Best Adam Driver Movies

Few actors working today have the range of Adam Driver. The guy went from the Marines to Juilliard to becoming one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, and his best Adam Driver movies reflect that wild trajectory. He can play a conflicted space villain, a heartbroken husband fighting for custody, or a bus driver who writes poetry in a notebook. He commits completely every single time, often to an almost uncomfortable degree. That’s what makes him so good.

What stands out about Driver’s career is his refusal to settle into one lane. He bounces between massive franchise blockbusters and quiet indie dramas with the same intensity. He’s equally at home with Spike Lee, Noah Baumbach, Jim Jarmusch, and J.J. Abrams. Not many actors can say that.

Here are the best Adam Driver movies, ranked by the performances that show why he’s one of the most exciting actors of his generation.

1. Marriage Story (2019)

This is the one. Driver’s performance as Charlie Barber, a theater director going through a brutal divorce, is the kind of work that defines a career. The argument scene between Driver and Scarlett Johansson in the apartment is genuinely hard to watch. Not because it’s poorly done, but because it feels too real. When he collapses against the wall crying, you feel like you’re intruding on something private. Noah Baumbach wrote the role specifically with Driver in mind, and it shows.

2. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Driver plays Flip Zimmerman, the Jewish detective who physically infiltrates the KKK while John David Washington’s Ron Stallworth handles things over the phone. What’s brilliant about Driver here is how he plays the slow awakening of a man who’s spent his life not thinking much about his Jewish identity, suddenly forced to confront it while sitting in a room full of people who want him dead. Spike Lee gets a performance out of Driver that’s all restraint and simmering tension.

3. Paterson (2016)

Jim Jarmusch made a film about a bus driver named Paterson who lives in Paterson, New Jersey, and writes poetry. That’s basically it. And it’s wonderful. Driver brings an incredible quietness to the role. No explosions, no dramatic monologues. Just a man who notices the world and puts it into words. The scene where his notebook gets destroyed is devastating precisely because Driver has spent the entire film showing us how much those poems mean without ever making a big deal about it. If you love drama, this is essential viewing.

4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Say what you will about Rian Johnson’s divisive entry in the Skywalker saga, but Driver’s Kylo Ren is the best thing in this trilogy. The throne room scene where he kills Snoke and fights alongside Rey is electric. But the quieter moments are what really sell it. The Force connection scenes between Kylo and Rey gave Driver room to be vulnerable, conflicted, and dangerous all at once. He turned what could have been a generic villain into the most complex character in the sequel trilogy.

5. Silence (2016)

Martin Scorsese’s passion project about Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan is demanding, slow, and often punishing. Driver plays Father Garrpe alongside Andrew Garfield’s Father Rodrigues, and though he has less screen time, his arc hits harder in some ways. The moment of his sacrifice is one of the most wrenching scenes Scorsese has ever filmed. This isn’t an easy watch, but Driver brings genuine spiritual anguish to the role.

6. The Last Duel (2021)

Ridley Scott’s underrated medieval drama tells the same story from three perspectives, and Driver’s Jacques Le Gris is the most unsettling version. He plays a man who genuinely believes his own narrative, even when it’s horrifying. Driver makes Le Gris charming and repulsive in equal measure, which is exactly the point. The film bombed at the box office, which is a shame because it’s one of the smarter studio films of that year and Driver is doing some of his most nuanced work.

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Driver’s introduction as Kylo Ren was a gamble. A petulant, conflicted villain throwing tantrums with a lightsaber? After Darth Vader? But it worked, largely because of Driver’s ability to make rage and insecurity feel like two sides of the same coin. The scene where he kills Han Solo still stings. J.J. Abrams gave Driver the foundation, and he built Kylo Ren into something genuinely unpredictable.

8. Frances Ha (2013)

This is a Greta Gerwig movie through and through, but Driver shows up as Lev and makes an impression. It’s a small part. His role is more about texture than screen time. But this was an early collaboration with Noah Baumbach that would eventually lead to much bigger things, including Marriage Story. If you want to see where the Driver-Baumbach partnership started taking shape, this is it.

9. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Another small but memorable role. Driver plays Al Cody, a cheerful folk singer who records “Please Mr. Kennedy” alongside Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn Davis and Justin Timberlake. The recording session scene is one of the funniest moments in the Coen Brothers’ catalog. Driver’s earnest “outer space!” ad-libs are perfectly absurd. It’s a tiny part, but it proved early on that Driver could do comedy just as well as drama.

10. Logan Lucky (2017)

Steven Soderbergh’s redneck heist comedy is pure fun, and Driver plays Clyde Logan, a one-armed bartender who helps his brother rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driver commits to the West Virginia accent, the prosthetic arm, and the deadpan delivery with total seriousness, which is exactly what makes it funny. It’s the kind of role that shows he doesn’t take himself too seriously, even when his character absolutely does.

11. The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

Look, this movie isn’t great. Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy is aggressively dry, and it frustrated a lot of people. But Driver and Bill Murray’s chemistry is genuinely enjoyable. Driver’s deadpan delivery of “this isn’t going to end well” as an ongoing bit is either hilarious or annoying depending on your tolerance for Jarmusch at his most self-aware. It’s a lesser film from both Jarmusch and Driver, but there’s still something charming about watching him sleepwalk through the apocalypse on purpose.

12. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

This is the weakest of the sequel trilogy, and even Driver seems a bit constrained by the plot gymnastics. But his redemption scene and the Han Solo memory sequence are genuinely affecting. Driver doesn’t say a word for long stretches and still communicates everything. He deserved a better script, honestly, but he elevated what he was given. Check out the full Star Wars sequel trilogy to see how his character evolved across all three films.

13. The Report (2019)

A straightforward political thriller about the Senate investigation into CIA torture programs. Driver plays Daniel Jones with a focused, obsessive energy that makes bureaucratic research feel urgent. It’s not flashy work, but it’s the kind of reliable, grounded performance that proves Driver can anchor a film even when the material is dry.

14. Megalopolis (2024)

Francis Ford Coppola’s wildly ambitious and deeply polarizing passion project. Driver plays Cesar Catilina, an architect with the power to stop time who wants to rebuild New York as a utopia. It’s a messy, sprawling, strange film and not everything works. But Driver goes all-in on the grandiosity, and there’s something admirable about watching him swing for the fences even when the movie can’t quite hold itself together.

What makes Adam Driver’s filmography so rewarding to explore is the sheer variety. He’s not coasting on any one type of role. From Kylo Ren’s lightsaber to Paterson’s poetry notebook, he treats every project like it’s the most important thing he’s ever done. Not every film on this list is perfect, but Driver never gives less than everything. Browse more drama and sci-fi in our collection to find your next watch.