10 Cases When Famous Directors Made Atypical Movies

1. The biggest boss

Directoren for det hele

• Denmark, Sweden, France, 2006.
• Comedy.
• Director: Lars von Trier.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

The owner of the IT company intends to sell it in the near future. There is only one problem: at the very beginning of his journey, he invented a leader in order to throw all the important and difficult decisions on him, such as firing employees. Potential buyers demand a meeting with a non-existent boss, so the real owner has to hire an unsuccessful actor to be the founder of the company.

After the release of the film "Manderlay" Lars von Trier announced that from now on he would shoot small Danish comedies. True, the director rarely fulfills promises, so he was only enough for one picture. This is the most atypical tape of Lars von Trier, his only comedy. It stands out not only in terms of genre, but also technically: during the filming, artificial intelligence was used, which controlled the movement of the camera. By the way, the comedy turned out great, all the more surprising that the next film was Antichrist.

2. Yesterday

• UK, USA, 2019.
• Music, melodrama, fantasy, comedy.
• Director: Danny Boyle.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

Jack is a musician who barely makes ends meet. One day, the power goes out all over the world and Jack gets hit by a bus. Having come to his senses, the hero realizes that he is the only one who knows the music of The Beatles. Jack seizes this opportunity and decides to take the songs for himself. Now he is not just a musician, but a world sensation.

Danny Boyle's Yesterday is unlike any of his previous films. It has a lot less aggression than Trainspotting or Trance, and much more music. It turned out to be a kind and sentimental dramedy.

3. Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown

• USA, 1997.
• Thriller, drama, crime.
• Director: Quentin Tarantino.
• Duration: 154 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.5.

Jackie Brown is a middle-aged flight attendant who runs cash from Mexico to Los Angeles for an arms dealer. During one of these trips, Jackie is caught by the feds - in her purse was 10 thousand dollars and cocaine. Now the woman is offered freedom if the heroine helps to catch the criminal.

Jackie Brown is the only film Quentin Tarantino, based on the book (it is based on the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard). Also, the picture stands out because of the calm rhythm and sensual romantic relationship between the main characters. Many fans of the director are skeptical about the film and consider it a strange experiment.

4. Valhalla: The Viking Saga

Valhalla rising

• Denmark, UK, 2009.
• Fantasy, Action, Drama, Adventure.
• Director: Nicholas Winding Refn.
• Duration: 93 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.0.

For many years, the mute warrior nicknamed One-Eyed has been held captive. With the help of the slave boy, the hero kills his captor. Together with other Vikings, One-Eyed and the child go on a journey to the lands about which there are a variety of legends.

"Valhalla: The Viking Saga" is the only historical film in his career Nicholas Winding Refn. Among the usual elements are the minimum number of replicas (there are about 120 of them), the presence of Mads Mikkelsen and a recognizable visual style. At the same time, ideologically, the story about One-Eyed stands out among the entire filmography of the director.

5. Directly Kakha!

• Russia, 2020.
• Comedy.
• Director: Viktor Shamirov.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 1.6.

Kakha is an ordinary guy from Sochi. He fell in love with Sofa, and in order to win her attention, he needs to overtake BMW on his "penny". But the most important thing is to refuse friendship with Sergo.

"Directly Kakha!" was smashed by critics, IMDb users gave the film a score of 1.6, but this did not stop him from collecting $ 10 million in Russia. Surprisingly, it was created by Viktor Shamirov, a director who has been filming quiet conversational dramas for many years (“This is what is happening to me”, “Exercises in beauty”). The success of the first part inspired Shamirov, so a sequel was released in 2023.

6. The dead don't die

The Dead Don't Die

• USA, 2019.
• Horror, comedy.
• Director: Jim Jarmusch.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 5.4.

A small American town is faced with inexplicable things. The bright daytime sun does not want to go beyond the horizon, the phones stopped working, and the same song is playing non-stop on the radio. Soon, the endless day gives way to something new, and moonlight awakens long-dead people from eternal sleep.

Jim Jarmusch moved away from the usual format and tried to make a comedy. It is difficult to say that he succeeded: critics did not appreciate it, and the audience was reluctant to go to the cinema, despite the leading roles of Adam Driver, Bill Murray and Chloe Sevigny.

7. Elvis

Elvis

• USA, 1979
• Drama, biography, music.
• Director: John Carpenter.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

The film tells about Elvis Presley - one of the most important musical artists. His thorny path, from childhood to death, was full of difficult moments, but he managed to change the music industry.

Known to all horror fans, John Carpenter once decided to work on biopic and did a great job with it. The television film was nominated for a Golden Globe, but the jury preferred another project. After Elvis, Carpenter made The Thing and Escape from New York, perhaps his best films.

8. The tragedy of Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth

• USA, 2021.
• Drama, fantasy.
• Director: Joel Coen.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.1.

The witches tell Macbeth that he will become king. His wife is preparing her husband for real action - she calls on Macbeth to kill King Duncan. The hero seizes the throne, but the crime places a heavy burden on his soul and drives him crazy.

Joel Coen took on the difficult job of filming Shakespeare. He did it very well - the picture was nominated for "Oscarin five categories. For the first time in his career, Cohen turns to a classic text, and he shoots alone, without his brother.

9. It's hard to be God

• Russia, 2013.
• Fantasy, drama.
• Director: Alexey German.
• Duration: 177 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

On an unknown planet, earthlings are trying to enlighten the locals stuck in Middle Ages. Rumata Estorsky is doing everything to save a few scientists and bookworms. He is hindered not only by ordinary people, but also by the authorities.

The last work of Alexei German caused the most confusion among viewers and fans. All the director's films are directed to the past, and the Soviet one at that, so "It's hard to be God" is seriously knocked out of the filmography. At the same time, the technical elements typical of Herman's style remained in place, including the ingenious work with sound.

10. Aladdin

Aladdin

• USA, UK, Australia, 2019.
• Musical, fantasy, melodrama, comedy.
• Director: Guy Ritchie.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.9.

Aladdin is a kind-hearted young man who is in love with Princess Jasmine. He finds a lamp and uses the genie's power to become a prince and win the beauty's heart. At the same time, Vizier Jafar wants to take possession of the artifact so that it fulfills his deepest desires.

Guy Ritchie known to everyone for his work on action movies. The news that he decided to make an animated musical was received in two ways - the director had never created anything like it. As a result, Aladdin received a lot of negative reviews from critics, but grossed over a billion dollars at the box office.