18 Directors Who Never Made A Bad Movie

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Creating and maintaining a perfect track record is an incredibly tall order in any field, particularly in the arts, where subjectivity plays such a strong factor. Making even a single great film requires the stars to align perfectly; everyone involved in front of and behind the camera, it seems, needs to bring their A-game. Making a memorable classic with every single production? That requires the steady hand of a world-class filmmaker.

There are not many directors who have perfect filmographies. Even among the world's greatest directors — Lynch ("Dune"), Spielberg ("1941"), Scorsese ("New York, New York") — there's typically at least one bona fide dud in their back catalog. 

The filmmakers who have yet to miss are truly a select few. In the eyes of Rotten Tomatoes critics consensuses rankings, at least, these are the directors (without a single "rotten" among them) who hold such elite status.

After making his way up the industry ranks with indie short films and TV shows like "Spaced," British filmmaker Edgar Wright landed in the mainstream spotlight with 2004's "Shaun of the Dead." Whether it be the follow ups that rounded out his Cornetto trilogy ("Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End") or his American productions like "Baby Driver" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," Wright has a perfect filmography so far. He also has the distinct honor of having ever single film he has directed thus far earn the Certified Fresh badge from Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Wright's most recent film, the 2021 thriller "Last Night in Soho," found him working far outside the typical comedic genre fusions with which he made his name. This departure was well-received, but marked his first time dipping below 80% fresh. Wright also made his debut as a documentarian in 2021 with the music-doc "The Sparks Brothers" profiling the titular music group dubbed "your favorite band's favorite band." Wright also directed a special Sparks Brothers concert performance titled "What the Hell Is It This Time? Sparks Live in London."

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most recognized names in all of cinema. Tarantino made his directorial debut with 1992's "Reservoir Dogs," an immediate breakout hit; his follow-up effort, "Pulp Fiction," sealed the deal on Tarantino as the next big thing to hit Hollywood.

The only directorial outing from Tarantino that didn't impress Rotten Tomatoes critics was the poorly-received "Four Rooms." In fairness, Tarantino only directed the final of the film's four vignettes; his is easily the best in the film and might very well have earned a fresh consensus if judged in isolation.

Reading down his filmography is like naming off the best films of the last three decades — and that doesn't even include Tarantino-penned classics like "True Romance" and "From Dusk Till Dawn": 1997's "Jackie Brown," 2009's "Inglorious Basterds," the "Kill Bill" films, "Django Unchained," "The Hateful Eight," and the film he considers his best (and audiences would seem to agree), 2019's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

While Tarantino is far from being the most prolific filmmaker in Hollywood (he has just nine directing efforts in 30 years), and plans to retire after his impending 10^th film, it's hard to argue with the results. Leaving behind a complete, compelling total body of work free from misfires is something that is clearly important to Tarantino on a personal level; if his next movie hits the mark, he'll truly go down in film history as a filmmaking phenomenon like none other.

Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is cited by some as one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, filmmaker who ever lived. One important voice in favor of that opinion was acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who championed him on many occasions, saying, "Tarkovsky is the greatest of them all." 

Tarkovsky made just seven feature films throughout his career, but every single one of them was considered a masterpiece. His films "Andrei Rublev," "Mirror," and "Stalker" all landed on the BFI's Sight and Sound poll of the 100 best films ever made. His remaining films, "Ivan's Childhood," "Solaris," "Nostalghia," and "The Sacrifice" are all endlessly impressive and timeless works as well.

Part of the reason for Tarkovsky's stunted body of work was his untimely death; he passed away at age 54 from cancer. Some believe the illness could be tracked directly back to the making of his 1979 film "Stalker," shot downstream from a polluting chemical plant. The film's star Anatoliy Solonitsyn and Tarkovsky's wife Larisa (who served as his assistant director on set) passed away from the same type of cancer. 

Tarkovsky's final film, "The Sacrifice," was released only a couple of months before he passed away; it deals in part with his ruminations on life and impending death, and is nearly unrivaled in its power. 

Kelly Reichardt made her directorial debut with the 1994 drama "River of Grass." With a Sundance Grand Jury Prize nomination and multiple Independent Spirit Award nominations right out of the gate, Reichardt immediately put herself on the map as an exciting new filmmaker, and her subsequent eight films have been just as much (or even more) impressive with particular standout titles like "Wendy and Lucy," "Meek's Cutoff," and "Last Cow."

Her films thus far have been very arthouse, so they often don't perform particularly well with general audiences, but critics appreciate what she is doing. Despite rotten audience scores on a few of her films, critics have never given a score below an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. While far from being a mainstream, commercial filmmaker, Reichardt is an awards darling and is frequently honored by prestigious institutions like the Cannes Film Festival and the Cahiers du Cinéma. Her latest film, 2022's "Showing Up," was a Palme d'Or nominee at the most recent Cannes Film Festival.

A Chilean filmmaker often hailed as one of the master surrealists, Jodorowsky is approaching his 100th birthday, and still working hard to get projects off the ground. 

After getting his start in the notorious arts collective Mouvement Panique, he found his first brush with prominence with his feature-length debut in 1968, the bizarre, controversial "Fando and Lis." The nature of the film was so incendiary that it led to public fights and full-scale riots before eventually being banned in Mexico, its country of origin. This intense controversy did nothing to tone down Jodorowsky's work in the future, however, as his subsequent films throughout the '70s and '80s — "El Topo," "The Holy Mountain," and "Holy Blood" — continued to push boundaries, engage controversy and be acclaimed by critics.

The 2013 documentary "Jodorowsky's Dune" put a spotlight on the filmmaker's failed attempt to adapt the "Dune" novel for the big screen, but it also reignited his creative juices, leading to him returning to directing with his first feature film in over a decade: "The Dance of Reality." Jodorowsky followed up its success with "Endless Poetry," with both films earning the Certified Fresh badge on Rotten Tomatoes. Incredibly, Jodorowsky remains active even in his 90s with his documentary "Psychomagic, a Healing Art" releasing in 2019 and talks of an "El Topo" sequel seemingly neverending. 

Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel was one of the defining surrealists working in the medium of cinema. Born at the turn of the century in 1900, Buñuel was an important voice in early cinema and a pre-eminent innovator of the form. His first directorial effort, the 1929 short film "Un chien andalou" made in conjunction with Salvador Dalí, would become a key work of the silent era and a landmark in surrealism on film.

In a career that spanned from the silent era through the late 1970s, Buñuel watched the film industry change drastically around him more than once. He proved remarkably versatile and adaptable, as the dozens of feature films he directed throughout his lifetime were all made at a similarly high caliber of quality. For a career that began so strongly, it is particularly impressive that some of Buñuel's most beloved films were made in the final stages of his career — "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie," "The Phantom of Liberty" among them, as well as the final film before his death at the age of 83, the Academy Award-nominated "That Obscure Object of Desire."

After making a major impression with his 1996 feature-film directorial debut, "Hard Eight," Paul Thomas Anderson quickly cemented himself as one of the finest filmmakers of his generation. From "Boogie Nights" and "Punch Drunk Love" to "There Will Be Blood" and "The Master," PTA has never been content to play it safe and stick to familiar territory. His films are as defined by their uniqueness as they are by their complex characters and the incredible performances he brings out in his actors.

After a long string of universally acclaimed successes, Anderson's win-streak was put in jeopardy by the coolly-received 2014 Thomas Pynchon adaptation "Inherent Vice." It remains Anderson's only film to earn a rotten score from general audiences and his only film to not earn the Certified Fresh badge from Rotten Tomatoes critics, but it still eked out a fresh critic score and kept his overall track record in good standing. His next film, "The Phantom Thread," was a welcome return to top form and his latest effort, "Licorice Pizza," was another success.

While Lee Chang-dong might not be as famous as South Korean contemporaries like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, he is right there among his country's most acclaimed filmmakers. 

His first successful brushes with storytelling came in the form of novels from his prior career as a successful author long before getting into the film industry. Lee Chang-dong turned to directing later than most, and was already in his forties by the time he displayed an interest in filmmaking.

His first taste of the film industry came as a co-screenwriter for director Park Kwang-su on the films "To the Starry Island" and "A Single Spark." A few years later, he got the chance to write and direct his own film, and he made an impressive directorial debut with "Green Fish." His follow-up film, "Peppermint Candy," was even better, nailing down his newfound reputation as South Korea's next great auteur filmmaker.

Lee Chang-dong's 2010 drama "Poetry" wound up being his most acclaimed yet and entered the elite 100% club on Rotten Tomatoes, racking up over 70 positive reviews and not a single negative one. For as universally beloved as that film was, it turned out to be Lee Chang-dong's last for an extended period of time, the result of being blacklisted by the South Korean government and unable to exercise creative freedom. After eight long years, Lee Chang-dong made his triumphant return with the enigmatic thriller "Burning," which was short-listed for the Oscars and became a multi-award winner at the Cannes Film Festival and several other awards circuits.

Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish director with a unique, daring filmmaking style. She takes a poetic approach to narrative storytelling that breezes effortlessly through different perspectives, styles, and chronologies. Her distinctive directorial style allows her to transform what could otherwise be familiar stories into films that feel unlike anything else; they've all been Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes critics.

After making a name for herself with a couple of impressive shorts, Ramsay made her feature-film debut with 1999's "Ratcatcher," shot in her home country. The film was met with widespread acclaim amongst the arthouse crowd, recognized by such prestigious institutions as the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTAs — where Ramsay earned the award for Most Promising Newcomer. Ramsay followed up her breakout success with 2002's "Morvern Callar," then she slowed way down. She has continued directing highly-acclaimed films, but typically takes multiple years between projects.

Nearly a decade went by before Ramsay's next film, which was also her first shot in America, "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Six more years went by before "You Were Never Really Here" was released in 2017. 

With just four feature films in nearly 25 years, Lynne Ramsay's output is as impressive as it is threadbare. She made the documentary short "Brigitte" in 2019 about photographer Brigitte Lacombe, but it may be awhile longer before her next feature film. According to Deadline, Ramsay's next movie will be a psychological thriller titled "Stone Mattress," an adaptation of the Margaret Atwood book of the same name, which is not a single narrative but rather a collection of short stories.