Top 5 Films Directed By Luc Besson

Luc Besson

This list is in no particular order. 

These are just some of my favorite films that Luc Besson, the director of the new film The Family, has made over the years that I believe best epitomizes his immense talent as a filmmaker and helps solidify him as one of the best directors working today.

Don't be surprised if you know him more by his writing credits (he currently has over 54) which include such hits as Taken, Unleashed (aka Danny the Dog), The Transporter and District B13 (and some stinkers such as From Paris With Love, Taken 2 and Taxi). If this were to be comprised of his screenplays, it would be much more difficult to nail down a top 5, but that isn't meant to detract from his few directorial efforts.

Few directors could hope for the level of quality that Luc Besson has achieved with such a small filmography. Despite falling off the radar (as a director) after the release of his 1999 film, The Messenger for nearly a decade, his films still never fail to resonate or capture the imagination of all who see them. Long labeled the most American French filmmaker of all time and a man who loved his leading ladies (4 of the 5 films listed here have women in the lead role), here are my picks for the top 5 films directed by Luc Besson.

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Top 5 Films Directed by Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi

Disclaimer: This list is in no particular order.

Sam Raimi comes from humble beginnings. Like most directors who cater to the geek in all of us, Raimi starting making movies as soon as a camera was placed in his hand. Those humble beginnings led into his first feature film, "The Evil Dead" and its arguably superior sequel "The Evil Dead 2" which is where his signature directorial style was starting to emerge (as well as being responsible for introducing us to man-god Bruce Campbell). Using unique camera tricks and unprecedented Foley work, Raimi's style instantly clicked with horror fans everywhere and helped create a new kind of horror. Soon he moved on to his first studio feature (and his first foray into the super hero genre) with "Darkman", where he proved that a budget could not corrupt his integrity even if the film itself proved underwhelming and kind of broken (although it did create a large direct to video legacy with countless sequels).

His career from that point felt more like an artist looking for a new challenge than a filmmaker honing his craft though. Taking on the romance genre with "For Love of the Game", the suspense thriller with "A Simple Plan" and "The Gift" and even a western with "The Quick and the Dead". It wasn't until his Spider-man trilogy where he became a household name. So, without further ado, these are the top five favorite films that Sam Raimi, the director of the new film "Oz the Great and Powerful" has made over the years that best epitomizes his immense talent as a filmmaker and helps solidify him as one of the best directors working today.

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Top 5 Films Directed By Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott

Disclaimer: This list is in no particular order.

These are just some of my favorite films that Ridley Scott, the director of the new film Prometheus has made over the years that I believe best epitomizes his immense talent as a filmmaker and helps solidify him as one of the best directors working today.

For a man with such a prestigious film legacy as his, Ridley Scott is a somewhat tortured soul in my eyes. Being a visionary filmmaker does not exactly mean he gets what he wants when he wants it, usually means he has to fight for it. As a matter of fact it is most often the complete opposite of that with many of his films being released in an artistically compromised fashion. Blade Runner, Legend, Kingdom of Heaven and American Gangster have all had director cuts, with some being released as a director's cut upon first release on home video even. Never the less though, his work has inspired countless other filmmakers and artists for decades. Probably one of my favorite aspects to his filmmaking career is the diversity between his projects. He started in space, then went on to tackle the fantasy, war film, spy/espionage, medieval and horror genres. Hell, he even made a road trip movie! There is no doubting his impact on film and these following examples are what I consider to be the pinnacle of his brilliant and still on going directorial career.

As a side note, I know I am gonna get a lot of crap for not including Gladiator on here, but I just didn't really care too much for that film and it most definitely isn't as indicative of his talents as the following films are. So to all you Gladiator fans out there, bite me.

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