List compiled by Eddie on 27/06/2025
Exciting news this week with Denis Villeneuve being formally announced as the next director of the James Bond franchise, an out of the blue appointment that is fantastic news for every cinemagoer around the globe.
We are far enough along the Villeneuve directing journey to safely say that the Canadian master should be regarded as one of the all-time greats.
Operating behind the camera since the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it took a while for Villeneuve to announce himself but that he did with 2010’s Incendies that started a decade plus run that is truly remarkable.
A span of time that is equivalent in quality to the esteemed directional periods of the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick and Francis Ford Coppola, Villeneuve’s last 15 years have delivered masterwork after masterwork in array of genres that has lately seen him focus into the science fiction space with his third and final Dune movie Messiah targeting a late 2026 release.
Managing that rare feat of providing general audiences with palatable pieces of entertainment and emotionally engaging narratives that also manage to gain mass critical acclaim, we can count ourselves lucky that we are able to partake in the journey of Villeneuve the artist while he is operating at the peak of his powers.
Below are the 10 best works of the master craftsman, collating a list of films that would be the envy of many industry compatriots.
Happy reading. See you at the movies!
Disclaimer – plot summaries from http://www.imdb.com
10. Maelstrom (2000)
After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.
Rough around the edges, Maelstrom still shows signs of the filmmaker Villeneuve was going to become, even if it took 9 years from Maelstrom for the filmmaker to return to the directors chair for a feature film. The sophomore feature from Villeneuve following his debut August 32nd on Earth, Maelstrom is well worth tracking down for fans of the director.
9. Polytechnique (2009)
A dramatization of the 1989 Montréal Massacre, during which several female engineering students were murdered by an unstable misogynist.
A haunting black and white production, Polytechnique was the calm before the storm, arriving one year before Villeneuve stunned the cinema world with his breakout hit Incendies in 2010. A very personal film for Villeneuve and his home country of Canada, Polytechnique may not get spoken about a lot but its a fine entrée to what was soon to come for the world and Villeneuve.
8. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Young Blade Runner K’s discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who’s been missing for thirty years.
It was always going to take a brave man taking on Ridley Scott’s and Philip K. Dick’s beloved Blade Runner universe but thankfully Villeneuve was that and more. A film that sadly didn’t resonate at the box office the way in which it deserved, Blade Runner 2049 is a big swing for Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking and proved once more that Villeneuve was the modern master of the sci-fi space.
7. Sicario (2015)
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
A film that seemingly came out of nowhere and launched screenwriter Taylor Sheridan onto a path that lead him to become one of the hottest properties in the film and TV landscape, Sicario is a stunningly tense and expertly put together thriller that gifted us fantastic performances from its main cast of Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin. Putting most Hollywood thrillers to shame, Sicario remains a key piece of the Villeneuve story.
6. Enemy (2013)
A mild-mannered college professor investigates the life of an actor who looks exactly like him.
Easily Villeneuve’s most misunderstood and underappreciated work, Enemy arrived on our screens the same year as Villeneuve’s critical and box office hit Prisoners did and since then has remained the directors great outlying film amongst a decade plus stretch of hitting home runs. A small but effective mystery that unearths a poised performance from its star Jake Gyllenhaal, if you like many others haven’t yet watched Enemy, there’s no time like the present.
5. Prisoners (2013)
A desperate father takes the law into his own hands after police fail to find two kidnapped girls.
A film that allowed Hugh Jackman his greatest chance yet to flex his acting ability, Prisoners has since its 2013 release become one of the modern eras most revered works, sitting pretty just outside of the IMDB’s Top 250 Movies of All Time list at the time of writing. Wonderfully captured by DOP Roger Deakins, Prisoners is a complete package that works on an entertainment and artistic level equally.
4. Arrival (2016)
Linguist Louise Banks leads a team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must find a way to communicate with the extra-terrestrial visitors.
Easily one of the centuries most effective Sci-Fi entries that deserves all the praise it still receives, Arrival is a masterwork from Villeneuve and has a strong case to be regarded as one of the most original and full-formed genre efforts of all time. Beautifully given life by its main cast built on Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner’s noteworthy performances, Arrival will continue to find a place in many audiences hearts for the years still to come.
3. Dune: Part One (2021)
Paul Atreides arrives on Arrakis after his father accepts the stewardship of the dangerous planet. However, chaos ensues after a betrayal as forces clash to control melange, a precious resource.
Making the supposedly unadaptable into something that worked for both long term fans, critics and general audiences, Dune: Part One may have battled the Covid-19 pandemic but that didn’t stop it from becoming a global smash that unleashed Villeneuve into the big-time and stamped his authority on the industry and to be regarded as an all-time great.
2. Incendies (2010)
Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history and fulfill their mother’s last wishes.
I still vividly recall watching Incendies for the first time, knowing very little about what to expect and being completely blown away. Setting in motion what could arguably be the greatest directional hot streak in the history of cinema, Incendies is a powerful and impressive feat and the perfect counterargument to anyone who tries to claim Villeneuve is a one trick pony.
1. Dune: Part Two (2024)
Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future.
Proving that Dune: Part One was no mere fluke and more of a sampler of the greatness to come, Part Two was the sum of all the parts of Villeneuve’s career to that point coming together to create a stunningly realised piece of work that is the very definition of must-see cinematic entertainment. With heart, soul, spectacle and imagination to spare, Part Two is a genuine masterpiece.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 