Andrew Garfield’s Best Films, According To Letterboxd

Warning: This list contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home

Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield has seen a recent boom in popularity thanks to his lead role in Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! and his long-awaited return as 1 of 3 Peter Parkers in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Almost a decade ago, Garfield became a household name after being cast as the famous web-slinger in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man franchise and has since become one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors.

From a real-life televangelist to one of the co-founders of Facebook, the British actor has shown off his acting chops by giving strong performances in comedies, thrillers, dramas and superhero blockbusters. But which film currently reigns supreme?

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) – 3.33

One of Garfield’s most recent releases, The Eyes of Tammy Faye just breaks into the actor’s top 10 films on Letterboxd. Based on the documentary of the same title, Michael Showalter’s film follows the controversial lives of televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. Jessica Chastain shines as Tammy Faye, a flamboyant and likable woman with an eagerness to accept everyone.

Garfield’s Jim is the worst half of the Bakker marriage, letting his greed get the best of him. Chastain and Garfield play well off each other and transform into their real-life subjects with the same ease as a pair of chameleons.

Under the Silver Lake (2018) – 3.47

In David Robert Mitchell’s black comedy thriller Under the Silver Lake, Garfield plays Sam, an aimless man who becomes infatuated with a woman and investigates her sudden disappearance. A casual conspiracy theorist, Sam ends up finding much more than he bargained for on his hunt for Sarah, his neighbor played by a magnetic Riley Keough.

Mitchell’s follow-up to his hit horror flick It Follows, this film is an original and modern neo-noir film that is well on its way to becoming a cult classic. Under the Silver Lake features a great cast and has the trappings of any good A24 movie, including a fantastic soundtrack, but it wasn’t as critically acclaimed as some of Garfield’s other films.

Never Let Me Go (2010) – 3.49

Alongside fellow Academy Award nominees Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield stars in the dystopian romance drama Never Let Me Go. Adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go centers around a group of teens who are raised at a boarding school to become organ donors, eventually dying in the late 20s after their final donation.

Garfield plays Tommy, the male lead who becomes romantically involved with Knightley’s Ruth and Mulligan’s Kathy during their time at and after Hailsham. The love triangle is central to the film’s tragedy, and all three leading actors give heartbreakingly raw and tender performances. Never Let Me Go is one of Garfield’s highest-ranking films on IMDb.

99 Homes (2014) – 3.49

Garfield stars in Ramin Bahrani’s 2014 drama 99 Homes opposite Michael Shannon and Laura Dern. As Dennis Nash, a single father who must work for the man who evicted his family, Garfield shows off his dramatic talents following his time as Spider-Man.

Dern plays his mother Lynn and Shannon is the film’s antagonist Rick Carver, the crooked real estate operator who eventually employs Dennis. The main trio of 99 Homes is made up of strong performers, but without the desperation and humanity Garfield brings to Dennis, the character could have turned just as dark and heartless as Shannon’s Rick.

Boy A (2007) – 3.61

Garfield’s first leading role was as Eric Wilson in the 2007 drama Boy A. Following a decade in juvenile prison for his involvement with a classmate’s murder, Eric is released under a new identity, reentering society as Jack Burridge. His life before his imprisonment is told through flashbacks.

The young man hopes to become a better citizen and tries to live the normal life he wasn’t able to in the juvenile detention center. Garfield takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster in Boy A and his star power is just as evident in the film as it is in the blockbusters he made just a few years later. For his performance in Boy A, Garfield won his first BAFTA.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) – 3.76

His leading role in the historical war drama Hacksaw Ridge earned Garfield the first Best Actor Academy Award nomination of his career. In the 2016 film, he plays Desmond Doss, a pacifist who refused to carry or use a weapon during World War II. Doss is a Seventh-day Adventist and combat medic, as well as the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.

Desmond saves 75 men without a firearm at his side at the Battle of Okinawa, retaining his beliefs while still serving his country and saving lives. Garfield is outstanding as Desmond, earning the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie. He also earned nominations at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards for his performance.

Silence (2016) – 3.82

In Martin Scorsese’s Silence, Garfield stars alongside Adam Driver as two 17th-century Jesuit priests. An adaption of Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel, Silence follows the pair of Portuguese missionaries as they venture to Japan to find their missing mentor and spread the word of God. But the two men face violence and persecution upon their arrival.

While Hacksaw Ridge was Garfield’s bigger hit of 2016, his performance as Sebastião Rodrigues in Silence is captivating and impressive. His chemistry with Driver makes the two feel like old friends, and Scorsese’s historical epic is one of the heavier films in Garfield’s filmography.

tick, tick…BOOM! (2021) – 3.87

Another recent addition to Garfield’s growing filmography, the musical tick, tick…BOOM! has garnered award buzz for the actor, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor — Musical or Comedy. As the late Broadway composer Jonathan Larson, Garfield soars to new heights and uses his natural charm to become someone audiences want to cheer for.

The film, based on Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical, marks Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut. Garfield learned how to sing and play the piano to believably portray Larson, who is most well-known for the hit musical Rent. Some of the film’s best songs feature Garfield’s vocals and his magnetic personality helps him bring the composer to life.

The Social Network (2010) – 3.94

Before he was known for playing Spider-Man, Garfield received praise and recognition for his supporting role in the 2010 drama The Social Network. David Fincher’s film about the founding of Facebook and the lawsuits Mark Zuckerberg faced became an awards season hit, winning three Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes.

Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, Mark’s friend and the CFO of Facebook who later sues Mark for unjustly depleting his shares in the company. While he wouldn’t win the two BAFTAs or Golden Globe awards he was nominated for, Garfield’s performance as Eduardo is one of the film’s best and the character has one of the most iconic monologues in recent film history.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – 4.28

Spider-Man: Now Way Home is the most recent entry in Garfield’s filmography and the actor’s highest-ranking film on Letterboxd. His appearance as one of the film’s three Peter Parkers seems to serve as a redemption for the unfulfilled The Amazing Spider-Man trilogy. To many, his role quickly became one of the best things about the movie. Unlike the Peter Parkers played by Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland, Garfield’s lost the love of his life due to his grief has stuck with him ever since Gwen Stacy’s death.

The two older Peters become pseudo-big brothers to Holland’s teen web-slinger, the trio working together to fight the many villains attacking New York City. While not one of the many dramas he’s become known for, Spider-Man: No Way Home features some of Garfield’s best work and allows his natural charm to shine through.

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