Since the Millenium bug failed to outwit the world's computer force, cinema fans have been gifted with some tremendous motion pictures, some of which will be forever hailed as classics, each brought to life by teams of talented creatives, and each helmed by a director with a vision of a movie masterpiece.
Singling out the very best filmmakers is no easy task, when it comes to the greatest directors the standards of measurement can vary greatly, yet these visionaries have proven their rare skills time and again with award wins, adoration, and most importantly, movies of the most exceptional quality.
10 Wes Anderson's Films May Just Be The Most Stunningly Unique Of Any Director
A director whose visual style is utterly unmistakable, and one whose ability to juggle quirky comedy with far more serious subjects is rarely upstaged by any other filmmaker currently working. Wes Anderson's films are adored by his legions of fans, and even to those sitting on the fence, they're merely critically acclaimed works of art.
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and Fantastic Mr. Fox are the American filmmaker at his best, but turn on any Anderson flick to be released since 2000 and you're in for one visually engaging, heartwarming, and captivating good time.
9 Alejandro Iñárritu Has Awards & Accolades A Plenty
One of Mexico's finest when it comes to moviemakers, Alejandro Iñárritu has delivered his fair share of jaw-droppingly good psychological thrillers to the world since he established himself as a talent in 2000 with Amores perros. The likes of 21 Grams, Babel, and Biutiful continued to add serious weight to the director's name, but the release of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) firmly put him in the spotlight as a major Hollywood player.
The Revenant then hit screens in 2015 and earned Iñárritu an Academy Award for Best Director. The Mexican magician also earns points for his part in Leonardo DiCaprio finally getting his statue for his work in the film.
8 Clint Eastwood Is Great, Whatever His Role On The Movie Set
An icon of cinema and an undeniable legend both in front of the camera and behind it, Clint Eastwood embarked on a truly remarkable winning streak of movies in the mid-2000s. The classic Mystic River earned Eastwood his first Best Director Oscar nomination, and he followed this up by winning the award with his next film, Million Dollar Baby.
The acclaimed war flicks Flags of our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima came next, followed by Changeling and Gran Torino, the latter of which featured one of Eastwood's finest ever acting performances. Now 91 years of age, the former Man with No Name shows no signs of slowing down.
7 Bong Joon-ho Has Become One Of The Biggest Names In Film
Creating the first-ever foreign language film to win the Best Picture Academy Award is no small feat, yet South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has been putting out fantastic films since his masterpiece Memories of Murder stunned audiences in 2003.
Bong's talent when it comes to juggling black humor, shifting tones, and exploring social themes are often extraordinary to witness, and his display of these skills in 2019's Parasite didn't just open the door for future international movies at the Oscars, it kicked the thing down. Movie-goers will be waiting for this director's next movie with great anticipation.
6 Nobody Makes Epics Quite Like Peter Jackson
There's simply no way a film fan can overlook the monumental cinematic achievement that is Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Arguably the greatest trio of movies ever made, the Kiwi director's handling of the iconic source material, coupled with his ability to craft breathtaking action sequences helped ensure these films will be forever held as must-watch motion pictures.
Though not nearly as well-received, The Hobbit series provided further evidence of Jackson's talents, yet his dabbling in documentary making in 2018 resulted in one of the most harrowing, heartbreaking, and raw insights into the first world war ever created—They Shall Not Grow Old.
5 Asghar Farhadi Is The King Of Raw, Heartwrenching Drama
Perhaps an unfamiliar name to many film fans in North America, Asghar Farhadi is a two-time Oscar winner and a master when it comes to pure, reality-based drama in film. About Elly, A Separation, and The Salesman are highlights of his critically acclaimed catalog and are each unrelenting, startlingly real tales focused on human emotion.
The Iranian director's movies feature no-frills, they're bleak but brilliant and offer insight into struggles that almost any person can relate to regardless of their background or beliefs.
4 Denis Villeneuve Has Risen Through The Ranks To Become One Of The Very Best
If there's one movie man working today that seems hell-bent on etching his name in stone as the best director alive, it's Denis Villeneuve. The Québécois filmmaker has turned in some of the most awe-inspiring, utterly engrossing films of recent years, and only looks set to continue the trend with Dune Part 2.
By showcasing his exceptional talent with grounded, emotionally heavy stories like Prisoners and Incendies, and then mastering the science fiction genre with Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and Dune, Villeneuve has proven he currently has very few equals in the movie business.
3 Since 2000, Martin Scorsese Has Truly Mastered His Craft
Given the incredible longevity of Martin Scorsese's time as a top-caliber filmmaker, it's difficult to pinpoint his heyday. The '70s saw him burst onto the scene with Mean Streets, in the '80s he delivered the masterpiece that is Raging Bull, and the '90s saw the Italian American director dominate with crime classics like Goodfellas and Casino.
The legendary director's work has only gotten better since the turn of the century. The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman are all pieces of exceptional work from a true movie master. One of the best to ever do it, Martin Scorsese's name is always in the discussion whenever it concerns directors in any of the last 5 decades.
2 Quentin Tarantino Has Added Multiple Masterpieces To His Catalog Since 2000
Though Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene and changed cinema forever in the 1990s with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, there's a strong argument to be made that the enigmatic filmmaker's best work has come since the year 2000.
Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood are masterpieces to many cinema fans, and with them, Tarantino has raised the level of maturity, ambition, and scope in his films all whilst maintaining his signature style and charm.
1 Christopher Nolan Is Arguably The Best Director Working Today
He's the king of the Hollywood jungle with the lion's share of the accolades and adoration, Christoper Nolan has managed to exceed expectations on almost every single outing when it comes to his films. From his unmatched Dark Knight Trilogy to the mind-bending sci-fi masterpieces Interstellar and Inception, the British director has displayed truly incredible talent in every aspect of movie-making.
Since Memento put him on the map in 2000, Nolan has cemented himself as an all-time great director with one critically acclaimed hit after another. Though the Dunkirk director has multiple movies inside IMDb's top 250, he's remarkably one of only 2 filmmakers to have 3 movies inside the top 25.