Power Rankings: Best Directors of the 2010s

The SAW Power Rankings is our weekly ranking of a certain movie-related topic. Please feel free to comment on our rankings and provide a list of your own in the comments below.

With a new decade upon us, we decided to rank some of the best of the 2010s this January. We are starting off by ranking the best directors of the decade. We had a rule that the director had to have at least three films during this ten year period just to show quality consistency throughout the decade. We would love to hear some of your favorite directors of the 2010s and discuss why you consider them the best down below in the comments.

The general consensus is that Denis Villeneuve was one of the best of the decade with all but one person having him on their list. Villeneuve was definitely one of the most consistent directors of the 10s as he turned in solid to great films throughout the decade. Christopher Nolan showed up the second most, but Jeremy Saulnier appearing on three different lists is a surprise. Ava Duvernay, Steve McQueen, Jeff Nichols, The Safdie Brother, and Rian Johnson all round out the list of some of the best from the past ten years and we look forward to what they bring in the future.

Vincent Kane:

1. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
2. Christopher Nolan (Inception)
3. Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room)
4. S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99)
5. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant, Birdman)

Billy Dhalgren:

1. Denis Villeneuve (Enemy)
2. Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon)
3. Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud)
4. Jeremy Saulnier (Hold the Dark)
5. Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Free Fire)

Marmaduke Karlston:

1. Rian Johnson (Looper, The Last Jedi)
2. Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service)
3. The Russo Brothers (The Winter Soldier, Civil War)
4. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
5. Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)

Sailor Monsoon:

1. Denis Villeneuve (Sicario)
2. Bong Joon- Ho (Parasite)
3. Safdie Bros (Good Time, Uncut Gems)
4. S. Craig Zahler (Dragged Across Concrete)
5. Jeremy Saulnier (True Detective 2 Episodes)

Romona Comet:

1. Christoper Nolan (Interstellar)
2. David Fincher (The Social Network, Gone Girl)
3. Rian Johnson (Knives Out)
4. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)
5. The Russo Bros. (Infinity War, Endgame)

Lee McCutcheon:

1. Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners)
2. Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises)
3. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)
4. Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Widows)
5. Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit)

Mitch Roush:

1. Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master, Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread)
2. Denis Villeneuve (Incendies)
3. Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us)
4. Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, Okja)
5. Ryan Coogler (Fruitville Station, Creed, Black Panther)