Many things can influence a director to deviate the course they have set for themselves: working on carving out a new niche, just trying something new, a stage in their career, or even retirement. Often times, these surprise films will come without much warning, really just a project announcement. Moreover, these films tend to be quite successful, serving as a refresh for the director attached, or maybe just making sure their curtain call to the craft is near perfection. Whatever the reason may be, the list of both films and the directors helming them is quite impressive.
A lot of factors can lead to the decision for a director to carve out their own spot on the big screen. Several of them create a very fine niche indeed for themselves: action, horror, great spectacles, superhero — the list goes on. It’s important to note that this list differs a lot from others on this site. This list isn’t a top 10 list; it is simply highlighting 10 films that a director created and for some reason was out of their wheelhouse, or didn’t fit their overall body of work. The film caused people to step back and say “Wow, that was unexpected.”
Here are 10 most unexpected films in a director’s filmography.
10George Miller — Babe
Yes,George Millerbecame known for environmental friendly, children filmHappy Feet, but he also started off directing films that were set in a post-apocalyptic and dystopian world. When one compares the carnage, death, destruction, rampage, and chaos of theMad Maxfilms, the 1995 filmBabeabout everyone’s favorite pig not named Wilbur is a breath of farm-fresh air.
Currently sitting at a 7 out of 10 on IMDb, it’s safe to say that even though Miller stepped out of his comfort zone here, he put his bacon where his mouth was and pulled off a really great film. It doesn’t appear as if the director plans on stepping away from hisMad Maxworld either as theupcomingMad Max:Furiosajust received a positive update for fans of that world.
9Hayao Miyazaki — The Boy and the Heron
Why is a film from the famedHayao Miyazakion this list? At first glance, the film is definitely in the 82-year-old director’s wheelhouse, and for sure a movie he would have been comfortable doing. Hearkening back to the beginning of the list, this is an instance where the stage of the director’s career can influence why the film is here. The brilliantSpirited Awaydirector came out of retirement to create this masterpiece, so it’s not so much that he went out of bounds with directing a non-anime film, so much as he believed in the project so much, he pulled himself out of retirement to see this creation come to life.
The Boy and the Heronreleased on July 14 of this year and is pulling off an incredible 90% audience score onRotten Tomatoes. Clearly being 82 and retired for a few years didn’t stop the brilliant director from creating yet another animated masterpiece.
8John Carpenter — Elvis
A far cry from the horror/sci-fi films the legendaryJohn Carpenternormally helmed,Elviswas different for the directer for a couple of reasons. Sure, Carpenter deviated from his normal style withStarman, but it was still science fiction.Elvison the other hand was made for television as well as a biographical film, two completely different styles for Carpenter all rolled into one.Notably, the 1979made for TV moviealso stars someone who is not a stranger to Carpenter as the titular character: Kurt Russell.
Related:John Carpenter’s First 10 Movies, Ranked
7Rob Reiner — Misery
Why isMisery, one of the greatest films of all time, on the list? Glad you asked.Rob Reinerdirected it, in a time when Reiner was belting out comedies. The actor turned director decided to take a leap into horror and succeeded. Of course, standout performances by the late James Caan and a performance for the ages by Kathy Bates, which yielded her an Oscar, helped the film be successful.
Reiner broke out of his norm to directMisery, but also kept one thing the same: his focus on people and the stories individuals tell as a unit really made the film stand out. Really, this is the reason that several of his other films have been successful —Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally, and others are all classics because of their focus on detail at an individual level as opposed to a wider scope.
6Peter Jackson — Lord of the Rings
While now when you think ofPeter Jackson, you immediately think of theLord of the Ringstrilogy,The Lovely Bones, and maybe evenKing Kong, it wasn’t always like that. Jackson made a niche for himself in horror before he broke out into Hollywood blockbusters. Films likeThe FrightenersandBraindeadwere more in his wheelhouse than were billion-dollar Hollywood franchises.
Using unique landscapes from the countryside of New Zealand, sharp VFX, an appealing story, and talented actors, Jackson was able to successfully step out of his box and helped to create one film franchise to rule them all while, at the same time, really carving out a new niche for himself.
5Roman Polanski — The Fearless Vampire Killers
Before he landed himself in hot water, as outlined byFar Out Magazine,Roman Polanskimade a living by directing films that didn’t necessarily end well for the characters involved. In hind site, maybe he was trying to tell us something about himself, but we digress.The Fearless Vampire Killerswas a huge deviation from the directorial path he had set himself on and was a major departure from those type of films. It was billed as a comedy horror film and with a 75% approval rating on the Tomato-meter, he did a pretty good job when he stepped out of his comfort zone.
4Martin Scorsese — Kundun
A film about a Dalai Lama is not quite a mafia film, but maybe in some universe there are unique parallels. That didn’t stop masterful film directorMartin Scorsesefrom trying his hand at a completely different kind of entry for his repertoire.
Kundunreleased in 1997 after films likeRaging Bull,Casino, Goodfellas,and others had found huge success with Scorsese behind the camera. The biographical film is sitting pretty with a 74% from Rotten Tomatoes, so it just goes to show that great directors don’t necessarily need to stick to one style, they can expand.
Related:Martin Scorsese’s First 10 Movies, Ranked
3James Cameron — Titanic
Why is a film that spent a great deal of time at the top of the list for most money made at the box office on this list? Well,James Cameronstepped out of his sci-fi and action wheelhouse to direct a love story that takes place during the pinnacle of the true story of the “Unsinkable Ship” that, well, sank.
Considering films likeTerminator 2,Avatar,andAliens,Titanicfloats out on its own. The story is beautiful in its own right, bringing to life a young romance story that unfolds before the audience in the short time that Jack and Rose have together until the tragedy that separates them occurs. The tragedy, of course, being Cameron not realizing there was room for both of them on that piece of wood.
2George Lucas — American Graffiti
Before he was the father of the modern space opera,George Lucasstarted out on the science fiction path very briefly before deviating quickly and getting back on the track. Lucas’s first film,THX 1138was released in 1971, and although the famedStar WarsandIndiana Jonesdirector has few directorial credits to his name, the 1973 greaser filmAmerican Graffitiis a clear standout among his body of work.
The movie, which stars Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and others, is fantastic and sits at 7.4 on IMDb, proving that if it didn’t work out with his niche films, he definitely could have made it as a director of non-science fiction.
1Christopher Nolan — Oppenheimer
Why is the new masterpiece byChristopher Nolanon the list? Didn’t he directDunkirk? Well, hear us out here.Oppenheimer, while chronicling the events of the creation of the atomic bomb, doesn’t show much action, or really, any action. The film holds your interests in other ways. Nolan has a penchant for directing tremendous action films, a slot thatDunkirkdefinitely fills.Oppenheimer, however, revels in the horrors of war without actually showing any of it.
The film skips back and forth telling the story of the Manhattan Project while also circling two different stories surrounding the arguing of different legal, judicial, and security matters and as most of the film takes place in this manner, it is a clear break from the action that was brought by Nolan from the likes ofThe Dark KnightTrilogy,Inception, Dunkirk,and others.
