rank a director

[OldAle1]

I'm not going to rank these - it's been too long since I've seen most of them, and even the ones I've re-seen in more recent years are hard to rank against their peers. I saw a great many of these between 1987-2000 in Chicago, and there are few filmmakers that consistently both excited and frustrated me more, and that I looked forward to as much. À bout de souffle was one of the first French films of the New Wave era that I saw, and I didn't much like it initially, and even when I got to like Godard much more over the last couple of years of the 80s, he always remained a little half-step below my very favorites. At this point the gap has mostly closed, and I have him ranked alongside Varda and Rivette as the three French directors in my top tier.

Most badly needed to see, apart from many of his more recent films: probably Les carabiniers and Passion.

Most in need to re-viewing: Bande à part, Une femme est une femme, Masculin féminin, Hélas pour moi

As usual * cinema, + multiple viewings - some guesswork involved in this case.

PLATINUM

À bout de souffle *+
Vivre sa vie *+
Le mépris *+
Alphaville *+
Pierrot le fou *+
Week End *+
Hélas pour moi *

GOLD

Une femme est une femme *
Bande à part *
Masculin féminin *
Une femme mariée *+
La chinoise
2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle *
Loin du Vietnam
Numéro deux
Sauve qui peut (la vie)
Meetin' WA
Puissance de la parole
Nouvelle vague *
Allemagne 90 neuf zéro *
Je vous salue, Sarajevo
Deux fois 50 ans de cinéma français
Histoire(s) du cinéma *
De l'origine du XXIe siècle
Le livre d'image *

SILVER

Charlotte et son Jules
Une histoire d'eau
Le petit soldat
Made in USA *
One + One *
Tout va bien
Ici et ailleurs *
Prénom Carmen
Je vous salue, Marie
JLG/JLG *+
For Ever Mozart *

BRONZE

Charlotte et Véronique, ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick
Soft and Hard *
King Lear *

COPPER

Le gai savoir

[AB537]

I generally like most of what Godard made pre-1967 - including one of my all time top 10 - and generally am not a fan of almost everything I've seen afterwards. Despite my ambivalence, I've probably seen more from Godard than any other non-English language director. I'll likely try at least a couple more at some point, Histoire(s) du Cinema and Prenom Carmen in particular. Rankings below about Les carabiniers are fairly tentative, except for the bottom two.

Great

1. Le mépris - Contempt (1963)

Very Good

2. Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)
3. À bout de souffle - Breathless (1960)

Good

4. Bande à part (1964)
5. Une femme est une femme - A Woman is a Woman (1961)
6. Charlotte et Véronique, ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick - All the Boys Are Called Patrick (1959)

Above Average

7. Le petit soldat - The Little Soldier (1960/1963)
8. Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)
9. Une femme mariée: Suite de fragments d'un film tourné en 1964 (1964)
10. Pierrot le fou (1965)
11. Les carabiniers (1963)
12. Charlotte et son Jules (1960)
13. Masculin féminin (1966)
14. Détective (1985)

Okay

15. Week End (1967)
16. Je vous salue, Marie - Hail Mary (1985)
17. Hélas pour moi - Oh Woe is Me (1993)
18. Série noire: Grandeur et décadence d'un petit commerce de cinéma - Rise and Fall of a Small Cinema Company (1986)
19. 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle - Two or Three Things I Know about Her (1967)
20. Adieu au langage - Goodbye to Language (2014)

Not Good

21. Tout va bien (1972)
22. JLG/JLG - autoportrait de décembre (1994)
23. Film socialisme (2010)
24. Numéro deux (1975)

Did Not Finish

Le vent d'est (1970)

Don't Remember Enough to Rate

Sauve qui peut (la vie) - Every Man for Himself (1980)

[klaus78]

10/10
Pierrot le fou (1965)

9/10
À bout de souffle (1960)
Je vous salue, Marie (1985)
Le mépris (1963)
Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)

8/10
Le livre d'image (2018)
De l'origine du XXIe siècle (2000)
Masculin féminin (1966)
Passion (1982)
Bande à part (1964)
Éloge de l'amour (2001)

7/10
Détective (1985)
Week End (1967)
Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980)
Une femme mariée: Suite de fragments d'un film tourné en 1964 (1964)
Ici et ailleurs (1976)
Une femme est une femme (1961)
Film socialisme (2010)
Tout va bien (1972)
Le petit soldat (1963)

6/10
Nouvelle vague (1990)
La chinoise (1967)
Numéro deux (1975)
Puissance de la parole (1988)

5/10
Adieu au langage (2014)
2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1967)

[Good_Will_Harding]

Given that yesterday saw the trailer premiere for his latest film, I figure it's time we get around to another preteen favorite of mine, and one of the most divisive filmmakers of the last thirty or so years... M Night Shyamalan



Similar to the last director we covered in this thread who was a key figure in my adolescent years as a novice film buff (Tim Burton), this Philadelphia native has had his share of career ups and downs, depending on who you ask, and what specific films you're talking about. However, unlike Burton, Shyamalan seems to have at least somewhat rehabilitated his image in the eyes of general audiences. While not quite back to his former glory of the late 90's-early 00's, his decision to return to his smaller scaled roots in recent years, after a frankly confounding diversion into the realm of kiddie blockbusters, appears to have paid off, at least in the eyes of this longtime enthusiast.

10

The Village
Unbreakable

9

Split
The Sixth Sense

8

The Visit
Old
Signs

7

Glass
Wide Awake

6

Lady in the Water

5

The Happening

4

After Earth
The Last Airbender

Sure, his name is still a punchline in certain corners of the web and probably with some regular moviegoers as well. And while even I can't deny the head-scratching nature of some of his creative decisions regarding his lesser efforts, his works always remain interesting on some level. I also find it unusual how some audience members might consider themselves to be above this guy's films, when that POS looking Smile movie is probably going to be a big hit at the box office next weekend. Say what you will about their quality, but Shyamalan's films will always have more care put into their craft than the average piece of run-of-the-mill conveyer belt fluff that fills the multiplexes week after week. A low bar for sure, but at least this man clears it.

[blocho]

Every so often, a horror movie becomes a supernova without a clear reason why. It's not that movies like The Exorcist, The Sixth Sense, and Get Out are bad. Far from it -- they're all well made, just not quite the groundbreaking efforts popular acclaim would indicate. It's not clear to me why they drew in so many people who would otherwise avoid horror movies. My mother saw Get Out, after all, when even the most tepid action movie is usually too scary for her. So my initial thoughts on Shyamalan were defined by feeling underwhelmed by The Sixth Sense. Again, that wasn't because it was bad but merely because its popularity outstripped its quality.

But my reaction changed over time. My judgment after seeing The Sixth Sense: Overhyped. After seeing Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village: Better than I expected.

Superlative

Very Good

Good
Unbreakable
Signs
The Village

OK
The Sixth Sense

Misfires
The Happening

[Perception de Ambiguity]

[Torgo]

Sixth Sense was one of the true horror masterpieces of post-1990, that's enough credit for me to not trash the boi as much as it's done for his later years

[Silga]

M. Night Shyamalan

Seen 8:

1. Unbreakable - 8
2. The Village - 7
3. The Sixth Sense - 6
4. The Visit - 5
5. Signs - 4
6. Split - 4
7. Glass - 2
8. After Earth - 1

After Earth is among the worst films of the 2010s. Maybe ever.

[Fergenaprido]

1. 8.8 - The Sixth Sense (1999)

2. 7.6 - Unbreakable (2000)
3. 7.6 - Signs (2002)
4. 7.4 - The Village (2004)
4. 7.4 - Lady in the Water (2006)

6. 5.2 - The Happening (2008)

A steady decline for me, though I liked Lady in the Water more than most people. I'd be interested in rewatching those first five, but The Happening was so laughably bad it put me off seeking out anything further from him; the only reason it's not rated lower is probably because it was before I'd finalized my rating rubric. Of his newer films, I might finish the superhero trilogy, and maybe see Old (I already read a plot summary, spoilers and all, which I never would have dreamed of doing for one of his films in the glory days) because I like some of the actors. I'm not interested in his blockbusters or his more horror-centric films.

[OldAle1]

Mixed feelings. While I don't mind twist endings, I do feel that in Shyamalan's case they may detract a bit from re-watchings - if the twist is the primary reason for existence, then when you already know it, uh... so what? This is the way I feel about The Usual Suspects for example, and I felt a bit of that with the one Shyamalan film I saw again, The Sixth Sense. I kind of think I'll still like The Village a lot because I think it has more to it than most of his films, but the rest I'm not really that keen on revisiting, nor do I care too much about catching up with the ones I haven't seen.

* cinema + multiple viewings

PLATINUM
-

GOLD
1. The Village

SILVER
2. The Visit *
3. The Sixth Sense *+

BRONZE
4. Split *

COPPER
5. Unbreakable *
6. Glass *

TIN
7. Signs

[Onderhond]

My ranking seems to be the reverse of most others here. Surprise!

01. 3.5* - Old (2021)
02. 3.5* - Split (2016)
03. 3.5* - The Visit (2015)
04. 3.5* - The Happening (2008)
05. 3.5* - Lady in the Water (2006)
06. 3.0* - Signs (2002)
07. 2.5* - The Last Airbender (2010)
08. 2.0* - Glass (2019)
09. 2.0* - Unbreakable (2000)
10. 1.5* - After Earth (2013)
11. 1.5* - The Sixth Sense (1999)
12. 1.0* - The Village (2004)

[Fergenaprido]

Mixed feelings. While I don't mind twist endings, I do feel that in Shyamalan's case they may detract a bit from re-watchings - if the twist is the primary reason for existence, then when you already know it, uh... so what? This is the way I feel about The Usual Suspects for example, and I felt a bit of that with the one Shyamalan film I saw again, The Sixth Sense.

I kind of feel the opposite. One of the things I'm looking forward to when I rewatch The Sixth Sense is trying to pick up on all the hints and clues along the way now that I know the twist and where it's headed.

[beavis]

ratings out of 5-stars

1. 4 - Glass (2019)
2. 3,5 - Signs (2002)
3. 3,5 - Unbreakable (2000)
4. 3,5 - The Sixth Sense (1999)
5. 3,5 - Old (2021)
6. 3,5 - The Village (2004)
7. 3,5 - Split (2016)
8. 3,5 - Lady in the Water (2006)
9. 3,5 - The Happening (2008)
10. 2,5 - The Last Airbender (2010)
11. 2 - After Earth (2013)

[AB537]

The near-universal condemnation of Shyamalan's mid career work kind of scared me off watching those films, so there's a few gaps here which may or may not get addressed at some point. The Village could also probably use a rewatch. Like some others, I enjoyed The Sixth Sense but haven't rewatched partly due to concerns about how it would hold up now that I know the ending.

Great

Very Good

Good

1. Unbreakable (2000)
2. The Sixth Sense (1999)
3. Split (2016)

Above Average

4. The Village (2004)

Okay

5. Glass (2019)
6. Signs (2002)

Not Good

[Lonewolf2003]

Not a fan, that's why I haven't seen more (yet). Even if that superhero trilogy does seem interesting, also cause Unbreakable is his best movie so far I think. The first three ratings are out of memory, cause I saw those before I started rating

Masterpiece
-

Excellent
-

Good
-

Fine
1. Unbreakable (2000): 7.5ish

Okay
2. The Sixth Sense (1999): 6.5ish

Mediocre
3. Signs (2002): 5.0ish

Poor
4. Lady in the Water (2006): 4.0

Bad
5. The Village (2004): 3.0

Terrible
6. The Last Airbender (2010): 1.5

[Caracortada]

Godard:

1. Le Mépris 10/10
2. À bout de souffle 9
3. Pierrot le fou 8
4. Une Femme est une femme 7
5. Vivre sa vie 7
6. Bande à part 7
7. Made in U.S.A. 7
8. Prénom Carmen 6
9. Week End 6
10. La Chinoise 6
11. Le Petit Soldat 6
12. Alphaville 5
13. Masculin féminin 5
14. Passion 5
15. Détective 5
16. Sauve qui peut (la vie) / Slow Motion 5
17. Histoire(s) du cinema 3

Night Shyamalan:

1. The Sixth Sense 5/10
2. The Village 5
3. The Happening 3

The worst three films by Godard get the same score as the worst three by Night Shyamalan.

[Torgo]

So, what next? Everybody afraid to name another director after Godard? Are we witnessing the very literal DEATH OF CINEMA?

Oh Tim Burton. I'm not sure there's any other director whose career so neatly divides at the turn of the century, from "pretty good...promising...sometimes approaching great", to "mostly garbage...fuck this shit". I will some day watch his Alice in Wonderland film because I'm kind of an Alice obsessive but I fully expect it to be one of the worst things ever, given what I know about it.. <<< I was correct. I've given up on hoping that he'll turn it around - he's just not going in a direction that interests me anymore, and even when he's made more recent films that struck me as having a lot of potential (Big Eyes in particular), they haven't really amounted to much.

(...)

RUST, PISSED ON, THEN RUSTED MORE

15. Planet of the Apes
16. Alice in Wonderland

Wow, you hated it so much you had to edit your 1-month old post!

[OldAle1]

So, what next? Everybody afraid to name another director after Godard? Are we witnessing the very literal DEATH OF CINEMA?

Oh Tim Burton. I'm not sure there's any other director whose career so neatly divides at the turn of the century, from "pretty good...promising...sometimes approaching great", to "mostly garbage...fuck this shit". I will some day watch his Alice in Wonderland film because I'm kind of an Alice obsessive but I fully expect it to be one of the worst things ever, given what I know about it.. <<< I was correct. I've given up on hoping that he'll turn it around - he's just not going in a direction that interests me anymore, and even when he's made more recent films that struck me as having a lot of potential (Big Eyes in particular), they haven't really amounted to much.

(...)

RUST, PISSED ON, THEN RUSTED MORE

15. Planet of the Apes
16. Alice in Wonderland

Wow, you hated it so much you had to edit your 1-month old post!

Yeah, I've done that a couple of time - if I remember that it's a director we've done. Makes it easy if I'm thinking of the subject and want to go back and find my ratings.

[Fergenaprido]

So, what next? Everybody afraid to name another director after Godard? Are we witnessing the very literal DEATH OF CINEMA?

Does it matter? Not like you'll participate anyway.

Susanne Bier. Her name's popped up in discussion a few times lately. A director I have quite enjoyed so far, but I feel like I've just seen her four most-acclaimed works and am not sure where to explore next. She's one of the first women for whom I saw 4+ films from, and one of the few who make my Top Directors list for the poll each year.

1. 8.4 - Brødre [Brothers] (2004)
2. 8.2 - Hævnen [In a Better World] (2010)
3. 8.0 - Efter brylluppet [After the Wedding] (2006)

4. 7.6 - Elsker dig for evigt [Open Hearts] (2002)

I also haven't seen any of the English-language remakes of her films, but I'm not too keen on them.

[Onderhond]

Not a big fan. Quite kitsch in a sentimental kind of way.

1. 3.5* - Bird Box (2018)
2. 2.0* - After the Wedding [Efter Brylluppet] (2006)
3. 1.5* - Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
4. 1.0* - Serena (2014)

[OldAle1]

I've only seen Efter brylluppet, which I saw when it came out; I didn't like it that much, but have had at least a vague interest in checking out some of the others, just haven't gotten around to it. Though about watching Hævnen in the past few weeks as I knew it would get lots of votes on the 2010 poll and I hate being left out , but frankly most of the people voting for it were people whose tastes are pretty different from mine so... just didn't bother. Can't see it all.

[Silga]

Seen 3, all disappointing

In a Better World (2010) 5
A Second Chance (2014) 4
Love Is All You Need (2012) 4

[1SO]

1. Open Hearts
2. After the Wedding
3. The Night Manager
4. Brothers
5. In A Better World
6. Bird Box
7. Things We Lost in the Fire
8. The One and Only
9. Love is All You Need

[Lonewolf2003]

Bier: I like her noughties Danish movies a lot, her only American movie I've seen less so.

Masterpiece
-

Excellent
1. Efter brylluppet [After the Wedding] (2006): 9.0
2. Elsker dig for evigt [Open Hearts] (2002): 9.0

Good
3. Brødre [Brothers] (2004): 8.5
4. Hævnen [In a Better World] (2010): 8.0
5. The Night Manager (2016) TV Mini-Series: 7.8

Fine
-

Okay
6. Things We Lost in the Fire (2007): 6.5

Mediocre
-

Poor
-

Bad
-

Terrible
-

[blocho]

I haven't seen enough of Bier's work to form any firm judgments, although I saw After the Wedding most recently, and I disliked it enough that I'm hesitant to watch any more of her movies.

Superlative

Very Good

Good
Things We Lost in the Fire
The Night Manager

OK

Misfires
After the Wedding

[AB537]

Haven't seen much from Bier. I really liked The Night Manager, thought Bird Box was mediocre. Been meaning to check out her Danish stuff.

[Caracortada]

Danish Bier:

1. Efter brylluppet 10/10
2. Elsker dig for evigt 9
3. Brödre 9
4. Haevnen 8
5. Things We Lost in the Fire 7
6. Den skaldede frisör 6
7. Serena 6

[Torgo]

Roger Corman, King of the Bs

8 - very good
5. The Masque of the Red Death (1964) +

The Masque of the Red Death 8

Great
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Good
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

His Poe adaptations are definite highlights with Masque of Red Death being my favorite of them.

Top Tier
Masque of Red Death

Turns out you guys were right!
One of my early horroctober highlights ..



Did you know?
Corman had the opportunity to film Masque on the set of Becket with no one less than Nicolas Roeg in charge of the cinematography. Guess those are two reasons why it looked so great

[St. Gloede]

Nice one! In that case, be sure to check out the other Poe adoptations as well. Even without Roeg the cinematography is similarly lush, and the tone/atmosphere/quality is also very close.

[OldAle1]

Yeah all of the Poe adaptations are good - my personal favorite at the moment is The Tomb of Ligeia actually, but Masque is pretty close, and who knows how I'd re-order them if I watched them all in succession? I like several other Corman films as much or more, but the Poe series is definitely his most consistent/coherent work.

[matthewscott8]

Might as well join the Corman fun:

Superb

A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Great

Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
The Young Racers (1963)
Von Richtofen and Brown / The Red Baron (1971)
The Trip (1967)

Enjoyed

Bloody Mama (1970)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Wild Angels (1966)

Meh

Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)

Awful

X (1963)

Unfinishable (literally)

Ski Troop Attack (1960)
She Gods of Shark Reef (1958)

Saw some others too long ago to comment

[Onderhond]

Let's do Johnnie To, for no other reason than that I finally finished translating all my capsule reviews of his films. One of the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema, but like most of his peers, it took him a long time and a lot of films to get really good.

01. 4.5* - Sparrow [Man Jeuk] (2008) (#143)
02. 4.5* - Exiled [Fong Juk] (2006) (#170)
03. 4.5* - Mad Detective [Sun Taam] (2007) (#205)
04. 4.0* - Election 2 [Hak Se Wui Yi Wo Wai Kwai] (2006) (#428)
05. 4.0* - Vengeance [Fuk Sau] (2009) (#507)
06. 4.0* - PTU (2003) (#517)
07. 4.0* - Throw Down [Yau Doh Lung Fu Bong] (2004) (#556)
08. 4.0* - Triangle [Tie Saam Gok] (2007) (#673)
09. 4.0* - Drug War [Du Zhan] (2012) (#676)
10. 4.0* - Fulltime Killer [Chuen Jik Sat Sau] (2001) (#724)
11. 4.0* - Blind Detective [Man Tam] (2013) (#730)
12. 4.0* - Flying Butterfly [Hu Die Fei] (2008)
13. 4.0* - Turn Left Turn Right [Heung Joh Chow Heung Yau Chow] (2003)
14. 3.5* - Chasing Dream [Chihuo Quan Wang] (2019)
15. 3.5* - Three [San Ren Xing] (2016)
16. 3.5* - Office [Hua Li Shang Ban Zu] (2015)
17. 3.5* - High Altitude of Love II [Gao Hai Ba Zhi Lian II] (2012)
18. 3.5* - Don't Go Breaking My Heart [Daan Gyun Naam Yu] (2011)
19. 3.5* - Life without Principle [Dyut Meng Gam] (2011)
20. 3.5* - Breaking News [Daai Si Gin] (2004)
21. 3.5* - Yesterday Once More [Lung Fung Dau] (2004)
22. 3.5* - Help!!! [Lat Sau Wui Cheun] (2000)
23. 3.5* - Running Out of Time [Am Zin] (1999)
24. 3.5* - Where a Good Man Goes [Joi Gin A Long] (1999)
25. 3.5* - A Hero Never Dies [Chan Sam Ying Hung] (1998)
26. 3.5* - The Longest Nite [Am Faa] (1998)
27. 3.5* - Loving You [Wu Wei Shen Tan] (1995)
28. 3.5* - The Mad Monk [Chai Gong] (1993)
29. 3.5* - Justice, My Foot [Sam Sei Goon] (1992)
30. 3.0* - Election [Hak Se Wui] (2005)
31. 3.0* - 1:99 Shorts (2003)
32. 3.0* - Running on Karma [Daai Zek Lou] (2003)
33. 3.0* - Fat Choi Spirit [Lik Goo Lik Goo San Nin Choi] (2002)
34. 3.0* - My Left Eye Sees Ghosts [Ngo Joh Ngan Gin Do Gwai] (2002)
35. 3.0* - Love on a Diet [Sau Sun Nam Nui] (2001)
36. 3.0* - Running Out of Time 2 [Aau Chin 2] (2001)
37. 3.0* - Wu Yen [Chung Mo Yim] (2001)
38. 3.0* - Needing You [Goo Laam Gwa Lui] (2000)
39. 3.0* - The Mission [Cheung Foh] (1999)
40. 3.0* - Casino Raiders II [Zhi Zu Wu Shang II Yong Ba Tian Xia] (1993)
41. 3.0* - Heroic Trio 2: Executioners [Xian Dai Hao Xia Zhuan] (1993)
42. 3.0* - The Barefoot Kid [Chik Geuk Siu Ji] (1993)
43. 3.0* - Lucky Encounter [Ti Dao Bao] (1992)
44. 2.5* - Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 [Daan Gyun Naam Yu 2] (2014)
45. 2.5* - A Moment of Romance III [Tian Ruo You Qing III: Feng Huo Jia Ren] (1996)
46. 2.5* - The Heroic Trio [Dung Fong Saam Hap] (1993)
47. 2.5* - The Royal Scoundrel [Sha Tan-Zi yu Zhou Shih-Nai] (1991)
48. 2.5* - The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon [Ji Xing Gong Zhao] (1989)
49. 2.0* - Love for All Seasons [Baak Nin Hiu Gap] (2003)
50. 2.0* - The Story of My Son [Ai De Shi Jie] (1990)
51. 2.0* - All about Ah-Long [Ah Long dik Goo Si] (1989)
52. 2.0* - The Enigmatic Case [Bi Shui Han Shan Duo Ming Jin] (1980)
53. 1.5* - Fireline [Shi Wan Huo Ji] (1997)
54. 1.5* - The Eighth Happiness [Ba Xing Bao Xi] (1988)
55. 1.5* - Happy Ghost III [Kai Xin Gui Zhuang Gui] (1986)
56. 1.0* - The Big Heat [Seng Fat Dak Ging] (1988)
57. 1.0* - Seven Years Itch [Qi Nian Zhi Yang] (1987)

[1SO]

Did a Marathon of 19 films last year.

1. Drug War
2. PTU
3. A Hero Never Dies
4. Fulltime Killer
5. Vengeance
6. Running Out of Time
7. Exiled
8. The Longest Nite
9. Breaking News
10. All About Ah-Long
11. The Big Heat
12. Running on Karma
13. The Mission
14. Sparrow
15. Mad Detective
16. Throw Down
17. Election
18. My Left Eye Sees Ghosts
19. Election 2
20. Running Out of Time 2
21. Justice My Foot
22. The Heroic Trio

[AB537]

Seen a couple from To:

Cheung foh - The Mission (1999) would go in my "good" category, and Yau doh lung fu bong - Throw Down (2004) in "above average". Would definitely watch more.

[Fergenaprido]

1. 8.2 - Sam sei goon [Justice, My Foot!] (1992)

2. 6.6 - Dung fong sam hap [The Heroic Trio] (1993)

Saw the first last year and really liked it; saw the second years ago in uni and it probably deserves a second viewing and reevaluation. Haven't seen any of his typical action thrillers yet, though I'll probably come across one or two eventually.

[OldAle1]

Just four so far. I saw The Heroic Trio new in the cinema as part of the yearly Hong Kong series that the Film Center in Chicago did during the 90s; wish I had programs for those series. I liked it at the time and it stuck with me, but of course in that pre-internet era, and an era when HK stuff was hard to find on video, usually badly dubbed, never in widescreen, etc - and an era in which I was seeing everything in the cinema anyway - it just receded into the general miasma of all the things I was watching. To didn't really register strongly as a name to me until probably somewhere around 2010 actually, and while I've liked the few I've seen and liked the one I had seen just as much on re-watching, I just haven't made the effort to go through his filmography. Too many other things that interest me more I guess. Someday, maybe.

GOLD
1. Cheung foh / The Mission

SILVER
2. Dung fong sam hap / The Heroic Trio
3. Am zin / Running Out of Time

BRONZE
-

COPPER
4. Yin doi hou hap zyun / Executioners

[Torgo]

02. 4.5* - Exiled [Fong Juk] (2006) (#170)

Being the Takeshi Kitano fanboy I am, this would top my To(p) 5 without any hesitation
Apart from that, I've only seen his most popular work so far though, which means a pair of Elections, The Mission + that absurd fatsuit film

[Onderhond]

Being the Takeshi Kitano fanboy I am, this would top my To(p) 5 without any hesitation

I guess they both make crime films, but I wouldn't really compare both directors with each other. Very different styles & vibes, no? To really digs into the coolness of the "gangster" persona, while Kitano has a bit of fun with them, and makes them sillier.

[Lonewolf2003]

To of course mostly known for his stylistic crime movies, that I usually like and love. In all these the stylistic action is alway its most redeeming quality and not the reason for a (relatively) lower grade. The two romcoms I saw aren't on the same level, but still enjoyable enough to pass the time. I'm much less a fan of his early martial arts-comedies.

Masterpiece
-

Excellent
-

Good
1. Exiled (2006): 8.5
2. Election (2005): 8.5
3. Throw Down (2004): 8.0
4. Triad Election (2006): 8.0

Fine
5. The Mission (1999): 7.5
6. Vengeance (2009): 7.2
7. Breaking News (2004): 7.0
8. Three (2016): 7.0

Okay
9. Drug War (2013): 6.5
10. Lifeline (1997): 6.5
11. The Bare-Footed Kid (1993): 6.2
12. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011): 6.0
13. Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014): 6.0
14. Blind Detective (2013): 5.8
15. Loving You (1995): 5.8

Mediocre
16. Mad Monk (1993): 5.0

Poor
17. Justice, My Foot! (1992): 4.0

Bad
-

Terrible
-

[beavis]

I've seen 18, and these are my ratings out of 5-stars ranked. I watched some of those early wuxia-comedy films only this year and actually really liked them, though they can get a bit exasperating keeping up with the subtitles and knowing you're still missing 50% of the (word play) jokes by not speaking cantonese... He's one of the big names post 90's for Hong Kong cinema and it is easy to see why, it is just that I usually am not much into the gangster/action/thriller genre to really love what he's doing most of the time...

1. - 4 - Man jeuk (2008) Sparrow
2. - 4 - Fong juk (2006) Exiled
3. - 3,5 - Hua li shang ban zu (2015) Office
4. - 3,5 - Cheung foh (1999) The Mission
5. - 3,5 - Dai si gin (2004) Breaking News
6. - 3,5 - Dai zek lo (2003) Running on Karma
7. - 3,5 - Dung fong sam hap (1993) The Heroic Trio
8. - 3,5 - Yin doi hou hap zyun (1993) Executioners
9. - 3,5 - Chai gong (1993) The Mad Monk
10. - 3,5 - Du zhan (2012) Drug War
11. - 3,5 - PTU (2003)
12. - 3,5 - Daan san nam nui 2 (2014) Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2
13. - 3 - Yau doh lung fu bong (2004) Throw Down
14. - 3 - Daan san nam nui (2011) Don't Go Breaking My Heart
15. - 2,5 - Bi Shui Han Shan Duo Ming Jin (1980) The Enigmatic Case
16. - 2,5 - Sam sei goon (1992) Justice, My Foot!
17. - 2,5 - Chuen zik saat sau (2001) Fulltime Killer
18. - 1 - San ren xing (2016) Three