Adrien Brody is anticipated to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his searing performance in “The Brutalist.” If he triumphs, it will be his second statue, after becoming the youngest Best Actor winner more than two decades ago for “The Pianist.”
Between these career bookends, Brody has worked steadily in various roles that show his range as an actor. He is adept at comedy, having appeared in several Wes Anderson films including, “Asteroid City,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The French Dispatch” and “The Darjeeling Limited,” and was amusing as Salvador Dali in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”
Brody has made some Hollywood genre films, from the horror film “Splice,” to the action movie, “Predators,” and the most recent remake of “King Kong.” On television, Brody has also impressed, earning Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Harry Houdini in the eponymous TV miniseries, and for his guest appearance in the hit series, “Succession.” But Brody, who tends to play sad characters, does some of his best work in a number of the smaller films he has headlined over the years.
Some of his most incisive performances have flown under the radar. These films show how compelling he can be on screen. It is more than just Brody’s wiry, hangdog appearance (that many fans find sexy) that appeals. It is his way of making his characters, who are often morally compromised — if not completely bankrupt — likable. Brody often expresses a world-weary charm about him that makes him pull focus. Here are eight of Brody’s most intriguing and underseen performances.
Brody previously played a trauma-processing war veteran in "The Jacket," and he likely drew on that experience for this intriguing Australian psychological thriller. Peter (Brody) is a psychiatrist who lost his daughter a year ago, but he soon realizes he may need more help than his patients. After a series of unsettling encounters with a mysterious young woman, Elizabeth Valentine (Chloe Bayliss), Peter returns home to confront a past trauma.
Brody excels at playing haunted characters, and a scene in which he chokes up and cries while trying to say his late daughter’s name underscores just how wounded Peter is. As it becomes clear he is seeing dead people, "Backtrack" reveals why Peter is desperate to clear his conscience and “put things to rest properly.” However, that proves easier said than done, given the involvement of Peter’s father (George Shevtsov), a former cop, and a local officer (Robin McLeavy), who handles Peter’s confession.
While "Backtrack" may be somewhat contrived in its plotting, the jump scares and Brody’s moody performance remain effective.
02
“Clean”
In this intense revenge drama that Brody co-wrote, he stars as the title character, a garbage man who is seeking redemption and salvation. Clean is "working on" being good; his past — which he "can't wash away" — is revealed over the course of this story. The film takes an interesting turn as Clean's efforts to protect his teenage neighbor, Diandra (Chandler DuPont), lead him down a violent path. Clean also crosses paths with Michael (Glenn Fleshler), a drug kingpin, whose troubled son Mikey (Richie Merritt) knows Diandra.
The gritty character study was a passion project for the actor, who also produced and even composed the music and score. The film allows Brody to go deep and burrow into a character who can fix an Electrolux vacuum with the same dexterity he employs to build a powerful shotgun. Brody's appearance looks as troubled as Clean is, and yet he is extremely protective of Diandra, who gets in a series of dangerous situations. As the drama kicks into high gear, this modest film lets Brody kick butt.
03
“Detachment”
This film features Brody as Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who tries to make a difference in and out of the classroom. He ably diffuses disrespectful students with his calm, soft-spoken manner, but he can be quick to anger, too. Henry yells at a staff member at the assisted living facility where he feels his grandfather (Louis Zorich) is not getting adequate care, and he seethes when he discovers a student abusing an animal.
Brody plays Henry’s despondent character as a loner who keeps his emotions bottled up; he tries not to care. When he encounters Erica (Sami Gayle), a teenage sex worker, Henry takes her in and cares for her. Henry also encourages Meredith (Betty Kaye), a student, who may have a serious crush on him. “Detachment” balances these storylines with a critique of the education system that fails students. The film’s concerns remain as cogent today as they did back in 2011.
The best scenes have Henry in his classroom, lecturing about “doublethink” in Orwell’s “1984,” or explaining how the emotions of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” are still relevant 100 years later. If the film’s direction, by Tony Kaye, is erratic, and the script a bit too broad, Brody’s thoughtful performance keeps the film on point. When he talks in direct address interview scenes about how he views the world outside school, Henry may be cynical, but his actions in the film show he is hopeful that things can and will improve.
Made the same year as “The Pianist,” but released months later (to capitalize on Brody’s Oscar win most likely), this offbeat comedy has man-child Steven (Brody) living at home with his parents, Fern (Jessica Walter) and Lou (Ron Leibman). Steven buys a dummy to realize his dream of being a ventriloquist, and the scenes between him and his nameless dummy are heartfelt and revealing. Steven comes to accept and understand himself by expressing himself through his dummy. When he falls for his unemployment agent, Lorena (Vera Farmiga), Steven’s initial attempts at wooing her backfire and Lorena calls the police. However, by making an apology video with his dummy, Steven is able to charm her.
“Dummy” gives Brody the opportunity to crack wise and do some physical comedy — he even gets an amusing pratfall, and he goes all in by delivering a committed performance. (Brody did all the ventriloquism himself.) His romance with Lorena is sweet, and Brody’s scenes with his kooky best friend Fangora (a scene-stealing Milla Jovovich) provide much of the humor. “Dummy” showcases Brody and his cockeyed heart well.
05
“The Experiment”
In this American remake of the German film, “Das Experiment”—which is adapted from Mario Giordano’s novel “Black Box,” and based on the real-life 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment — Brody plays Travis, a man who agrees to participate in a study of the dynamics between guards and prisoners. Travis is assigned to be a prisoner, and when the guards, led by Barris (Forest Whitaker), start wielding power, Travis is quick to revolt. Because the other prisoners listen to him, Travis is seen by the guards as the prisoner’s ringleader. He may have lost all his civil rights, but Travis, in true Brody style, will endure punishments and suffer humiliations — Barris and other guards urinate on Travis in one of many disturbing sequences — to resist and fight for justice. (One subplot has Travis helping a fellow prisoner, who is diabetic, get his insulin.)
Buff and tattooed, Brody gives a full-body performance, conveying his rage when he is unfairly handcuffed, bound and gagged, or confined in isolation. He also shines in the intense scenes where Travis defiantly goes toe-to-toe with the menacing Whitaker. The strength of Brody’s performance here is that he remains inspiring even as he is repeatedly dehumanized.
“The Experiment” is a morality play about how power begets violence. Watching Brody is like seeing a soda can get shaken and then opened, and he is riveting to watch as he swallows his increasing anger before he explodes.
06
“Love the Hard Way"
A young Adrien Brody stars in this low-budget and low-key romantic drama as Jack, a charming scoundrel who falls for Claire (Charlotte Ayanna), a college student studying biology. Jack, who sports a snakeskin jacket, earns money by pulling a scam in hotels by posing as a cop and robbing men who engage sex workers. He is also considered a “bad influence” on Claire, but she falls for him and even thinks she can reform him. Their relationship has some sexy moments and there is a cute scene of him interviewing her about winning a Nobel Prize. But Jack breaks Claire’s heart, and later, she breaks his.
Watching Brody torture himself by watching her self-destructive behavior is engrossing because what he lost sinks in, and he feels regret, which may be his first real emotion. Brody’s muscular performance makes Jack both likable and unlikable from scene to scene, and it is impossible to take one’s eyes off him — even if his character is all fire, no heat.
07
“Manhattan Night”
Director Brian DeCubellis wisely cast Brody as Porter Wren, a tabloid reporter in his glossy neo-noir, adapted from Colin Harrison’s book. When Porter meets Caroline (Yvonne Strahovski), a Park Avenue femme fatale, he is asked to investigate the death of her famous husband Simon (Campbell Scott). Caroline easily seduces Porter, but their relationship is inappropriate — and not just because Porter is married with two kids. As Porter pushes down his guilt and starts to fall for Caroline, he learns some hard truths from a missing video Simon made. Moreover, Porter’s new boss, Sebastian Hobbs (Steven Berkoff) also wants a video that Caroline may have. As Porter searches for the truth, he becomes emboldened — spying on Caroline masturbating in the shower, threatening Hobbs after his family is attacked, and even breaking into a home where he thinks evidence may be hidden.
Brody is convincing in these moments, and he gets to play both tender and tough, especially in scenes that crackle, such as Porter and Caroline questioning each other while naked and in bed. But it is the little details, like Porter chewing on Bazooka gum, or him reacting to the ugliness he encounters that shade Brody’s performance. As he becomes more jaded and uncomfortable, Brody’s expressions and body language internalize his pain and make it palpable.
08
“Wrecked”
Practically a one-man show for Brody, this dramatic thriller has a nameless Man (Brody) trapped in a car that has crashed in a forest. Bruised, bloodied and broken — his leg is injured under the passenger-side dashboard — the Man struggles to escape and figure out what happened as he has no memory.
The first third of the film allows Brody to silently express the five stages of grief, but after he manages to escape and starts to crawl through the forest seeking help, he has hope. As his situation becomes more desperate, the Man dreams about being rescued. He also interacts with a dog he encounters. But the reality of things may be very different than what the Man experiences, which creates layers of meaning.
Brody grunts more than he speaks in “Wrecked,” and watching his face — with one eye slightly closed — as he eats an ant, or drags himself through the forest emphasizes his mental and physical pain. Brody shows how the man is resilient which makes the story compelling, but “Wrecked” shows how fearless Brody is as an actor.
Shares