Over the long history of cinema, there has always been a unique relationship between the screenwriter and the director. Both chiefly responsible for the content of the movie's vision, oftentimes a screenwriter will cross over eventually into the field of directing. Sometimes this can lead to disaster, sometimes on a massive scale like 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix, it can sometimes lead to a whole new phase of a writer's career.
Directing from their own script allows a screenwriter a more holistic control over how their vision gets made, which has led to some all-time classics. From Oscar-winners to indie treasures, these are the 10 best movies directed by a screenwriter.
The Exorcist III - William Peter Blatty
While the original film is still considered by some to be the "scariest movie ever made," the second sequel, and direct followup, is largely forgotten about today outside of horror enthusiast circles. While the movie is not as influential or as visceral as some of the best sequences in the original, there no denying the movie is an unusually intelligent and unsettling piece of horror. Blatty wrote the screenplay and source material for this movie and the original, and his eerie vision is elevated further by his direction of the former.
Ex Machina - Alex Garland
After making his name with brainy sci-fi scripts like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, writer Alex Garland entered the directorial arena with 2014's Ex Machina. A cerebral and freakishly understated piece of speculative fiction, the movie details the unusual stay a young programmer has at the secluded mansion of a genius engineer who has developed artificial intelligence. The movie's layered and brilliant script is matched by an onslaught of hauntingly beautiful images and the amazing lead performances Garland gets from his cast. A confident and effective debut from one of genre cinema's best working mad scientists.
The Town - Ben Affleck
Before he was a tabloid fixture or the centerpiece of a major cinematic universe, Ben Affleck made a splash alongside Matt Damon for scripting the critically acclaimed Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant. After rising and falling through the Hollywood movie star ranks, Affleck turned to directed with his debut being Gone Baby Gone.
After the critical success of that movie, Affleck followed it up with The Town. Both a gritty love letter to Boston and a riveting heist thriller, The Town propelled Affleck into the role of respected filmmaker, which eventually led to an Academy Award for Argo.
Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was already one of the most revered of his generation when he decided to helm his own project. The resulting movie, Synecdoche, New York is a one-of-a-kind movie. Ostensibly, the plot of the movie follows a theater director who sets to building a life-size replica of New York City inside of a warehouse, the movie's script is typical Kaufman as he uses his unique concept to tell a much more ambitious tale of the human condition. The movie both confounded and impressed critics upon release in 2008, and the movie's cult status amongst cinephiles has only continued to grow in the following years.
Bone Tomahawk - S. Craig Zahler
S. Craig Zahler began his career as a writer of both screenplays and fiction novels before transitioning into the director's chair for this brutal western/horror hybrid. Released in a limited run before being deposited onto streaming services, the film received high acclaim and, along with its primary creator, immediately began to pick up a devoted following.
Featuring Kurt Russell in an ensemble of fantastic character actors like Patrick Wilson and Richard Jenkins, Zahler's debut follows a small sheriff and his posse as they launch a rescue mission into the territory of a tribe of cannibals.
The Nice Guys - Shane Black
After spending the 80s and 90s working on hits like Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad, Shane Black turned to directing, his debut being the neo-noir comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. As it stands in 2020, his best movie to date is the buddy-cop mystery movie The Nice Guys. Black's whip-smart script and tight direction match up perfectly to create a perfect vehicle for the tangible chemistry between leads Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Funny, thrilling, smart, and just plain entertaining as all hell, The Nice Guys was criminally underseen on its initial release but is destined to be remembered as a comedy classic.
Gummo - Harmony Korine
One of the downright strangest and most cringe-inducing cinematic experiments of the 1990s, Harmony Korine's directorial debut came on the heels of his controversial script for Larry Clarke's infamous Kids. Korine took the relentless nature of that movie and applied it to a more abstract canvas for Gummo. Eschewing a traditional narrative in favor of presenting a mosaic portrait of a small town in the aftermath of being ravaged by a tornado. Korine's movie is bold and unapologetic in its queasy aesthetic, which has gained the movie a large base of followers as well as detractors.
First Reformed - Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader is one of the most highly respected and awarded screenwriters in history with scripts like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull under his belt. Schrader has also made a reputation for himself as a fairly prolific director as well. His best work behind the camera came in 2017 with the crisis-of-faith drama First Reformed.
Taking cues from Dreyer and Bergman, Schrader's script delves into a priest's inner turmoil when faced with Earth's environmental destruction. A bleak and transcendent movie, Schrader's vision is as uncompromising as it is genius.
Some Like It Hot - Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder had been working for over two decades as a writer and occasional director when he helmed one of the funniest movies ever made with Some Like It Hot in 1959. Starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and, in an iconic performance, Marilyn Monroe, the satire features two musicians on the run who become embroiled in a cross-dressing comedy of errors. Wilder's script is one of the wittiest ever committed to paper and his direction is just as sharp, leading to one of the most enduring comedic movies of all time. An absolute classic.
The Shawshank Redemption - Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont's directorial debut is a shocking about-face from the screenwriting work he had been doing prior to its production. Darabont had spent much of the late 80s writing terrible horror sequels like Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and The Fly II, however, his first lap as a director was The Shawshank Redemption 1994. A movie that nearly everyone who has seen it loves, the movie is quite simply a modern masterpiece and one of the most beloved films of all time. Darabont's double whammy as writer/director is invaluable to the movie's longevity, mixing the harsh realities of life with moments of sublime beauty.