta Fairytale [DVD Single] to top of Queue
Tori Amos fans will be treated to the music video for "A Sorta Fairytale," her latest single at the time of the release. This DVD also includes a making-of featurette, and an interview with Amos herself. The video co-stars Adrien Brody, who won an Oscar for his performance in The Pianist. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tori Amos
Leftist filmmaker Ken Loach directs this grim drama about the plight of seemingly invisible office cleaners in contemporary L.A. who often earn as little as $6 a day without benefits. The film opens as Maya (Pilar Padilla), a young Mexican lass, is reuniting with her older sister Rosa (Elpidia Carrilio) in L.A. after a harrowing cross-border journey. Rosa sets her sister up first with a job as a barmaid, which Maya soon quits after getting repeatedly groped -- and then as a janitor. When her boss demands one month's salary as "commission," Maya happens upon Sam Shapiro (Adrien Brody), a muckraking lawyer and union agitator. This film, which was screened in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, is remarkable for its prescience -- it was shown a month after a massive janitor's strike ground L.A.'s business community to a halt. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo, (more)
Seven years after his comedy Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), former music video director Julien Temple returned to feature films with the direct-to-video crime melodrama Bullet (1995), which featured a fine supporting cast. Mickey Rourke stars as Butch "Bullet" Stein, a Jewish junkie from the mean streets of Brooklyn who is paroled after eight years in prison. Butch rips off a runner for local drug dealer, Tank (Tupac Shakur), and is soon right back into his old habits of snorting coke and shooting up heroin with his best friend Lester (John Enos III). Enraged by Butch's affront and already determined to get revenge on him for a past wrong, Tank sets about getting even with his old enemy by hiring a hulking brute, Gates (Ray Mancini) to beat Butch. When the confrontation occurs, however, Gates breaks his hand on the battle-hardened Butch. Besides Lester, the only people in Butch's corner are his two brothers, the mentally-unhinged Vietnam War veteran Louis (Ted Levine) and aspiring artist Ruby (Adrien Brody), neither of whom can be counted on to help him in the inevitable showdown. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rourke, Tupac Shakur, (more)
Directed by TV veteran Darnell Martin, the musical drama Cadillac Records documents the compelling true-life story of the Chicago record label that helped the world discover such legendary artists as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry. Founded in 1950 by Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), Chess Records quickly gained a reputation as home to some of the most talented and influential blues artists ever to step into a recording studio. But giving these musicians an opportunity to bring their music to the world was no easy task, because along the way there was enough sex, drugs, and rock & roll to ensure that things around Chess Records never got boring. Featuring Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Gabrielle Union as Geneva Wade, Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, and Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, (more)
The sophomore effort from writer and director Greg Pritikin, who previously co-directed and acted in 1998's Totally Confused, Dummy stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Summer of Sam) as Steven, a recently unemployed ne'er-do-well who has difficulty expressing himself. Steven's best friend is Fanny, an aspiring singer played by Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Resident Evil) who, along with Steven, is just looking for her niche. Eventually Fanny takes a shine to Yiddish music and Steven finds he has a knack for ventriloquism. Through his newfound talent, Steven discovers that he is able to overcome his social problems through his dummy and decides to try impressing and winning the heart of Lorena, played by Vera Farmiga (Autumn in New York, 15 Minutes). The winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Santa Barbara Film Festival, Dummy also stars Illeana Douglas and Jared Harris. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, (more)
French director Elie Chouraqui adapts the novel of the same name into this drama, that, although set in 1991, became tragically topical in the weeks before its release due to the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Andie MacDowell stars as Sarah, a photo editor for Newsweek and the happily married wife of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Harrison Lloyd (David Strathairn). Harrison has been reconsidering his career of covering the world's war zone "hot spots" in order to spend more time with his family, and is accused by his colleague, Kyle (Adrien Brody), of playing it too safe in his risky profession. Harrison elects to accept one more combat assignment to cover the simmering tensions in Croatia, a conflict that quickly erupts into a full-scale, genocidal Civil War. Informed that Harrison is believed to have been killed in the fighting, Sarah refuses to accept her husband's death and becomes convinced that she's seen him, alive, in a news broadcast. She travels to Croatia on a quest to find him, and is eventually aided by Kyle, as well as two of Harrison's other colleagues, Yeager (Elias Koteas) and Stevenson (Brendan Gleeson). The group, armed with cameras instead of weapons, witnesses the horrors and atrocities unfolding in the region, while tracing the elusive path of Harrison, who may well be dead already. Harrison's Flowers was distributed by Universal Focus, the art house division of Universal Pictures that previously released Mulholland Drive (2001) and Billy Elliott (2000). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, David Strathairn, (more)
The mysterious and unexpected death of an iconic Hollywood star may be just the tip of an iceberg of scandal in this show biz drama based on a true story. George Reeves (played by Ben Affleck) was a journeyman actor who had played a small role in Gone With The Wind and appeared on screen with the likes of James Cagney, Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich, but his career was not exactly booming when he was cast as comic book hero Superman in a 1951 B-movie, Superman and the Mole Men. A year later, the producers of the movie launched a syndicated Superman television series with Reeves returning as the Man of Steel. The show became a major hit, and Reeves was a star at last. However, on June 16, 1959, to the shock of many, Reeves was found dead of a gunshot wound. Police soon declared Reeves' death a suicide and closed the case, but his mother (Lois Smith) refused to believe her son took his own life, and hired Louis Simo (Adrian Brody), a private detective, to find out the truth about her son's passing. Simo found many Hollywood insiders did not care to cooperate as he researched the Reeves case, but his digging uncovered plenty of evidence suggesting the actor did not take his own life, and he also revealed one of Reeves's deepest secrets -- while he was engaged to marry a pretty young starlet, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), Reeves was also carrying on an affair with the beautiful Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), a powerful and ill-tempered executive at MGM. While the producers of Hollywoodland based their story on factual accounts of the investigation into the death of George Reeves, they were denied permission to use the Superman logo and the familiar introduction to the Adventures of Superman television show by the respective copyright holders. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, (more)
Writer/director Barry Levinson returns to his home town of Baltimore, where he previously set three nostalgic features (Diner, Tin Men, and Avalon) for this story of two brothers growing up in the tumultuous days of 1954, as rock 'n' roll, the atom bomb, and the civil rights movement changed the way teenagers looked at the world. One of the brothers has fallen in love with a beautiful girl who, to the chagrin of his family, is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Protestant, while the other has an even bigger shock for his folks: his new girlfriend is black. Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth play the parents, with Adrien Brody, Vincent Guastaferro, Orlando Jones, David Krumholz, and Kiersten Warren also topping the cast. Tom Waits wrote several original songs for the film, while Andrea Morricone (daughter of Ennio Morricone) wrote the score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Ben Foster, (more)
This contemporary film noir is an international endeavor with key creative forces hailing from China, Germany, and the United States. It is based on the Chinese novel Yoban shi huoyan she hai shu (Fire and Ice) by subversive writer Wang Shuo, who has been called a "corruptor of youth" by critics in his native land. German screenwriter/director Peter Sehr fell in love with the novel and chose to adapt it as a film set in New York City. For Sehr, the location best represents a contrast of "people and light" that compliments the film's subject matter, a dark love story between a brilliant biology student and a master swindler. Claire is a good girl living a mundane lifestyle until she meets literature-quoting con man, Jack. Although Jack normally despises relationships, he's attracted to Claire's innocence and allows a romance to blossom. But when a detective begins closing in on a his latest caper, he's forced to give Claire the cold shoulder. Heartbroken, Claire starts down a spiraling road of self-destruction that's often painful to watch. Performance highlights are Adrien Brody as Jack, and Pam Grier in a tough-lady role reminiscent of Jackie Brown. ~ Connor McMadden, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Charlotte Ayanna, (more)
A police detective is on the trail of a psychopath while dealing with demons of her own in the crime thriller Oxygen. Madeline Foster (Maura Tierney) is a plainclothes detective with the NYPD who isn't especially happy with her job. She drowns her sorrows in alcohol and masochistic sex, though even her husband (Terry Kinney) is unaware of the full extent of her erotic obsessions. Madeline finds herself assigned to investigate an unusual kidnapping; Frances (Laila Robins), the wife of a prosperous businessman (James Naughton), has been kidnapped and buried alive. The perpetrators demand the ransom be paid within 24 hours, or the air will run out and Frances will be dead. Madeline surmises that the kidnapper is a career criminal known to the NYPD as "Harry Houdini" (Adrien Brody) for his remarkable ability to escape capture. It soon becomes clear that "Harry" knows who Madeline is, and for him this isn't an ordinary kidnapping but an elaborate psychological game; he is convinced they are alike in more ways than they're different, which makes it all the more fascinating for him. Oxygen received screenings at several 1999 film festivals, including Taos, Gen-Art and Cannes (market); it was later purchased by premium cable network HBO, who showed the film before it went into a limited theatrical run. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maura Tierney, Adrien Brody, (more)
- 1998
- R
Eric Bross directed this drama of romantic roadblocks and racial issues between a group of waitresses and bartenders waiting for their "big breaks." Former alcoholic Chris (Adrien Brody) is a playwright who works as a bartender at the popular Hoboken, New Jersey, restaurant J.T. McClure's, a gathering spot for a variety of creative wannabes. At a local theater, rehearsals are underway for Chris' play, an autobiographical drama echoing his past relationship with Leslie (Lauryn Hill); for the fictional Leslie character, Chris has cast the vulnerable vocalist Jeanine (Elise Neal), and finds himself falling for her. Meanwhile, the actor playing the role of "Chris" has been sleeping with the real-life Leslie, adding to the real-life Chris' confusion. Providing philosophical guidance is the wise-guy best friend Reggae (Michael Stoyanov), a fellow "Newark boy" whose main creative energy goes into scoring drugs. Restaurant was one of the much-discussed stand-outs at the 1998 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Elise Neal, (more)
Writer, director, and producer Adam Bernstein followed up the disastrous comedy It's Pat: The Movie (1994) with this black comedy that mixes elements of Psycho (1960) and Goodfellas (1990). Former male model Norman Reedus stars as Harry Odum, a henpecked, 18-year-old momma's boy in Youngstown, Ohio, who -- with his violent temper -- impresses a local boss of the Jewish Mafia. Soon he's found his calling as a hit man alongside his crack addict partner Arnie Finklestein (Adrien Brody), and he discovers that his rage and complicated psychosis fuel his murderous abilities. Harry also falls for the organization's limping, Hungarian-born maid Iris (Elina Lowensohn), a romance complicated by Harry's Oedipal, sexual relationship with his domineering mother Kate (Deborah Harry).Six Ways to Sunday (1997) was based on the Charles Perry novel Portrait of a Young Man Drowning. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Reedus, Deborah Harry, (more)
In the summer of 1977, a serial killer who called himself Son of Sam (real name David Berkowitz) held New York City in terror as he went on a killing spree, periodically writing letters to New York's media in which he took full responsibility for the murders and made clear that he intended to kill again. Spike Lee's Summer of Sam deals in part with this crime spree, but it mostly looks back at the fearful impact of his crimes on New York's collective consciousness. Vinny and Dionna (John Leguizamo and Mira Sorvino) are an unhappy young married couple living in the Bronx; Vinny often cheats on Dionna but is wracked with guilt about it, while Dionna fears she lacks the looks or allure to hold onto a man. Ritchie (Adrien Brody) is a neighborhood kid turned punk rocker (complete with a fake British accent); he has a band and a girlfriend (Jennifer Esposito) but also makes money as an exotic dancer at a gay club. And Luigi (Ben Gazzara), a longtime leader of organized crime in the Bronx, is approached by the police, with whom he generally has a less cordial relationship, to help them find the killer, as the citizens of some neighborhoods barricade their streets in fear that he will strike there next. Meanwhile, a tortured psychopath named David Berkowitz (Michael Badalucco) seethes with rage in his gloomy apartment and receives messages from a demonic dog who commands him to kill and kill again. Spike Lee's first film without a primarily African-American cast (though bearing the unmistakable New York stamp that's one of his hallmarks), Summer of Sam was shown as part of the Directors Fortnight series at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, (more)
