Best Directorial Debuts of All Time
by hadialam | created - 08 Oct 2013 | updated - 14 Jul 2014 | PublicThese are exceptional movies that are either critically acclaimed, winning prestigious film awards or have a large audience fan following.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,210,571 | Gross: $130.10M
Director: Sam Mendes
Oscars: Won 5 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Cinematography.
IMDb Top 250: #54
Personally, my favourite film of all time
2. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,050,990 | Gross: $293.51M
Director:M. Night Shyamalan
Oscars: Nominated for 6 including; Best Picture
IMDb Top 250: #141
One of my top 5 films of all time, it has my favourite twist ending of all the movies I've seen to date and the acting is simply incredible as is the extraordinary storytelling
3. District 9 (2009)
R | 112 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Violence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.
Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope, Vanessa Haywood
Votes: 716,665 | Gross: $115.65M
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Oscars: Nominated for 4 including; Best Picture
IMDb Top 250: #234
Certainly, one of the best Sci-Fi movies to ever be created. The director is able to blur the lines between reality and fiction thanks to its documentary style. Neill successfully incorporates relevant political and social issues into the film thus propelling to quality of the film exceptionally high
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 465,863 | Gross: $1.59M
Director: Orson Welles
Oscars: Won 1 including; Best Writing
IMDb Top 250: #46
Hailed as the best films to be ever made by several film critics and organisations, Citizen Kane has passed the test of time.
5. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler
Votes: 864,632 | Gross: $4.36M
Director: Sidney Lumet
Oscars: Nominated for 3 including; Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing
IMDb Top 250: #7
Widely considered the best film from the 50's, 12 Angry Men is a masterpiece all taking place in one single room yet it manages to maintain a high level of intensity and curiosity
6. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,887,586 | Gross: $28.34M
Director: Frank Darabont
Oscars: Nominated for 7 including; Best Picture
IMDb Top 250: #1
A heart felt film with some amazing storytelling and narration
7. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,087,858 | Gross: $2.83M
Director: Quentin Tarantino
IMDb Top 250: #72
At the time of it's release, it was a sleeper however with the enormous success of Pulp Fiction, Tarantino's directorial debut was placed in the spotlight and quickly became a cult smash hit
8. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Votes: 292,851 | Gross: $20.30M
Director: Ben Affleck
Oscars: Nominated for 1 including; Best Actress in a Supporting Role
One of those rare films that causes you to question your own moral standing. A masterpiece that has become a portend to the amazing directing talent of Ben Affleck
9. Ordinary People (1980)
R | 124 min | Drama
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 56,671 | Gross: $54.80M
Director: Robert Redford
Oscars: Won 4 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Actor in a Supporting Role
An outstanding Actor to Director success story, this film deserves all the praise it recieves
10. Terms of Endearment (1983)
PG | 132 min | Comedy, Drama
Follows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter's family problems.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito
Votes: 65,457 | Gross: $108.42M
Director: James L. Brooks Oscars: Won 5 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actor
11. Marty (1955)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
A middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.
Director: Delbert Mann | Stars: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli
Votes: 27,009
Director: Delbert Mann Oscars: Won 4 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing and Best Leading Actor
12. Dances with Wolves (1990)
PG-13 | 181 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Votes: 290,518 | Gross: $184.21M
Director: Kevin Costner Oscars: Won 7 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing and Best Music
13. West Side Story (1961)
Approved | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 121,156 | Gross: $43.66M
Director: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins Oscars: Won 10 including; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress
14. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre
Votes: 166,535 | Gross: $2.11M
Director: John Huston Oscars: Nominated for 3 including; Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Supporting Actor IMDb Top 250: #123
15. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Votes: 97,308 | Gross: $0.65M
Director: Charles Laughton IMDb Top 250: #178
16. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 849,826 | Gross: $1.48M
Director: Richard Kelly IMDb Top 250: #185
17. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama
A bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
Votes: 79,887
Director: Mike Nichols Oscars: Won 5 including; Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor IMDb Top 250: #199
18. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Eddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Votes: 616,146 | Gross: $3.90M
19. Crash (I) (2004)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton, Karina Arroyave
Votes: 448,963 | Gross: $54.58M
20. The Kid (1921)
Passed | 68 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put their relationship in jeopardy.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller
Votes: 134,789 | Gross: $5.45M
21. Serenity (2005)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alan Tudyk
Votes: 305,628 | Gross: $25.51M
Tell Your Friends