Special Report

The Best Movies Directed by Actors

Most actors are storytellers at heart and so it’s no surprise when one tries their hand at directing. The results can be predictably mixed, ranging from forgettable indies to some of the best films ever made. (These are directors who were nominated for an Oscar on their first try.)

Just as there’s no single fixed style of acting, there are all kinds of ways that one can express themselves from behind the camera.

To determine the best movies directed by actors, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on IMDb user rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings are weighted equally and are current as of October 2022. Only films directed by directors with at least five lead acting credits were considered. Director and cast credit information came from IMDb.

In some cases, the most formidable actors-turned-directors are the ones that we don’t see coming. After all, did anyone think that Ben Affleck would helm some of the 21st-century’s most acclaimed thrillers, including a Best Picture winner? Before him, someone like Clint Eastwood similarly upended expectations by proving himself a prolific director. (These are the highest grossing film directors of all time.)

When assembling the best movies directed by actors, we included directors who frequently act such as Mel Brooks and Orson Welles. We also excluded silent era legends such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin since they would have ended up dominating the list. What one gets in return is a healthy supply of classic titles, most of which were released in the last 30 years.

Click here for the best movies directed by actors

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

47. Fences (2016)
> Composite index score: 2.41
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (103,038 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (36,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (270 reviews)
> Directed by: Denzel Washington
> Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson

Denzel Washington’s third directorial feature adapts a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson, who also penned the script. Set in the 1950s, it centers around the struggles of an embittered working-class father (Washington). Co-star Viola Davis won an Academy Award for her supporting performance as family matriarch Rose Maxson.

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Courtesy of Netflix

46. First They Killed My Father (2017)
> Composite index score: 2.41
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (17,217 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (2,399 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Angelina Jolie
> Starring: Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata

Angelina Jolie continues to explore sociopolitical issues with this historical biopic about the life of former Cambodian child soldier Loung Ung. It culls from Ung’s own memoir and chronicles her experiences under the rule of a brutal communist regime. “A sincere attempt to paint a portrait of a country gone mad,” wrote critic Rafer Guzman for Newsday.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

45. That Thing You Do! (1996)
> Composite index score: 2.41
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (65,296 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (126,552 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Tom Hanks
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron

The directorial feature debut from Tom Hanks follows a small town band as they ride out the success of a hit single. Hanks himself plays their manager, who helps them navigate a pre-Beatles pop landscape. Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger composed the title track, which reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Courtesy of L'Atelier d'Images

44. The Way (2010)
> Composite index score: 2.42
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (31,762 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (13,529 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (100 reviews)
> Directed by: Emilio Estevez
> Starring: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Deborah Kara Unger

Once a major film star, Emilio Estevez refashioned himself as a working director for the latter part of his career. He enlisted real-life father Martin Sheen for this heartfelt dramedy, in which a man (Sheen) attempts the pilgrimage that claimed the life of his son (Estevez). It was a role specifically written with Sheen in mind.

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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

43. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
> Composite index score: 2.42
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (39,815 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (33,748 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (149 reviews)
> Directed by: Tommy Lee Jones
> Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam

Tommy Lee Jones puts his unique spin on the neo-Western genre with this border-crossing adventure drama. He directs and stars as rancher Pete Perkins, who embarks on a perilous journey to bury his dead friend in Mexico. It won for Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Courtesy of Laurenfilm

42. The Apostle (1997)
> Composite index score: 2.43
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (13,538 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (8,131 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Duvall
> Starring: Robert Duvall, Todd Allen, Paul Bagget

This gripping drama follows a Pentecostal preacher as he flees from a horrific act and sets up a new life in small-town Louisiana. Duvall wrote, directed, and starred, with help from a top-notch cast of supporting talent. He financed the film out of his own pocket after struggling for years to get it made.

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Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

41. The Great Debaters (2007)
> Composite index score: 2.44
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (57,445 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (116,821 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (132 reviews)
> Directed by: Denzel Washington
> Starring: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise

This acclaimed biopic explores the founding of Wiley College’s first debate team in the mid-1930s. Overcoming various odds, four African-American debaters make it all the way to the national championship. Director Denzel Washington plays team coach Melvin B. Tolson.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

40. Bob Roberts (1992)
> Composite index score: 2.44
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (14,904 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (7,623 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Robbins
> Starring: Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Alan Rickman

Tim Robbins’ directorial feature debut finds him playing fictional folk singer turned politician Bob Roberts. It takes the form of a mockumentary and follows Roberts on the campaign trail as he vies for U.S. Senate. “This nose-thumbing mock documentary is so prescient, so astonishingly up-to-the-minute, it creates the eerie effect of having been ripped from tomorrow’s headlines,” wrote Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman.

Courtesy of Guardian Television Network

39. Lost in America (1985)
> Composite index score: 2.45
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (8,493 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (4,339 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (36 reviews)
> Directed by: Albert Brooks
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, Sylvia Farrel

One in a string of Albert Brooks classics, this road trip comedy centers on two married Los Angeles yuppies (Brooks and Julie Hagerty). Upon selling everything they own, the couple purchases a winnebago and embarks on a cross-country adventure. But as they soon discover, American freedom isn’t as liberating as it sounds.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

38. Reds (1981)
> Composite index score: 2.46
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (21,959 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (9,006 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: Warren Beatty
> Starring: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann

Warren Beatty directed, produced, co-wrote, and stars as radical journalist John Reed in this sprawling historical drama. Clocking in at over three hours, it depicts Reed’s attempts to bring Russian-style communism onto American soil. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Director.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

37. A Star Is Born (2018)
> Composite index score: 2.48
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (355,833 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (20,903 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (527 reviews)
> Directed by: Bradley Cooper
> Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott

The directorial feature debut from Bradley Cooper is the fourth film version of this timeless story about the price of fame. He plays veteran musician Jackson Maine, who takes a young protégé (Lady Gaga) under his wing. It made over $436 million at the worldwide box office and won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

36. The Enemy Below (1957)
> Composite index score: 2.50
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (10,548 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (4,631 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (7 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Powell
> Starring: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens , David Hedison

Actor Richard Powell appeared in various hit musicals and iconic film noirs before sliding into the director’s chair. He adapted this WWII drama from a novel of the same name, with Robert Mitchum playing a newly appointed warship captain. The action takes place in the high seas and pits Mitchum’s character against a formidable German adversary.

Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

35. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
> Composite index score: 2.51
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (46,631 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (51,492 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
> Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves

One of Kenneth Branagh’s many Shakespeare adaptations, this romantic farce is brought to life by a talented ensemble cast. Kate Beckinsale and Robert Sean Leonard play engaged lovers, who enact a matchmaking scheme a week before their wedding. Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Emma Thompson, and Branagh himself also star.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

34. Braveheart (1995)
> Composite index score: 2.52
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (988,748 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (32,708,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Gibson
> Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan

Mel Gibson plays Scottish knight Sir William Wallace in this historical epic, his second directorial feature. When the love of his life is executed, Wallace takes up arms against a brutal British tyranny. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

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Courtesy of A24

33. The Disaster Artist (2017)
> Composite index score: 2.52
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (145,375 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (15,351 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (350 reviews)
> Directed by: James Franco
> Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Ari Graynor

This biographical dramedy chronicles the making of “The Room,” a cult hit that became known as one of history’s worst movies. Director and star James Franco tackles the role of filmmaker Tommy Wiseau, who fumbles his way into the cult cinema canon. Wiseau himself makes a brief cameo as a character named Henry during a post-credits scene.

Courtesy of Warner Independent Pictures

32. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
> Composite index score: 2.52
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (96,071 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (142,741 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (226 reviews)
> Directed by: George Clooney
> Starring: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson

Director George Clooney followed the erratic “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” with this minimalist historical drama. Presented in black and white, it goes behind the scenes at CBS News as they grapple with Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. Empire Magazine critic Simon Crook called it “provocative, principled and richly detailed.”

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Courtesy of Geffen Pictures

31. Defending Your Life (1991)
> Composite index score: 2.54
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (18,207 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (9,995 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Albert Brooks
> Starring: Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn

This Albert Brooks comedy sends a recently deceased man (Brooks) into a bureaucratic purgatory, where he’s asked to defend his life choices. With the introduction of a love interest (Meryl Streep) comes an unexpected romance and more choices to make. “I think the most interesting thing about the movie is what it says about Earth,” Brooks once said in a 1991 interview with the Chicago Tribune.

Courtesy of Embassy Pictures

30. The Producers (1967)
> Composite index score: 2.54
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (54,073 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (56,153 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
> Starring: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder

While Mel Brooks is best known as a director, he’s also no stranger to acting. He stays behind the camera for this Oscar-winning comedy, about two Broadway producers (Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) who set out to make history’s biggest flop. It was later adapted as a stage musical, which inspired a second film version.

Courtesy of Orion Pictures

29. Dances with Wolves (1990)
> Composite index score: 2.54
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (250,448 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (213,805 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Kevin Costner
> Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene

Kevin Costner was at the height of his fame when he delivered this sweeping historical epic, his directorial feature debut. It famously beat out Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” at the Academy Awards, winning Best Picture along with six other Oscars. The story takes place during the Civil War and chronicles the relationship between a Union Army officer (Costner) and Native American tribe.

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Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

28. The Stranger (1946)
> Composite index score: 2.54
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (25,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (5,317 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (29 reviews)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
> Starring: Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young

Orson Welles is another talent who’s acting career was arguably outshined by his status as an iconic director. He often appeared in his own films, including this noirish thriller about the hunt for an elusive Nazi (Welles). Slant Magazine critic Fernando F. Croce called it “as distinctively Wellesian as “Citizen Kane.””

Courtesy of A24

27. Lady Bird (2017)
> Composite index score: 2.54
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (260,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (22,988 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (398 reviews)
> Directed by: Greta Gerwig
> Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts

Greta Gerwig was an established indie darling by the time she directed this coming-of-age dramedy with personal undertones. The story follows an eccentric teenager (Saoirse Ronan) through her eventful senior year at a Catholic high school. It broke a record on Rotten Tomatoes by having the highest number of consecutive Fresh reviews.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

26. The Town (2010)
> Composite index score: 2.55
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (367,843 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (142,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Ben Affleck
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

Ben Affleck’s follow-up to the taut thriller “Gone Baby Gone” is another crime story set in the rougher parts of Boston. When a bank robber (Affleck) falls in love with one of his latest victims (Rebecca Hall), it creates a rift between himself and his fellow thieves.

Courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Company

25. My Favorite Year (1982)
> Composite index score: 2.56
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (9,293 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (4,834 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (27 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Benjamin
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper

Richard Benjamin honed a versatile acting career before making this directorial feature debut. It stars Peter O’Toole as a former matinee idol, whose stage fright and alcoholism threaten to upend a variety show.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

24. A Quiet Place (2018)
> Composite index score: 2.57
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (480,270 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (24,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (387 reviews)
> Directed by: John Krasinski
> Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds

“The Office” alum John Krasinski proved himself a blockbuster director with this surprise horror smash. Alien invaders with powerful hearing have wreaked havoc across the planet, and a small family must keep absolutely quiet if they want to stay alive. He returned to direct a similarly successful sequel.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

23. Into the Wild (2007)
> Composite index score: 2.57
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (594,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (179,594 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (200 reviews)
> Directed by: Sean Penn
> Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener

A bestselling non-fiction novel by Jon Krakauer laid the groundwork for this acclaimed drama, written and directed by Sean Penn. It tells the true story of Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), who gives away all his possessions and heads into the Alaskan wilderness. On IMDb’s list of the Top 250 Movies, it currently holds the #221 position.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

22. Ordinary People (1980)
> Composite index score: 2.57
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (23,252 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Redford
> Starring: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch

Robert Redford won his first and only Academy Award for directing this superlative domestic drama. It takes place in the wake of a terrible tragedy and depicts an upper-class family in a state of disrepair. Mary Tyler Moore cultivates unexpected gravitas as a narcissistic mother who can’t move past the death of her son.

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Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

21. Dead Man Walking (1995)
> Composite index score: 2.59
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (91,822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (61,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (61 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Robbins
> Starring: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky

Tim Robbins adapted this heralded drama from a 1993 non-fiction book, casting then-partner Susan Sarandon in the lead role. She plays Sister Helen Prejean, a nun whose empathy extends to both a convicted killer (Sean Penn) and the victim’s family. Her performance took home the film’s sole Academy Award.

Courtesy of Miramax

20. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
> Composite index score: 2.59
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (262,239 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (210,008 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (181 reviews)
> Directed by: Ben Affleck
> Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck

Ben Affleck took pretty much everyone by surprise with this self-assured directorial feature debut. It takes place in a rough Boston neighborhood and follows two private detectives (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) through a twisty kidnapping investigation. Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan co-star.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

19. Blazing Saddles (1974)
> Composite index score: 2.59
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (131,541 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (218,474 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
> Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens

Director Mel Brooks skewers both the Hollywood Western and the American West in this blockbuster parody. Unsparing in its mockery of racism, the story puts a Black sheriff (Cleavon Little) in charge of a small town circa 1874. When adjusted for inflation, it’s one of the highest-grossing original films ever made.

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Courtesy of Lionsgate

18. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
> Composite index score: 2.60
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (467,761 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (55,854 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (280 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Gibson
> Starring: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey

This WWII drama sends a pacifist soldier (Andrew Garfield) into battle and features ironic levels of shocking violence. It culls from a true story and goes to show that someone can still be a war hero without firing a shot. Director Mel Gibson once again highlights noble characters who aren’t afraid to sacrifice their life for the greater good.

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

16. Quiz Show (1994)
> Composite index score: 2.61
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (67,121 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (31,622 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Redford
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow

This historical drama revisits the infamous “Twenty One” quiz show scandal from 1958. Ralph Fiennes plays contestant Charles Van Doren, who’s exposed for receiving answers in advance. Director Robert Redford bolsters the story with taut pacing and sociopolitical context.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

15. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
> Composite index score: 2.62
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (69,738 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (46,848 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George

Clint Eastwood’s fifth directorial effort takes cues from the violent revisionist Westerns in which he previously starred. After his family is brutally murdered, Josey Wales (Eastwood) enacts revenge and then goes into hiding. Filmmaker Philip Kaufman co-wrote the screenplay.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

14. Hamlet (1996)
> Composite index score: 2.64
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (37,113 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (32,629 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
> Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi

While not the first film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 version is the only one to present the source material in its entirety. He plays the title character, who must avenge his father’s death over the course of a four-hour runtime. “A work of tremendous personal ambition equipped with a budget nearly equal in magnitude,” wrote Slant critic Rob Humanick.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

13. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
> Composite index score: 2.65
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (657,818 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (405,182 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (271 reviews)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman

Clint Eastwood was in the midst of a directorial comeback when he helmed this harrowing sports drama. Hilary Swank delivers a breakout performance as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald, who rises in the ranks with help from an aging trainer (Eastwood). It made over $216 million at the worldwide box office and won four Academy Awards, three of which were in major categories.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

12. Argo (2012)
> Composite index score: 2.66
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (590,474 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (208,987 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (359 reviews)
> Directed by: Ben Affleck
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman

Ben Affleck pivoted away from Boston for his third directorial feature, which recounts the Iran Hostage Crisis. Proving that truth is stranger than fiction, the CIA finances a fake film production as part of an elaborate rescue plan. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

11. Little Women (2019)
> Composite index score: 2.68
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (165,569 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (18,202 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (424 reviews)
> Directed by: Greta Gerwig
> Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh

Greta Gerwig’s take on Louisa May Alcott’s timeless novel is the last in a long line of popular film adaptations. It tells the story of the four March sisters, who experience romance, tragedy, and triumph against a post-Civil War backdrop.

Courtesy of United Artists

10. Manhattan (1979)
> Composite index score: 2.69
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (136,504 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (51,871 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (69 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway

More director than actor, Woody Allen nevertheless stars in a number of his own films (as well as the films of others). This black-and-white dramedy rips plotlines straight from his own life and follows a divorced TV writer (Allen) through existential crises and romantic misadventures. Legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis brings the film’s iconic visual palette to life.

Courtesy of United Artists

9. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
> Composite index score: 2.69
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (85,564 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Laughton
> Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish

A veteran of stage and screen, British-American actor Charles Laughton has just one feature directing credit to his name. It centers on a ruthless con artist (Robert Mitchum), who sets his sights on a gullible widow and $10,000 in stolen loot. Once a box office flop, it’s now considered a masterful benchmark of the noir subgenre.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. Young Frankenstein (1974)
> Composite index score: 2.70
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (149,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (209,397 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (68 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
> Starring: Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman

This black-and-white classic presents the tale of Frankenstein as only Mel Brooks can deliver it. Gene Wilder plays the mad scientist’s grandson, who reanimates the dead to hilarious results. Director Quentin Tarantino recently named it as one of history’s seven ‘perfect’ movies.

Courtesy of United Artists

7. Love and Death (1975)
> Composite index score: 2.70
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (37,440 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (19,082 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (21 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Georges Adet

Woody Allen capped off a run of screwball comedies with this comic interpretation of classic Russian literature and film. In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, a simple-minded soldier (Allen) and his cousin (Diane Keaton) concoct a hairbrained assassination scheme.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

6. Touch of Evil (1958)
> Composite index score: 2.71
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (101,523 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (31,261 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
> Starring: Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh

This thrilling and complex noir opened to middling reviews but slowly took on the reputation of a masterpiece. It takes place in a Mexican border town, where the investigation of a car bomb explosion uncovers local police corruption. Edited down before theatrical release, it was later restored and then presented in accordance with Orson Welles’ original vision.

Courtesy of Savoy Pictures

5. A Bronx Tale (1993)
> Composite index score: 2.71
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (134,044 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (66,875 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (30 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert De Niro
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato

Robert De Niro was no stranger to crime drama by the time he helmed this period gangster piece, set in 1960s Bronx. It’s based on a play by Chazz Palminteri, who stars as neighborhood mob boss Sonny. After falling under Sonny’s wing, a local teen (Lillo Brancato) must choose between two different worlds as he comes of age.

Courtesy of Miramax

4. Sling Blade (1996)
> Composite index score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (91,281 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (56,143 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh

Struggling to break out in Hollywood, Billy Bob Thornton took his career by the reins with this humane drama. He wrote, directed, and starred as Karl Childers, a mentally disabled man who tried to move beyond his dark and tragic past. It was based on Thornton’s own previous one-act play, hence the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Courtesy of United Artists

3. Annie Hall (1977)
> Composite index score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (258,110 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (153,824 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts

Woody Allen kicked off a new chapter of his career and helped usher in the modern romantic comedy with this Oscar-winning masterpiece. Using various stylistic devices, it depicts the quirky relationship between comedian Alvy Singer (Allen) and the title character (Diane Keaton).

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2. Unforgiven (1992)
> Composite index score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (391,927 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (122,861 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (106 reviews)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman

Eastwood’s late-stage return to the Western genre is both a continuation of and reflection upon his once-ruthless and violent persona. He directs and stars as retired gunslinger William Munny, who hops back in the saddle for one final job. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
> Composite index score: 2.77
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (422,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (159,588 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (117 reviews)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
> Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

A masterclass in style and storytelling, this seminal drama follows newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Welles) as he goes from youthful idealism to complex megalomania. It was partly inspired by the exploits of media baron William Randolph Hearst, who refused to cover it in his papers. Formerly a box office disappointment, it’s now hailed as one of the greatest films ever made.

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