Most people probably recognize Daniel Radcliffe as the title character from the incredibly popular the Boy Who Lived, Radcliffe isn't just a one-trick pony.
He's been in several films since he set aside his wand, both flashy Hollywood productions, and small indie movies. He's shown he has some pretty powerful acting chops, starring in character-driven dramas and oddball comedies alike. Here are his top ten non-Harry Potter movies, according to IMDb.
The Woman In Black (6.4)
The Woman in Black is probably the first non-Harry Potter role most of us seeing Radcliffe in. It came out in 2012, the year after the release of the final Harry Potter movie, and was quite a departure from the Wizarding World we associated him with. The movie is a horror drama based on the 1983 book of the same name by Susan Hill.
It follows a recently widowed lawyer (Radcliffe) who travels to the remote Eel Marsh House to retrieve documents for his job. He discovers the spirit of Jennet Humfrye is terrorizing the village and forcing its children to kill themselves in retribution for the death of her own son.
Now You See Me 2 (6.5)
This sequel is a magic-themed heist film and sees the Four Horsemen returning for another caper. They are forcibly recruited by a tech tycoon named Walter Mabry, played by Radcliffe, to steal a device that can supposedly decrypt and access any electronic device in the world. Unsurprisingly, Mabry turns out to be double-crossing them and the Four Horsemen have to devise a trick that will out his criminal activity to the world. The film was praised for its high energy and purposely implausible twists but doesn't have much going on beneath the gloss.
Horns (6.5)
Horns is based on a novel of the same name by Joe Hill and follows a man named Ignatius Perrish after he is suspected of killing his girlfriend Merrin. He wakes up one morning sporting a pair of horns and gradually discovers that he now can force people to confess their darkest secrets and act on their hidden desires.
He uses these abilities to track down who really killed Merrin, becoming more monstrous throughout. Joe Hill himself was thrilled by Radcliffe's performance as Ig and the movie has some strong points, but many critics felt the tone was inconsistent.
December Boys (6.5)
December Boys is an Australian drama and is also adapted from a book. It's a coming of age story about four orphans, all born in December, going on holiday to the beach. While romance and the possibility of being adopted starts to come between the four boys, the overarching theme is that of found family. Despite receiving positive reviews, December Boys was considered a commercial bomb in Australia due to its wide distribution and very small box office return.
Kill Your Darlings (6.5)
This biographical drama chronicles the college days of the prominent early poets of the Beat Generation. Radcliffe plays Allen Ginsberg and the relationship between Ginsberg and Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) is the core of the film. The major difficulty in the film is Lucien Carr being accused of the murder of David Kammerer.
The film was overall praised for the skillful performances from the leads and the visual style, though there was some criticism that the movie embroiders or ignores real-life events to its detriment.
Imperium (6.5)
The subject of this 2016 film is unfortunately quite timely. It sees Radcliffe play FBI analyst Nate Foster, who is recruited to locate a stolen shipment of the radioactive element caesium-137. When a fellow FBI agent suspects the involvement of white supremacist groups, Foster goes undercover as a skinhead to infiltrate the group and prevent a tragedy. The film is a tense and disturbing thriller that would live or die on the strength of the lead's performance; Radcliffe proves to be more than up to challenge.
Jungle (6.7)
This Australian biographical survival drama is based on true events. Radcliffe plays Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg and the movie is based on his 1981 journey to the Amazon rainforest. After being swept away by a river and separated from his companions, Ghinsberg has to survive through foraging and improvisation. It received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the spectacle while others think that the natural drama of the situation was overshadowed by Hollywood melodrama.
The F Word (6.8)
Also released under the title What If in the US and UK (because of implied foul language), this rom-com stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan playing best friends who slowly begin to realize they have feelings for each other. It premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was one of the best-received movies at the festival that year. It transcended the typical structure of romantic comedies because of the chemistry between the leads and the sharp dialogue.
Swiss Army Man (7.0)
Paul Dano stars alongside Daniel Radcliffe in what is probably the weirdest movie on this list. Dano plays a man stranded on a deserted island and caught in the grips of despair when he discovers the corpse of a man (Radcliffe). He finds he can manipulate the corpse for a variety of useful effects.
He develops a kind of friendship with the corpse, who he names Manny, and the two try to find their way back to civilization. Propelled both by the strength of the performances and Manny's flatulence, the film is strange and somehow delightful.
Guns Akimbo (7.5)
Guns Akimbo hasn't yet seen its wide theatrical release as it's set to come out in March of this year, but it premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Radcliffe plays Miles, a man who has spent his life running from his problems, stuck in a dead-end job longing for his ex-girlfriend Nova. However, he's suddenly forced into a city-wide death game that requires him to fight gladiatorial battles against strangers for a streaming audience. Some production stills of the film, showing Radcliffe brandishing guns clad in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, made the rounds as a meme before the film's release.
