Ranker FilmList RulesOnly feature-length films.
Believe it or not, some of the greatest films of all time were also some of the greatest directorial debuts to date. It's not too often a director's first go at overseeing an entire production ends up on a list of the best movies, but it does happen. Considering this, we've probably all seen an awesome movie and thought, "What a great job by the director" without even realizing it was the director's first movie. Regardless of what thoughts you might have had, below you'll find a list of who are now famous directors' first movies. Just consider that next time you watch one of these top flicks of the past.
From hilarious comedies to full-on thrillers, these debut films from top directors would be impressive even if they weren't the directors first. Just take a look at some of the great movies on the list. Does the classic Reservoir Dogs ring a bell? Yep, that was Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut. How about the 2018 hit Get Out? Sure enough, Jordan Peele of Key & Peele nailed it on his first crack at directing. And that's only the start of a long list of incredible debuts.
While you may find many of them surprising, check out the list of directorial debuts below and vote up the films you find most impressive.
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21562Citizen Kane
Orson WellesActors: Orson Welles, Alan Ladd, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Arthur O'Connell
Released: 1941
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film produced by, co-written by, directed by and... more2
25394The Shawshank Redemption
Frank DarabontActors: Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth, Tim Robbins, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore
Released: 1994
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont... more3
257107Reservoir Dogs
Quentin TarantinoActors: Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen
Released: 1992
Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American ensemble crime film that depicts the events before and after... more4
8223Toy Story
John LasseterActors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Penn Jillette, Annie Potts
Released: 1995
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy-comedy adventure film produced by Pixar... more5
213127Get Out
Jordan PeeleActors: Daniel Kaluuya, Catherine Keener, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones
Released: 2017
Get Out is a 2017 American horror film directed by Jordan Peele. A young African-American... more6
15694American Beauty
Sam MendesActors: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Mena Suvari, Allison Janney, Chris Cooper
Released: 1999
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes. An advertising executive... more7
10653Nightcrawler
Dan GilroyActors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed, Bird York
Released: 2014
Nightcrawler is a 2014 American neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy in... more8
9646The Maltese Falcon
John HustonActors: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, Walter Huston, Ward Bond
Released: 1941
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film noir based on the novel of the same name by... more9
11866Eraserhead
David LynchActors: Jack Nance, Jeanne Bates, Jack Fisk, Charlotte Stewart, Judith Anna Roberts
Released: 1977
Eraserhead is a 1977 American experimental body horror film directed by David Lynch. Henry... more10
11362Night of the Living Dead
George A. RomeroActors: George A. Romero, Duane Jones, Bill Hinzman, Karl Hardman, Judith O'Dea
Released: 1968
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent zombie horror film directed by George... more11
13078Ex Machina
Alex GarlandActors: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Released: 2015
Ex Machina is a 2015 independent science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Alex... more12
9851Boyz n the Hood
John SingletonActors: Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long
Released: 1991
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood drama film directed by John Singleton. Three young men... more13
9045Breathless
Jean-Luc GodardActors: Jean Seberg, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Melville, Daniel Boulanger
Released: 1960
Breathless is a 1960 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard about a wandering... more14
12480John Wick
Chad Stahelski, David LeitchActors: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane
Released: 2014
John Wick is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch.... more15
12479Donnie Darko
Richard KellyActors: Drew Barrymore, Ashley Tisdale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen
Released: 2001
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American supernatural drama film written and directed by Richard Kelly... more16
8646This Is Spinal Tap
Rob ReinerActors: Billy Crystal, Fran Drescher, Anjelica Huston, Dana Carvey, Rob Reiner
Released: 1984
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock music mockumentary written, scored by, and... more17
10366Being John Malkovich
Spike JonzeActors: Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Winona Ryder
Released: 1999
Being John Malkovich is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written by Charlie Kaufman and... more18
7842Duel
Steven SpielbergActors: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Lou Frizzell, Eugene Dynarski, Eddie Firestone
Released: 1971
Duel is a 1971 television thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Richard... more19
11073District 9
Neill BlomkampActors: Sharlto Copley, Jed Brophy, Vanessa Haywood, John Sumner, William Allen Young
Released: 2009
District 9 is a 2009 science fiction film directed by Neill Blomkamp, released August 13,... more20
7441Badlands
Terrence MalickActors: Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Emilio Estevez, Terrence Malick
Released: 1973
Badlands is a 1973 American film written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Martin... more21
5827Hereditary
Ari AsterActors: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, Milly Shapiro
Released: 2018
Hereditary is a 2018 American horror film directed by Ari Aster. As an overwhelming terror... more22
7948Blood Simple
Ethan Coen, Joel CoenActors: Holly Hunter, Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, Dan Hedaya, John Getz
Released: 1984
Blood Simple is a 1984 neo-noir film written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It... more23
11584Lady Bird
Greta GerwigActors: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet
Released: 2017
Lady Bird is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Greta Gerwig. The adventures of a... more24
10071The Evil Dead
Sam RaimiActors: Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, Scott Spiegel, Ellen Sandweiss
Released: 1981
This film is a 1981 American horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi and executive... more25
301The Terminator
James CameronActors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton, Linda Hamilton, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Biehn
Released: 1984
The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction/horror action film directed by James... more
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