rank a director

[Silga]

Coen brothers are undoubtedly my favorite filmmakers. I adore their directing and writing style. In my book, they had never made a bad film. Exceptional casting, amazing crew and continuously great results.

1. Fargo - 10 - In My Top 5 of All Time
2. The Big Lebowski – 10
3. The Man Who Wasn’t There – 10
4. O Brother, Where Art Thou? – 10
5. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - 10
6. No Country for Old Men – 10
7. Barton Fink – 9
8. Burn After Reading – 9
9. The Hudsucker Proxy - 9
10. Blood Simple. – 9
11. True Grit – 9
12. Inside Llewyn Davis - 9
13. The Ladykillers – 8
14. Raising Arizona – 8
15. A Serious Man – 8
16. Hail, Caesar! - 8
17. Miller’s Crossing – 8
18. Intolerable Cruelty – 8

[Torgo]

Absolutely!

[prodigalgodson]

The Coens are among my favorite filmmakers ever. They do so much so well that I find it difficult to explain their mastery concisely or coherently. Perhaps the most salient aspect of their work is its literary quality, which offers a polished blend of hard-boiled and screwball, featuring heavy doses of regional Americana. The Coens delight in dialect and argot. As a result, their movies are almost always funny, even the ones that aren't really comedies, which feels appropriate because their consistent overarching theme is the frustration of individual desire in the face of bureaucracy, personal idiocy, and an uncaring universe. Given this thematic focus, along with the Coens' focus on circular narratives (not to mention circular visual motifs), there's something here heavily redolent of existentialism.

But they're not mere writers turned filmmakers. The visual style of their movies is also delightful. And they routinely elicit excellent performances from their actors while making perfect casting choices. To take one example, George Clooney had almost exclusively played suave, smart heroes before O Brother. Only the Coens realized he had the comedy chops to play a hilarious dope as he has done in four movies for them so far. Here's another: Paul Newman, who played so many misfits and iconoclasts as a young man, as the icy, heartless organization man in Hudsucker.

The Coens surround themselves with highly talented collaborators, and the result is consistent excellence when it comes to cinematography and scoring. And it's astonishing how well their movies hold up on rewatch. Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar, and Buster Scruggs all became better the second time I watched them. Second viewings are often when a movie's flaws are more noticeable. With the Coen Brothers, it's when a movie's qualities shine forth more brightly.

Wonderfully put!

The Big Lebowski 10
A Serious Man 9
No Country for Old Men
Fargo
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Man Who Wasn't There 8
Barton Fink
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 7
Burn After Reading
Blood Simple
The Hudsucker Proxy
Hail, Caesar!
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
True Grit 6
Raising Arizona 5
Miller's Crossing

[Onderhond]

They made some fun stuff, but overall they're overrated. Things get worse when they try to do serious films.

01. 3.5* - The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
02. 3.5* - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
03. 3.5* - Barton Fink (1991)
04. 3.0* - Hail, Caesar! (2016)
05. 3.0* - A Serious Man (2009)
06. 3.0* - Burn after Reading (2008)
07. 3.0* - The Ladykillers (2004)
08. 3.0* - The Big Lebowski (1998)
09. 3.0* - Fargo (1996)
10. 3.0* - Miller's Crossing (1990)
11. 3.0* - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
12. 3.0* - Chacun Son Cinéma (2007)
13. 3.0* - Paris, I Love You [Paris, Je T'Aime] (2006)
14. 2.5* - Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
15. 2.5* - The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
16. 2.5* - Raising Arizona (1987)
17. 2.0* - True Grit (2010)
18. 2.0* - Blood Simple (1984)
19. 1.5* - No Country for Old Men (2007)
20. 1.0* - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

[beavis]

haven't seen them all yet, and most of them so long ago that I only have ratings out of 5-stars... the 3-star rankings might be in need of a rewatch, probably would rate some of them higher now. These two brothers are always enjoyable filmmakers, both for their indie quirks and clear love for classic Hollywood, which they often combine in intelligent and/or funny ways.

1. - 5 - The Big Lebowski (1998)
2. - 4,5 - The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
3. - 4 - Fargo (1996)
4. - 4 - A Serious Man (2009)
5. - 4 - No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. - 4 - The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
7. - 4 - Raising Arizona (1987)
8. - 4 - Burn After Reading (2008)
9. - 4 - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
10. - 4 - The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
11. - 4 - True Grit (2010)
12. - 4 - Chacun son cinéma (2007)
13. - 3,5 - Blood Simple (1984)
14. - 3,5 - Hail, Caesar! (2016)
15. - 3,5 - Paris, je t'aime (2006)
16. - 3 - Barton Fink (1991)
17. - 3 - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
18. - 3 - Miller's Crossing (1990)
19. - 3 - Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

[Cinepolis]

Seen less than you'd expect from someone calling themself a film lover. I also recently bought a blu ray copy of "Burn After Reading" and was sent Winnie the Pooh instead.

1. Fargo (1996) - 7/10
2. No Country For Old Men (2007) - 7/10
3. Blood Simple (1984) - 6/10
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - 6/10
5. The Big Lebowski (1998) - 6/10

[Y U M E]

Coens


★★★★½ | 9.2
01. Blood Simple.*

★★★★¼ | 8.8
02. The BIG Lebowski*
03. No Country for Old Man*

★★★★ | 8.4
04. Fargo*

★★★¾ | 8.0
05. O Brother, Where Art Thou?*

★★★½ | 7.6
06. Barton Fink*

★★★¼ | 7.2
07. Burn after Reading*

★★★ | 6.8
08. Raising Arizona
09. Miller's Crossing
10. Inside Llewyn Davis*
11. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

★★¾ | 6.4
12. The Man Who Wasn't There*
13. A Serious Man*

★★½ | 6.0
14. True Grit
15. Intolerable Cruelty*

★★¼ | 5.5
16. The Tragedy of Macbeth*

★★ | 5.0
17. The Hudsucker Proxy*
18. Hail, Caesar!*

★¾ | 4.5
19. The Ladykillers*


N/R
Tuileries - segment from "Paris Je T’Aime – Petites Racontes des Quartiers…"
World Cinema - segment from "Chacun Son Cinéma"

[GruesomeTwosome]

The Coen bros are among my favorite contemporary American filmmakers. They’ve only made a couple films that didn’t really hit for me and that I wouldn’t be in a hurry to revisit (fwiw, O Brother Where Art Thou is one of their films that didn’t do much for me the first time around that I DO really want to watch again soon - I think it’s the best prospect for a more positive re-evaluation, we’ll see).

Excellent (high on my favorite films list):
The Big Lebowski
Fargo

Great (lower down on my favorites list):
A Serious Man
No Country for Old Men
Barton Fink
Raising Arizona

Very good:
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Burn After Reading
Blood Simple
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Good:
The Hudsucker Proxy
True Grit
Miller’s Crossing
The Ladykillers (think I like this more than most)
Hail, Caesar!

Decent/above-average/didn’t fully connect:
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Intolerable Cruelty


If I had included Joel Coen’s solo job The Tragedy of Macbeth, it would probably be in the bottom of the “Very good” tier.

[blocho]

It's worth noting that the Coens have written a fair number of movies they didn't direct. They have sole screenwriting credit on Gambit. They co-wrote Crime Wave, Unbroken, Bridge of Spies, and Suburbicon. And they did uncredited punch-ups for Bad Santa. Ethan also co-wrote The Naked Man.

I can't help wondering what contributions they really made to Unbroken and Bridge of Spies. Both movies were highly un-Coen.

In terms of non-cinematic writing, Ethan wrote a short story collection called Gates of Eden. I read it as a kid and remember enjoying it.

In any case, this thread is rank a director, not rank a screenwriter. Although perhaps we should have a thread of that name.

[cinewest]

The Coen's kind of replaced Woody Allen in the early to mid 90's (until very recently) as my go to American filmmakers who I could mostly count on to deliver (Woody was that for me from the late 70's through the early 90's) a very good movie almost every year.

Favorites (9+)

Fargo
Inside Llewyn Davis

Very good

A Serious Man
No Country For Old Men

Good +

Blood Simple
The Man Who Wasn't There
The Big Lebowski
Barton Fink
Burn After Reading

Worthwhile

Most of the rest

[AB537]

I suspect they peaked a while ago, but there's some fantastic and very rewatchable content in their catalogue. I also want to see Joel's version of Macbeth.

Great

1. The Big Lebowski (1998)
2. No Country for Old Men (2007)

Very Good

3. Fargo (1996)
4. Barton Fink (1991)
5. Raising Arizona (1987)

Good

6. Burn after Reading (2008)
7. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
8. Miller's Crossing (1990)
9. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
10. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
11. True Grit (2010)

Above Average

12. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
13. A Serious Man (2009)
14. Blood Simple (1984)

Okay

15. Hail Caesar! (2016)

Not Good

Don't Remember Enough to Rate

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

[Lonewolf2003]

Big fan also, agree with all the praise said before. Especially with blocho about how their movies are among those few who always improve on rewatch. So I guess I have to rewatch some of the lower rated ones.


Masterpiece
1. The Big Lebowski (1998): 10!

Excellent
2. No Country for Old Men (2007): 9.2
3. A Serious Man (2009): 8.8

Good
4. Fargo (1996): 8.5
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): 8.5
6. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): 8.2
7. Burn After Reading (2008): 8.2
8. Hail, Caesar! (2016): 8.2
9. Barton Fink (1991): 8.0
10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018): 8.0
11. Miller's Crossing (1990): 8.0
12. True Grit (2010): 8.0
13. Paris, je t'aime (2006): 8.0

Fine
14. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001): 7.5
15. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994): 7.0
16. Blood Simple (1984): 7.0
17. The Ladykillers (2004): 6.8

Okay
18. Raising Arizona (1987): 6.5
19. Intolerable Cruelty (2003): 6.5

Mediocre
-

Poor
-

Bad

Terrible
-

[Torgo]

Masterpiece
1. The Big Lebowski (1998): 10!

Excellent
3. A Serious Man (2009): 8.8

Good
4. Fargo (1996): 8.5

You get everything right all the time, many people won't accept that order but it's the truth

[Carmel1379]

the Coen bros.

Indeed, every rewatch of their films was highly fruitful, deepening my entertainment, appreciation, and understanding of the satire, portrayed web of character relationships, and thematic undertones as I myself aged, with the tragicomedic/comediotragic elements tangibly enhanced, and lines of dialogue finding new meaning and recollection potential, which is why in brackets I will include the approximate number of times I've seen a respective movie. A substantial amount would start as a 7/10 and move up a rating upon each subsequent viewing, including TBL. But the first one I watched was NCfOM, as my mum got me a DVD when I turned 13 iirc.^^ Was lucky enough to catch a theatrical viewing of Lebowski in '17; probably the most I've laughed in a cinema despite already knowing the film by heart; whilst the latest two rewatches involved copious amounts of spliffs and White Russians.

It's been years since I've seen any of these, though. I guess a 'Raising Arizona' rewatch would be my priority b/c Cage, but we never know which and when the Coens' extraordinary, ordinary, & sub-ordinary cosmoi come in contact with us again. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous, and, uh, a lot of strands to keep in my head, man, a lot of strands in little Duder's head.


10
The Big Lebowski (7+x)

9
The Hudsucker Proxy (2x)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2x)
A Serious Man (3x)
Burn After Reading (3x)
No Country for Old Men (4x?)

8
Fargo (3x)
Blood Simple (1x)
Inside Llewyn Davis (1x)

7
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (1x)
Barton Fink (1x)
Miller's Crossing (2x)
The Ladykillers (1x)
True Grit (1x)

6
Hail, Caesar! (1x)

5
Raising Arizona (1x)
Intolerable Cruelty (2x?)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (1x)

ns
The Tragedy of Macbeth (when I re-read the play I'll embark on a chronological marathon of its main film adaptations, likely terminating with this one)

[blocho]

whilst the latest two rewatches involved copious amounts of spliffs and White Russians.

Did you try the double Lebowski challenge? I can't even imagine what that's like. I tried the alcohol-only Lebowski challenge once and couldn't complete it. The alcohol wasn't the problem. I just couldn't consume that much dairy in two hours.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (when I re-read the play I'll embark on a chronological marathon of its main film adaptations, likely terminating with this one)

I haven't seen the Coen Macbeth yet, but I'm a big fan of the three Macbeth adaptations I've seen. I highly enjoyed the Welles Macbeth, Polanski Macbeth, and Kurzel Macbeth. This leads me to wonder whether I just really like the story and would enjoy any adaptation.

[Carmel1379]

whilst the latest two rewatches involved copious amounts of spliffs and White Russians.

Did you try the double Lebowski challenge? I can't even imagine what that's like. I tried the alcohol-only Lebowski challenge once and couldn't complete it. The alcohol wasn't the problem. I just couldn't consume that much dairy in two hours.

Haha, not intentionally/resolutely, during the latest 7th viewing I was with a friend who had never seen it before, so we stocked up on both requisites and had a blast, but I was never aware of the exact numbers involved and we weren't trying to match The Dude. The challenge itself still sounds more doable for me and certainly less lethal than the 'Withnail & I' one...

Fortunately I don't have a problem with milk, I could drink a gallon a day. I suppose the dairy could be dropped or substituted for something else, I'm sure The Dude wouldn't mind, as long as you're careful to know there's a beverage here!

The Tragedy of Macbeth (when I re-read the play I'll embark on a chronological marathon of its main film adaptations, likely terminating with this one)

I haven't seen the Coen Macbeth yet, but I'm a big fan of the three Macbeth adaptations I've seen. I highly enjoyed the Welles Macbeth, Polanski Macbeth, and Kurzel Macbeth. This leads me to wonder whether I just really like the story and would enjoy any adaptation.

Yeah, those three are on my watchlist! There's also Kurosawa's (which I had previously seen) and a TV Movie by Béla Tarr. Whenever I get to start this mini-quest (alongside the parallel 'Hamlet', 'Romeo & Juliet', and 'Othello' missions ), I'll be sure to make a thread about it.

The Coen bros. & Shakespeare in general seem to associate so well it's surprising -- yet inevitable -- it took until the 19th film for one of them to make an explicit connection or adaptation. There seems to be a WSJ article on Shakespearean elements/characters in their previous work, but I'm not subscribed.

[OldAle1]

Almost forgot about this.

I haven't really disliked a Coen bros film yet, and I have a couple of strong favorites but... I don't get excited about them, and I don't know that I ever have. They make a really good or great film, and then follow it up with a couple I'm not so crazy about, and I tend to put them on my mental backburner. And re-watching hasn't always helped their cause; #s 1 & 4 definitely improved a lot on repeat viewings, but 12 & 14 were diminished, and several others remained flat. So I don't know where I am with them. I guess at some point I will finish off their work, and at this point I feel I need to rewatch Barton Fink and Raising Arizona in particular, neither of which I've seen since within a year or two of their original releases.

* seen in cinema + seen multiple times

PLATINUM
1. The Big Lebowski *+
2. No Country for Old Men *+

GOLD
3. Blood Simple +
4. O Brother Where Art Thou *+
5. A Serious Man *
6. Inside Llewyn Davis *

SILVER
7. Barton Fink *+
8. Fargo *+
9. The Man Who Wasn't There *
10. True Grit *

BRONZE
11. Raising Arizona
12. Miller's Crossing *+
13. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

COPPER
14. The Hudsucker Proxy *+
15. Hail, Caesar! *
16. Intolerable Cruelty

[matthewscott8]

Coen brothers are undoubtedly my favorite filmmakers. I adore their directing and writing style. In my book, they had never made a bad film. Exceptional casting, amazing crew and continuously great results.

1. Fargo - 10 - In My Top 5 of All Time
2. The Big Lebowski – 10
3. The Man Who Wasn’t There – 10
4. O Brother, Where Art Thou? – 10
5. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - 10
6. No Country for Old Men – 10
7. Barton Fink – 9
8. Burn After Reading – 9
9. The Hudsucker Proxy - 9
10. Blood Simple. – 9
11. True Grit – 9
12. Inside Llewyn Davis - 9
13. The Ladykillers – 8
14. Raising Arizona – 8
15. A Serious Man – 8
16. Hail, Caesar! - 8
17. Miller’s Crossing – 8
18. Intolerable Cruelty – 8

They made the truly awful movie "Crimewave" with Sam Raimi, but they were not technically the helmers I guess.

[Silga]

I haven't seen Crimewave, just like two other films Coens had written, but didn't direct - Unbroken and Suburbicon.

I thought about Raimi, Jolie or Clooney for Run the Director, so, I guess, I could do it this month.

[flavo5000]

I haven't seen Crimewave, just like two other films Coens had written, but didn't direct - Unbroken and Suburbicon.

I thought about Raimi, Jolie or Clooney for Run the Director, so, I guess, I could do it this month.

Crimewave is goofy nonsense. Like a live action looney tunes cartoon, but not in a good way. It's the worst thing both the Coens and Raimi have worked on (granted I haven't watched Unbroken or The Naked Man yet).

[Caracortada]

1. The Hudsucker Proxy 7/10
2. The Man Who Wasn't There 6/10
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 4/10
4. No Country for Old Men 4/10
5. Intolerable Cruelty 4/10
6. Barton Fink 4/10
7. The Ladykillers 4/10
8. Fargo 3/10
9. The Big Lebowski 1/10

[brokenface]

I haven't seen Crimewave, just like two other films Coens had written, but didn't direct - Unbroken and Suburbicon.

I thought about Raimi, Jolie or Clooney for Run the Director, so, I guess, I could do it this month.

There's also Gambit remake, which is really weak. That and Suburbicon suggest other people doing Coens scripts don't really work. The only one that was decent was Bridge of Spies and that was probably just a gig for the $$

[brokenface]

how's about William Friedkin then

8+
To Live and Die in LA

7+
The French Connection
The Exorcist
Sorcerer
Cruising
Bug
Killer Joe

6-
The Hunted


Seen fewer than I thought I might have. Has a high hit rate for me, but I might've just successfully avoided the duds..

Feels a shame he didn't do a few more after what seemed like a late-career resurgence of quirky thrillers with Bug & Killer Joe.

[blocho]

Billy Friedkin carved out a niche for himself early on as a man unafraid of the taboo. He was happy to tackle gritty, controversial topics. His approach to those topics yielded great results in movies like The Boys in the Band, The French Connection, and The Exorcist. In his later career, he didn't achieve results quite as good as that early trio of movies, but he still made interesting movies with a touch for the quirky and the outrageous. That was certainly true in Bug and Killer Joe. On the other hand, he also made real stinkers like The Hunted. I haven't yet seen Sorcerer, unfortunately. It's been on my to-see list for years.

Superlative

Very Good
The Boys in the Band
The French Connection

Good
The Exorcist
To Live and Die in L.A.
Bug

OK
Cruising
Blue Chips
Killer Joe

Misfires
Rules of Engagement
The Hunted

[Silga]

William Friedkin

1. To Live and Die in L.A. - 9/10
2. The French Connection – 9
3. Killer Joe – 8
4. Blue Chips - 7
5. The Brink's Job - 7
6. The Exorcist – 6
7. Jade - 5
8. Rules of Engagement – 4
9. The Guardian - 4
10. The Hunted - 3

[AB537]

Haven't seen any of these in a while

Great

The French Connection (1971)

Very Good

Good

The Exorcist (1973)
Sorcerer (1977)
Bug (2006)

Above Average

Killer Joe (2011)

Okay

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Not Good

[Lonewolf2003]

Masterpiece
-

Excellent
-

Good
1. The Exorcist (1973): 8.2
2. The French Connection (1971): 7.8
3. Killer Joe (2012): 7.8

Fine
4. Cruising (1980): 7.5
5. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985): 6.8

Okay
6. Sorcerer (1977): 6.5

Mediocre
-

Poor
-

Bad
-
Terrible
-

[Torgo]

Okay
6. Sorcerer (1977): 6.5

You truly don't afraid of anything!

The film landed highly on some of our Forum lists back in the day (and I think it was then unofficial). It's #242 on ICM's most favorited now - not an easy task for bigger films - and is in the Top 50 of ICM's favorite 1970s films - an even harder task.
Sorcerer always had a very good score on IMDb, but its status is even far greater on LB, where voting more or less began with its reappraisal and restoration for theaters & blu-ray: 4.2 out of 62k logs - must be close to their Top 250.

I've just finally seen it.

[Fergenaprido]

1. 8.4 - The Boys in the Band (1970)

2. 7.8 - The French Connection (1971)

I do need to see more of his films. I think The Exorcist will be next for me, though I'm sure I'll get around to Cruising eventually.

[1SO]

1. The Boys in the Band
2. The French Connection
3. To Live and Die in L.A.
4. The Exorcist
5. Sorcerer
6. 12 Angry Men
7. Killer Joe
8. Cruising
9. Blue Chips
10. Bug
11. Rampage
12. The Birthday Party
13. The Brink's Job
14. Rules of Engagement
15. The Night They Raided Minsky's
16. Jade
17. The Hunted
18. Deal of the Century
19. The Guardian

[GruesomeTwosome]

RIP Friedkin:

1. The Exorcist - 9
2. To Live and Die in L.A. - 9
3. Killer Joe - 8
4. Bug - 7
5. The French Connection - 6
6. Cruising - 6
7. Blue Chips - 5
8. The Guardian - 5
9. The Hunted - 5

[gunnar]

The Exorcist - 7.5/10
The French Connection - 7.5/10

Sorcerer - 7/10
The Brink's Job - 7/10
Blue Chips - 7/10

The Exorcist is due for a rewatch since I haven't seen it in decades. I rewatched The French Connection not too long ago and liked it more than the first time that I saw it.

I probably saw To Live and Die in LA and Rules of Engagement, but don't remember anything about them.

[Onderhond]

All over the place. I usually don't mind giving his films a shot though.

1. 3.5* - Bug (2006)
2. 3.0* - The Exorcist (1973)
3. 2.5* - Killer Joe (2011)
4. 2.0* - The Hunted (2003)
5. 2.0* - Sorcerer (1977)
6. 1.5* - The French Connection (1971)
7. 1.0* - The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)

[Y U M E]

William Friedkin


★★★★ | 8.4
Sorcerer

★★★¾ | 8.0
The French Connection

★★½ | 6.0
The Exorcist

★★¼ | 5.5
Jade

★★ | 5.0
The Brink's Job
12 Angry Men

★¼ | 3.5
To Live and Die in L.A.

★ | 3.0
Cruising

[Cinepolis]

1. Killer Joe (2011) - 7/10
2. The Exorcist (1973) - 6/10
3. The Guardian (1990) - 6/10
4. The French Connection (1971) - 4/10

[Good_Will_Harding]

Sorry to say I haven't seen as much as I should've, but then he wasn't the most prolific filmmaker out there, was he?

9

Killer Joe
The Exorcist

8

Cruising
The French Connection

7

Sorcerer
The Boys in the Band

6

Bug

I know To Live and Die in LA is a pretty big blind spot for me, but sadly I wasn't able to (legally) track it down.

[blocho]

I'll suggest Mike Leigh, who I became obsessed with during the Run the Director challenge last year. Here's something I wrote about one of his movies during the Run the Director challenge this year

While watching this movie, Sherwood Anderson's great novel Winesburg, Ohio came to mind because of its focus on characters described as "grotesqueries." The feeling seemed familiar, and I searched old posts to confirm that, yes, I made the same comparison a year ago when watching another Mike Leigh movie. Leigh's great talent is that while we initially may find his characters grotesque, we eventually begin recognizing parts of ourselves in them.

Superlative
Vera Drake
Peterloo

Very Good
Life Is Sweet
Secrets & Lies
All or Nothing
Happy-Go-Lucky
Another Year

Good
High Hopes
Mr. Turner

OK
Naked
Topsy-Turvy

Misfires
Career Girls

Now that I've completed his (feature-length) filmography, I'm going to update my rankings for Mike Leigh.

Superlative
Vera Drake
Peterloo

Very Good
Grown-Ups
Life Is Sweet
Secrets & Lies
All or Nothing
Happy-Go-Lucky
Another Year

Good
Hard Labour
Nuts in May
Meantime
High Hopes
Mr. Turner

OK
Bleak Moments
Naked
Topsy-Turvy

Misfires
The Kiss of Death
Abigail's Party
Who's Who
Home Sweet Home
Four Days in July
Career Girls

[Caracortada]

His early TV movies are nuts.

1. Secrets & Lies 9/10
2. Vera Drake 9/10
3. Nuts in May [TV] 9/10
4. Abigail's Party [TV] 9/10
5. Happy-Go-Lucky 7/10
6. Another Year 7/10
7. All or Nothing 7/10
8. Naked 6/10
9. Life Is Sweet 6/10
10. Meantime 6/10
11. Mr. Turner 6/10
12. The Kiss of Death [TV] 6/10

[beavis]

My Friedkin ranking
ratings out of 5-stars

1 - 4 - The Exorcist (1973)
2 - 4 - Bug (2006)
3 - 4 - Sorcerer (1977)
4 - 3,5 - The French Connection (1971)
5 - 3,5 - Cruising (1980)
6 - 3,5 - Killer Joe (2011)
7 - 3 - To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
8 - 3 - The Guardian (1990)
9 - 2 - Deal of the Century (1983)

I think I've seen his most popular films with this set and see little more that jumps out to me as interesting, but, he certainly made his mark.

[prodigalgodson]

Friedkin:
To Live and Die in LA 8
Sorcerer 7
Cruising 6
Killer Joe 5
The Exorcist
The French Connection

Leigh:
Naked 8
Secrets and Lies 6
Happy-Go-Lucky 5