The Director's Guide — 30 Legendary Filmmakers Ranked by Audience Score

Christopher Nolan

Start with: Inception

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Interstellar (2014)85%

The Dark Knight (2008)85%

Inception (2010)84%

The Prestige (2006)82%

Memento (2000)82%

Oppenheimer (2023)80%

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)78%

Batman Begins (2005)77%

Steven Spielberg

Start with: Jurassic Park

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Schindler's List (1993)86%

Saving Private Ryan (1998)82%

Jurassic Park (1993)80%

Catch Me If You Can (2002)80%

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)79%

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)78%

Jaws (1975)77%

The Color Purple (1985)77%

Ready Player One (2018)76%

The Fabelmans (2022)76%

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)75%

Empire of the Sun (1987)75%

Minority Report (2002)74%

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)74%

Duel (1971)74%

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)73%

The Terminal (2004)73%

War Horse (2011)73%

Bridge of Spies (2015)72%

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)71%

Munich (2005)71%

The Post (2017)70%

Amistad (1997)70%

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)69%

Lincoln (2012)69%

West Side Story (2021)69%

Hook (1991)68%

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)66%

War of the Worlds (2005)65%

The BFG (2016)63%

Always (1989)62%

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)60%

1941 (1979)58%

Quentin Tarantino

Start with: Pulp Fiction

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Pulp Fiction (1994)85%

Django Unchained (2012)82%

Inglourious Basterds (2009)82%

Reservoir Dogs (1992)81%

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)80%

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2011)80%

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)79%

The Hateful Eight (2015)78%

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)74%

Jackie Brown (1997)74%

Death Proof (2007)68%

Martin Scorsese

Start with: Goodfellas

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GoodFellas (1990)85%

Shutter Island (2010)82%

The Departed (2006)82%

Taxi Driver (1976)81%

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)80%

Casino (1995)80%

Raging Bull (1980)79%

The King of Comedy (1982)78%

The Irishman (2019)76%

After Hours (1985)75%

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)74%

Gangs of New York (2002)73%

Cape Fear (1991)73%

Hugo (2011)72%

The Aviator (2004)72%

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)72%

Silence (2016)71%

Mean Streets (1973)71%

The Age of Innocence (1993)70%

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)70%

The Color of Money (1986)69%

Kundun (1997)68%

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)66%

New York, New York (1977)65%

Alfred Hitchcock

Start with: Psycho

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Psycho (1960)84%

Rear Window (1954)83%

Vertigo (1958)81%

North by Northwest (1959)80%

Dial M for Murder (1954)80%

Rope (1948)79%

Rebecca (1940)79%

Strangers on a Train (1951)77%

Notorious (1946)77%

The Birds (1963)75%

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)75%

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)74%

The Lady Vanishes (1938)74%

Spellbound (1945)74%

Lifeboat (1944)74%

To Catch a Thief (1955)73%

The 39 Steps (1935)73%

Marnie (1964)71%

Frenzy (1972)71%

Suspicion (1941)71%

The Wrong Man (1956)71%

I Confess (1953)71%

The Trouble with Harry (1955)70%

Saboteur (1942)69%

Family Plot (1976)68%

Torn Curtain (1966)66%

Under Capricorn (1949)60%

Stanley Kubrick

Start with: 2001: A Space Odyssey

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Paths of Glory (1957)83%

The Shining (1980)82%

A Clockwork Orange (1971)82%

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)81%

Full Metal Jacket (1987)81%

Dr. Strangelove (1964)81%

Barry Lyndon (1975)80%

The Killing (1956)76%

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)75%

Spartacus (1960)75%

Lolita (1962)73%

Killer's Kiss (1955)63%

Fear and Desire (1953)54%

Akira Kurosawa

Start with: Seven Samurai

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Seven Samurai (1954)85%

Ikiru (1952)83%

High and Low (1963)83%

Yojimbo (1961)81%

Rashomon (1950)80%

Ran (1985)80%

Sanjuro (1962)80%

The Hidden Fortress (1958)80%

Throne of Blood (1957)79%

Dersu Uzala (1975)79%

Kagemusha (1980)78%

Dreams (1990)77%

Scandal (1950)69%

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1952)67%

Francis Ford Coppola

Start with: The Godfather

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The Godfather (1972)87%

The Godfather Part II (1974)86%

Apocalypse Now (1979)83%

The Conversation (1974)75%

The Godfather Part III (1990)74%

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)74%

The Outsiders (1983)72%

The Rainmaker (1997)70%

Rumble Fish (1983)70%

Jack (1996)63%

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)61%

Dementia 13 (1963)55%

Megalopolis (2024)52%

David Fincher

Start with: Seven

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Fight Club (1999)84%

Se7en (1995)84%

Gone Girl (2014)79%

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)76%

The Game (1997)76%

Zodiac (2007)75%

The Social Network (2010)74%

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)74%

Panic Room (2002)68%

Mank (2020)67%

The Killer (2023)66%

Alien³ (1992)64%

Ridley Scott

Start with: Alien

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Gladiator (2000)82%

Alien (1979)82%

Blade Runner (1982)79%

The Martian (2015)77%

American Gangster (2007)76%

Thelma & Louise (1991)76%

Black Hawk Down (2001)74%

The Last Duel (2021)74%

The Duellists (1977)72%

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)70%

Matchstick Men (2003)70%

Hannibal (2001)68%

A Good Year (2006)67%

Prometheus (2012)66%

Gladiator II (2024)66%

House of Gucci (2021)66%

Body of Lies (2008)66%

Black Rain (1989)66%

All the Money in the World (2017)65%

G.I. Jane (1997)65%

Robin Hood (2010)64%

Napoleon (2023)63%

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)63%

Alien: Covenant (2017)62%

Legend (1985)62%

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)59%

The Counselor (2013)53%

James Cameron

Start with: Aliens

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)81%

Aliens (1986)80%

Titanic (1997)79%

The Terminator (1984)77%

Avatar (2009)76%

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)76%

The Abyss (1989)73%

Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)73%

True Lies (1994)71%

Denis Villeneuve

Start with: Arrival

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Prisoners (2013)81%

Dune: Part Two (2024)81%

Incendies (2010)81%

Dune (2021)78%

Arrival (2016)76%

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)76%

Sicario (2015)74%

Polytechnique (2009)71%

Enemy (2014)68%

Maelström (2000)62%

Peter Jackson

Start with: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)85%

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)84%

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)84%

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)78%

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)76%

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)74%

Braindead (1992)74%

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)73%

The Lovely Bones (2009)71%

Heavenly Creatures (1994)70%

King Kong (2005)69%

The Frighteners (1996)69%

Bad Taste (1987)63%

Greta Gerwig

Start with: Lady Bird

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Little Women (2019)79%

Lady Bird (2017)73%

Barbie (2023)69%

Bong Joon-ho

Start with: Parasite

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Guillermo del Toro

Start with: Pan's Labyrinth

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Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)80%

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)78%

Frankenstein (2025)77%

The Devil's Backbone (2001)73%

The Shape of Water (2017)72%

Nightmare Alley (2021)70%

Pacific Rim (2013)69%

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)68%

Hellboy (2004)67%

Crimson Peak (2015)67%

Cronos (1993)67%

Blade II (2002)66%

Mimic (1997)61%

Wes Anderson

Start with: The Grand Budapest Hotel

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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)80%

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)78%

Isle of Dogs (2018)78%

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)77%

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)75%

Rushmore (1998)74%

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)72%

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)71%

The French Dispatch (2021)70%

Bottle Rocket (1996)67%

The Phoenician Scheme (2025)65%

Asteroid City (2023)64%

Hayao Miyazaki

Start with: Spirited Away

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Spirited Away (2001)85%

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)84%

Princess Mononoke (1997)83%

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)81%

Castle in the Sky (1986)80%

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)79%

Ponyo (2008)78%

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)78%

Porco Rosso (1992)78%

The Wind Rises (2013)78%

The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)75%

The Boy and the Heron (2023)74%

Woody Allen

Start with: Annie Hall

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Annie Hall (1977)77%

Manhattan (1979)77%

Midnight in Paris (2011)75%

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)75%

Love and Death (1975)75%

Match Point (2005)74%

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)74%

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)74%

Zelig (1983)74%

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)73%

Deconstructing Harry (1997)73%

Whatever Works (2009)71%

Take the Money and Run (1969)71%

Bullets Over Broadway (1994)71%

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)71%

Blue Jasmine (2013)70%

Radio Days (1987)70%

Husbands and Wives (1992)70%

Sleeper (1973)69%

Stardust Memories (1980)69%

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)68%

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)68%

Bananas (1971)67%

Mighty Aphrodite (1995)67%

Scoop (2006)66%

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)66%

Irrational Man (2015)65%

A Rainy Day in New York (2019)65%

Magic in the Moonlight (2014)65%

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972)65%

Hollywood Ending (2002)65%

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)65%

Café Society (2016)64%

Wonder Wheel (2017)64%

Small Time Crooks (2000)64%

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)64%

Cassandra's Dream (2007)63%

Melinda and Melinda (2004)62%

Anything Else (2003)61%

Rifkin's Festival (2020)61%

Celebrity (1998)60%

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)59%

To Rome with Love (2012)58%

What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)53%

David Lynch

Start with: Blue Velvet

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The Elephant Man (1980)80%

Mulholland Drive (2001)78%

The Straight Story (1999)77%

Blue Velvet (1986)76%

Lost Highway (1997)75%

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)74%

Eraserhead (1977)73%

Wild at Heart (1990)70%

Inland Empire (2006)70%

Dune (1984)62%

Sofia Coppola

Start with: Lost in Translation

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Lost in Translation (2003)74%

The Virgin Suicides (2000)71%

Marie Antoinette (2006)67%

Priscilla (2023)67%

Somewhere (2010)61%

On the Rocks (2020)61%

The Beguiled (2017)59%

The Bling Ring (2013)54%

Spike Lee

Start with: Do the Right Thing

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Do the Right Thing (1989)78%

BlacKkKlansman (2018)75%

Malcolm X (1992)75%

Inside Man (2006)74%

25th Hour (2002)73%

He Got Game (1998)68%

Summer of Sam (1999)65%

Da 5 Bloods (2020)64%

Oldboy (2013)59%

Paul Thomas Anderson

Start with: There Will Be Blood

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There Will Be Blood (2007)81%

Magnolia (1999)77%

Boogie Nights (1997)76%

One Battle After Another (2025)74%

Phantom Thread (2017)73%

The Master (2012)71%

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)71%

Licorice Pizza (2021)70%

Hard Eight (1997)68%

Inherent Vice (2014)65%

Joel Coen

Start with: Fargo

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No Country for Old Men (2007)79%

The Big Lebowski (1998)78%

Fargo (1996)78%

Barton Fink (1991)75%

The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)75%

Miller's Crossing (1990)74%

True Grit (2010)73%

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)73%

Blood Simple (1985)73%

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)72%

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)71%

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)71%

Raising Arizona (1987)70%

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)69%

Burn After Reading (2008)67%

A Serious Man (2009)67%

The Ladykillers (2004)61%

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)60%

Hail, Caesar! (2016)59%

Pedro Almodóvar

Start with: All About My Mother

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All About My Mother (1999)76%

Talk to Her (2002)76%

The Skin I Live In (2011)75%

Volver (2006)75%

Pain and Glory (2019)74%

Bad Education (2004)74%

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)74%

Broken Embraces (2009)71%

Law of Desire (1987)71%

What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984)71%

Julieta (2016)70%

Live Flesh (1997)70%

High Heels (1991)70%

Parallel Mothers (2021)68%

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990)68%

The Flower of My Secret (1995)68%

The Room Next Door (2024)67%

Matador (1986)67%

Dark Habits (1983)66%

Kika (1993)64%

Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980)63%

Labyrinth of Passion (1982)61%

I'm So Excited! (2013)57%

Alfonso Cuarón

Start with: Children of Men

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)80%

Children of Men (2006)76%

Roma (2018)76%

A Little Princess (1995)76%

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)74%

Gravity (2013)72%

Great Expectations (1998)66%

Sólo con tu pareja (1992)66%

Clint Eastwood

Start with: Unforgiven

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Gran Torino (2008)80%

Million Dollar Baby (2004)80%

Unforgiven (1992)79%

Mystic River (2003)77%

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)77%

Changeling (2008)76%

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)75%

A Perfect World (1993)75%

American Sniper (2014)74%

Richard Jewell (2019)74%

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)74%

High Plains Drifter (1973)73%

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)69%

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)69%

Jersey Boys (2014)68%

Absolute Power (1997)67%

The Gauntlet (1977)66%

Play Misty for Me (1971)66%

Sudden Impact (1983)65%

True Crime (1999)65%

Space Cowboys (2000)64%

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)64%

Honkytonk Man (1982)64%

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)54%

Terrence Malick

Start with: The Thin Red Line

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Badlands (1974)75%

Days of Heaven (1978)75%

The Thin Red Line (1998)74%

A Hidden Life (2019)72%

The Tree of Life (2011)67%

The New World (2005)65%

Voyage of Time: Life's Journey (2017)63%

To the Wonder (2013)58%

Knight of Cups (2015)57%

Song to Song (2017)55%

Darren Aronofsky

Start with: Requiem for a Dream

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Requiem for a Dream (2000)80%

The Whale (2022)78%

Black Swan (2010)77%

The Wrestler (2008)75%

Pi (1998)71%

mother! (2017)70%

The Fountain (2006)69%

Caught Stealing (2025)69%

Noah (2014)57%

Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Start with: Birdman

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