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Director Sam Mendes had one of the quickest rises to prominence of any modern filmmaker. Winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, as Mendes did for American Beauty in 2000, is a pretty seismic achievement for a debut filmmaker. Mendes’ films continue to show incredible versatility. His newest movie, Empire of Light, celebrates movie theaters with a story about a historic movie house off of the South Coast of England in the 1980s. It is the second film Sam Mendes wrote himself (he shares a writing credit on1917 with Krysty Wilson-Cairns), and serves as his celebration of the medium. Rich with cinematic references, Empire of Light may hit a nostalgic note with moviegoers who grew up in the 1980s.
There’s an incredible diversity to Sam Mendes’ body of work. You may have never guessed that the same filmmaker who created the melodramatic “plastic bag scene” in American Beauty also created the jaw-dropping action sequences in Skyfall. Here is every Sam Mendes film, ranked worst to best.
9. Away We Go (2009)
Mendes deserves a lot of credit for his willingness to tackle all types of genres; there’s no clearly defined template for a “Sam Mendes Movie” because of this diversity. However, it also means that Mendes can tackle genres that he’s not entirely comfortable with, and his attempt at a slice-of-life romantic comedy with 2009’s Away We Go simply doesn’t hold together. Mendes certainly gives the story of first-time parents a sense of uncomfortable humor, but the recurring jokes grow tiresome and the story is so observational that it feels dramatically inert.
The film follows expecting parents, Verona De Tessant (Maya Rudolph) and Burt Farlander (John Krasinski), who search for a new home six months into Verona’s pregnancy when Burt’s parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) fail to provide them with the home that they promised. Rudolph and Krasinski have believable enough chemistry, but the meandering nature of the narrative lacks any true insights into family or parenthood. It’s ultimately a tiresome and dull attempt at dramatic irony.
8. Spectre (2015)
Spectre came at an interesting turning point in the James Bond franchise. After Skyfall acknowledged the vast history of the 007 franchise, Spectre attempted to meld the gritty realism of the earlier Daniel Craig films with more outlandish elements descended from the Roger Moore era. It’s also a film that spends significant time world-building. Christoph Waltz as Blofeld seemingly has fun in his role, but his over-explained backstory takes significant time to build up an obvious twist and drags the film’s laborious runtime.
The result is a largely middle-of-the-road entry in the series, which still contains moments of pure brilliance. Mendes’s action direction is still spectacular, and the stunning opening Mexico City tracking shot and brutal train fight with the assassin Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista) are highlights. There’s an interesting political commentary as MI6 faces an Orwellian government surveillance force led by C (Andrew Scott) that’s actually more interesting than the excessive SPECTRE references. Spectre also does a great job at building up Bond’s supporting characters M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) with beefed up roles.
7. Empire of Light (2022)
While Empire of Light is incredibly sincere and gorgeously shot, its simplistic themes and strange plot twists make it one of Mendes’ lesser efforts. On the positive side, Empire of Light looks absolutely gorgeous thanks to Roger Deakins’ cinematography. Its celebration of the shared collective experience of moviegoing are inspiring. However, the film struggles to deal with more complex issues. A good portion of the story centers around the racial tension that rocked England in the 1980s, but it never becomes the primary focus. The scenes that are diverted to this subplot are blatant and jarring; it feels like the film should have gone further to address them, or simply cut this section entirely.
Empire of Light focuses on Olivia Colman as Hilary Small, the lonely manager of an English theater who bonds with her fellow staff members. Hilary’s life changes when the charming new worker Stephen (Michael Ward) begins working at the cinema. The chemistry between Ward and Colman is delightful, even when the film becomes emotionally manipulative. Hilary’s history of mental illness becomes a major plot point. While the aggressively somber tone hinders the pacing towards the third act, Colman is never less than riveting. It can never be said that Mendes failed to get excellent performances out of his cast.
6. Jarhead (2005)
Jarhead is a fascinating wartime satire that saw Mendes subverting the expectations for what a Gulf War movie could be. It’s certainly an incendiary satire of the U.S. military, but instead of bold dramatic instances, the gradual comedic tone helps identify the uselessness of American troops as they grow bored and desperate for action. The humorous banter between the characters and broad physical humor make the dramatic stakes more shocking when the film makes the tonal shifts.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the sniper Anthony “Swoff” Swofford, who joins the conflict out of obligation to his family’s military history. Swofford seeks to achieve heroism, but he finds himself stuck in a conflict where his mission is unclear. Swofford is initially surprised by the laid back attitude of his supervisor Corporal Alan Troy (Peter Saarsgaard), but learns to bond with him and the eccentric group of soldiers in his squad. Despite the satirical edge, the comradery and respect between the brothers-in-arms is something Mendes treats with respect.
5. Revolutionary Road (2008)
At this point Mendes’s films are essentially all masterpieces, and any of the top five could be a worthy choice for #1. Revolutionary Road feels particularly indebted to Mendes’s stage career, as it’s told at a gradual pace and contained to just a few relatively isolated locations. It allows the performances to truly stand out, and Titanic co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for a romance story that couldn’t be more different than Jack and Rose. Revolutionary Road looks at the cultural shifts of the post-war era and the faded illusion of the American dream.
Frank Wheeler (DiCaprio) is an educated and affluent bachelor who charms April (Winslet) with his promises of far adventure overseas. The two marry and plan an exciting future, and settle down in a suburban community for what they imagine being simply a temporary lifestyle. As the realities of their immobility come to fruition, the Wheelers face their ultimate fear of normalcy as their dreams of extraordinary exploration dissipate. The gradual depletion of their romantic spark is heartbreakingly depicted by DiCaprio and Winslet in some of the best work of their respective careers.
4. Road to Perdition (2002)
Mendes is a filmmaker who is very specific in his depiction of cultural groups, and with his graphic novel adaptation Road to Perdition he challenged the standard notion of what a “mob movie” could be by telling an emotional story of distant fathers and sons. It’s one of the most aesthetically gorgeous films of his career, featuring a beautiful score by his frequent collaborator Thomas Newman and Academy Award-winning cinematography from the late great Conrad L. Hall. Based on the DC graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner, it’s a sensitive and heartbreaking deconstruction of masculinity.
Tom Hanks delivers one of the darkest performances of his career as the Irish mobster Michael Sullivan, who seeks to escape his violent lifestyle and provide a better future for his young son Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin). He eludes the duties assigned to him by his employer John Rooney (Paul Newman), the ruthless mob boss who nonetheless views Sullivan as more of a son to him than his own child Connor (Daniel Craig). It’s an untraditional road movie as Sullivan recounts the horrors of his past while trying to provide for his child.
3. American Beauty (2000)
It goes without saying that there’s a difficulty in rewatching and reassessing American Beauty given the revelations about Kevin Spacey, and a film that so heavily centers around his pursuit of an underage character is uncomfortable to watch as a result. The Best Picture winner has gone through an interesting cultural cycle in the two decades since its release. Initially released to overwhelming critical praise, its merits have been a subject of serious debate. Is American Beauty profoundly melodramatic or deeply cynical?
If anything, the tragic suburban drama is somewhere in between. American Beauty essentially follows deeply flawed people who cling to the hope that their life has meaning, and each get revelations that there’s no clear-cut path. Does Lester’s death actually mean anything? Is Carolyn (Annette Bening) justified in shooting him? Will Jane (Thora Birch) and Ricky (Wes Bentley) actually have a future together? Does Frank Fitts’ repression stem from self-hatred? Mendes raises these questions and hints at a more complex view of the American Dream by leaving them ambiguous.
2. 1917 (2019)
Inspired by his grandfather’s stories of heroism during World War I, 1917 is one of the most immersive war movies ever made. The “all in one shot” cinematography technique (another technical marvel from the great Roger Deakins) could have easily been a cheap gimmick, but Mendes uses the consistent momentum to keep the story centered on his characters and the beat-by-beat minutia of how they make decisions and persevere. Exploring the macro through the micro, 1917 explores the magnitude of trench warfare while keeping the stakes very personal.
The film follows young British infantrymen Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), who are dispatched on a secret mission by General Erinmore (Colin Firth) to command the front line Lieutenant-Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) to halt his attack that would risk running into a trap. Mendes and screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns do an excellent job at showing the impact these young men have; they’ve barely gotten the chance to live, yet they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders as they venture off into unforeseen dangers. MacKay delivers a tour de force physical performance completed by powerful revelations about his family bonds towards the film’s conclusion.
1. Skyfall (2012)
Skyfall is the ultimate James Bond movie, one of the best action movies of the 21st Century, and one of the standout franchise films of recent memory that actually wrestles with the notion of legacy. Skyfall asks is 007 still relevant? The film discovers that there’s a place for classicalism (there are a ton of fun references to the history of the series), but in order to persevere, Bond must change with the times.
Skyfall is one of the most emotional Bond films because the stakes are incredibly personal; rather than focusing on a doomed romantic affair, the film explores the complex relationship Bond has with M (Judi Dench), and in turn MI6’s role in modern British espionage. Javier Bardem’s villain Raoul Silva is one of the best antagonists in the series, as while his plot is ridiculous and his mannerisms are eccentric, Silva’s motivations are grounded in trauma. That’s not to say that Mendes is in any way ignoring the spectacle that makes a great Bond movie. The incredible set pieces in Skyfall, including the gripping opening motorcycle to train chase, Silva’s brilliant prison escape, and the brutal final battle at Bond’s childhood home are among the best of the entire franchise.
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