Manhattan native Tony Gilroy grew up with a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, director and screenwriter for a father (Frank D. Gilroy). In his own adulthood, Gilroy has worn many hats behind the camera over the years. In addition to penning many films, such as The Devil’s Advocate, he has also produced and directed some awards-caliber features.
“The big advantage of having a father who’s a writer is [that] you learn what a writer’s life looks like,” Gilroy once told Rotten Tomatoes. “You learn what a director’s life looks like. How the days run. The trials, the disappointments. How you get paid. How you don’t get paid. How people screw you, how you get over it. That’s the really valuable part you have a leg up on. When you start to live the life, you go, “This feels familiar.”
In addition to cinema, Gilroy is also the showrunner of Andor, a new Star Wars series that he recently previewed. As we count down the days for that release, here’s a closer look at Gilroy’s finest film efforts to date.
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5 The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Universal Pictures
Before Jeremy Renner took over in 2012, Gilroy wrote the first two Bourne films in the series and co-wrote the last of the trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum. The Bourne Legacy, which Gilroy directed in addition to writing, was an expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum’s novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films. Instead of taking over the actual Jason Bourne persona, Renner stars as Aaron Cross, the latest threat to the secretive Treadstone program. Despite mixed reviews, Renner holds the screen well in an action-star capacity (as he always does).
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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“We knew how complicated the part was,” Gilroy once told IndieWire, regarding Renner taking over the lead role. “You really needed to have someone who could be completely socially nimble in one moment, and completely private the next. We knew it would be an emotional odyssey we were going to put him on. We also knew we were going to introduce story in a really unusual way, which is to sort of let it sneak up on you rather than announcing it at the top. So we needed an amazing actor, obviously.”
4 Duplicity (2009)
In a similar vain of the Bourne films, Duplicity stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as former CIA and MI6 spies who have left the game for the world of corporate espionage. The film co-stars Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as rival tycoons battling it out for the untold riches a secret beauty formula has for the first to market it. Despite mixed reviews, Duplicity showed hope for its director — Gilroy clearly has a good, commanding eye behind the lens.
“I’ve done a lot of spy movies, law enforcement, and military-intelligence things, and I’ve built up contacts in the intelligence community,” Gilroy once told Fast Company in an interview about the film. “Most of the spies in my address book have gone private. I watched them set up companies or join ones, and make more money than they ever thought they would make. You’d see them two years later, and they’d have their teeth done, a new suit, a new wife. So I thought there was something fresh there for a movie. Nobody had done it. It was surprising that it was so untouched.”
3 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Gilroy served as co-writer on Rogue One, an epic war film that provided us with the perfect lead-up to the events of the O.G. Star Wars film, A New Hope. The first of the anthology films, Rogue One takes fans back to the Age of Rebellion and serves as a great introduction to the franchise. The film takes audiences on a joyride by revisiting the classic era while still telling a new story with new characters. It embraced diversity with its casting and had us rooting for the well-fleshed out characters — even though the true Star Wars fans already knew of the inevitably tragic ending to this particular chapter. In effect, we can’t wait for Andor, the Rogue One spinoff series that Gilroy is helming.
2 Nightcrawler (2014)
Open Road Films
Gilroy served as producer of Nightcrawler, a thrilling, dark journey that was written and directed by his talented brother Dan. It takes us into the mind of a sociopath and the cutthroat nature of pursuing the American dream. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom, a gaunt, violence-prone thief with fierce personal ambition. Gyllenhaal gives possibly his most disturbing performance to date as Lou Bloom, a man driven to become a successful video journalist. Bloom spends his nights filming tragic news stories for cash, and he will do anything to get a good story. Everything about the film works flawlessly — the acting, writing, directing, raw emotions — making this a terrific success for Gilroy as producer.
1 Michael Clayton (2007)
Castle Rock Entertainment
Gilroy finest effort from the director’s chair was Michael Clayton, a thrilling drama that examines the life of a fixer for lawyers. The film received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Gilroy. Tilda Swinton rightfully won the trophy for Best Supporting Actress. The scenes she shares with George Clooney are simply dynamite, with Clooney’s final “you’re so f***ed” quote perhaps belonging on a t-shirt — it’s that memorable. Equally compelling is Tom Wilkinson as the man Clooney fails to protect. But what stands out the most is Gilroy’s smart and clever script, woven tightly to perfection. In one of his final performances, Sydney Pollack is also terrific as Clooney’s boss.
“George is such a quietly ambitious actor,” Gilroy once told The Seattle Times upon the film’s release. “Look at the roles he’s choosing and the things he’s doing along the way. He was the grand prize in this whole thing. There was no way of making this movie without him working for free. He becomes this security blanket, the ultimate protection who makes sure nobody messes with the movie.”
