In any industry or career, everyone starts somewhere. For film makers, having a great first film can skyrocket their career to unexpected heights. Here are a few of the greatest directorial debuts of all time.

Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs (1992)

It only feels proper to have this film kick the article off. It’s my all-time favorite from Quentin Tarantino. A common theme I’ll touch on in this article is how the directors listed have gotten more polished as the years go by and their films get cleaner. The same goes for Tarantino, but I adore the raw and gritty sentiment he delivers with Reservoir Dogs. Some of the all-time great movies and shows incorporate great dialogue of wise guys breaking balls. Examples would be Goodfellas, The Sopranos, and Glengarry Glen Ross. Right from the opening diner scene, Tarantino’s writing genius unfolds. We get a great monologue from Tarantino about how Madonnas song Like A Virgin is about dick and then Steve Buscemi speaking on why he doesn’t tip. Pure brilliance.

Even when you look past the dialogue, we see Tim Roth’s inner turmoil of building relationships with these gangsters and wrestling with being an undercover cop. Tarantino also gives one of the all-time iconic needle drops in cinematic history with Michael Madsen playing Stuck In The Middle With You as he dumps gasoline on a cop. Reservoir Dogs is raunchy, raw, and brilliant for someone’s first film.

Sidney Lumet, 12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men has been regarded over film history as one of the greatest films ever. It is number seven on the IMDB Top 100 and number two on the Letterboxd Top 100. It’s also Sidney Lumets directorial debut. 12 Angry Men addresses the theme of racial bias in a similar manner to the 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird. We see these 11 angry white men get converted one by one by juror eight. Seeing the other jurors get convinced by juror eight is very powerful and shows that one brave voice can change the minds of a group that was programmed to think one certain way their whole life.

Lumet had an amazing career following 12 Angry Men, directing Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and Serpico, but none touch his debut. He makes the whiz-bang decision to film 12 Angry Men in one place. By doing this, you digest the discourse of the twelve jurors even better and feel more involved. The outside voices of the court and other citizens never tampers with the purity of these twelve men deciding the fate of another man.

Sam Mendes, American Beauty (1999)

I’d be remised to not add the directorial debut of Sam Mendes, Best Picture winner at the 72nd Academy Awards, American Beauty. This is personally one of my favorite films and features an all-time great Kevin Spacey and Chris Cooper performance. For this to be Mendes’ first film was remarkably risky. It presents an uncomfortable relationship between an adult and a high school girl, yet Mendes makes it work. American Beauty does a great job incorporating oddball characters with lonely personas, the same way in which the great Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia does. To win Best Picture on your first film is no small feat.

Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird (2017)

In the past two decades, a prominent genre of film making has been coming-of-age stories. It’s tough to make a great one because you have to balance young actors giving great performances and also telling a compelling story. Greta Gerwig does just that with her directorial debut film, Lady Bird. It actually took me a while to come around to watch this film because I thought I’d hate it. I didn’t love the idea of this teenage girl renaming herself to have a different personality, but it’s so much more than that. Lady Bird is a beautiful picture. Gerwig does a great job tackling issues of loneliness, being desperate, and sexuality. At every step of the way you’re invested in Saoirse Ronan, Lucas Hedges, and Beanie Feldstein.

I’d really love for Gerwig to return to the coming-of-age genre, but she’s been ambitious with other projects. Little Women was fantastic and I’m excited for her most pioneering project, Barbie to come out this summer.

Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko (2001)

In the words of legendary nerd-core hip-hop artist MC Lars, “Donnie Darko makes no sense.” The plot line of Donnie Darko still puzzles me a bit to this day, even after a handful or rewatches. I don’t think that takes away from the fact that Richard Kelly’s first film is a cult classic. To have the balls to write such a complex storyline with a mysterious antagonist and a time travel aspect is wild. Kelly then follows through by directing the film and making millions fall in love with it. Directors on this list like Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson had a great first film, but didn’t peak there. Unfortunately for Kelly, he peaked with Donnie Darko.

Jordan Peele, Get Out (2017)

2017 wasn’t just the coming out party for the very talented Greta Gerwig. We also saw the directorial debut of the brilliant Jordan Peele. When watching Get Out, you never feel like you’re watching someones directorial debut. You’d think that this came from the mind of a seasoned film maker, not Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace. The writing for Get Out is original and the tension he builds is second to none. Throughout the entire film, you’re on the edge of your seat nervous about what’ll happen to Kaluuya.

I mentioned with Tarantino and Reservoir Dogs how I love the needle drop of Stuck In The Middle With You. Well, Peele has an equally great needle drop and one that serves as more than just an awesome song for this thriller. He utilizes the Childish Gambino hit song Redbone in Get Out, and when you listen to the lyrics “But stay woke” and “Now don’t close your eyes“, this serves as foreshadowing for the fate of Daniel Kaluuya’s character. Peele is a top three working director currently and his ability to use layers that make your jaw drop in later watches of his films is a reason for that.

Paul Thomas Anderson, Hard Eight (1996)

As Paul Thomas Anderson progresses as a director, he’s gotten more pretentious. I’m not a huge fan of his recent films Licorice Pizza and Phantom Thread. I love his very early work where his films were about lonely people in fucked up situations. His first three films, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia are exactly that. Hard Eight showcases a small cast of outstanding performance from John C. Riley, Philip Baker Hall, and Gwyneth Paltrow revolving around the gritty and grungy world of gambling in casinos.

Throughout the film, not much occurs. It’s more about Philip Baker Hall mentoring John C. Riley and using him to make him money in the casinos of Las Vegas. It then transitions to Riley becoming his own man in Las Vegas, yet still leaning on Hall for mentorship. What I appreciate most about Hard Eight is the way in which it launched Riley onto a great three film run with Paul Thomas Anderson. After Hard Eight, he played substantial roles in both Boogie Nights and in my second favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film, Magnolia.

Adam McKay, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

In recent years, Adam McKay has transitioned to tackling historical events through the form of film. He directed Vice and The Big Short, but before that, he was one of the great comedic directors. His first film is one of the best comedies of the 2000s, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Not only does this hilarious, satirical news comedy kick off McKay’s career, but it creates one of the most iconic characters of the past three decades: Ron Burgundy. The ensemble cast of Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, and Christina Applegate only makes this movie funnier. It’s personally not my favorite from McKay, but for it to be your first film, it’s outstanding.

Wes Anderson, Bottle Rocket (1996)

When I go back and watch Wes Anderson’s directorial debut film, Bottle Rocket, I grow fonder of it because it’s about real people and carries a somewhat reasonable plot line. The more and more Anderson directs, he burrows further up his own ass making artsy films with divine symmetry and a loaded cast. I personally have loved his recent films The French Dispatch and Isle of Dogs, but Bottle Rocket feels real. The dynamic he derives from the Wilson brothers radiates a playful dynamic and the idea of “I’d want to hangout with these guys” comes to your mind.

While Bottle Rocket does have many real elements, you can see what Anderson wanted to do and how his career would form. We hear whimsical and quick dialogue that keeps you on your toes. Coinciding with that, we see quick panning shots and symmetry of characters and buildings.

Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler (2014)

Dan Gilroy opened his directorial career with an absolute bang. Gilroy’s script and direction of Nightcrawler was able to pull Jake Gyllenhaal’s best career performance out of him. It was a performance that should have won Gyllenhaal an Oscar. The entire aspect was original as Nightcrawlers plot tackled a career that no one thinks about. Gilroy took this already dark and depressing career and made it even darker by giving Gyllenhaals character a Patrick Bateman quality where he has no remorse for others and the consequences of his actions. In addition, I do love how the cast for this film is small. The entire film, you’re focusing on the clean-cut yet crazed Gyllenhaal, a very seductive Rene Russo, and a wiry Riz Ahmed.

Unfortunately, much like Richard Kelly, Dan Gilroy peaked hard with Nightcrawler. Roman J. Israel, Esq. and Velvet Buzzsaw were duds, but he’ll always have the beautiful, neo-noir thriller Nightcrawler to lean on.