Most Accomplished ACTIVE Directors (2009 Edition)

a. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
b. Jumanji (1995)
c. October Sky (1999)
d. Hidalgo (2004)
e. The Wolfman (2010)
f. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Benecio Del Toro as The Wolfman, that's all I have to say.

a. Scanners (1981)
b. Videodrome (1983)
c. The Dead Zone (1983)
d. The Fly (1986)
e. A History of Violence (2005)
f. Eastern Promises (2007)
g. The Matarese Circle (2011)

Blowing people’s heads up and having them fight buck-naked in the shower is what Cronenberg is all about.

a. The Hit (1984)
b. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
c. Hero (1992)
d. High Fidelity (2000)
e. Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
f. The Queen (2006)
g. Cheri (2009)
h. The Burial (2011)

He spent a lot of time on TV but once he made it to the silverscreen we have seen him create the defining roles of some great modern actors, and made them look damn good.

a. Ordinary People (1980)
b. A River Runs Through It (1992)
c. Quiz Show (1994)
d. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
e. Lions for Lambs (2007)
f. The Company You Keep (2010)

Redford has accomplished a lot in his career with acting, producing, and the Sundance Film Festival (which started the trend of bringing thousands of indies to the public eye), and directing is right there in the mix of his great talents.

a. About Last Night… (1986)
b. Glory (1989)
c. Legends of the Fall (1994)
d. Courage Under Fire (1996)
e. The Siege (1998)
f. The Last Samurai (2003)
g. Blood Diamond (2006)
h. Defiance (2008)
i. Love and Other Drugs (2010)

Zwick does nothing quick. He’s all about the epic.

a. Das Boot (1981)
b. The Neverending Story (1984)
c. In the Line of Fire (1993)
d. Outbreak (1995)
e. Air Force One (1997)
f. Troy (2004)
g. Uprising (2010)
h. A Spell for Chameleon (2011)

From the claustrophobia developed in ‘Das Boot’ to the epic proportions of ‘Troy’, Peterson has talent well-used.

a. Something Wild (1986)
b. Married to the Mob (1988)
c. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
d. Philadelphia (1993)
e. The Agronomist (2003)
f. The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
g. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
h. Marley (2010)
i. The Courage Consort (2012)

Kids, comedy, horror, gangster, politics, drama, and drugs. He’s covered quite a range in his modern classics. Now he's doing docs of Neil Young and Bob Marley

a. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
b. European Vacation (1985)
c. Look Who’s Talking (1989)
d. Clueless (1995)
e. A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
f. I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)

Sadly the highest rated female director on the countdown. She was doing real swell in the 80s and 90s; but she needs to pick it back up.

a. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
b. Witness (1985)
c. The Mosquito Coast (1986)
d. Dead Poets Society (1989)
e. Fearless (1993)
f. The Truman Show (1998)
g. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
h. The Way Back (2010)

He’s a director who makes good actors great; but needs to make more films, because he hasn't made a bad film yet.

a. Tommy Boy (1995)
b. My Fellow Americans (1996)
c. Anger Management (2003)
d. 50 First Dates (2004)
e. Get Smart (2008)
f. War Dogs (2010)
g. Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam (2011)

He made one of the great American comedy classics with Tommy Boy and continues to dole out entertaining films.

a. Flatliners (1990)
b. Falling Down
c. The Client
d. Batman Forever
e. A Time to Kill
f. Tigerland (2000)
g. Veronica Guerin (2003)
h. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
j. 1:30 Train (2010)
k. Twelve (2010)

Not a critical favorite and another filmmaker who may be inconsistent and all over the map; but there’s enough quality films on his plate to consider him great.

a. Bottle Rocket (1996)
b. Rushmore (1998)
c. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
d. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
e. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
f. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
g. My Best Friend (2011)

Anderson's attention to character and set detail could be unmatched. Smart writing and characters you love and loathe are the essence of Anderson's work.

a. Top Gun (1986)
b. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
c. Days of Thunder (1990)
d. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
e. True Romance (1993)
f. Crimson Tide (1995)
g. Enemy of the State (1998)
h. Spy Game (2001)
i. Déjà vu (2006)
j. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
k. The Warriors (2010)
l. Emma's War (2011)
m. Unstoppable (2011)

The other Scott. He is the great 90's action director. You think the remake of ‘Pelham’ looks like a typical 90's action film? It is because it’s directed by Tony Scott.

a. Cul-de-Sac (1966)
b. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
c. Chinatown (1974)
d. Frantic (1988)
e. The Pianist (2002)
f. The Ghost (2010)

Not the most America-friendly filmmaker but I like to ignore anything the directors do outside of filmmaking.

a. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
b. The Little Mermaid (1989)
c. Aladdin (1992)
d. Hercules (1997)
e. Treasure Planet (2002)
f. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

The best only-animation director of all time is back for a (hopefully) triumphant return this year with ‘The Princess and the Frog’.

a. The Elephant Man (1980)
b. Dune (1984)
c. Blue Velvet (1986)
d. Lost Highway (1997)
e. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
f. Inland Empire (2006)
g. Snootworld (2010)

It doesn’t get any terrifically weirder than David Lynch.

a. The Dark Crystal (1982)
b. The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
c. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
d. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
e. What About Bob? (1991)
f. In & Out (1997)
g. The Score (2001)
h. Death at a Funeral (2007)

Damn fun director, he is.

a. Cigarettes & Coffee (1993)
b. Boogie Nights (1997)
c. Magnolia (1999)
d. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
e. There Will Be Blood (2007)
f. Desperadoes (2010)

The director who can bring gifted ensembles together brilliantly went a different direction with 'Blood' and proved he has a range in directing styles. This guy needs to direct more!

a. Dazed and Confused (1993)
b. Before Sunrise/Sunset (1995, 2004)
c. Waking Life (2001)
d. The School of Rock (2003)
e. Fast Food Nation (2006)
f. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
g. Boyhood (2013)

He started out with a modern classic and his next film could be a milestone in cinema.

a. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
b. Hair (1979)
c. Amadeus (1984)
d. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
e. Man on the Moon (1999)
f. Goya’s Ghosts (2006)
g. The Ghost of Munich (2010)

This guy directs only directing one or two great movies a decade... for the last four decades! And they're all different styles.

a. Sudden Impact (1983)
b. Pale Rider (1985)
c. Unforgiven (1990)
d. Absolute Power (1997)
e. Blood Work (2002)
f. Mystic River (2003)
g. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
h. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
i. Changeling (2008)
j. Gran Torino (2008)
k. The Human Factor (2009)
l. The Herafter (2011)

The best actor/director out there (Woody Allen isn’t nearly as good of an actor, and Ron Howard doesn’t act anymore.) He is a legend and always will be.

a. Say Anything… (1989)
b. Jerry Maguire (1996)
c. Almost Famous (2000)
d. Vanilla Sky (2001)
e. Volcano Spectacle (2010)
f. Untitled Pearl Jam Documentary (2011)

He may be a better writer; but that’s like saying Bo Jackson may be a better football player when talking about his baseball skills.

a. The Usual Suspects (1995)
b. Apt Pupil (1998)
c. X-Men I & II (2000, 2003)
d. Superman Returns (2006)
e. Valkyrie (2008)
f. Prisoners (2011)

He’s like the thinking man’s Michael Bay. Big budget without a lick of cheese.

a. The Fourth Man (1983)
b. RoboCop (1987)
c. Total Recall (1990)
d. Basic Instinct (1992)
e. Showgirls (1995)
f. Starship Troopers (1997)
g. Black Book (2007)
h. The Winter Queen (2010)

He likes the future, violence and naked women; but he also happens to be brilliant.

a. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
b. Heat (1995)
c. The Insider (1999)
d. Ali (2001)
e. Collateral (2004)
f. Miami Vice (2006)
g. Public Enemies (2009)
h. Frankie Machine (2010)
i. Empire (2011)

He is a guys' director. I will write him a letter of concern if he ever does a romantic comedy or musical.

a. The Omen (1976)
b. Superman I & II (1978, 1980)
c. The Toy (1982)
d. The Goonies (1985)
e. Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, & 4 (1987, 1989, 1992, 1998)
f. Scrooged (1988)
g. Radio Flyer (1992)
h. Maverick (1994)
i. Conspiracy Theory (1997)
j. Timeline (2003)
k. 16 Blocks (2006)
l. Sam and George (2010)
m. The 28th Amendment (2011)

You can’t really tell what a Donner film looks like – he’s been all over the map. Ooh, a horror director, no he makes comic-book movies – no, low-brow comedies, I mean kids movies, okay action films is his niche, I mean black comedies, no indies… well, at least we know he loves Mel Gibson (in six of his movies including the upcoming 'Sam and George').

a. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
b. Time Bandits (1981)
c. The Meaning of Life (1983)
d. Brazil (1985)
e. The Fisher King (1991)
f. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
g. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
h. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
i. Zero Theorem (2010)
j. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2011)

You never know what to expect from Gilliam, except weird British greatness.

a. Diner (1982)
b. The Natural (1984)
c. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
d. Rain Man (1988)
e. Bugsy (1991)
f. Toys (1992)
g. Sleepers (1996)
h. Wag the Dog (1997)
i. Bandits (2001)
j. Man of the Year (2006)
k. Boone’s Lick (2010)
l. A Walk in the Woods (2011)

It’s a been a while since he’s made a classic; hopefully Tom Hanks will revive his stellar career.

a. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
b. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
c. King Kong (2005)
d. The Lovely Bones (2009)

The Lord of Rings Trilogy alone would put him in the top 50. Hopefully we see a lot more of his films in the near future.

a. Trainspotting (1996)
b. A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
c. The Beach (2000)
d. 28 Days Later (2002)
e. Millions (2004)
f. Sunshine (2007)
g. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
h. Johannesburg (2011)

People are finally getting to know how great Boyle is

a. Bananas (1971)
b. Annie Hall (1977)
c. Manhattan (1979)
d. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
e. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
f. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
g. Husbands and Wives (1992)
h. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
i. Match Point (2005)
j. Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)
k. Whatever Works (2009)
l. Untitled London Project (2010)

These are about a fifth of the films he’s directed/written.

a. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
b. Pulp Fiction (1994)
c. Jackie Brown (1997)
d. Kill Bill: Vol 1 & 2 (2003, 2004)
e. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

I’m not quite a fanatic, but I always know I’m in for something unusual, gory, and clever, with a big helping of unwholesome nihilistic fun.

a. Alien 3 (1992)
b. Seven (1995)
c. The Game (1997)
d. Fight Club (1999)
e. Zodiac (2007)
f. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
g. Heavy Metal (2012)

Here’s a tip – if you want to be a great director, direct an ‘Alien’ film - all four directors are on my directors lists (3 on this one). A director who continues to amaze people with his unique, stylistic and mind-bending direction. He’s on track to be one of my favorite directors of all time. It’s a good thing he’s only half-way through his career.

a. Do the Right Thing (1989)
b. Malcolm X (1992)
c. He Got Game (1998)
d. 25th Hour (2002)
e. Inside Man (2006)
f. Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
g. Inside Man 2 (2010)
h. Time Traveler (2011)
i. Untitled James Brown Biopic (2012)

He probably knows he’s the most successful black director ever, and loves it. I love it too. Although decidedly racist against Caucasians at times, he still directs entertaining films that appeal to many demographics.

a. Carrie (1976)
b. Obsession (1976)
c. Scarface (1983)
d. The Untouchables (1987)
e. Casualties of War (1989)
f. Raising Cain (1992)
g. Carlito’s Way (1993)
h. Mission: Impossible (1996)
i. Snake Eyes (1998)
j. Mission to Mars (2000)
k. The Black Dahlia (2006)
l. Redacted (2007)
m. The Boston Stranglers (2010)

Although inconsistent, he is still a director to admire. I think he’s still got one or two great ones left in his arsenal.

a. Memento (2000)
b. Insomnia (2002)
c. Batman Begins (2005)
d. The Prestige (2006)
e. The Dark Knight (2008)
e. Inception (2010)
f. Untitled Batman Sequel (2011)
g. The Prisoner (2012)

A very talented director who will likely continue to rise in rank. He has yet to direct a mediocre film. Making him the only one beside Scorsese to do so… he just needs ten more hits to be considered on the same level though. Inception sounds like it could be one of the greatest films of all time already.

a. Caddyshack (1980)
b. Vacation (1983)
c. Groundhog Day (1993)
d. Multiplicity (1996)
e. Analyze This/That (1999, 2002)
f. The Ice Harvest (2005)
g. The Year One (2009)

One of the most beloved comedic directors, Ramis has had a fun history of blockbuster comedies, cult favorites, and rarely-seen indies. He will return to the blockbuster comedy routine this summer with a promising film.

a. 12 Angry Men (1957)
b. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
c. Serpico (1973)
d. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
e. Network (1976)
f. The Verdict (1982)
g. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
h. Getting Out (2009)

He wins the reward for longevity –50 years of directing amazing films. I wish I could place him higher, but check out that gap between ‘The Verdict’ and ‘The Devil’ Each classic film has its own brilliance and stand-alone character. I wish I knew Lumet personally so I could yell at him for taking so long to direct again.

a. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
b. The Graduate (1967)
c. Catch-22 (1970)
d. Silkwood (1983)
e. Working Girl (1988)
f. Wolf (1994)
g. The Birdcage (1996)
h. Primary Colors (1998)
i. Closer (2004)
j. Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
k. High and Low (2010)

A supreme director who’s name isn’t as ‘household’ as the previous eleven; but just take a look at this resume above. He has directed consistently well for the last 45 years!

a. The Terminator 1 & 2 (1984, 1991)
b. Aliens (1986)
c. The Abyss (1989)
d. True Lies (1994)
e. Titanic (1997)
f. Avatar (2009)

It’s hard to believe Cameron isn’t in the top ten, considering I have nearly all his films ranked in my top 200 on the 1,000 Greatest Films list; but when you make the biggest blockbuster ever and force your fans to wait twelve years before seeing your work again, they (at least me) could get a little irate. I am worried my expectations of ‘Avatar’ are far too high now.

a. Platoon (1986)
b. Wall Street (1987)
c. Talk Radio (1988)
d. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
e. The Doors (1991)
f. JFK (1991)
g. Natural Born Killers (1994)
h. Nixon (1995)
i. Any Given Sunday (1999)
j. W. (2008)
k. Money Never Sleeps (2010)
l. Pinkville (2011)

The innovative, stylistic director has slowed down in his later years; but you can pretty much title most of his films in the 80s and 90s as benchmarks in film history. Will he ever make 'Pinkville' dammit?

a. Finian’s Rainbow (1968)
b. The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990)
c. The Conversation (1974)
d. Apocalypse Now (1979)
e. Dracula (1992)
f. The Rainmaker (1997)
g. Youth Without Youth (2007)
h. Tetro (2009)

He has created some of the best films ever, the only reason why he’s not higher is because we’re ranking active directors, and unfortunately he hasn’t done much in the last ten years.

a. Blood Simple (1984)
b. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
c. Barton Fink (1991)
d. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
e. Fargo (1996)
f. The Big Lebowski (1998)
g. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
h. The Lady Killers (2004)
i. No Country for Old Men (2007)
j. Burn After Reading (2008)
k. A Serious Man (2009)
l. Hail Caesar (2010)
m. True Grit (2011)
n. Suburbicon (2012)

This wacky, witty, clever and superbly smart brothers have only made films that are exasperatingly enjoyable. Sure, there are some box-office duds, but do you think they care?

a. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
b. Beetle Juice (1988)
c. Batman & Batman Returns (1989, 1992)
d. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
e. Ed Wood (1994)
f. Mars Attacks! (1996)
g. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
h. Big Fish (2003)
i. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
j. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
k. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
l. Frankenweenie (2011)

Burton doesn’t have a wide range; but he doesn’t need one. When you see him take on a familiar story you know you’re in for a surrealistic and strange, but beautiful trip. I can’t wait to see what does with ‘Alice’.

a. Alien (1979)
b. Blade Runner (1982)
c. Thelma & Louise (1991)
d. G.I. Jane (1997)
e. Gladiator (2000)
f. Black Hawk Down (2001)
g. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
h. American Gangster (2007)
i. Body of Lies (2008)
j. Nottingham (2010)
k. The Kind One (2010)
l. Brave New World (2011)

Scott had a stellar beginning to his career but didn’t really take off until 20 years later. He has found his favorite actor (Russell Crowe) and found a niche worth watching every year or two.

AND Bobby Farrelly


a. Dumb & Dumber (1994)
b. Kingpin (1996)
c. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
d. Me, Myself and Irene (2000)
e. Shallow Hal (2001)
f. Stuck On You (2003)
g. Fever Pitch (2005)
h. The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
i. The Three Stooges (2010)
j. The Valet (2011)

The brother duo has always been labeled masters of crude humor; but they are really masters of humor in general. Their ability combine intelligent humor with the crudeness was rarely seen before them, now Apatow and others are following in their own ways. One thing they don’t credit for is their view on mentally disable characters. These are characters always come out triumphant and winners – a theme that was upposed to be pinnacled in the film “The Ringer” but they made their first only casting mistake with Johnny Knoxville as the lead. I consider Dumb and Dumber the best comedy of all time.

a. Splash (1984)
b. Parenthood (1989)
c. Backdraft (1991)
d. Far and Away (1992)
e. The Paper (1994)
f. Apollo 13 (1995)
g. Ransom (1996)
h. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
i. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
j. Cinderella Man (2005)
k. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
l. Frost/Nixon (2008)
m. Angels & Demons (2009)
n. The Emperor’s Children (2011)
o. Lensman (2011)

One of the smartest and nicest guys around has put together a portfolio anyone could be impressed with. He has taken popular but way-too-common themes like space, ransom, and politics, and made them extraordinary. He’s third director on this list that should thank Tom Hanks for helping his achievements; but there is a very good reason most popular actor chooses to be in four of his films. In fact, many big names have fallen in love with his direction – Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, Russell Crowe, Kevin Bacon, Frank Langella, Kurt Russell, but let’s not forget, a Ron Howard movie is not complete without his brother, Clint.

a. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)
b. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
c. Forrest Gump (1994)
d. Contact (1997)
e. Cast Away (2000)
f. The Polar Express (2004)
g. A Christmas Carol (2009)
h. Airman (2011)

Bobby Z would make the list if all he did was Forrest Gump; but he managed to direct one of the best trilogies, and directed revolutionary films about Roger Rabbit and The Polar Express, and even managed to make a certain volleyball a household name (but the sickeningly blatant product placement in 'Cast Away' is one of my least favorite decisions made by this brilliant director.)

a. The Sugarland Express (1974)
b. Jaws (1975)
c. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
d. Indiana Jones Adventures (1981, 1984, 1989, 2008)
e. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
f. The Color Purple (1985)
g. Empire of the Sun (1987)
h. Hook (1991)
i. Jurassic Park (1993)
j. Schindler’s List (1993)
k. Amistad (1997)
l. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
m. Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
n. Minority Report (2002)
o. Catch Me if You Can (2002)
p. The Terminal (2004)
q. Munich (2005)
r. Lincoln (2011)
s. Interstellar (2012)

Spielberg is a very close second for the many reasons why Scorsese is at the top. The main difference in the two are their monetary and subjective outcomes. Scorsese always wins with the critics and Spielberg always wins with the fans. Scorsese wins with the fans; but at a much slower pace. Spielberg’s pictures are always highly anticipated and appealing to people of any age. Spielberg’s impact on the film industry is greater, because of his production companies and involvement in what seems like half of the great blockbusters in the last 25 years; but this list is based on directing only, and that is why this genius is out of the top spot.

a. Mean Streets (1973)
b. Taxi Driver (1976)
c. New York, New York (1977)
d. The Last Waltz (1978)
e. Raging Bull (1980)
f. The Color of Money (1986)
g. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
h. Goodfellas (1990)
i. Cape Fear (1991)
j. The Age of Innocence (1993)
k. Casino (1995)
l. Kundun (1997)
m. Gangs of New York (2002)
n. The Aviator (2004)
o. The Departed (2006)
p. Shutter Island (2009)
q. Silence (2010)
r. Sinatra (2011)
s. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2012)

Scorsese combines innovative styles with pure cinematic professionalism with each film he creates. He makes weak actors (Mark Wahlberg) actually look good and he builds lasting relationships with great actors (DeNiro, DiCaprio, etc.) His consistent success with a variety of films thorugh 35 years solidifies his spot at the top.