Willem Dafoe
Actor
- Loveless, The (1981)
- Dir. Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter
- A brooding, fetishised love–letter to the motorcycle movies of the 1950s (THE WILD ONE et al), with a bike gang having a troubled interlude in…
- Hitchhiker, The (TV Series) (1983)
- Feat. Page Fletcher, Gary Busey, Peter Coyote…
- An early HBO series of mystery–thriller stories, related only by the character of The Hitchhiker (Page Fletcher), who introduces and closes…
- Streets of Fire (1984)
- Dir. Walter Hill
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Michael Pare, Rick Moranis…
- Surprise hit is an unusual blending of motorcycles, 50s rock'n'roll melodrama and tough, futuristic street action. Lane plays a pop diva who is…
- To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
- Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow
- Super–charged policier with slimeball cop Petersen on the trail of big–time counterfeiters led by Dafoe. Swirlingly paced, with a car…
- Platoon (1986)
- Dir. Oliver Stone
Feat. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen
- This film won the Best Picture Oscar for its compelling and sincere account of the Vietnam, also ushering the era of 1980s film reappraisals of the…
- Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988)
- Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey…
- Brave, earnest film controversial for its assumption that Christ suffered from mortal doubt when chosen to carry God's message. Willem Dafoe plays…
- Mississippi Burning (1988)
- Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe
- Three boys mysteriously disappear in Ku Klux Klan country in 1964. This film details the FBI investigation based on true events. A…
- Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
- Dir. Robert M. Young
Feat. Willem Dafoe
- Harrowing tale of a Greek–Jewish boxer (Willem Dafoe) who is deported to Auschwitz during WW2.
- Wild at Heart (1990)
- Dir. David Lynch
Feat. Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd…
- Disturbing, provocative and always stylish, the director parodies himself and many other great film–makers in this mother of all road movies.…
- Body of Evidence (1992)
- Dir. Uli Edel
Feat. Madonna, Willem Dafoe, Joe Mantegna…
- Madonna does the femme fatale thing. Willem Dafoe does the lawyer whose penis clouds his judgement thing. Did she bonk the old geyser to death for…
- Light Sleeper (1992)
- Dir. Paul Schrader
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon, Dana Delany…
- Writer of TAXI DRIVER delivers a complex, understated character study of an ex–junkie drug–courier (Willem Dafoe) unable to escape the…
- White Sands (1992)
- Dir. Roger Donaldson
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Mickey Rourke…
- When Deputy Willem Dafoe discovers a dead man and half a million bucks, we know something is mighty queer. Enter Mickey Rourke and all is explained.
- Fishing with John (TV Series) (1992)
- Dir. John Lurie
Feat. Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper…
- Neo–beatnik musician John Lurie hosts his own candid, off–beat TV show in which he takes a hipster celebrity pal on an exotic fishing…
- Clear and Present Danger (1994)
- Dir. Phillip Noyce
Feat. Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer…
- Vulnerable hero Jack Ryan again in meatier, superior follow–up to PATRIOT GAMES that masterfully stages its action around a credible, complex…
- Tom and Viv (1994)
- Dir. Brian Gilbert
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson
- A moving exploration of the intense yet painful relationship between Nobel prize–winning poet T.S. Eliot (Willem Dafoe) and his lovably…
- Victory (1996)
- Dir. Mark Peploe
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Irene Jacob, Sam Neill…
- Adventure film set in 1913 and based on the novel of the same name by Joseph Conrad. After attempting to rape a woman, a man living in Dutch occupied…
- Affliction (1997)
- Dir. Paul Schrader
Feat. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek…
- A murder–mystery obscured in a snowbound landscape of wrecked relationships and alcoholic longings, this gets right under the skin of its…
- Lulu On the Bridge (1998)
- Dir. Paul Auster
Feat. Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, Willem Dafoe
- A baffling series of events beset jazz–saxophonist Harvey Keitel after a near–death experience in this hard–to–summarise,…
- Boondock Saints, The (1999)
- Dir. Troy Duffy
Feat. Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, Willem Dafoe…
- Irish–Bostonian brothers Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus become vigilante saints after knocking off some Russkie wise guys, becoming…
- American Psycho (2000)
- Dir. Mary Harron
Feat. Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto…
- Mercifully sanitised adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' controversial novel, that wallowed in the depraved mind/antics of a homicidal Wall Street…
- Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
- Dir. E. Elias Merhige
Feat. John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Catherine McCormack…
- A fanciful yet elegant take on what might have transpired during the making of silent horror classic, NOSFERATU, centred around a battle of wills…
- Animal Factory (2000)
- Dir. Steve Buscemi
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Tom Arnold…
- Retaining the indie principles that distinguished TREES LOUNGE, dir. Buscemi crafts unflashy, insightful drama out of ex–con Edward…
- Spider-Man (Spiderman) (2002)
- Dir. Sam Raimi
Feat. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe…
- New–improved re–spinning of the Marvel comic book superhero that finds a perfect match of material and director, and the crucially…
- Auto Focus (2002)
- Dir. Paul Schrader
Feat. Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe
- A savvy true Hollywood story detailing the sordid life of “Hogan’s Heroes” TV star Bob Crane, whose illicit 'sex addiction' led to…
- Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
- Dir. Robert Rodriguez
Feat. Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek…
- The final 'installment' in dir. Rodriguez' violent Mexican trilogy (see EL MARIACHI and DESPERADO), with Banderas again the loner in a dusty town,…
- Reckoning, The (2003)
- Dir. Paul McGuigan
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Vincent Cassel…
- A sober minded recreation of plague–blasted England of the Middle Ages, with Bettany cowling–up as a monk on the run who falls in with a…
- Clearing, The (2004)
- Dir. Pieter Jan Brugge
Feat. Robert Redford, Willem Dafoe, Helen Mirren…
- An unusually flavoured and structured kidnapping thriller, in which wealthy entrepeneur Redford is abducted by a polite, former–employee…
- Control (2004)
- Dir. Tim Hunter
Feat. Ray Liotta, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Rodriguez…
- Ray Liotta is typically compelling as an unrepentant sociopath on 'death row', who, in return for his life, agrees to become a guinea pig in a…
- Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The (2004)
- Dir. Wes Anderson
Feat. Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett…
- Another snorkle into the 'Cinema Absurd with Wes Anderson', delivering an intricate comedic conceit woven around a washed–up oceanographer…
- xXx - The Next Level (xXx - State of the Union) (2005)
- Dir. Lee Tamahori
Feat. Ice-Cube, Willem Dafoe, Peter Strauss…
- Bridge–burning sequel to the extreme–sports–spy hit, kills off the original star (Vin Diesel) in the opening scene, before ramping…
- Manderlay (2005)
- Dir. Lars Von Trier
Feat. Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe…
- Part two of Lars von Trier’s ‘USA’ trilogy reemploys DOGVILLE’s Brechtian framework of stage outlines and minimal props in the odyssey of…
- Inside Man (2006)
- Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster…
- Proficient, personalised heist thriller from dir. Spike Lee (25TH HOUR) in which a smooth and cold super–crim (Owen) engineers the robbery of…
- American Dreamz (2006)
- Dir. Paul Weitz
Feat. Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Willem Dafoe…
- Although not fulfilling the audacious thematic ambitions signalled by its title, this media satire does conjure a watchably absurd vision of the US…
- Paris, Je T'aime (Paris, I Love You) (2006)
- Dir. Olivier Assayas, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet
Feat. Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Steve Buscemi…
- A prestige line–up of actors and filmmakers converge in this grand anthology of love letters to the city of romance. With each vignette…
- Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
- Dir. Steve Bendelack
Feat. Rowan Atkinson, Emma de Caunes, Willem Dafoe…
- Rubber–faced Rowan Atkinson returns to the big–screen with the bumbling Bean, his most accessible, successful comic hero.
This time…
- Go Go Tales (2007)
- Dir. Abel Ferrara
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Bob Hoskins, Asia Argento…
- Abel Ferrara's mouthy comedy is a welcome return to form set entirely inside the walls of a failing strip club where Willem Defoe presides as the…
- Anamorph (2007)
- Dir. Henry Miller
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Scott Speedman, Clea Duvall
- Moody thriller in which Willem Dafoe plays detective to a delusional psychopath who leaves each crime scene in the style of a painting…
- Fireflies In The Garden (2008)
- Dir. Dennis Lee
Feat. Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson…
- A heavyweight cast helm this drama centered on a family who finally uncover their deep–seated grievances after a tragic accident.
Despite…
- Adam Resurrected (2008)
- Dir. Paul Schrader
Feat. Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi…
- Troubling tale of a former Jewish circus entertainer who was spared from the gas chamber by serving as the camp commandant's pet dog.
Based on…
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
- Dir. Wes Anderson
Feat. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman…
- Wes Anderson’s quirky, buttoned–up sensibility is a fantastic match for Roald Dahl’s classic tale about a sly, debonair fox (George…
- Antichrist (2009)
- Dir. Lars Von Trier
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Delivering laughter and revulsion in equal measure, Lars von Trier’s hugely controversial psychosexual opus – about a grieving couple who retreat…
- Daybreakers (2009)
- Dir. The Spierig Brothers
Feat. Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill…
- Inventive take on the vampire genre has a world populated with the fanged undead facing a food shortage with the human population rapidly dwindling.…
- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
- Dir. Paul Weitz
Feat. Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, John C. Reilly…
- Disjointed family friendly fright fest has a teenager accidentally trigger a war between two vampire factions. Despite an excellent cast and a great…
- Farewell (2009)
- Dir. Christian Carion
Feat. Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica, Gary Lewis…
- This riveting Cold War yarn from the dir. of JOYEUX NOEL brings to light the little–known true story of a disillusioned KGB colonel (played by…
- My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2009)
- Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny…
- Dir. Werner Herzog and David Lynch as producer team up for this bizarre tale of an actor driven to murder his mother in sunny, suburban San Diego…
- Hunter, The (2011)
- Dir. Daniel Nettheim
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O’Connor…
- Willem Dafoe plays a mercenary sent to hunt for an endangered Tasmanian tiger in this sparse, psychological showcase of the Australian wilderness.
- John Carter (2012)
- Dir. Andrew Stanton
Feat. Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton…
- Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic sci–fi novel is the basis for this hulking intergalactic adventure extravagantly financed by Disney studios,…
- Boot Tracks (2012)
- Dir. David Jacobson
Feat. Stephen Dorff, Michelle Monaghan, Willem Dafoe
- Charlie Rankin, recently released from prison, seeks vengeance for his jail–house mentor William The Buddha Pettigrew. Along the way, he meets…
- Out of the Furnace (2013)
- Dir. Scott Cooper
Feat. Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson…
- Christian Bale plays a destitute ex–con whose resolve to cut ties with his past is tested when his brother falls in with a notorious group of…
- Nymphomaniac (Nymphomaniac: Vol. I & II) (2013)
- Dir. Lars Von Trier
Feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard, Stacy Martin…
- The controversy–baiting director Lars Von Trier's wild and poetic opus detailing a woman’s erotic journey from birth to middle age as told by…
- Grand Budapest Hotel, The (2014)
- Dir. Wes Anderson
Feat. Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric…
- Dir. Wes Anderson at last marries his quirky, meticulous aesthetic to a marvellously exotic setting and characters to create arguably his finest film…
- Fault in Our Stars, The (2014)
- Dir. Josh Boone
Feat. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff…
- A pair of offbeat teengers – one terminally ill – embrace the journey of life in this sweeping teen romance based on John Green's popular…
- A Most Wanted Man (2014)
- Dir. Anton Corbijn
Feat. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe…
- Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a German spy in this taut John le Carré thriller about a mysterious Chechen immigrant with possible terrorist ties.
- John Wick (2014)
- Dir. Chad Stahelski, David Leitch
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen…
- A superbly choreographed "kick–ass" thriller that appropriately resurrects Keanu Reeves as an ex–hitman who comes out of retirement to…
- Dog Eat Dog (2016)
- Dir. Paul Schrader
Feat. Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe
- Demonstrating that age hasn't tamed him, 70–year–old director Paul Schrader delivers this frenetic, nihilistic black comedy based on the…
- Great Wall, The (2016)
- Dir. Zhang Yimou
Feat. Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Jing Tian…
- Inventive mash–up of historical epic and action fantasy places Matt Damon in China during the Song dynasty, as a European mercenary in the…
- Mountain (2017)
- Dir. Jennifer Peedom
Feat. Willem Dafoe
- A reflective but adrenaline–fueled documentary exploring our timeless enchantment with mountains, in the unique form of a collaboration between…
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
- Dir. Kenneth Branagh
Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe…
- Adaptation of the novel by Agatha Christie, in the capable hands of director Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Hercule Poirot, the renowned…
- What Happened To Monday (Seven Sisters) (2017)
- Dir. Tommy Wirkola
Feat. Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe
- By the director of DEAD SNOW and featuring a dynamic performance from Noomi Rapace as seven different characters.
A dystopian future government is…
- Florida Project, The (2017)
- Dir. Sean Baker
Feat. Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
- An impoverished mother and her 6–year–old daughter are the focus of this vibrant offering from acclaimed indie director Sean Baker…
- Aquaman (2018)
- Dir. James Wan
Feat. Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe…
- Bombastic superhero movie based on the DC comics character Aquaman, the half–human, half–Atlantean heir to the underwater city of…
- At Eternity's Gate (2018)
- Dir. Julian Schnabel
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Mads Mikkelsen…
- Immersive, naturalistic portrait of Van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers–sur–Oise, France. Directed by Julian Schnabel…
- Lighthouse, The (2019)
- Dir. Robert Eggers
Feat. Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman
- A brilliantly salty psychological two–hander from Robert Eggers (THE WITCH), with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe playing a pair of…
- Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
- Dir. Edward Norton
Feat. Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw…
- Handsomely mounted neo–noir crime movie, the culmination of a 20 year passion project for writer, director and star Edward Norton, based on the…
- Nightmare Alley (2021)
- Dir. Guillermo Del Toro
Feat. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette…
- Dark and stormy neo–noir thriller from director Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER) about a low–ranking carnie (Bradley Cooper) who…
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Dir. Jon Watts
Feat. Tom Holland, Zendaya , Benedict Cumberbatch…
- Spider–Man adventure which acts as a sequel to both FAR FROM HOME (2019) and HOMECOMING (2017), and slots into the bloated Marvel Cinematic…
- Northman, The (2022)
- Dir. Robert Eggers
Feat. Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy…
- An action–filled epic from Robert Eggers (THE LIGHTHOUSE, THE WITCH) that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s…