Daniel Radcliffe’s 10 Best Movies, According To Letterboxd

Daniel Radcliffe’s most notable role might be the titular Boy Who Lived in the Harry Potter series, but the Brit has branched out a lot throughout his acting career. Since putting away his wizarding wand, Radcliffe has starred in films like The Woman in Black, Swiss Army Man, and Imperium, as well as the television series Miracle Workers.

His upcoming projects include the adventure rom-com The Lost City starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, and a Weird Al Yankovic biopic. Radcliffe’s work as Harry Potter has remained popular since the series ended in 2011, with all 8 films landing in his Top 10 on Letterboxd. But there are 2 other roles that round out the actor’s highest-ranking movies.

10 Kill Your Darlings (2013) – 3.51

One of the first post-Harry Potter films for Radcliffe was the 2013 period drama Kill Your Darlings. Set in 1944, the dark academia film follows the college years of some of the earliest members of the Beat Generation, a group of authors whose work was influential following World War II. Radcliffe plays poet Allen Ginsburg as a freshman at Columbia University where he meets Dane DeHaan’s Lucien Carr.

The film follows Ginsburg’s new lifestyle fueled by drinking and drugs, and his budding friendships with Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. One of the film’s darkest plot points is Carr’s murder of a professor. Radcliffe gives a great performance in the film, and it’s a nice departure from his Harry Potter days.

9 Swiss Army Man (2016) – 3.61

In Swiss Army Man, Radcliffe plays a corpse that washes ashore and helps Paul Dano’s Hank survive a deserted island. He develops an unlikely friendship with the corpse, now called Manny, and the dead man becomes his greatest survival tool after Hank discovers he can use Manny like a giant Swiss Army knife.

Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the surrealist comedy is unlike any other movie in Radcliffe’s filmography. Hank and Manny set off on an adventure to return home, and the corpse slowly comes back to life through Hank’s imagination. Swiss Army Man has funny quotes and a surprising amount of heart.

8 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002) – 3.61

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets followed the titular boy wizard during his second year at Hogwarts as he battles a basilisk, befriends a House-elf, and discovers the diary of Tom Riddle. When a bloody message appears on one of the school’s walls and students end up petrified, Harry is forced to find the heir of Slytherin to help save the day.

Radcliffe carries most of Chamber of Secrets on his shoulders, and he works well with the older established cast members like Alan Rickman. The film also introduces audiences to Kenneth Branagh’s Gilderoy Lockhart, a self-absorbed professor, and Jason Isaacs’ Lucius Malfoy, an antagonist who becomes important later in the series.

7 Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007) – 3.64

Order of the Phoenix follows the creation of Dumbledore’s Army and features Harry’s blossoming father-son relationship with his godfather, Sirius Black. The film also marks the beginning of a much darker tone in the series. After his warnings about Voldemort’s return following Cedric Diggory’s murder are largely ignored, a 15-year-old Harry begins training his classmates to fight against the dark arts.

Order of the Phoenix also brings a popular character to life, Evanna Lynch’s take on Luna Lovegood making her one of the best characters in Harry Potter. The sudden death of Sirius Black at the hands of his cousin is one of the series’ most heartbreaking moments and Harry grapples with some incredibly complex emotions after witnessing it.

6 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009) – 3.65

Harry discovers a mysterious potions textbook, finds love with Ginny Weasley, and learns about Horcruxes during Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Professor Horace Slughorn’s return to Hogwarts prompts Harry to ask about Voldemort’s past. Using the Pensieve to view memories, Harry discovers Voldemort has been dangerous since his childhood.

Half-Blood Prince puts more of a focus on the antagonistic Draco Malfoy than any of the other films, showing the teen’s task to kill Albus Dumbledore after joining the Death Eaters. Harry becomes suspicious of Draco early in the film, but the Order of the Phoenix doesn’t view him as a threat. However, Harry fails to stop this deadly mission and witnesses the death of his mentor.

5 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) – 3.69

The first installment of the series’ final chapter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 follows Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger as they begin their long hunt for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. The teens leave Hogwarts and take to the wilderness, collecting and destroying Horcruxes to rid Voldemort of his immortality.

On their journey, the trio faces grueling circumstances and growing tensions. Ron’s sudden jealous outburst and departure leave Hermione upset, but she stays to help finish the hunt. A slower burn than the second installment, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 stills features some magical moments and shows off the talents of the main trio, all 3 giving some of their best performances in the series.

4 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005) – 3.76

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire centers around Harry’s surprise involvement in the Triwizard Tournament and the arrival of students from the Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy. When his name flies out of the Goblet of Fire, Harry must compete against Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, and Fleur Delacour in the tournament’s 3 dangerous tasks.

Harry must juggle the pressures of the tournament with recurring nightmares that signal Voldemort’s return. Robert Pattinson and David Tennant are 2 great additions to the usual Harry Potter cast. Radcliffe and Pattinson have great on-screen chemistry as the 2 Hogwarts champions, and the charming Cedric is one of the best characters to appear in only one Harry Potter film. The film’s dark ending sets up the tone for the rest of the film series and Cedric’s death has lasting impacts on Harry going forward.

3 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) – 3.77

One of Radcliffe’s first feature films, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone brought the young actor international fame and cemented his place in the pop culture canon. Directed by Chris Columbus, the movie is faithful to the book and follows Harry’s discovery of his magical powers and a new world where the orphan is a celebrated figure for surviving Voldemort’s attack.

Radcliffe is compelling as the young wizard, and his new friendship with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson behind the scenes translates well for the formation of the Golden Trio on camera. It is a heartwarming film about finding your place in a new world, and Sorcerer’s Stone still holds up over 20 years later thanks in part to its exceptional cast.

2 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) – 3.92

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 concludes the celebrated and beloved Harry Potter film series with the deadly Battle of Hogwarts. To stop Voldemort once and for all, Harry sacrifices himself and inspires others to fight against the Death Eaters. He faces off with Voldemort one last time, ending him with his trusty Expelliarmus charm.

The film’s epilogue gives audiences a peek into the future of the Golden Trio following the Battle of Hogwarts, as well as other classmates like Draco. Harry’s married to Ginny with 3 kids, while Ron and Hermione are raising their 2 children. This ends the series nicely but still leaves many questions unanswered. Some of the questions are explored in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

1 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004) – 4.08

Often regarded as the best film in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is also Radcliffe’s highest-ranking feature film on Letterboxd. Directed by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, Prisoner of Azkaban takes place during Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and involves time travel, dementors, and werewolves.

Harry discovers a connection between escaped convict Sirius Black and his late parents, turning to his friends and Professor Remus Lupin for help. The film brings introduces two fan favorites, both Sirius and Remus becoming important figures in Harry’s life. Cuarón’s direction of the film received praise and composer John Williams received an Academy Award nomination for his original score.

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