Top 10 Danny Boyle movies ranked – and No. 1 is absolute masterpiece | Films | Entertainment

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has tackled everything from nail-biting survival stories and apocalyptic thrillers to biopics and Beatles-inspired fantasies.

Known for his kinetic visual style, genre-hopping confidence and iconic soundtracks, Boyle remains one of Britain’s most inventive filmmakers.

To celebrate the upcoming release of 28 Years Later on June 20 – the third installment of the terrifying zombie films – here’s a look back at ten of his most significant films to date, ranked in order of popularity – number of likes and ratings – by top movie reviewing platform Letterboxd.

10. Shallow Grave (1994)

Boyle’s directorial debut arrived in the mid-1990s, just as a new wave of British cinema was beginning to emerge. Shallow Grave follows three Edinburgh flatmates – played by Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor – who discover their new lodger dead with a suitcase full of cash. What follows is a tense, darkly comic thriller as the trio’s loyalties unravel and paranoia sets in.

Produced on a modest budget of £1.5 million, the film became a breakout success, winning the BAFTA for Best British Film and launching Boyle’s long-running collaboration with screenwriter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald. The slick editing, offbeat tone and stylish direction immediately marked Boyle as a distinctive new voice in British film.

9. The Beach (2000)

Based on Alex Garland’s bestselling novel, The Beach starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a backpacker in search of paradise in Thailand – only to stumble upon an isolated, utopian community that gradually reveals a more sinister edge. Shot on location on Ko Phi Phi Leh, the film captures both the beauty and fragility of untouched tropical landscapes, even as its themes of escapism and disillusionment take a darker turn.

The film was a box office hit, grossing over $144 million worldwide, but it attracted mixed reviews and controversy over environmental damage caused during production. Despite this, The Beach has gained something of a cult following in the years since.

8. T2 Trainspotting (2017)

Arriving 21 years after the original, Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting reunited the cast of Trainspotting – Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle – for a reflective, melancholic sequel set in a very different Edinburgh. Where the original captured youthful hedonism, the follow-up explored themes of middle age, regret, and nostalgia, with some surprisingly sad results.

Based loosely on Irvine Welsh’s original sequel, T2 was praised for its emotional depth and visual flair, though some critics noted it leaned heavily on fan service. Boyle incorporated archive footage from the 1996 film and new takes on classic scenes, giving the film a layered, metatextual quality that a ppealed to longtime fans.

7. Steve Jobs (2015)

Written by Aaron Sorkin and based on Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography, Steve Jobs saw Boyle collaborate with an entirely new creative team – and tackle one of the most mythologised figures in modern history. Michael Fassbender stars as the Apple co-founder, delivering a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination, alongside Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogen.

Structured around three key product launches, the film unfolds in real time backstage, giving it a theatrical intensity. While it underperformed at the box office, critics praised the script’s sharpness and Boyle’s ability to give cinematic rhythm to what is essentially a series of extended conversations.

6. Sunshine (2007)

In one of Boyle’s mot visually ambitious films, Sunshine follows a team of astronauts on a desperate mission to reignite the dying sun with a massive nuclear bomb. Combining psychological drama, philosophical themes and high-stakes tension, the film starred Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Chris Evans and Rose Byrne.

Though it struggled to find a wide audience at the time of release, Sunshine has since been re-evaluated as a standout entry in 21st-century science fiction. The film was praised for its striking cinematography by Alwin Küchler and a powerful score by John Murphy and Underworld.

5. 127 Hours (2010)

Boyle received his second Best Director Oscar nomination for this harrowing survival story based on the real-life ordeal of Aron Ralston. Played by James Franco, the American hiker becomes trapped by a boulder in a remote Utah canyon and is forced to amputate his own arm to escape.

127 Hours premiered at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals and received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Boyle kept the audience inside Ralston’s head through inventive camerawork and kinetic editing, making a static scenario feel urgent and visceral. Franco’s performance, widely seen as a career-best, anchors the film’s intensity and emotional punch.

4. Yesterday (2019)

A romantic comedy with a high-concept twist, Yesterday imagines a world where only one man remembers The Beatles. After a freak accident during a global blackout, struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) begins performing Beatles songs as his own – and rockets to fame.

Written by Richard Curtis and directed by Boyle, the film blends Curtis’s romantic whimsy with Boyle’s energy and visual flair. It became a box office success, grossing over $150 million globally. While its premise divided critics, the film’s charm, warm performances (including Lily James and a cameo by Ed Sheeran), and timeless soundtrack helped it strike a chord with audiences.

3. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Boyle’s most awarded film to date, Slumdog Millionaire was an international sensation. The film follows Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a young man from the slums of Mumbai who reaches the final question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, sparking suspicion – and a deeper investigation into his life story.

Originally intended for a direct-to-DVD release in the US, the film became a runaway hit after winning the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. It went on to win eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as seven BAFTAs and four Golden Globes.

Boyle combined Bollywood aesthetics with Western storytelling, creating a vibrant, emotional narrative propelled by A.R. Rahman’s Oscar-winning soundtrack. The film’s impact helped launch Patel’s career and opened international audiences to Indian cinema influences.

2. 28 Days Later (2002)

Credited with revitalising the zombie genre, 28 Days Later follows bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes up in an abandoned London hospital to discover the world has been ravaged by a viral outbreak. Unlike traditional zombies, Boyle’s infected are fast, aggressive, and terrifying.

Shot on digital video for a gritty, documentary-like feel, the film became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $85 million on an $8 million budget. It also marked the start of Boyle’s collaborations with Murphy and screenwriter Alex Garland.

28 Days Later is widely seen as a landmark in horror cinema, influencing a wave of zombie films and shows including The Walking Dead. Its bleak tone, social commentary and iconic shots of a deserted London remain some of Boyle’s most memorable work.

1. Trainspotting (1996)

Still Danny Boyle’s defining film, Trainspotting captured a generation’s disaffection, chaos and yearning – all set to a powerful soundtrack and razor-sharp visual style. Based on Irvine Welsh’s novel, the film follows heroin addict Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his circle of volatile friends in 1990s Edinburgh.

With unforgettable performances from Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner, the film broke new ground in British cinema. It grossed over £48 million globally on a budget of just £1.5 million and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Iconic sequences and euphoric monologues made Trainspotting as a cultural milestone. In 1999, the BFI ranked it the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century, and its legacy continues to influence cinema, fashion and music.