Welcome to round three of Face/Off! For the next six weeks we will be pitting two directors who won their round two matches against each other and letting YOU, the commenters, decide on who reigns supreme!
You have to decide which director is better than the other? Various factors could play into your decision from who takes the biggest risks to who has the more distinctive style. Remember, it isn’t so much about which director has made the most money at the box office or won the most awards, but, in your mind, which director simply makes better films.
Let’s analyze the filmography of today’s challengers.
Richard Donner
Who He Beat in Round Two: John McTiernan (6 to 4)
1960s to 1980s Directorial Features: X-15 (1961), Salt and Pepper (1968), Lola (1969), The Omen (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980; uncredited), Inside Moves (1980), The Toy (1982), The Goonies (1985), Ladyhawke (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987), Scrooged (1988), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
1990s & 2000s Directorial Features: Radio Flyer (1992), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Maverick (1994), Assassins (1995), Conspiracy Theory (1997), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Timeline (2003), 16 Blocks (2006), Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Clint Eastwood
Who He Beat in Round Two: Roman Polanski (9 to 2)
1970s & 1980s Directorial Features: Play Misty for Me (1971), High Plains Drifter (1973), Breezy (1973), The Eiger Sanction (1975), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Bronco Billy (1980), Firefox (1982), Honkytonk Man (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988)
1990s Directorial Features: White Hunter Black Heart (1990), The Rookie (1990), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999),
2000s & 2010s Directorial Features: Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Changeling (2008), Gran Torino (2008), Invictus (2009), Hereafter (2010), J. Edgar (2011), Jersey Boys (2014), American Sniper (2014), Sully (2016), The 15:17 to Paris (2018), The Mule (2018), Richard Jewell (2019)
Only one can move on to the Battle Royale. Let the Face/Off begin!
Discuss in the comments below your favorite films from each director and who should advance to the quarterfinals.
