Born to a family of Irish cinema-owners who opened their first theater in 1942, David Gleeson grew up steeped in all things celluloid. Following a colorful and varied path, including a 5-year stint in oil exploration deep inside the Arctic Circle, Gleeson made his feature film debut as a writer/director with 2003's 'Cowboys & Angels'. A youth comedy/drama set in his native Limerick (Ireland), 'Cowboys & Angels' was released in cinemas by Buena Vista International (Disney). The film won eight international film awards including Best Screenplay at Newport Beach (U.S.) and two Gold Medal Awards at Giffoni (Italy). The New York Times commented, [the film] 'offers a fresh mix of open-minded intelligence and a heartfelt point of view,' while The Chicago Tribune commented, 'Stack "Cowboys" against most of the fare American studios offer young adults and it's meatier by far'. Gleeson's next film which he also wrote and directed, the crime drama 'The Front Line', was released in cinemas in 2006 also through Buena Vista Intl. Variety (magazine) called it; 'A satisfying blend of crime drama and geopolitical think piece about a Congolese refugee in Dublin, [The Front Line] sustains high levels of suspense while delivering an emotional wallop.' The Sunday Independent (Ireland) wrote; 'Gleeson has delivered a terrific film that reminds us what big screens were made for and it deserves to be a smash.' In 2008, Gleeson sold his time travel sci-fi spec screenplay 'The End of History' to Sony Pictures. He followed this up over the next decade with several more spec sales and commissions to studios including Walt Disney Pictures, Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Mattel Studios and Paramount Pictures. In July 2017, Gleeson wrote and directed 'Don't Go' starring Stephen Dorff and Melissa George. 'Don't Go' was released in the US through IFC Films on 28 October 2018. In May 2019, Fox Searchlight Pictures released 'Tolkien', a Chernin Entertainment production based on Gleeson's original screenplay about the legendary author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien. Having just completed the semi-autobiographical 'Once Upon a Time in a Cinema' which he also wrote and directed (due for release in 2026), Gleeson continues to work in wildly different genres and is currently in preproduction on a musical comedy called 'Violence, Foul Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature'.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- December 21, 1966 (59)
- Limerick, Ireland
- Writer and director
- 6 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
What are David Gleeson's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 0
Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet2
- 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 David Gleeson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (2).
Subscription and free streaming for David Gleeson'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
10 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Hill of Vision(2022)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Tolkien(2019)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Don't Go(2018)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Anita B.(2014)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Front Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Cowboys & Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Hunted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Grimm Legacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles, 8 of them dated from 2002 to 2026.
How do David Gleeson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 4 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.
Who does David Gleeson work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Gleeson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roberto Faenza shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Roberto FaenzaShared titles: Hill of Vision (2022), Anita B. (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Roberto Faenza
Producers
- Nathalie LichtenthaelerShared titles: Once Upon a Time in a Cinema (2026), Don't Go (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Nathalie Lichtenthaeler
- Elda FerriShared titles: Hill of Vision (2022), Anita B. (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Elda Ferri
- Simona BellettiniShared titles: Hill of Vision (2022), Anita B. (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Simona Bellettini