Daniel Day-Lewis – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 11, 2026

Daniel Day-Lewis has three Best Actor Oscars and a reputation for total immersion in every role, then retired after Phantom Thread, leaving one of the most complete filmographies of his generation. There Will Be Blood and My Left Foot are among the peaks, Lincoln fights for the 13th Amendment in the Civil War’s last months, The Age of Innocence has a New York lawyer fall for a woman his society won’t accept, A Room with a View upends a young Englishwoman’s expectations in Italy, and The Boxer rebuilds a former IRA prisoner’s life. Gangs of New York, In the Name of the Father and The Last of the Mohicans round out the list.

The Boxer (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Daniel Day-Lewis plays a former IRA prisoner trying to rebuild his life and his boxing career after release.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 1h 54m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Room with a View (1986)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A young Englishwoman's trip to Italy awakens desires that clash with society's rigid expectations.

Directed by James Ivory · 1h 57m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Britbox Apple TV channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Age of Innocence (1993)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A wealthy New York lawyer's passion for his fiancee's scandalous cousin threatens to unravel his carefully ordered world.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 18m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Lincoln (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.3

The president fights to pass the 13th Amendment in the final, exhausting months of the Civil War.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 30m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Gangs of New York (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Cameron Diaz takes a grittier, more period-appropriate register than most of her comedy work.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Phantom Thread (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A meticulous 1950s London dressmaker's controlled life is upended by a strong-willed new muse.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Daniel Day-Lewis plays a frontiersman protecting two sisters during the brutal French and Indian War.

Directed by Michael Mann · 1h 52m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Left Foot (1989)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A man born with cerebral palsy becomes an acclaimed painter and writer using only his left foot.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 1h 43m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In the Name of the Father (1993)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 94% Metacritic 84

An Irishman wrongly imprisoned for an IRA bombing fights for years to clear his name.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 2h 13m · Rated R

Nominated for 7 Oscars7 wins & 41 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

There Will Be Blood (2007)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 91% Metacritic 93

A ruthless oil prospector's ambition curdles into obsession and violence in early 20th-century California.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 38m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars114 wins & 138 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

Daniel Day-Lewis – 10 Best Movies

The Boxer (1997)

A Room with a View (1986)

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Lincoln (2012)

Gangs of New York (2002)

Phantom Thread (2017)

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

My Left Foot (1989)

In the Name of the Father (1993)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

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