Feature Directorial Debuts
by timgc | created - 27 Sep 2014 | updated - 24 Dec 2019 | PublicA list of directors' first feature films.
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1. Hard Eight (1996)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama
Professional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 54,910 | Gross: $0.22M
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,088,835 | Gross: $2.83M
3. Blood Simple (1984)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh
Votes: 105,332 | Gross: $2.15M
4. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,211,518 | Gross: $130.10M
5. I Stand Alone (1998)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A horse butcher's life and mind begin to break down as he lashes out against various factions of society while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankie Pain, Martine Audrain
Votes: 25,815 | Gross: $0.05M
6. The Duellists (1977)
PG | 100 min | Drama, War
France, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Votes: 26,738 | Gross: $0.20M
7. The Hunger (1983)
R | 97 min | Drama, Horror
A love triangle develops between a beautiful yet dangerous vampire (Catherine Deneuve), her cellist companion (David Bowie), and a gerontologist (Susan Sarandon).
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Cliff De Young
Votes: 29,064 | Gross: $5.98M
8. Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967)
R | 90 min | Drama
A young man can't accept the girl he likes because of her bitter past.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Zina Bethune, Anne Collette, Lennard Kuras
Votes: 10,124
9. What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)
PG | 80 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A Japanese James Bond -esque spy flick reused and redubbed into the plot of a secret agent searching to uncover a recipe for the world's greatest egg salad in Woody Allen's directorial debut.
Directors: Woody Allen, Senkichi Taniguchi | Stars: Woody Allen, The Lovin' Spoonful, Frank Buxton, Louise Lasser
Votes: 9,998
10. The Evil Dead (1981)
NC-17 | 85 min | Horror
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker
Votes: 232,507 | Gross: $2.40M
11. Pi (1998)
R | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart
Votes: 186,504 | Gross: $3.22M
12. 11:14 (2003)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The events leading up to an 11:14 p.m. car crash, from five very different perspectives.
Director: Greg Marcks | Stars: Henry Thomas, Colin Hanks, Ben Foster, Patrick Swayze
Votes: 50,073
13. Badlands (1973)
PG | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri
Votes: 78,439
14. Amores Perros (2000)
R | 154 min | Drama, Thriller
An amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, all separately struggling to find love, find their lives transformed by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero
Votes: 253,015 | Gross: $5.38M
15. Gummo (1997)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
Lonely residents of a tornado-stricken Ohio town wander the deserted landscape trying to fulfill their boring, nihilistic lives.
Director: Harmony Korine | Stars: Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Lara Tosh, Jacob Reynolds
Votes: 38,268 | Gross: $0.02M
16. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,681 | Gross: $7.42M
17. The Element of Crime (1984)
Not Rated | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai, Jerold Wells
Votes: 11,295
18. Man Bites Dog (1992)
NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.
Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Votes: 43,743 | Gross: $0.21M
19. Half Nelson (2006)
R | 106 min | Drama
An inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.
Director: Ryan Fleck | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps, Jeff Lima
Votes: 91,981 | Gross: $2.69M
20. She's Gotta Have It (1986)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Romance
Story of a woman and her three lovers.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee
Votes: 16,321 | Gross: $7.14M
21. Furia (1999)
90 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic world, Théo, a rebellious youth fights a repressive regime by drawing and posting anti-government slogans, and finds dangerous love with a mysterious woman.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Stanislas Merhar, Marion Cotillard, Wadeck Stanczak, Pierre Vaneck
Votes: 693
22. Shallow Grave (1994)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Ken Stott
Votes: 66,265 | Gross: $2.88M
23. House of Games (1987)
R | 102 min | Crime, Thriller
A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala
Votes: 24,044 | Gross: $2.59M
24. Innocence (II) (2004)
R | 122 min | Drama, Mystery
A look inside an offbeat boarding school for young girls.
Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic | Stars: Zoé Auclair, Lea Bridarolli, Bérangère Haubruge, Marion Cotillard
Votes: 6,452
25. Seizure (1974)
PG | 94 min | Horror
Jonathan Frid portrays a horror novelist who has a recurring nightmare about three figures out of his book who terrorize him and his family and friends during a weekend of fun. Then the ... See full summary »
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Jonathan Frid, Martine Beswick, Joseph Sirola, Christina Pickles
Votes: 1,131
26. The Loveless (1981)
R | 85 min | Drama
Trouble ensues when a motorcycle gang stops in a small southern town while heading to the races at Daytona.
Directors: Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery | Stars: Willem Dafoe, J. Don Ferguson, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter
Votes: 2,830
27. The Driller Killer (1979)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
An artist slowly goes insane while struggling to pay his bills, work on his paintings, and care for his two female roommates, which leads him taking to the streets of New York after dark and randomly killing derelicts with a power drill.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day, Harry Schultz
Votes: 8,445
28. The Pleasure Garden (1925)
75 min | Drama, Romance
Two couples' romances are fancifully intertwined.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Virginia Valli, Carmelita Geraghty, Miles Mander, John Stuart
Votes: 2,883
29. Bottle Rocket (1996)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd, Shea Fowler
Votes: 83,545 | Gross: $0.56M
30. Following (1998)
R | 69 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, John Nolan
Votes: 101,820 | Gross: $0.05M
31. Delicatessen (1991)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime
Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.
Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon, Pascal Benezech, Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Votes: 90,083 | Gross: $1.79M
32. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 850,463 | Gross: $1.48M
33. The Moon Is... The Sun's Dream (1992)
103 min | Crime, Romance, Thriller
A gangster in Busan is caught having an affair with his boss's mistress. The two decide to run off with the organizations money, leading to dire circumstances.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Seung-hwan Song, Seung-Chul Lee, Bang Eun-hee, Kim Dong-soo
Votes: 492
34. Pusher (1996)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Thriller
A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbæk, Slavko Labovic
Votes: 44,573 | Gross: $0.00M
35. It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988)
85 min | Drama
A nameless young character goes into travels to the country, meeting some acquaintances and strangers as well, having banal conversations, dedicating his existence into daily mundane ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Richard Linklater, James Goodwin, Dan Kratochvil, Linda Finney
Votes: 938
36. District 9 (2009)
R | 112 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Violence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.
Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope, Vanessa Haywood
Votes: 717,180 | Gross: $115.65M
37. Inside (2007)
R | 82 min | Horror
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury | Stars: Alysson Paradis, Jean-Baptiste Tabourin, Claude Lulé, Dominique Frot
Votes: 44,728
38. Stygian (1998)
Not Rated | 72 min | Horror
Jamie and Melinda, a young couple find themselves trapped in another world known as Exile. Jamie must seek out Melinda in this new world.
Directors: James Wan, Shannon Young | Stars: Ryan Gibson, Lorna Pettifer, Gil Poznanski, Dominic Redfern
Votes: 222
39. Alien 3 (1992)
R | 114 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann
Votes: 319,606 | Gross: $55.47M
40. Citizen Ruth (1996)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
An irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith
Votes: 9,122 | Gross: $0.15M
41. Mean Creek (2004)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama
When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.
Director: Jacob Estes | Stars: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan
Votes: 33,371 | Gross: $0.60M
42. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 570,526 | Gross: $1.23M
43. Fright Night (1985)
R | 106 min | Horror
"Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead.
Director: Tom Holland | Stars: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 78,692 | Gross: $24.92M
44. Grace (III) (2009)
R | 85 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
After losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life with an appetite for human blood. Madeline is faced with a mother's ultimate decision.
Director: Paul Solet | Stars: Jordan Ladd, Samantha Ferris, Gabrielle Rose, Stephen Park
Votes: 8,230 | Gross: $0.01M
45. Eraserhead (1977)
Not Rated | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 127,569 | Gross: $7.00M
46. Shutter (II) (2004)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
Votes: 49,207
47. Stereo (1969)
Not Rated | 65 min | Sci-Fi
A group of Canadian university students agree to partake in a grisly psychological experiment, which renders them incapable of speech but able to communicate telepathically.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Ronald Mlodzik, Jack Messinger, Paul Mulholland, Iain Ewing
Votes: 2,616
48. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 466,168 | Gross: $1.59M
49. The Pyramid (2014)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An archaeological team attempts to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by an insidious creature.
Director: Grégory Levasseur | Stars: Ashley Hinshaw, James Buckley, Denis O'Hare, Christa Nicola
Votes: 27,257 | Gross: $2.76M
50. Running with Scissors (2006)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama
A teenage boy comes of age in the 1970's, sent by his neurotic, pretentious mother to live with a jolly, vulgar psychiatrist and his eccentric extended family.
Director: Ryan Murphy | Stars: Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow
Votes: 23,171 | Gross: $6.75M
51. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
R | 100 min | Drama
A sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo
Votes: 59,478 | Gross: $24.74M
52. Zero Effect (1998)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The world's greatest detective Daryl Zero aided by his associate Steve Arlo investigates a complex and mysterious case of blackmail and missing keys for shady tycoon Gregory Stark who is less than forthcoming about what is really happening!
Director: Jake Kasdan | Stars: Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller, Ryan O'Neal, Kim Dickens
Votes: 15,340 | Gross: $2.09M
53. Zero Day (2002)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama
Two troubled adolescents chronicle the events that ultimately lead up to a terrifying assault on their school.
Director: Ben Coccio | Stars: Cal Robertson, Andre Keuck, Serataren Adragna, Melissa Banks
Votes: 4,790 | Gross: $0.01M
54. Boys Don't Cry (1999)
R | 118 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young man named Brandon Teena navigates love, life, and being transgender in rural Nebraska.
Director: Kimberly Peirce | Stars: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III
Votes: 103,327 | Gross: $11.53M
55. Menace II Society (1993)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda
Votes: 64,501 | Gross: $27.90M
56. El Mariachi (1992)
R | 81 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez, Jaime de Hoyos, Peter Marquardt
Votes: 71,329 | Gross: $2.04M
57. Fresh (1994)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Death and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, N'Bushe Wright
Votes: 14,597 | Gross: $8.09M
58. Knife in the Water (1962)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Thriller
A couple pick up a hitchhiker on the way to their yacht. The husband invites the young man to come along for their day's sailing. As the voyage progresses, the antagonism between the two men grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Anna Ciepielewska
Votes: 23,599
59. The Indian Runner (1991)
R | 127 min | Drama
A Vietnam vet comes home to his small town and finds himself in conflict with rules that his brother has vowed to uphold.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 9,807 | Gross: $0.19M
60. THX 1138 (1971)
R | 86 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the 25th century, a time when people have designations instead of names, a man, THX 1138, and a woman, LUH 3417, rebel against their rigidly controlled society.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley, Maggie McOmie
Votes: 54,644 | Gross: $2.44M
61. Wolf Creek (2005)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.
Director: Greg McLean | Stars: Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt
Votes: 78,392 | Gross: $16.19M
62. High Tension (2003)
R | 91 min | Horror
Best friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.
Director: Alexandre Aja | Stars: Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Votes: 77,900 | Gross: $3.68M
63. Cabin Fever (2002)
R | 93 min | Horror
Five college graduates rent a cabin in the woods and begin to fall victim to a horrifying flesh-eating virus, which attracts the unwanted attention of the homicidal locals.
Director: Eli Roth | Stars: Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent
Votes: 83,733 | Gross: $21.16M
64. Permanent Vacation (1980)
Not Rated | 75 min | Comedy, Drama
A young man wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Chris Parker, Leila Gastil, John Lurie, Richard Boes
Votes: 10,761
65. Primal Fear (1996)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney
Votes: 247,262 | Gross: $56.12M
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