The Ten Greatest Directors

Welcome to the final installment of The Ten Greatest Directors.

We started with a list of 45 directors and each post removed ten directors from the list with an explanation as to why we cut them. It wasn’t easy, but we’re finally down to the Ten Greatest Directors. There was a lot of debate behind the scenes, but here they are, in no particular order. We’re simply naming them The Ten Greatest Directors.

Jean-Luc Godard
He is one of the pioneers of the French New Wave wasn’t just a great director but changed the language of filmmaking forever. Prior to Godard, such things as having a character address the camera, jump cut editing, and non-linear storytelling were considered taboo. Now, without Godard, we wouldn’t have Tarantino, Von Trier, or Coppola.

Federico Fellini
The ultimate dreamer who made dreams come alive on the screen. His films were a dance with a rhythm, intelligence, and sly wit that no other director in history can match. His legacy is assured and his movies are timeless. Be sure to see La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2. They changed the way viewers looked at filmmaking.

Ingmar Bergman
The auteur of the top 10 also is underrated when it comes to delivering a film that also enlightens and entertains. His strongest attribute was dealing with the most basic human emotions: love, life, death, and family and making the films convey these feelings without condescending the audience. I have never watched a Bergman film without thinking about it for at least a week afterwards. They stay with you like all great art.

Charlie Chaplin
Most people know him as The Tramp — the iconic character with the funny mustach, top hat and cane. And it’s a phenominal character, but he also wrote and directed his best films, like The Kid, City Lights, and The Gold Rush. He had 72 films directed, won a lifetime achievement award from the Academy, best actor, and even one for best original score. He knew how to make great films, and was a notorious perfectionist.

Fritz Lang
If you don’t know him, the directors you love certainly do. Lang is one of the most influential directors, and is considered the father of film noir. He never won an Academy Award — most likely because he was born in Germany, and even though he moved to America because of his strong distaste for nazis, was still looked at as a “German filmmaker.” His movies, like M, Metropolis, and Fury are classics still shown in film schools around the world to this day. They are iconic, timeless, and resonate with great awe.

Alfred Hitchcock
He was master storyteller who churned out movies like it was his job… which it was. Over a 50 year career, he cranked out nearly 70 films as a director, plus he wrote and produced his own television series and other films. But he will be remembered most as a director for his uncanny ability to capture suspense, play with our minds with stunning visuals, and create iconic images in films like “Psycho” “The Birds” “North by Northwest” “Vertigo” and the list goes on. He set the stage for other directors in a genre he brought respect to.

John Ford
He’s arguably the greatest. He directed more than 100 films, including classics like Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Searchers, and also was a four-time Oscar winner for directing. His pace, understanding of timing, respect for actors and iconic imagery all make up his incredible talent. A master, through and through, and a workhorse.

Martin Scorsese
He came out of the NYU film school, and lead a generation of directors that bucked the Hollywood system and its traditional film-making techniques  and story lines. He made movies, like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, that challenged the viewer and put them in an uneasy chair. His mafia movies, like Good Fellas and The Departed, are unmatched in the genre. He approaches film humbly, and understands stories and imagery like no other. We love Scorsese, and we hope he never retires.

Stanley Kubrick
Kirk Douglas, after the making of Spartacus, said, “Stanley Kurbick is a talented shit.”

He only made 15 films in his career, which was one of his regrets as a director, but he was a perfectionist and his pictures were a reflection of that. His last film, Eyes Wide Shut, took five years to make. No other director has been given that freedom, and for good reason. Every Kubrick film is a masterpiece.

There has never been a director who understood a camera better. He was a still photographer before he became a motion picture director and his use of light and how it impacts stories and characters as a storytelling vehicle is extremely thoughtful. His storytelling skills are superb, but he never used narrative stories, or rarely did. His movies made you feel the story. They never handed it to you on a silver plate. He challenged viewers with his stories and portrayed them with stunning beauty. He was the Mozart of film making.

Akira Kurosawa
Ironically, Kirosawa was panned in Japan in his early days for being too influenced by western directors, like John Ford, and for bringing too much emotion to his pictures. But that was his strength. He captured both the action of war and its drama. He paid exquisite detail even to the most mundane characters, and brought humanity to war and famine. “The Seven Samurai” “Yojimbo” “Rashômon” and “The Hidden Fortress” continue to influence directors to this day.

The Ten Greatest Directors Part 4

Welcome to part 4 of our series on The Ten Greatest Directors.

We started with a list of 45 directors and each day until our anniversary have remove five directors from with an explanation as to why we cut them. The next post in the last one, with 15 directors left.

Let us know which ones you think should stay, and which should go — and maybe some directors  you thought should have been in the mix that weren’t.

Brian
Woody Allen I’m a big fan but Woody Allen is more of a brilliant writer than a director. That doesn’t mean he isn’t great but he’s not one of the ten best ever.

Oliver Stone
Has some amazing work (Platoon, JFK, and Born on the 4th of July) but he’s also made some legendary stinkers, like Alexander, Any Given Sunday, and U-Turn.

Yasujiro Ozu
A legend who’s films get better with age but outside of Late Spring and Tokyo Story, the rest are merely average to good. This one hurt to drop.

Milos Forman
Had three amazing films — One Flew over the Cuckoos’ Nest, Amadeus, and The People vs Larry Flynt — but his work filmography is short and there’s not much outside those three films. I also contend his work didn’t revolutionize films the way the rest of the directors on the list did.

Christopher Nolan
I think in 10-15 years he may end up in the top 10. But, he hasn’t built up enough of a resume yet to be considered one of the 10 best ever.

Matt

Ridley Scott
Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Matchstick Men, and of course, Blade Runner, are all excellent pieces of work. He’s a great director, but when you get right down to it, there are directors left with far greater films.

Sergio Leone
Not a lot of people may realize this, but he only directed 13 films — five of which were uncredited. A Fistful of Dollars is arguably the best western ever made, as is Once Upon a Time in the West. He’s the king of spaghettis westerns, but it’s not enough to be named one of the ten best ever.

Joel and Ethan Coen
Fargo, True Grit, No Country for Old Men, The Man Who Wasn’t There and The Big Lebowski are just a few of their excellent films. They have such a strong case, but I think they’re just on the periphery. Talk to me in a few years.

Paul Thomas Anderson
The Master, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights are all great films, but he has a very small body of work. I think he’ll be considered the best of his generation when he’s done, and maybe one of the best ever. But today, he’s not.

David Lynch
Mulholland Drive is one of the best films of the past 25 years, Eraserhead is an intriguing film with lasting power, and the Elephant Man is a masterpiece. At this point, we’re not cutting directors with ease. This one stings.

Directors Remaining
Quentin Tarantino
Charlie Chaplin
Billy Wilder
Fritz Lang
Terrence Malick
Robert Altman
Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
Martin Scorsese
John Huston
Stanley Kubrick
Jean-Luc Godard
Alfred Hitchcock
Akira Kirosawa
John Ford

The Ten Greatest Directors Part 3

Welcome to part 3 of our series on The Ten Greatest Directors.

We started with a list of 45 directors and each day until our anniversary, we will each remove five directors from the list and give an explanation as to why we cut them.

Let us know which ones you think should stay, and which should go — and maybe some directors  you thought should have been in the mix that weren’t.

MATT

Francis Ford Coppola
Bram Stoker’s Dracula was probably the last really good film he’s made, and that was in 1992. I know it stings to take Coppola off this list, but he made the Godfather trilogy, and not a lot after or before.

Orson Welles
After Citizen Kane, Welles didn’t do a whole lot. He directed a lot of television projects. It’s strange that someone who directed such a beautiful looking film, with such great influence, never really met his potential.

Pedro Almodovar
I’m a big fan. Volver, if you haven’t seen it, was great. Talk to her, was also quite good. But his collection of work isn’t strong enough to warrant Top 10.

Sam Peckinpah
He only directed 14 films, but made some great ones — like Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch. But I think his true strength was as a writer.

Steven Spielberg
What?! Yes, Spielberg is getting cut. This is a band-aid that just needs to be ripped off. For Every Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, there’s an Indiana Jones 4 or War Horse. This one is tough to cut, but again, I go back to relevance. He’s making Indiana Jones 5 right now. Lincoln was great, but you have to go back to 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence for his last good movie. This is a pattern for him.

BRIAN 

Mel Brooks
I’m a huge fan of the Producers but a lot of his humor falls flat with me. Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein are highly overrated one joke premises.

Wes Anderson
He’s the king of the dry humor. I loved Rushmore and Royal Tenebaums. Wasn’t crazy about Zizou and Darjeeling Limited. Either way, he’s not in the top 10

Tim Burton
I loved Pee Wee and think Ed Wood is one of the most underrated films ever made. But, he made Mars Attacks and Planet of the Apes and those weren’t just bad, they were complete disasters.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Delicatessen and City of Lost Children are fantastic. But, he directed Alien: Resurrection, which was horrendous. Also, Amelie is very cute but terribly overrated.

Brian Depalma
He has some great movies on his résumé: Carrie, Blow Out, Scarface. But, he’s still working today and hasn’t even made anything good in 20 years.

Remaining Directors:

Woody Allen
Quentin Tarantino
Charlie Chaplin
Billy Wilder
David Lynch
Ridley Scott
Fritz Lang
Terrence Malick
Robert Altman
Oliver Stone
Paul Thomas Anderson
Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
Martin Scorsese
Joel and Ethan Cohen
John Huston
Stanley Kubrick
Sergio Leone
Milos Forman
Jean-Luc Godard
Yasujiro Ozu
Alfred Hitchcock
Akira Kirosawa
Christopher Nolan
John Ford

The Ten Great Directors Part 2

Wecome to part 2 of our series on The Ten Greatest Directors.

We started with a list of 45 directors and each day until our anniversary, we will each remove five directors from the list and give an explanation as to why we cut them.

Let us know which ones you think should stay, and which should go — and maybe some directors  you thought should have been in the mix that weren’t.

Brian

George Lucas
He made perhaps the greatest popcorn film ever made, THX 1138 was great, American Graffiti was solid, and then… The prequels..oh, those prequels….

Darren Aronofsky
 Loved Pi and Black Swan, liked requiem, and the rest? Meh. Not enough quality to keep him on the list.

Spike Lee
Lately, he’s more famous for attending New York Knicks games than he is for his films. He hasn’t made anything even remotely relevant in at least 15 years. He did direct Do the Right Thing though. That is one of the best films of the last 25 years.

Robert Zemeckis
He has some great work over his career, particularly Forest Gump, Back to the Future, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? But, not really any form of a ground breaking talent.

Cecil B. Demille
An important and historic director whose work dates back to the silent era. The problem is that he’s really only remembered for the Ten Commandments. It’s good, but very dated.

Matt

James Cameron
He’s never made a movie, to me, that is worthy of making the final list. His dialogue is bad – see Titanic. He makes immensely popular movies with formulaic storylines. He’s skilled and makes an entertaining film, but not one of ten greatest.

Clint Eastwood
He’s made some great movies, but didn’t really get going until later in life because of a successful acting career that spanned decades. Mystic River was a wonderful film, but he does suffer from being overly nostalgic at times. Great director, but I have to cut him.

Roman Polanski
He’s got some serious chops, and a long list of great films — Rosemary’s Baby, The Pianist, Tess and Chinatown. It’s tough to cut some of these guys because they’re so talented, but Polanski screwed his career with some horrendous decisions and alleged crimes that have held him back.

Sam Mendes
Awesome director with a great start to his career — American Beauty and Skyfall among them. But he’s only made six movies. There’s guys on this list with way more impressive resumes.

Danny Boyle
Another talented director with a couple great movies — 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire, but he’s only made 10 films. Talk to me in 20 years and he may be higher.

Here are the remaining directors:
Woody Allen
Francis Ford Coppola
Quentin Tarantino
Orson Welles
Charlie Chaplin
Billy Wilder
David Lynch
Ridley Scott
Fritz Lang
 Terrence Malick
Robert Altman
Oliver Stone
Brian De Palma
Paul Thomas Anderson
Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
Martin Scorsese
Joel and Ethan Cohen
John Huston
Tim Burton
Mel Brooks
Sam Peckinpah
Stanley Kubrick
Wes Anderson
 Pedro Almodovar
Steven Spielberg
 Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Sergio Leone
Milos Forman
 Jean-Luc Godard
 Yasujiro Ozu
Alfred Hitchcock
 Akira Kirosawa
Christopher Nolan
John Ford

The Ten Greatest Directors Part 1

Our three-year anniversary is here! It’s been an awesome run, and we’ve really enjoyed interacting with you and sharing our reviews and articles.

The past two years we’ve had epic lists. Our first year we named the Ten Greatest Films Ever Made, and in year two we did the Ten Worst Movies We’ve Ever Seen. This year we’ve decided to name the Ten Greatest Director.

Here are the list of 45 directors, in no particular order, we will consider for the ten greatest ever. Each day we’ll both cut five from the list until we’re paired down to the Ten Greatest Directors.

Let us know which ones you think should stay, and which should go — and maybe some directors  you thought should have been in the mix.

Woody Allen
Francis Ford Coppola
Quentin Tarantino
Orson Welles
Charlie Chaplin
Billy Wilder
Clint Eastwood
David Lynch
Ridley Scott
Fritz Lang
Terrence Malick
Robert Altman
Oliver Stone
Robert Zemeckis
George Lucas
Brian De Palma
Cecil B. DeMille
Spike Lee
Paul Thomas Anderson
Darren Aronofsky
Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
Martin Scorsese
Joel and Ethan Cohen
John Huston
Tim Burton
James Cameron
Mel Brooks
Sam Peckinpah
Stanley Kubrick
Wes Anderson
Roman Polanski
Pedro Almodovar
Danny Boyle
Steven Spielberg
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Sam Mendes
Sergio Leone
Milos Forman
Jean-Luc Godard
Yasujiro Ozu
Alfred Hitchcock
Akira Kirosawa
Christopher Nolan
John Ford

The Top 10 Films of the 1980’s

Brian –

10 – Scarface

I was really debating between this and another De Palma film, Blow Out, for the 10 spot. I actually think that Blow Out is the technically superior film. It contains amazing use of sound, pacing, and plot twists. But, Scarface contains one of the most potent performances in screen history that gets better and better every time I see it. Pacino is spellbinding as Tony Montana and makes the close to 3 hour running time fly by. Its message is simple but powerful: Once you climb to the top, you have nowhere to go but down.

9 – The King of Comedy

 

One of the most underrated films of all time. It was Scorsese’s follow-up to Raging Bull and was judged too harshly because he was competing against his own brilliance. This film’s plot about media obsession is even more potent today than it was in 1983. Back then, all we had was print magazines, newspaper, TV, and movies. Nowadays, our phones are wired into constant media that is streamed anywhere we go at any time. Stalking was the 2000’s buzz word as psychotic fans did anything and everything to follow the stars that they drew unhealthy obsessions over and this movie displays that psychosis in a real and palpable way. Deniro delivers a unique and memorable performance that is unlike anything else he’s ever done. If you’ve never seen it, rent it now! You will not be disappointed.

8 – Ran

Kurosawa made this masterpiece when he was 75 but he shows he never lost any bit of his film making skills with age. I’ve watched this film several times and get something new out of it every time. Its story is ageless and asks great questions about the leaders of the past. When was it time to give up power? Who can you trust? Is family the most sacred bond? As one of Kurosawa’s few color films, it shows the master could work with any color, any story, and at any time of his life and deliver a film of stunning power and beauty.

7 – Blue Velvet:

David Lynch’s fearless film about the horrible things that go on in the most normal of places. There are definite Hitchcock influences here, particularly Rear Window as a young Kyle MacLachlan hides in a closet and gets a vision of what hell looks like. It leads him on a mystery that will shock viewers as much as it will interest them. It has all the usual Lynchian weirdness but it also has a poignancy about lost innocence. It’s not for everyone. But, then again, you could say that about every David Lynch film.

6 – Raiders of the Lost Ark

What happened when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg teamed up at the peaks of their careers? Well, Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s a stirring tribute to Saturday matinee serials that used to play in theaters in the early 20th century. In them , the hero would drive his car off a cliff in a big action scene and the film would end. You’d be forced to come back next week and see how he would survive. Raiders is just like that except we don’t have to wait until next week and the production values are off the charts. Scene after scene, it’s one great action scene that’s even better than the last. It’s hard to believe this film is over 30 years old. It’s just as fun, fresh, and brilliant as it ever was.

5 – Full Metal Jacket

One of the greatest war films ever made. It’s actually a tale of two stories. The first half is the story of what basic training can do to a tragically innocent soul. The second half is what war does to those that thought they were ready for combat. The second half doesn’t quite live up to the greatness of the first but it’s still engaging. The performances throughout by the then unknown cast helps the viewer focus on the story more than the stars. I also loved the ending because it’s not what you expect as the young soldiers descend into hell.

4 – The Last Temptation of Christ

Yes, I know it’s not based on scripture. Yes, I am aware that the Christian community has disowned it. And, yes, I also know that many refuse to watch it because they’ve been told it’s blasphemous. It’s a shame if you miss this fictional exploration into the human side of Christ. The church has told us that Christ was all man and all God. And yet, few film makers have ever had the guts to explore the human nature of Jesus. Scorsese presents us a Christ that has doubts, fears, and desires, as any man would have. The beauty is the way that it shows how despite all these misgivings, he still gives the ultimate sacrifice. I fail to see what’s blasphemous about that.

3 – The Elephant Man

This is the most emotional pick on my list. I absolutely love this film. It’s one of the most beautiful, sad, and poetic films ever made. The Elephant Man (played by John Hurt) goes through a metamorphosis through this film that you rarely see. First, he’s shown as a freak, then a science experiment, then a friend, an artist, and a friend. Hurt’s performance is one of the greats in the history of cinema and he would have been a shoo-in for an Oscar if he wasn’t competing against the next film on the list……

2 – Raging Bull

The performance I just previously mentioned was by Robert Deniro and it is considered by many to be the greatest ever. It’s hard to argue when this film is routinely brought up as one of the greatest ever and just recently moved up AFI’s top 100 films ever all the way to #4. The black and white cinematography is arguably the best of Scorsese’s career and the way the film is presented entirely from Jake LaMotta’s perspective displays his feeling of anger, jealously, and bitterness perfectly to the audience. We feel everything he feels even if we are repulsed by his actions.

1 – The Empire Strikes Back

Did I just name a science fiction sequel as the greatest film of an entire decade? You bet you ass I did. This isn’t just the best Star Wars movie. It’s arguably the greatest science fiction achievement since Kubrick’s 2001. The entire world that is created is densely populated with some of the most incredible visual imagery that has ever been printed to film. The characters, story, sets, and special effects were so far ahead of their time it feels like this film was made tomorrow. I’d also like to point out Mark Hamill’s performance. I have read over the years that people seem to think his acting was sub-par. He’s the entire dramatic glue and makes it all work. It’s not just an intensely physical performance but he’s communicating with a puppet for a good third of the film and it comes across as not only believable but it draws the viewer in. I know that the audience has been inundated over the years with sequels, prequels, cartoon series, toys, and other things that have nothing to do with how good the original films that inspired it is. I urge you to forget all that crap and re-watch it. It’s better than you even remember and my pick for the best film of the 1980’s.

Honorable mentions (in no particular order) :

Amadeus
E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial
Wings of Desire
Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
Brazil
Field of Dreams
Blow Out
Ghostbusters
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Aliens
Heathers
The Thing
The Road Warrior
Tootsie
Witness
A Night mare on Elm Street
The Shining
Blade Runner
Kagemusha
The Thing
The Thin Blue Line
Fanny and Alexander
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Brian’s Review – David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” 1990

Barry Gifford’s neopulp novel inspired this controversial cult film from director David Lynch. A star-crossed couple on the lam (Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern) is in for the most gruesome ride of their lives when they encounter a handful of bizarre — and perhaps murderous — strangers (played by the likes of Sheryl Lee and Willem Dafoe).

“Wild at Heart” (1990)

Brian –

Rating: 7 out of 10

This is a film that at its very core is quite standard. It’s not like we haven’t seen a “lovers on the run” film before. Who they’re running from or why they’re running is really pointless. The idea is that you take lovers on the road and see what happens to them on the journey. David Lynch’s approach is to add a dash of Lynchian weirdness to offset that and give it its own identity and, in that vein, he’s successful. It reminded me a little of the Godard classic “Breathless” with its scenes with a couple inside small rooms, constantly on the run, and its climatic confrontation. However, where Godard was restrained and fun, Lynch is over the top, weird and violent.

There are two performances that really stand out to help lift this film from mediocrity. Ironically, both actresses come from the same family. Real life mother Diane Ladd and daughter Laura Dern are both excellent in their respective roles. Ladd displays an over the top evil with a level of self-absorption rarely seen in a fictional character. Dern meanwhile has a certain innocence. She’s hopelessly in love and in dire need for someone to take her away from her mother’s hold but she leaves a little opening that there might be a little bit of darkness under the surface. There are other good performances in small bit character:s Willem Dafoe, nearly unrecognizable behind the ugliest teeth ever, Harry Dean Stanton as a hopelessly pussy whipped man who will do anything for Ladd’s affection, and Crispin Glover in a small but funny part. Nicolas Cage however doesn’t fare as well. The dialogue sounds hokey and hackneyed whenever he’s speaking and any time he’s trying to be sincere it comes across as disingenuous. He’s fine whenever it is a scene of over the top emotion but he just cannot play straight drama.

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Visually, this is pretty restrained by Lynch standards. It has his usual strangeness added with quirky characters and weird colored costume choices but he seems to be holding back a little. I wondered whether a script that was essentially about a poor white trash Elvis meeting a rich Marilyn Monroe type on the road was weird enough that it didn’t need his usual flair. I also had issue with the ending. I won’t give it away but it tidied things up too easily. There’s way too much baggage between these characters to simply pretend that nothing happened. Also, why the happy ending? Cage’s entire existence revolved around a certain level of self-destruction. Why would it all come together for him? However, don’t let all my negative sentiments towards certain aspects hold you back from viewing it. If oyu’re any bit of a Lynch fan, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re not, you’ll probably rate this lower.

Brian’ Review – “The Elephant Man”

In this Oscar-nominated drama based on a true story, physically abnormal John Merrick (John Hurt) endures ostracizing, taunting behavior as a sideshow attraction in mid-19th century England. Despite his horribly disfigured face and body and barely perceptible speech, concerned doctor Frederick Treves (Sir Anthony Hopkins) recognizes Merrick to be highly intelligent and works to save the Elephant Man’s dignity. Directed by David Lynch.

Brian – 10 out of 10

There’s a wonderful moment in this film that completely summed up its meaning to me. John Merrick (The Elephant Man) has been invited by his doctor (played by Anthony Hopkins) to have dinner at his home. His disfigurement, normally met with screams of terror is met with a welcome by his doctor’s wife:

 

Mrs. Treves: I’m very pleased to meet you, Mr. Merrick.
John Merrick: I’m very pleased…
[John begins to cry]
Dr. Frederick Treves: What is it, John? What’s the matter?
John Merrick: It’s just that I-I’m not used to being treated so well by a beautiful woman…

 

His disfigurement, for one brief instance, has evaporated and he feels something he has never felt in his entire life: normal.

 

The Elephant Man is a wonderful, engaging, smart, beautiful, scary, and heartfelt look at a man who is truly more than meets the eye. It was a fitting decision on the part of David Lynch to shoot this in black and white. It shows the black and white, the ying and yang, of good and evil in the human spirit. We are opened to scenes of horrible cruelty towards John Merrick that are never manipulative. There was no emotional music swells or sad pianos playing. It simply presented the situation as a sad commentary on the darkness that can afflict weak men who use others for their own gain. As the film progresses, and John Merrick meets the doctor who cares for him, we start to learn that behind the disfigurement is the soul of a gentile and artistic man that desires only to be loved.

 

The performances throughout the entire cast are impeccable. But, it’s John Hurt’s turn as the Elephant Man that is pure magic. Through 20 pounds of makeup and prosthetics, he manages to convey every emotion perfectly through his body language and eyes. We are never in the dark as to what he’s feeling and it takes this film from simply flying to soaring. His journey from fear, to mistrust, to love is one of the rarities in movie history that must be seen to be believed.