Film's One-Hit Wonders: 30 Directors With Only One Good Movie

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – April 15, 2018

Even the worst directors have one good film in them. Well, at least some of them do. In the gallery above, we've identified 30 filmmakers from the past four decades who have directed at least five features but have managed to receive positive reviews for just a single one of their films.

Tarsem Singh

The Indian-American director (who often goes by only his first name) first gained attention as a music video and commercial director, with his award-winning clip for R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" his most memorable highlight. His films (and one TV series, Emerald City) tend to emphasize style over substance. And even Tarsem's usual visual flair has been lacking from his most recent films, according to reviewers.

The one good film:
64 The Fall (2006)

Everything else:
40 The Cell (2000)
46 Immortals (2011)
46 Mirror Mirror (2012)
34 Self/less (2015)

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