Kathryn Bigelow is without a doubt famous for a lot of reasons; not only is she the director of many successful (when it comes to critics, audiences, and the box office alike) genre films (like Point Break and Near Dark) but in 2008 she became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker.
However, she is not only a director but also a screenwriter and a producer and she has dabbled in TV and music video direction. So, this list will not only include the films she directed but all her highest-ranked works featured in the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Blue Steel (71%) - Director & Screenwriter
This 1990 action thriller follows a rookie police officer, Megan Turner (portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis), in her attempts to prove the guilt of Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver), a man who stole a dead perpetrator’s weapon from a crime scene after Megan had shot him (Hunt uses the weapon to commit a series of murders).
This film was unfortunately neither an audiences’ favorite nor a box office success, even though it did deserve better. It was praised for its innovative approach to the cop movie genre (usually male-dominated) with a female director and protagonist, and also for its abundance of action.
9 Born In Flames (79%) - Actress/Cast Member
This fiction film by Lizzie Borden (another great female director), shot documentary-style (some of the cast members even use their real names for their characters), poses some pivotal questions and presents a strong feminist narrative about a world where even though socialism has prevailed, the rights of women, LGBTQs, and people of color are still treated with purposeful indifference and hostility.
This film features some radical actions and ideas, but in the end, it is all justified in (even provoked by) a world where the bare minimum is done to help women. It also features a rare appearance of Bigelow as a cast member (as socialist newspaper editor Kathy Larson).
8 The Loveless (80%) - Director & Screenwriter
This independent 1981 biker drama written and directed by Bigelow (co-directed by Monty Montgomery) was also her feature-length debut. The film follows Vance (portrayed by Willem Dafoe), a young member of a motorcycle gang that arrives and sparks trouble in a small town close to Daytona, and Vance’s romance with Telena, the daughter of an abusive and short-tempered local man, who despises the bikers (he essentially started the trouble).
Interestingly, the whole thing was shot in less than a month. This film has been added to MoMA’s collection and, for its creation, Bigelow “utilized the resources of MoMA’s Film Study Center”.
7 Homicide: Life on the Street (Season 7 Episode 'Lines Of Fire') (83%) - Director
This show had some brilliant directors join its ranks for its 7 season run; the examples include Brad Anderson (director of The Machinist with Christian Bale), Keith Gordon (director of episodes in House M.D., Better Call Saul, Dexter etc.), and of course Kathryn Bigelow.
Interestingly, in 2007 it was listed as one of the 'Best TV Shows of All-TIME' by TIME magazine with shows like The Sopranos, 24, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In 1996, TV Guide included the show in 'The Best Show You're Not Watching' list. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as an "arresting, gritty police series"; it narrates the work of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
6 Detroit (84%) - Director & Producer
This period crime drama narrates a dramatization of Detroit's 1967 12th Street Riot, especially the Algiers Motel incident, mixing real people and events with some pure fictional moments; it was released upon the events’ 50th anniversary. This film brings up some very urgent issues about racism, discrimination and prejudice in the judicial system, police brutality, and authority that were as relevant in 1967 as they are today.
It features some outstanding performances by John Boyega, Will Poulter, and Algee Smith. Despite being praised by critics for its superior direction, acting, and stance on important issues, the film was a box office failure.
5 Near Dark (88%) - Director & Screenwriter
Definitely one of the most ragtag and obscure vampire films, a cult classic, and one of the few female-directed & written horror films that are so well-received by critics, this one is not to be missed. Bigelow’s mainstream appeal of the last fifteen years can make people forget that her body of work has some genre gems such as this in it.
The film admittedly performed poorly at the box office upon its release (1987), but it did age remarkably. This neo-western horror masterpiece follows new-born vampire Caleb who has to prove he is worthy of joining the clan of the woman who turned him.
4 Cartel Land (90%) - Executive Producer
This 2015 documentary by Matthew Heineman focuses on two Mexican vigilante groups fighting against powerful cartels as things escalate in the Mexican Drug War, especially close to the borders. We closely follow the lives of Tim "Nailer" Foley, the frontrunner of Arizona Border Recon, and Dr. José Mireles, an M.D. who leads the Autodefensas.
This well-crafted documentary (described by Rotten Tomatoes as “raw, brutal, and bitter”) was nominated -amongst many accolades- for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2016. Although Bigelow served as an executive producer here, this film has been compared to her style (even as being influenced by her) and of course has her seal of approval.
3 Zero Dark Thirty (91%) - Director & Producer
This film is said to have deserved at least an Oscar-nod for Best Director to follow suit of its predecessor, but alas it was not meant to be. Still, it was nominated in five categories at the 85th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, and won Best Sound Editing.
With its tagline “the greatest manhunt in history”, it narrates the story of the decade-long pursuit and killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. The film has certainly sparked controversy with some saying that it endorses “enhanced interrogation techniques” while others say it exposes them and other political concerns. In any case, the direction and action are simply exquisite.
2 Karen Sisco (Season 1 Episode 'He Was A Friend Of Mine') (95%) - Director
This show, in spite of the love it received from critics and audiences alike, was unfortunately canceled after barely a season. Karen Sisco, a US deputy marshal portrayed by Carla Gugino (with plenty of charisma and a little bit of a kick), must deal with the criminal underbelly of Miami and track down fugitives, while many a time struggling to gain the respect of her male fellow officers.
There are some strong moments between Karen and her father, a retired police officer (now a P.I.), whom she turns to for support and advice. Bigelow directed the last episode of this show that stopped too soon.
1 The Hurt Locker (97%) - Director & Producer
This film has certainly made history. Its impressive array of accolades speaks for itself, some of those accolades given to a female creator for the first time. This war thriller/ drama was not only a critics’ favorite but also an audience favorite.
It follows the story of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team deployed in Baghdad, Iraq, and especially its new leader Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner). The film is certainly not perfect, having received significant criticism from veterans, but it remains a brilliantly directed epic with great acting and special effects.
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