Though the name David Ayer doesn't elicit such strong feelings from audiences as names like Quentin Tarantino or Paul Thomas Anderson, the director is just as much of an auteur. The filmmaker has a distinct style and many of his movies share the same themes. Whether it's the polarizing superhero movie Suicide Squad or the emotionally exhausting End of Watch, Ayer's movies are largely humorless, stoic, action dramas.
And outside of Suicide Squad, most of Ayer's films take place in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles and follow police officers who are at war with the Mexican cartel. Even his negatively received movies deliver on the violence and drama that it says on the tin, but, surprisingly, Ayer's best movies are the ones that pull on the heartstrings.
The Tax Collector (2020) - 4.8
For the most part, even Ayer's lowest-rated movies have enough interest that they're still successful at the box office. But, unfortunately, The Tax Collector was a box office bomb, making a tiny $1.3 million with a budget of almost 30 times that. Not only does it have a miserable 4.8 on IMDb, but it has 18% on Rotten Tomatoes too.
The Tax Collector is an unquestionably Ayer-directed movie, as it's based on a criminal underworld based in L.A., which is his bread butter. But where his other movies are full of compelling drama as well, the 2020 movie almost comes off like a parody. The movie has no depth and the characters are "movie" gangsters in every sense of the term, and Shia LaBeouf was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor.
Sabotage (2014) - 5.7
Sabotage is the strangest adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel ever, as the film is based on And Then There Were None, and it obviously takes some liberties with the source material. Being written by Skip Woods, who also penned the screenplays for the Hitman movies, the two most recent Die Hard films, and The A-Team, it's easy to know what to expect going into Sabotage. The movie is made up of loud gunfights, machoism, and a fairly thin plot.
And while that isn't everybody's cup of tea, the 2014 movie delivers on all fronts. The film is about a crooked DEA team that inadvertently falls into a war with the cartel after stealing money during a drugs bust. Surprisingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger was praised for his role as the leader of the DEA, and it's the best performance he's given in years, making it one of the best Schwarzenegger action movies.
Suicide Squad (2016) - 5.9
Unfortunately, Suicide Squad disappointed so many fans, and that was mostly down to the depiction of the Joker. The clown prince of crime was portrayed like a gangster rapper who shops at Hot Topic, and Jared Leto's performance was criticized for being too over the top. However, the final result of the movie may not rest on Ayer's shoulders, as Warner Bros. hired Trailer Park, inc, a company that cuts movie trailers together, to edit the movie. That explains all of the pop songs soundtracking every scene.
And, in the wake of the successful fan-led Twitter campaign that demanded the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League, fans now want to see the "Ayer cut." However, even despite being hated by both critics and fans of the DC Extended Universe, people couldn't help but be intrigued by the superhero team and the first portrayal of the Joker since Heath Ledger. The movie made an astounding $750 million at the worldwide box office.
Bright (2017) - 6.3
With the streaming wars being in full swing at this point in time, Netflix rallied up a bankable movie star, a fantastical concept, the reliable action-drama director, and threw $100 million at the project. Unfortunately, Bright wasn't one of the streaming platform's biggest successes, even despite Will Smith being in the lead role.
The movie is a strange mix of gritty cop procedurals that Ayer is known for, fun fantasy mythology, and is a social commentary on racial politics, which all muddily blend together. However, Bright is better than people say, as there's genuine chemistry between the main characters, which is essential for a buddy-cop movie, and the world-building is fascinating too. And there's a big enough world that it'd be interesting to see how a sequel would turn out.
Street Kings (2008) - 6.8
Street Kings is about an undercover cop who has become a suspect in the murder of another officer, and it follows him going through hell and back to clear his name. That gets him involved with different L.A. gangs and it typically leads to Ayer-amounts of bloodshed. Interestingly, according to About, Oliver Stone was in talks to direct the movie when it was originally called The Night Watchman in 2005, which would have made for a very different film.
The movie sports such a fascinating ensemble cast that nobody would have ever thought of putting together, as it stars Keanu Reeves, The Game, Chris Evans, and comedian Hugh Laurie. And while the John Wick series has become a phenomenon, Street Kings unfairly lives in its shadow, as it's one of the best action movies starring Keanu Reeves.
Harsh Times (2005) - 6.9
Harsh Times was Ayer's directorial debut, and while he had written screenplays for now-classic movies like Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, he was inexperienced when it came to directing. While there are clearly signs that the film is from a first-time director, as it has a particularly stiff feeling in the way its shot, the film has such a daring and compelling plot.
Christian Bale also gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a Gulf War veteran who believes it's up to him to protect the citizens of L.A. by policing the streets. Ironically, the vigilanteism sounds a lot like another Bale-led 2005 movie, Batman Begins, but they're two vastly different approaches to the concept. The movie also established Ayer's style of tough, macho, and humorless protagonists surrounded by violence in Los Angeles.
End Of Watch (2012) - 7.6
When it comes to buddy-cop movies, Ayer has seen the most success in his career, as Harsh Times pulled off the drama between two friends effortlessly, and the chemistry in Bright was the best thing about it. However, it's End of Watch that pulls off the buddy-cop narrative the best, as it follows two police officers risking their lives every day while still trying to maintain their personal lives.
And though the police are the heroes of the film, End of Watch doesn't shy away from depicting how the boys in blue can sometimes take advantage of their power. The film is one of Jake Gyllenhaal's best crime movies, but it's also emotionally exhausting, and the final scene will have even the most macho of men in a pool of tears.
Fury (2014) - 7.6
When watching Fury, it isn't a surprise that Warner Bros. hired Ayer to direct Suicide Squad, as the filmmaker expertly directed a crew of misfits in the 2014 movie too. However, instead of being superheroes, the characters in Fury are part of a tank crew located in Germany during World War II.
The movie follows the tank crew as they go behind enemy lines to take on Nazi Germany, only they are outnumbered and massively outgunned. If it wasn't for Sabotage sandwiched between them, Fury would have been the second of a great directorial one-two punch that started with End of Watch. They are both massively emotional dramas about hardened men in battle, and they both have devastating climaxes.