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Brad Anderson

Brad Anderson

Director, writer and producer, also editor · Born April 5, 1964 (62) · Madison, Connecticut, USA

Sundance award nominee

Brad Anderson (born 1964 in Madison, Connecticut) is an American film director. He has worked primarily in the thriller and horror genres, and is best known for directing "Session 9" (2001), starring Peter Mullan, "The Machinist" (2004), starring Christian Bale, and "The Call" (2013), starring Halle Berry.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 5, 1964 (62)
From
Madison, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Director, writer and producer, also editor
Titles
41 on MovieCove · 52 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What are Brad Anderson's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
28%
Bonds
27%
Survival
24%
Self
13%
Ideas
5%
Society
4%
Guilt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 9

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 6

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Dread
12
Melancholic
7
Cold
2
Warm
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Unsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Brad Anderson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Brad Anderson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

52 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • I Will Find You(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Worldbreaker(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Silent Hour(2024)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Blood(2022)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Devil in Ohio(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Peacemaker(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Invasion(2021)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Clickbait(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Debris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

  • Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Treadstone(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Fractured(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Titans(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Beirut(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Brave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Sinner(2017)

    Show 16 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Frequency(2016)

    Show 13 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Zoo(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • The Man in the High Castle(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Stonehearst Asylum(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Forever(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Almost Human(2013)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Call(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Alcatraz(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Person of Interest(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Killing(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Undercovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Boardwalk Empire(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Vanishing on 7th Street(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Rubicon(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Treme(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Fringe(2008)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Spooked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Fear Itself(2008)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Transsiberian(2008)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Sounds Like (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director · Writer

  • Masters of Horror(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Surface(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • The Machinist(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Wire(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Shield(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Session 9(2001)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Happy Accidents(2000)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Next Stop Wonderland(1998)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Darien Gap(1996)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Frankenstein's Planet of Monsters! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer

  • Homicide: Life on the Street(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Wake Up! On the Road with a Zen Master (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot(1992)

    Costumer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Moral Capacity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • The Dagon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • The Dwarf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 52 titles, 49 of them dated from 1992 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Call (2013)

$69M worldwide

Highest rated

The Machinist (2004)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

I Will Find You (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing51 of 52: 38 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thWriting7 of 52: 0 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thProducing6 of 52: 0 only producing, 6 with another roleCinematography2 of 52: 0 only cinematography, 2 with another roleEditing5 of 52: 0 only editing, 5 with another roleOther crew1 of 52: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

52 titles, 13 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1990s6 · crew2000s12 · crew2010s21 · crew2020s10 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1996–1998.

  1. 1998
    • Sundance award, nominated · Dramatic
  2. 1996
    • Sundance award, nominated · Dramatic

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Brad Anderson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 41 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

19 of their 41 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved11
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director, writer, producer, editor

The Darien Gap (1996)

78th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Wire (2002)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Brad Anderson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles49–76 · median 66 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles4–40 · median 16 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles42–81 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles33–53 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles51–88 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Brad Anderson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Brad Anderson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Björn Charpentier shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles