Michael Cuesta (born July 8, 1963) is an American film and television director, best known for his independent films, especially for having co-written and directed the 2001 film L.I.E. He has directed and produced television series, including Six Feet Under, Dexter, Blue Bloods and Homeland. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Cuesta, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- July 8, 1963 (63)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Director and producer, also writer
- 20 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are Michael Cuesta's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 5
Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous1
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 Michael Cuesta's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Cuesta'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
22 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.
Man on Fire(2026)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows
Daredevil: Born Again(2025)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Accused(2023)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows
Promised Land(2022)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows
Dopesick(2021)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
City on a Hill(2019)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
American Assassin(2017)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Billions(2016)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Second Chance(2016)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Kill the Messenger(2014)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Elementary(2012)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Roadie(2011)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Homeland(2011)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Blue Bloods(2010)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Tell Tale(2009)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
True Blood(2008)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Dexter(2006)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
12 and Holding(2005)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
L.I.E.(2001)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Six Feet Under(2001)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Babylon Fields (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
TRINITY (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles, 20 of them dated from 2001 to 2026.
Biggest box office
American Assassin (2017)
Highest rated
12 and Holding (2005)
Most popular right now
Daredevil: Born Again (2025)
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
a Primetime Emmy and 1 other major award from 14 major nominations, 2001–2014.
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best International
+2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
- Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Director
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Feature
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best First Screenplay
- 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 Michael Cuesta's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up13
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved7
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 6 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 Michael Cuesta's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Michael Cuesta work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Cuesta's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kane Platt shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Gerald CuestaShared titles: Roadie (2011), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Gerald Cuesta
Actors
- Jeremy RennerShared titles: Kill the Messenger (2014), 12 and Holding (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Jeremy Renner
- Michael Kenneth WilliamsShared titles: Kill the Messenger (2014), Tell Tale (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Kenneth Williams
- Brian CoxShared titles: Tell Tale (2009), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Cox
- Marcia DeBonisShared titles: 12 and Holding (2005), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Marcia DeBonis
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Kane PlattShared titles: Roadie (2011), Tell Tale (2009), 12 and Holding (2005), L.I.E. (2001)See all 4 shared titles with Kane Platt
- Eric CarlsonShared titles: 12 and Holding (2005), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Eric Carlson
- Pierre FöldesShared titles: 12 and Holding (2005), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Pierre Földes
- Romeo TironeShared titles: 12 and Holding (2005), L.I.E. (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Romeo Tirone
Producers
- Mike DowneyShared titles: Roadie (2011), 12 and Holding (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Mike Downey