Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter and film producer. Before he became a prominent figure of cinema, Boal worked as a journalist for such publications as Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Salon and Playboy.
Biography from TMDB.
- January 23, 1973 (53)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer and producer
- 8 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
What are Mark Boal's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
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 6
Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 6
Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 6
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical1
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 Mark Boal's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Mark Boal'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
9 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Echo 3(2022)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows
Triple Frontier(2019)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Path of Blood(2018)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Detroit(2017)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Death in the Terminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
After Earth(2013)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Zero Dark Thirty(2012)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Hurt Locker(2008)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
In the Valley of Elah(2007)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 8 titles from 2007 to 2022.
Biggest box office
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Highest rated
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Most popular right now
In the Valley of Elah (2007)
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.
How do Mark Boal's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 6 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 Mark Boal's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
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 Mark Boal work with?
People who share at least 2 of Mark Boal's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kathryn Bigelow shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Kathryn BigelowShared titles: Detroit (2017), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Hurt Locker (2008)See all 3 shared titles with Kathryn Bigelow
Actors
- Anthony MackieShared titles: Detroit (2017), The Hurt Locker (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Anthony Mackie
Cinematographers and editors
- Barry AckroydShared titles: Detroit (2017), The Hurt Locker (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Barry Ackroyd
- William GoldenbergShared titles: Detroit (2017), Zero Dark Thirty (2012)See all 2 shared titles with William Goldenberg
Producers
- Greg ShapiroShared titles: Detroit (2017), The Hurt Locker (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Greg Shapiro
- Megan EllisonShared titles: Detroit (2017), Zero Dark Thirty (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Megan Ellison
