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William Monahan

William Monahan

Writer, producer and director · Born November 3, 1960 (65) · Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Oscar winner · Golden Globe nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

William J. Monahan (born November 3, 1960) is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay was The Departed, a film that earned him a Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Monahan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 3, 1960 (65)
From
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and director
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 9% in 30 days

What are William Monahan's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: 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
35%
Self
26%
Bonds
15%
Power
10%
Survival
8%
Society
7%
Deception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 7

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 4

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
6
Dread
4
Hopeful
2
Contemplative
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1
  • 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 William Monahan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William Monahan'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

11 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Marlowe(2022)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Tender Bar(2021)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Mojave(2015)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Gambler(2014)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • London Boulevard(2010)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Edge of Darkness(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Body of Lies(2008)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Departed(2006)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Kingdom of Heaven(2005)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Evel Knievel on Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Sabaya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles, 9 of them dated from 2005 to 2023.

Biggest box office

The Departed (2006)

$292M worldwide

Highest rated

The Departed (2006)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 11: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting11 of 11: 8 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndProducing3 of 11: 0 only producing, 3 with another role

11 titles, 3 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s2 · 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

an Oscar and 1 other major award from 5 major nominations, 2007.

WinNomination
  1. 2007
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Adapted
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Adapted Screenplay
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Writer

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 William Monahan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 9 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer

The Departed (2006)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 William Monahan's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles36–91 · median 79 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles20–52 · median 43 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles55–92 · median 78 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles28–72 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles27–82 · median 64 · 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 William Monahan work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Monahan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Wahlberg shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers