What Directors Have a Perfect Track Record?

[4815162342]

This is a thread in which we discuss what directors we feel have a perfect track record, in that they haven't made a clunker in their entire filmography.Obviously directors who've only made 5 films or less can't qualify since it's such a small sample size. The great directors in cinema are usually very prolific and with such quantity comes the inevitable stinker. Spielberg had 1941, Fincher had Alien 3, Coppola had Jack, Scorsese had some of his terrible outings in the 80s and 90s, and so on.For me the first director who comes to mind for a perfect track record is Sergio Leone:Fistful of DollarsFor a Few Dollars MoreThe Good, The Bad, and The UglyOnce Upon a Time in the WestDuck, You Sucker!Once Upon a Time in America6 films and not a misstep among them. While it's not as much as other famous directors, it's still a great track record considering the studio battles he had to go through with his latter three films.

Edited May 26, 2012 by 4815162342

[American Eagle]

I don't think Nolan has had a mistep yet.FollowingMementoInsomniaBatman BeginsThe PrestigeThe Dark KnightInceptionAll of them have been critically acclaimed. He's a pretty young director, though.

[Travod]

I don't think it's fair to blame Fincher for Alien 3.

[Jake Gittes]

Tarantino, PTA, Nolan, maybe Malick for me. I'd say Leone too, but haven't seen Duck You Sucker yet. What I really can't think of is a filmmaker who has had more than 10 movies in his perfect track record. Not to diminish the success of Tarantino, PTA and Nolan, but it's not out of realm of possibility to make 5-7 good or great films in a row, it has been done before them, too. But sooner or later, everyone has a misstep. Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg, Polanski, the Coens - guys who made some of the best films ever - all had at least one or two, and thus don't have the perfect track record. Maybe Kubrick managed to - I know his last 7 movies (from Dr. Strangelove onward) are fantastic, and so is Paths of Glory, but not having seen Lolita, The Killing and KIller's Kiss I can't be sure. Same with foreign auteurs like Fellini, Bergman, Antonioni and Kurosava, and I haven't seen all of Tarkovsky either, although he only made 7 films - even if each and every one is great, it's not as accomplished as a perfect track record of over 10 movies.

[Jake Gittes]

And while I love Fincher, I'm not sure I consider Panic Room and TGWTDT good enough to say he has a perfect track record. Still, of 9 movies he's made I think 4 are outstanding (Se7en, FC, Zodiac, TSN), and the others range between good and average, with none being explicitly bad. So I guess that counts for something. Same with Cameron, I like almost all his movies and think his worst (Avatar) is still sorta-kinda above average, but I don't know if that's enough. He hasn't made any flat-out masterpieces either, as far as I'm concerned (only T2 and Aliens come close), so he's just consistently good.

[4815162342]

What I really can't think of is a filmmaker who has had more than 10 movies in his perfect track record. Not to diminish the success of Tarantino, PTA and Nolan, but it's not out of realm of possibility to make 5-7 good or great films in a row, it has been done before them, too. But sooner or later, everyone has a misstep.

Pretty much. The longer someone is a director and cranks out films, the probability of making a false step goes up exponentially. Anyone can have a string of 4-5 very good to great films, but once you get near 10 something has to give.I wouldn't consider Tarantino to have a perfect record since I found Death Proof to be a mixed-bag at best. Likewise with Nolan, if you're going to count Following then I can't consider his record perfect since while it's not bad, it's still amatuerish and rough around the edges.

[baumer]

Tarantino had the abomination with his Grindhouse film.

[Plain Old Tele]

With respect to Fincher (and others), we can't ignore certain movies because they didn't have final cut or whatever. If they're the listed directed, they get the credit (or blame) -- them's the breaks.

[baumer]

If this is a completely personal opinion thread, then for me Michael Bay has never had a misstep.Bad BoysThe RockArmageddonPearl HarborBBIIThe IslandTransformers 1,2,3All fantastic films, with the exception BBII, but still not a true misstep for me.

[Plain Old Tele]

baumer wins the thread.

[vc2002]

Right now it's James Cameron and Chris Nolan for me. And they acutally have sth really similar despite their different styles: they both write and direct their own films and both gained HUGE financial and critical success. For a writer director, to gain such massive successes like Cameron did is rather rare, and IN A WAY I consider Nolan the next Cameron.

Edited May 26, 2012 by vc2002

[baumer]

I love the guy. He has his own style and for me, one of the things that sets him apart from others is that he doesn't just shoot a chase scene with people walking on the sidewalk. He'll probably see the scene in the screenplay and then say, "what can i add to give this some more depth?" And then he'll come up with a bunch of legless guys in wheelchairs and holding a basketball. And it works. He adds a lot of depth and for this his films are that much better.

[4815162342]

With Cameron you have to count Piranha 2. I think that should end any discussion of him.Yeah baumer this is a personal opinion thread, because some people can say Kubrick, but I can't agree because I find a couple films of his to be poor. But you'll be alone with the Bay stance.

Edited May 26, 2012 by 4815162342

[vc2002]

With Cameron you have to count Piranha 2. I think that should end any discussionof him.

[baumer]

I guess for me it would be:BayCameronAlan Parker (Mississippi Burning, Angel Heart, Midnight Express and so on)I wish Mark Pellington was allowed to do more films as he showed brilliance in Arlington Road and Mothman Prophecies.

[baumer]

With Cameron you have to count Piranha 2. I think that should end any discussion of him.Yeah baumer this is a personal opinion thread, because some people can say Kubrick, but I can't agree because I find a couple films of his to be poor. But you'll be alone with the Bay stance.

Yep, I know. lol

[vc2002]

Just kidding 4815162342. Yeah he's credited as the director of Piranha 2, but he basically had no control of how the film was turned out to be and was actually fired before the film was finished, so I dont really consider that his first director debut. Kinda like the same as Fincher on Alien 3.

Edited May 26, 2012 by vc2002

[druv10]

With Cameron you have to count Piranha 2. I think that should end any discussion of him.Yeah baumer this is a personal opinion thread, because some people can say Kubrick, but I can't agree because I find a couple films of his to be poor. But you'll be alone with the Bay stance.

JC was pulled from Prianha 2. It doesn't count.

[4815162342]

JC was pulled from Prianha 2. It doesn't count.

I'll give you and vc the Piranha firing for the sake of argument and I'll still shake my head at Cameron, because I'm not a fan of Titanic. For the world at large it's a gigantic feather in his cap, but I find it just bloated excess. Edited May 26, 2012 by 4815162342

[vc2002]

I'll give you and vc the Piranha firing for the sake of argument and I'll still shake my head at Cameron, because I'm not a fan of Titanic. For the world at large it's a gigantic feather in his cap, but I find it just bloated excess.

Like you said it's a personal opinion thread right? Although I'm trying to be objective. For example, I kinda hated Memento, but I'm not blind to the fact that it was well-received by the mass.