30 Film Directors Who Have Never Made a Bad Movie

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – June 9, 2018

Recently, we looked at 30 filmmakers who made only one well-reviewed movie over their entire careers, and then 25 great directors who missed out on perfection by just one film. But there is an even more elite group of film directors who have received critical acclaim for every single film they ever directed. In other words, they've never received anything but a green Metascore for one of their features.

How many of those directors can you guess? Check them all out in the gallery above. Note that we only looked at directors who have made at least five films since 1980.

Paul Thomas Anderson

Since emerging a little over two decades ago with the modern noir Hard Eight, Anderson has become a favorite among film critics, averaging an impressive 84 for his eight films (even though one of them starred Adam Sandler). He is a two-time member of the elite 90+ club, most notably for 2007's There Will Be Blood, which many critics hailed as the best film of its decade.

But while critics love him, the Academy doesn't appear to fully appreciate his talents. He has only been nominated for two directing Oscars (with another 6 nominations in other categories), and has yet to take home a trophy.

The full filmography (as director):
78 Hard Eight (1996)
85 Boogie Nights (1997)
77 Magnolia (1999)
78 Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
93 There Will Be Blood (2007)
86 The Master (2012)
81 Inherent Vice (2014)
90 Phantom Thread (2017)

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