10 Best Films Of First-Time Directors

A lot of the most iconic and successful film directors come from small roots. Either they start out making an unheard-of B-movie like John Landis with Schlock or James Cameron with Piranha II: The Spawning, or they swing for the fences with a big blockbuster action flick like Bad Boys from Michael Bay that is nothing more than a fun popcorn flick. Only a handful of filmmakers have truly made something special with their first feature-length film in the director’s chair.

These film director’s debut movies have become classics in cinema with most going on to win awards and making many more wonderful and important films over the years and providing a source of fantastic entertainment and significant emotional messages, while inspiring generations of creative people to follow their craft. Here are the 10 best feature-length films of first-time directors.

10 Get Out (2017) – Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele came from an impressive comedy background, being cast in the hit television shows MadTV and Key And Peele, where he delighted audiences with his remarkable writing and comedic acting skills for hundreds of episodes. It was in 2017 that Peele tore away from the comedy genre and shocked the world with his horror debut feature Get Out.

The film was a terrifying satire on racism that played out like a sadistic version of Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner where a white woman brings home a black man to meet her parents for the weekend, and nothing is what it seems. Not only did Peele tell a wonderful and important story, but his attention to the smallest details throughout the film showcased that he’s one of the best film directors in the field today.

9 American Beauty (1999) – Sam Mendes

Back in 1999, an unknown filmmaker named Sam Mendes teamed with writer Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and made a classic piece of American cinema called American Beauty that practically hit audiences in the face with a brick.

Ironically, what looked to be the picture of the American Dream was anything but in this film that covered broken and abusive marriages, teenage runaways, forbidden relationships, and even murder, all behind the facade of the perfect suburban household nestled behind a white picket fence. It was awkward, funny, realistic, and probably hit close to home for many that were all laid out on a bed of roses.

8 Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) – Tim Burton

Before Tim Burton became a household name with Batman and Beetlejuice, the gothic filmmaker tried his hand at a short film about an undead dachshund that led him to direct his first big feature film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, starring Paul Reubens himself as the titular character that was fun and bizarre enough for the whole family to enjoy.

Mostly known for catering strictly to kids, this film took some dark and twisted turns with a nightmare full of killer clowns, a ghastly truck driver, and an obsessed Pee-Wee who would stop at nothing to find his bike. It was a mix of comedy and horror that sealed the deal for Burton’s career.

7 Donnie Darko (2001) – Richard Kelly

Richard Kelly was the name heard around the world at the turn of the century when his first feature film Donnie Darko released in theaters. The film has a brooding, fantastic, yet subtle superhero yarn with elements of time travel, and it stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal alongside his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The film was expertly told about a high school student who was interested in time travel after a freak accident at home, but who ended up saving the world by making the ultimate sacrifice, while at the same time affecting the lives of people around him for better or worse. This is also one of Patrick Swayze’s best roles.

6 Mad Max (1979) – George Miller

The galaxy’s favorite Australian filmmaker George Miller changed the action genre for decades to come with his first movie in the director’s chair, Mad Max, which also made Mel Gibson an international superstar and paved the way for other post-apocalyptic films with phenomenal practical action sequences and stunts that spawned several sequels, including the recent Mad Max: Fury Road.

Miller became one of the most sought-after directors after this film was released and due to its critical and financial success, Hollywood made tons of copy-cat films that followed the same formula, but those never rose to the status of this movie, which had started it all.

5 Boyz N The Hood (1991) – John Singelton

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major problem brewing in the nation, where people of color weren’t getting a fair shake in many facets of life. Specifically, in the Los Angeles area, young kids and teens were joining violent gangs for various reasons, where others were constantly stopped by law enforcement for no other reason than for the color of their skin.

John Singleton hopped onto the film scene with this first movie Boyz N The Hood, which told the story of a few childhood friends growing up in Los Angeles and having to deal with the terrible hand that the government and the police dealt out, which culminates into a powerful lesson marked with tragedy. It’s one of the most important films in the cinematic world and remains as important and significant now as it was 30 years ago.

4 Bottle Rocket (1996) – Wes Anderson

Native Texan Wes Anderson burst into the scene with his unique filmmaking capability and penchant for dry humor in Bottle Rocket, starring young Owen and Luke Wilson. The film is simple enough and it follows a group of childhood friends whose goal in life is to be criminals.

The trouble is, they aren’t really any good at it. Mix in a little romance and big cameo from James Caan, and cinema history was molded to create the odd world of Wes Anderson and his quirky characters with pitch-perfect dialogue.

3 Reservoir Dogs (1992) – Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino didn’t become a household name until Pulp Fiction, but in 1992, he got to direct his first feature film with Reservoir Dogs, a fantastic story about a botched robbery that is never seen on screen. The film instead focuses on the bloody aftermath of everyone involved.

Betrayals, lies, and a dancing torture sequence are on display here in one of the most fun and brutal films from the 90s. With its expert dialogue and screenplay, along with a killer cast of A-listers, Tarantino shaped his career with this film that has been parodied and winked at in countless other films.

2 The Evil Dead (1981) – Sam Raimi

The horror genre would never be the same once Sam Raimi read from the Book of the Dead and delivered Bruce Campbell to the masses in The Evil Dead. The film became the biggest cult movies ever made, spawned two sequels, a remake, a television series, numerous comic books, and more, not to mention a lifetime of one-liners and memorable gore.

This low-budget horror film made by a group of friends proved that a violent bloodbath of a movie could also be artsy with phenomenal camera angles and use a variety of practical effects to literally throw blood on the camera lens. This film is groovy.

1 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – Frank Darabont

Before the first episode of The Walking Dead, a wonderful filmmaker named Frank Darabont teamed up with author Stephen King and made one of the best films in cinema history called The Shawshank Redemption, which also just so happens to be Frank’s first film.

The story focuses on a wrongful murder conviction and this inmate’s passion to escape prison. With so much emotion and fantastic storytelling, along with stellar performances by every actor involved, this film is the absolute best movie from a first time director.

About The Author

Bryan Kluger
(34 Articles Published)

Former husky model, real-life Comic Book Guy, genre-bending screenwriter, nude filmmaker, hairy podcaster, pro-wrestling idiot-savant, who has a penchant for solving Rubik’s Cubes and rolling candy cigarettes on unreleased bootlegs of Frank Zappa records.

Bryan has been in front and behind the camera since the early ’90s and is the head film critic on Boomstick Comics, High Def Digest, and also leads multiple podcast shows related to film, TV, music, and pro-wrestling (My Bloody Podcast, The Celebrity Hour, NO BS Podcast.)

He can be found writing screenplays, serving as Deejay at iconic bars and clubs in the Dallas area, and playing video games on Twitch.

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