Directing is arguably the toughest job in Hollywood. The first thing I learned as a budding cinephile is that the director is, in most cases, primarily responsible for the critical success or failure of a film. Your favorite actors and actresses can only look as good as the director allows them to be. Those scenes that stick in your memory are usually the result of a director making the right choice on the set or in the editing room. A great director doesn't move forward until every aspect of the production feels just right and there's only a select few that the general public can instantly identify, from deceased masters like Hitchcock and Kubrick to their present day counterparts Spielberg and Scorsese. Savvy movie fans anticipate each new offering from David Fincher and the Coen bros. If you've got a few hours to kill, they'll give you an exhausting breakdown of Woody Allen's output over the years. You probably know somebody that thinks Chris Nolan is God's gift to 21st century cinema and that Tarantino's talky lowlifes and non-linear antics changed the game between 1992-94.
Every director secretly dreams of amassing a similarly devoted following among moviegoers. This is a list of filmmakers that once had greatness within arm's reach or at least a legitimate shot at it. For varied reasons that I'll try my best to explain, it didn't happen. Every guy on this list directed one film that you love. Maybe more. Then their worlds came crashing down. Here are twelve directors that completely lost it.
Frances Ford Coppola
Alright, let's jump right into this- "The Godfather", "The Conversation", "The Godfather Part II" and "Apocalypse Now". If I have to explain the virtues of any those films, then I'm wondering how you even stumbled onto this article. The fact that Coppola hasn't given us ONE film that even comes close to that celebrated quartet indicates that he blew his wad on Brando and Pacino and should have retired as a mythical, god-like figure in 1979. Instead, he burned studio money on losers like "One from the Heart", "Rumble Fish" and "The Cotton Club". The story goes that Frances piled up some debts in the mid-'80s and artistic integrity became secondary. That's what presumably led to commercial fare like the Kathleen Turner vehicle "Peggy Sue Got Married", while occasional Oscar bait like "Gardens of Stone" and "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" missed the mark. As for "The Godfather Part III".....uh, I liked it. "Bram Stoker's Dracula" didn't suck thanks to a prime Gary Oldman, but "Jack" was a real head-scratcher in 1996 that even the biggest admirers of the late, great Robin Williams don't seem to have any affection for. "The Rainmaker" was an undistinguished John Grisham adaptation in '97 that represents his last attempt to appeal to the masses. Since then Coppola has preferred the secluded safety and no-pressure environment of 'personal' projects that nobody even knows the existence of. Btw, I could have added Sophia to this list without any objections.
Few filmmakers start their careers with two time-honored classics and then go on to produce inexcusable trash. Well, that's the story of Billy Friedkin. "The French Connection" won Best Picture in 1971 and Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle predates Dirty Harry in the storied annals of tough movie cops. People still talk about that car chase through real traffic. "The Exorcist" still tops every list of scariest movies ever made, and Linda Blair spewing pea soup is as iconic as a Norman Bates shower interruption. It would take this entire blog to figure out exactly what happened after that. "Sorcerer" had NO chance against "Star Wars" in '77 and Friedkin admitted to being demoralized by it's abject failure. He then delivered one of 1980's worst movies- the much-maligned "Cruising". Al Pacino looked as uncomfortable making this controversial cop thriller as the average viewer felt watching it, with more offensive homosexual stereotypes than you can shake a stick at(sorry) and he followed it up with a Chevy Chase comedy(WTF?). "To Live and Die In L.A." was a brief return to form in 1985, but "Rampage" and "The Guardian" both vanished without a trace. 1995's "Jade" was the last straw, a lurid byproduct of "Basic Instinct" that resulted in his permanent removal from any list of great directors. He kept working though, turning out unexceptional thrillers like "Rules of Engagement" and "The Hunted". Critics have been unusually kind to him in recent years, but don't call "Bug" and "Killer Joe" a comeback.
John Carpenter
Another '70s sensation, Carpenter worked wonders with small budgets, starting with "Assault on Precinct 13" and is widely acknowledged as the grandfather of the modern slasher movie. His much-imitated masterpiece "Halloween" cost $320,000. It grossed over $47 million in 1978 and gave Jamie Lee Curtis a movie career. He oversaw a few of the sequels while Ronald Reagan was in office and simultaneously began a long and fruitful relationship with Kurt Russell. The duo gave us "Escape From New York", "The Thing" and "Big Trouble in Little China"- all beloved cult classics in some circles. He even managed to make something out of "They Live" with wrestler 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Carpenter's luck ran out in the '90s, though. "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" starring Chevy Chase(is he bad luck or something?) was a sci-fi comedy that's been pretty invisible since it's underwhelming theatrical release in the summer of '92. Then this fool started proudly stamping his name on films that most directors would try to disown. "John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness", "John Carpenter's Village of the Damned". "John Carpenter's Vampires" and "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars". There was nary a profit in sight. "Escape From L.A." was a pathetic encore for Snake Plissken that arrived at least ten years too late. His last film to date was 2010's "The Ward". I don't remember it either.
Although never a household name, the Bronx-born Brest was was behind the camera on 1984's "Beverly Hills Cop", the mega-hit that launched Eddie Murphy into the stratosphere(he was also behind the desk at the Beverly Hills hotel in the film's closing scene). Four years later, he sent Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin on a "Midnight Run". It's safe to say the man knew his way around an action comedy. He seemingly cemented his rep when he guided Al Pacino to his only Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992's "Scent of a Woman", but "Meet Joe Black" was a ponderous, two hour and fifty minute snooze-fest in 1998 that could have ruined Brad Pitt if Tyler Durden hadn't been in his immediate future. Brest doesn't have a future thanks to "Gigli". The infamous flick that united Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez sold way more tabloids than movie tickets and has since become a synonym for cinematic awfulness. Someone had to take the blame and Brest was the easiest person to punish in this scenario. He was reportedly difficult to work with at various points and now the industry bigwigs had the excuse that they may have been looking for to show him the door. He hasn't worked since 2003. It doesn't seem fair, but two mega-flops in less than five years may be an unforgiveable offense. Brest could just be an example of an above-average director who got really lucky in the first half of his career.
John McTiernan
Action movie buffs will always have a soft spot for this NY native. He broke through the ranks via one of the manliest movies of all time, the franchise-starting 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic "Predator". Oh, speaking of action franchises, maybe you heard of the one with Bruce Willis. That's right, McTiernan was behind the camera capturing all that glorious carnage in the Nakatomi building on Christmas Eve in 1988 for which we are all eternally grateful. He returned for the best of the "Die Hard" sequels(1995's "With A Vengeance") which arguably gives him co-ownership over John McClane with Mr. "Moonlighting" himself. He even got the ball rolling for Jack Ryan in 1990's "The Hunt For Red October". I wish I could stop there, but there's no getting around "Last Action Hero". I don't hate that movie, but it's a fact that this mega-hyped Arnie vehicle got devoured by "Jurassic Park" in the summer of '93 and the Austrian Oak hasn't returned his phone calls since. The moderate success of "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake in 1999 couldn't be basked in for long, with his Antonio Banderas starrer "The 13th Warrior" flat-lining that same year. "Rollerball" was a costly futuristic flop in 2002 and the dull military drama "Basic" didn't fare much better in 2003. On top of his greatly diminished ability to entertain audiences, McTiernan was implicated in a Hollywood wiretapping scandal and actually spent a year in federal prison following a series of lengthy, distracting court battles. He's a free man now and is reportedly prepping a "Top Gun"-type film with John Travolta. I hope that works out for him(it won't).
Renny Harlin
Many will take exception with the implication that Renny Harlin ever approached greatness, but here me out. The blonde from Finland got his feet wet calling the shots on "A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master", which was the highest-grossing horror film of the '80s for what it's worth. As I alluded to earlier, John McTiernan was unable to take the reigns for John McClane's second outing, so Harlin stepped in and delivered a solid summer sequel with "Die Hard 2: Die Harder". That same year, "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", starring Andrew 'Dice' Clay, was an early sign of trouble. In my opinion, Renny made the best non-Rocky/Rambo Stallone movie ever in 1993, which was called "Cliffhanger". He was settling into a nice role as one of the go-to guys for '90s action, but his ambition may have exceeded his talent. A healthy ego mixed with a huge budget is a recipe for disaster if you're name isn't James Cameron, which brings me to "Cutthroat Island". Pound for pound, that 1995 pirate adventure is the biggest box office flop in motion picture history. It lost $100 million, bankrupted Carolco studios and banished his real life leading lady Geena Davis from the A-list. Talk about taking the wind out of a guy's sails. The couple's next collaboration, 1996's "The Long Kiss Goodnight", got a much better reception, but almost anything would have and it couldn't stop the divorce papers. "Deep Blue Sea" and "Driven", released in '99 and '01, both got a mixed response if we're being generous. But then he took a shit on the legacy of "The Exorcist" in a 2004 prequel and was reduced to fringe thrillers like "Mindhunters" and "The Covenant". His return to 'old school' action territory in 2009 resulted in the terrible "12 Rounds" starring WWE champ John Cena. At this point, any studio green-light has to be considered a victory for Geena Davis' ex.
Jan de Bont
This Dutch cinematographer is a true Hollywood vet that worked his way up the ladder on countless films and I guarantee that his expert lighting enhanced the pleasure of watching each and every one of them. When he finally got his chance to be the main man in 1994, he took us on an unforgettable ride aboard a Los Angeles city bus with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, insuring that fresh-faced duo's continued presence on the silver screen. He followed that blistering breakthrough with "Twister", an-even-more massive hit that kicked the summer of '96 off right. It looked like explosive-filled escapism had a new name and it was Jan de Bont. Not so fast. "Speed 2: Cruise Control" was set aboard a SLOW cruise ship and is easily one of the most reviled sequels this side of "Batman & Robin". Fox executives were surely left weeping at the loss of the franchise that might have been. I hope Jan talked to Renny Harlin before he made any extravagant purchases because "The Haunting" didn't put him back in anyone's good graces two years later. "Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life" marked the end of his professional life and it didn't take a genius to keep the lens locked on a 27 year old Angelina Jolie. The movie biz is a fickle beast and I don't think de Bont was planning on an early retirement. Sadly, I may be the only one that noticed it.
Joel Schumacher
I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but this was just totally unavoidable. You already know why this guy is on here and so does your grandma who doesn't know anything about movies. I still have to point out that Joel S. made a handful of very watchable films before he took that fateful call from Warner Bros sometime in the fall of 1993, a day that will live in infamy. But his work on "St. Elmo's Fire", "The Lost Boys", "Falling Down" and "The Client" seems to have been forgotten in the wake of the Bat-astrophe that got fan-boys' blood boiling. They wanted his long, grey-haired head on a stick. Schumacher could tell George Lucas a thing or two about irate theater patrons. He gave Mathew McConaughey his first close-up in "A Time To Kill", a fact rarely acknowledged since George Clooney pulled that credit card out of his utility belt. He tried to restore his rep with "8 MM", "Flawless", "Phone Booth" and "The Number 23". Unforgiving audiences were having none of it. Look, it's been almost twenty years and the Caped Crusader is alive and well, don't you think it's time we give this poor bastard a break? No? Sorry, Joel, I tried.
Rob Reiner
From 1984 to 1992, Archie Bunker's son-in-law directed "This Is Spinal Tap", "The Sure Thing", "Stand By Me", "The Princess Bride", "When Harry Met Sally", "Misery" and "A Few Good Men". Each one of those films is either a modern classic or a cult favorite and Reiner was starting to look like a legend in the making. His winning streak came to an abrupt and screeching halt with 1994's "North". For those blissfully unaware, Reiner led a twelve year old Elijah Wood and a large supporting cast through the worst project that most of them would ever be a part of in this alleged 'comedy'. Critics tore it apart and audiences ignored it altogether. If there was ever a film that represented a seismic shift in the public's perception of a director, "North" is it and Reiner has yet to offer an apology or an explanation. He bounced back momentarily with 1995's "The American President", but everything he's done since has been a VERY mixed bag- "Ghosts of Mississippi", "The Story of Us", "Alex & Emma", "Rumor Has It...", "The Bucket List", "And So It Goes". A considerably less impressive list of credits to put it gently. What the hell happened to Rob Reiner?! The world may never know.
Oliver Stone
This one hurts, too. I include Oliver Stone with mild trepidation. From 1986 to 1991, he was the best director on the planet. "Platoon", "Born on the Fourth of July", and "JFK" is his holy trifecta and are all indisputably great movies. The fearless provocateur also managed to crank out "Salvador" and "Wall Street" during this highly productive period. Stone seemed to be effortlessly operating on an artistic level that few filmmakers ever come close to. It's a pace that may have been impossible to maintain. "Heaven & Earth", the third chapter in his 'Vietnam trilogy', brought Stone back down to earth when it failed to match his prior acclaim in 1993. Then came "Natural Born Killers". One of the most polarizing films to ever hit the mainstream, half the public hailed the Woody Harrelson-Juliet Lewis killing spree as another Stone masterpiece. The other half walked out when Rodney Dangerfield showed up. He forged ahead in the mid-to-late '90s with the mostly respectable trio of "Nixon", U Turn", and "Any Given Sunday" but his previously strong support from the critics was noticeably absent. Stone reached his nadir with 2004's "Alexander". I wish I could omit the Colin Farrell-starring historical epic from his resume because it's unquestionably one of the most misguided films of the 2000s. It's hard to knock a movie as well-intentioned as 2006's "World Trade Center", yet many came away wondering what the rabble-rousing, younger version of Stone would have done with a subject as potent as 9/11. He even took it easy on our much-maligned 43th President in 2008's "W", before orchestrating an unnecessary and anti-climactic encore for Gordon Gekko in 2010's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps". "Savages" was a bit of depraved fun in 2012, but each new project he tackles makes it more clear that his best days are behind him.
M. Night Shyamalan
Here we go. You knew this one was coming. M Night just may be the poster boy for directorial decline. He fell so far that many people have decided that they don't like "The Sixth Sense" anymore. In Night's defense, I remember the summer of '99 and this guy had us ALL seeing dead people. That flick made more money that year than any movie not called "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" and had Newsweek proclaiming him the next Spielberg. He quickly reunited with Bruce Willis for 2000's "Unbreakable" and many were using that word to describe Shyamalan. "Signs" starring Mel Gibson did big business back when people were still willing to pay to see Mel Gibson, but Night's trademark shock endings were becoming a double-edged sword. You see, you can't really shock people after they've spent an hour and forty-five minutes EXPECTING a shock of some sort. You'd think an A-list director would know something like that. Shyamalan mistakenly believed that a 'clever' twist could make up for an otherwise unsatisfying viewing experience, a theory proven incorrect by 2004's "The Village". But Night's ego was such that no critic or studio suit could tell him how to make a movie, which led to the equally unpopular "Lady in the Water" in 2006. Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, "The Happening" happened in 2008. This man went from genius to joke in less than ten years, and asking someone if they like M Night Shyamalan now is like asking someone if they like the Ebola virus. "The Last Airbender" was intended to be the first in a trilogy in 2010, but there wasn't a person on the planet willing to go along with that. I could delve into why "After Earth", featuring Will Smith and his son Jaden, was one of 2013's least-loved films but we've passed the point of redundancy. I wish I could end this on an optimistic note, but you or I are probably more likely to craft a worthwhile contribution to the art of cinema than this one-time wunderkind.
*Updated Feb 2017
Hey, I can admit when I'm wrong. "Split" is a big hit that reminded us what we loved about Shyamalan. He was always talented. I'll be rooting for him.
Kevin Smith
So, you thought we couldn't sink any lower than Shyamalan? Guess again. This fat fuck is the grand finale. I swear, I'm not enjoying this(remember, I sat through most of these movies). Kevin Smith famously maxed out multiple credit cards, sold his comic book collection and turned $30,000 into $3 million in 1994 with his foul-mouthed film festival breakthrough "Clerks". That deserves respect, as does 1997's "Chasing Amy", the definitive high point of his '90s heyday. "Mallrats" and "Dogma" have some scattered devotees, and I'll even go against my better judgment and admit to(mostly) enjoying "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". But Smith lost his indie cred cool a LONG time ago and fell flat on his face when he entered the land of big budget mainstream studio comedies. This jersey-wearing jackass shat out "Jersey Girl", Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and "Cop Out" to completely dispel any notion that he was ever a top tier filmmaker. Ironically, Silent Bob seems to have talked his way into high-profile jobs while not learning a thing that could have made one of them work. I envy anyone that didn't compulsively force themselves to suffer through his subsequent horror outings "Red State" and "Tusk" because they had a movie blog to write. In recent years, Smith has managed to parlay his professional fan-boy status into a popular podcast and paid speaking engagements where he discusses actors and directors way more successful and relevant than him and mega-hits that he will(thankfully) never be a part of.
