<![CDATA[Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle]]>Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Danny Boyle

FilmRetrospect — 15 years ago(January 12, 2011 04:56 PM)

For the full list, please visit http://filmretrospect.blogspot.com
9. A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Boyle's first move towards the mainstream is probably his biggest misfire. It's formulaic, but it's also an uneven mess of a film. Not a complete bust, as it does contain a few laughs and decent moments, but there's nothing really substantial or interesting enough to justify its making.
8. The Beach (2000)
Another move towards the mainstream, and another misfire. Noticing a trend here? Based on Alex Garland's novel The Beach, this film version just doesn't translate well. Like A Life Less Ordinary, it's also uneven and messy, though it does contain some interesting ideas regarding human nature. The first half of the film is decent, but it eventually all falls apart. A failed experiment I would say, as it tries to do so much and ultimately loses focus.
7. Shallow Grave (1994)
Boyle's first film is a darkly humorous crime thriller which establishes his kinetic style as a filmmaker but goes against his eventual trademark themes of humanism. These characters start off as great friends but progressively turn against each other as greed and other personal values take over. Boyle's use of irony and black comedy give this one an edge, but I'd be willing to bet that the Coens would've made this a classic.
6. 127 Hours (2010)
I really had a hard time deciding where I wanted to place this one. Since i've only seen it once so far, it's kind of hard for me to know what kind of lasti5b4ng effect it will have on me. I wouldn't be surprised if it were to crack the top five after repeat viewings, though I am concerned about its replay value considering the nature of the film. 127 Hours totally personifies Danny Boyle as a filmmaker. He continually feels the needs to challenge himself and take on fresh and difficult material, even after being rewarded with Oscar gold. Instead of casting Tom Hanks or Sean Penn in a new social drama, Boyle used his free director's pass to do a challenging vanity project which would've never been greenlit by any studio had he not been the director of Slumdog Millionaire.
5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
For obvious reasons, I felt obligated to put this one higher on the list. It's definitely a good film, and it might even be great, but it just isn't as emotionally affecting for me as I feel it should be. Slumdog Millionaire is unique in that it plays out like a rags to riches fairy tale that's given large doses of harsh realism. It's kinetic, guerilla-style rendering of the poverty-stricken slums of Mumbai scream authenticity, as does Boyle's overall representation of an alien culture. The heartwarming and crowd-pleasing finale is justified by having to endure what seems like a lifetime of misery and misfortune. Boyle's usual themes shine through here as he touches on the endurance of the human spirit and the pursuit of happiness through love as opposed to material wealth. It2000's got the ability to universally unspire, but the locale couldn't be any more fitting for a story such as this. The ending isn't quite as emotionally satisfying as I wanted it to be, and there are a few moments where things get a little over-manipulated, but these small gripes won't encourage me to argue when people proclaim this to be the best film of 2008.
Number's 4-1 can be found here: http://filmretrospect.blogspot.com/2010/12/ranking-films-of-danny-boyle-part-2.html

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/topic/86725/ranking-the-films-of-danny-boyleRSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 16:37:40 GMTWed, 15 Apr 2026 04:21:54 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:27 GMT]]>lovedawn — 10 years ago(May 22, 2015 02:22 PM)

  1. Trainspotting
    .
    That's it!
    Our whole Universe was in a hot, dense state
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858253https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858253Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:26 GMT]]>tremblaylm — 10 years ago(May 04, 2015 01:01 AM)

  1. Trainspotting
  2. Shallow Grave
  3. 28 Days Later
  4. Sunshine
  5. The Beach
  6. Slumdog Millionaire
  7. 127 Hours
  8. Trance
  9. A Life Less Ordinary
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858252https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858252Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:26 GMT]]>Fibre_Optic — 11 years ago(March 30, 2015 02:17 PM)

  1. Trainspotting
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. Sunshine
  4. Shallow Grave
  5. Slumdog Millionaire
  6. 127 Hours
  7. Millions
  8. Trance
  9. The Beach
  10. A Life Less Ordinary
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858251https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858251Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:25 GMT]]>PossessedByDucks — 11 years ago(October 20, 2014 11:44 PM)

Of the ones I've seen

  1. Sunshine
  2. Trainspotting
  3. A Life Less Ordinary
  4. Slumdog Millionaire
  5. 28 Days Later
  6. 127 Hours
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858250https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858250Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:24 GMT]]>MrFilmJunkie — 11 years ago(July 28, 2014 05:51 PM)

  1. trainspotting
  2. slumdog millionaire
  3. 28 days later
  4. the beach
  5. trance
  6. 127 hours
  7. a life less ordinary
  8. sunshine
  9. shallow grave
    not watched 'millions' yet, as well as his tv movies
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858249https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858249Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:24 GMT]]>FeelGoodHit-OfTheSummer — 12 years ago(November 23, 2013 03:41 PM)

I like those 6 films a lot, almost equally but here's a rough ranking.

  1. Sunshine
  2. Slumdog Millionaire
  3. 28 Days Later
  4. The Beach
  5. Shallow Grave
  6. Trainspotting
    Middling films I have no real affection for.
  7. 127 Hours - Not bad, but nothing special.
  8. Millions - Nice but I only watched it once.
  9. Trance - A chore to get through.
  10. A Life Less Ordinary - Haven't seen it all.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858248https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858248Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:23 GMT]]>johnny-228 — 12 years ago(November 21, 2013 07:02 AM)

  1. Sunshine
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. Trainspotting
  4. Shallow Grave
    These are the only ones I've seen and I love them all. I guess I should watch a few more?
    I think Boyle may be the only director with this many watches by me and no dislikes.
    It is easier to fool someone than convince them they have been fooled~Mark Twain
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858247https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858247Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:23 GMT]]>zoe-adams24-776-828742 — 12 years ago(August 27, 2013 04:45 PM)

  1. Sunshine
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. Trance
  4. Slumdog Millionaire
  5. The Beach
  6. Millions
    I still need to get around to seeing the others, but so far, I've loved all his films!
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858246https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858246Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:22 GMT]]>anova_standard — 12 years ago(July 26, 2013 01:53 PM)

Top 3:
127 Hours
Slumdog
28 Days Later
I cannot believe how much he messed up Sunshine. It would undoubtedly be number 1 if not for the third act. Damn it Danny!

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858245https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858245Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:21 GMT]]>smerph — 12 years ago(July 16, 2013 02:01 AM)

  1. 127 Hours Later (any film that gets you willing a man to cut of his arm with a blunt knife gets my vote).
    2.Millions
  2. Trainspotting
  3. 28 Days Later
  4. The Beach
  5. Shallow Grave
  6. Slumdog Millionaire
  7. Sunshine
  8. Trance
  9. A Life Less Ordinary

In case I don't see you ; good afternoon, good evening and good night!

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858244https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858244Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:20 GMT]]>m-slovak79 — 12 years ago(July 08, 2013 01:00 AM)

of the four films of his i have seen at this point
1.28 Days Later (2002) - 7/10 (while i like this it's been years since i last seen it and i should get around to seeing it again just to make sure i still like it. but for the most part this is about the only Danny Boyle film i have seen worth mentioning)
2.Sunshine (2007) - 6.5-7/10
3.Trance (2013) - 6/10
4.127 Hours (2010) - 6/10 (i found the real life story behind the film more interesting then the film itself)
p.s. in general for me 6/10 or less = Thumbs Down. 7/10 or higher = Thumbs Up.

My Vote History
http://imdb.to/rb1gYH

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858243https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858243Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:20 GMT]]>cd637 — 13 years ago(April 05, 2013 11:53 PM)

  1. 127 Hours
  2. Trainspotting
  3. Slumdog Millionaire
  4. Trance
  5. Sunshine
  6. Shallow Grave
  7. Millions
    Haven't seen the others yet.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858242https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858242Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:19 GMT]]>anchorman360 — 13 years ago(April 01, 2013 12:05 PM)

  1. Trainspotting
  2. 127 Hours
  3. Slumdog Millionaire
  4. 28 Days Later
  5. S1ebchallow Grave
  6. The Beach
  7. Sunshine
  8. Millions
  9. A Life Less Ordinary
    I'm really excited to see where Trance falls on the list.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858241https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858241Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:18 GMT]]>IMDb User

This message has been deleted.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858240https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858240Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:18 GMT]]>Koalamanboy — 13 years ago(March 08, 2013 01:46 PM)

  1. Sunshine
  2. The Beach
  3. 28 Days later
  4. 127 Hours
  5. Trainspotting
  6. Slumdog.
    I think its a big leap from Sunshine, beach and 28DL to 127h tho.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858239https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858239Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:17 GMT]]>andrew090586-230-389901 — 13 years ago(March 07, 2013 03:34 PM)

1 - 127 Hours
2 - Trainspotting
3 - 28 Days Later
4 - Slumdog Millionaire
5 - Shallow Grave
6 - The Beach
7 - Sunshine
8 - A Life Less Ordinary
9 - Millions

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858238https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858238Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:17 GMT]]>SparklingNugs — 13 years ago(October 21, 2012 01:11 PM)

  1. Trainspotting
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. 127 Hours
  4. Slumdog Millionaire
  5. Sunshine
  6. Shallow Grave
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858237https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858237Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:16 GMT]]>RaoulGonzo — 13 years ago(August 15, 2012 12:18 AM)

  1. Trainspotting
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. Slumdog Millionaire
  4. The Beach
  5. 127 Hours
  6. Shallow Grave
    "He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man" - Dr Johnson
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858236https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858236Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:15 GMT]]>danny70 — 13 years ago(June 09, 2012 02:33 AM)

1 Sunshine
2 Sunshine
3 Sunshine
4 Sunshine
5 Sunshine
This movie is so underrated! Great movies 🙂

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858235https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858235Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:15 GMT]]>SamuelMorgan — 13 years ago(May 27, 2012 07:18 AM)

Slumdog to me doesn't feel like a Danny Boyle film at all, absolutely hate it.
Probably:

  1. Trainspotting
  2. 28 Days Later
  3. Sunshine
    5b44. The Beach
  4. Hopefully Trance.
    Think the guy can be great on his day, but Slumdog and Hours were tedious in my opinion.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858234https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858234Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:14 GMT]]>Yves-15 — 13 years ago(May 25, 2012 08:27 PM)

28 Days Later
Sunshine
Trainspotting
Shallow Grave
Slumdog Millionaire
Who cares what psychiatrists write on walls.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858233https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858233Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:13 GMT]]>OmNomNom_NomNom — 13 years ago(April 21, 2012 06:30 PM)

  1. 127 Hours
  2. Slumdog Millionaire
  3. Trainspotting
  4. Sunshine
  5. 28 Days Later
    Help get this film in the top 250:
    http://www.imdb.com/board/10274518/
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858232https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858232Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:13 GMT]]>Koalamanboy — 14 years ago(April 06, 2012 04:53 PM)

  1. Sunshine.
  2. The Beach.
  3. 28 Days later.
  4. 127 hours.
  5. Slumdog.
    I haven't seen Transpotting yet but I will most likely rank it above Slumdog.
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858231https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858231Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Ranking the Films of Danny Boyle on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:12 GMT]]>NightGoat85 — 14 years ago(February 08, 2012 02:29 PM)

  1. Slumdog Millionaire
  2. Trainspotting
  3. 28 Days Later
  4. Sunshine
  5. 127 Hours
  6. The Beach
  7. Shallow Grave
  8. Millions
  9. A Life Less Ordinary
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858230https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/858230Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:22:12 GMT