Ranking Sam Mendes Movies

Every now and again, I'll pick out someone in the film world who just happens to be celebrating a birthday and create a list in their honor. Today, the lucky person is none other than brilliant director Sam Mendes who turns 49. A lot of people aren't necessarily familiar with his name, but have definitely enjoyed a movie or two of his. The reason more people don't recognize his name is because there aren't much more than a movie or two on his resume. Since his first big screen feature in 1999, he's only directed six movies. His next isn't scheduled to hit theaters until 2015. Prolific, he is not.

What Mendes is, though, is a masterful story-teller. Part of his magic is that not only are his characters growing human beings, they are often trying to grow on purpose. A common theme throughout his filmography is people searching for some missing element from their life that will make it all better. They don't always succeed. Another oft-used theme is imprisonment, usually in a self made prison (bad marriage, bad work situation, etc.) and the effort to escape that prison.

Enough gibberish, though. Here is how I rank the six full-length features directed by Sam Mendes.

#6

Away We Go

(2009)

Unfortunately, this one is the obvious choice for the bottom spot. That's not because it's a bad flick. On the contrary, I enjoyed quite a bit. It's just the only one I don't think is amazing. Still, I do feel it is underrated and, thus far, underseen. It stars Maya Rudolph (herself, underrated) and John Krasinski as a couple expecting their first baby and traveling to various locations in North America in hopes of finding the perfect place to raise the kid. They feel like a genuine couple and the movie is a fun, whimsical affair. It also includes a perfectly zany turn by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Call it the rom-com version of another Mendes movie, which we'll get to later. (Click here for my full review)

#5

Jarhead

(2005)

Speaking of Gyllenhaals, this one stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a marine, trained to be a sniper, stationed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield. It's a fairly unique war movie in that it deals with how mundane war can actually be, particularly The Gulf War. Our hero fights boredom far more than he does any physical enemy. In fact, that's part of what makes Jarhead a special movie. Mendes shows so much happening even though nothing that the protagonist wants actually is.

#4

Revolutionary Road

(2008)

What's an unhappily married couple to do to bring the magic back into their relationship? It's simple. Move to Paris. At least, that's the plan hatched by the couple in question in Revolutionary Road. They are played brilliantly Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. In fact, everyone who comes onto the screen does great work. That's another trademark of Mendes, getting the best out of his actors. In addition to our two stars, Michael Shannon fares particularly well, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. (Click here for my full review)

#3

Skyfall

(2012)

The transformation of James Bond into a real human being is complete with Mendes' deconstruction of the character. Sure, Bond has to save the world. More importantly, he has to figure out his place in that world. He questions everything about himself and doubts his own relevance. Mendes masterfully weaves this deep introspective version of an iconic macho man into a movie still featuring tons of insane action. It helps that Daniel Craig absolutely nails the lead role. Craig and Mendes are coming together for the director's next film, the (tentatively?) entitled Bond 24. I'm eagerly looking forward to it because Skyfall is my absolute favorite James Bond movie. Period. (Click here for my full review)

#2

Road to Perdition

(2002)

On paper, a gangster movie based on a graphic novel and starring the decidedly un-gangster Tom Hanks sounds too bizarre to work. However, in Mendes' sure hands it becomes a masterpiece of restrained story-telling. Hanks plays a mob enforcer who has to go on the run with his son after a job doesn't go as planned. Hanks is wonderful, the score is nerve racking and the look of the movie is simply breath-taking (Conrad L. Hall won the Oscar for Best Cinematography). The legendary Paul Newman earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. However, the real treat is a ridiculously unsettling turn by Jude Law. If you've never seen this, you probably have no idea how scary Mr. Law can be.

#1

American Beauty

(1999)

Here we have Mendes' debut feature, and it's one that many people consider one of the best films ever made. I can say with confidence that most of you reading this would also put it at the top of your own list of this director's movies. In case you've somehow missed it, it stars Kevin Spacey as a guy going through one hellacious mid-life crisis. His marriage is in shambles, his teenage daughter hates him, he hates his job, and to top it all off, he starts fantasizing about one of his daughter's friends. There's even more than that going on, but I'll stop there. Spacey won an Oscar for Best Actor for his work, here, and deservedly so. In all, the movie would win five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mendes. To sum it up, I'll just say see the movie if you haven't. It's truly a fine piece of cinema.


How would you rank them? To be honest, you can put numbers 2, 3, and 4 in any order you'd like and I'd be okay with it.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

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