Talking about directors who have constantly released amazing films and haven’t received an Oscar yet, Denis Villeneuve is sure a name to pop up. Perhaps one of my favorite modern directors, Denis is a mastermind of his craft. He understands ways to build up tension and keep the audiences on the edge of their seats. Most of Villeneuve’s films are slow burns, but they never come off as boring. Rather they are complex explorations of humans that succeed in creating a great sense of drama. Denis Villeneuve Criticises Marvel Films, Filmmaker Says ‘They Are Cut and Paste of Others’.

With Denis Villeneuve’s 54th birthday upon us, we are taking a look at five of his best films ranked according to IMDb.

*NOTE- We won’t be adding DUNE because it hasn’t been released in all the international markets yet*

Sicario (7.6)

A Still from Sicario

A gripping and intense crime-thriller, Sicario is a tale about bringing down the leader of a powerful drug cartel in Mexico. It’s a great exploration of how it feels like to be a pawn of someone else’s operation while personal vendetta fuels this mission. It also has a killer ending that will drop your jaw.

Arrival (7.9)

A Still from Arrival

A slow and intellectual science-fiction exploration, Arrival explores a linguist trying to communicate with an alien species after 12 of their aircrafts land on Earth. While the alien drama sure is at the center of the film, it heavily focuses on exploring human nature. It’s a film that will leave you in tears by the end and boasts some great visuals.

Blade Runner 2049 (8.0)

A Still from Blade Runner 2049

When a sequel to Blade Runner was announced, many didn’t expect it to be any good. To everyone’s surprise, Villeneuve delivered us a modern sci-fi masterpiece. Focusing on a Blade Runner Replicant, K, he is thrusted into the world of 2049 to find Rick Deckard. 2049 also couples Villeneuve with cinematographer Roger Deakins, and that collaboration creates for some visuals that will make you take a screenshot everytime you see them. Saaho: From Ripping Off Blade Runner 2049 to Largo Winch, 7 Times Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor’s Film Was Accused of Plagiarism.

Prisoners (8.1)

A Still from Prisoners

Another great intense drama by Villeneuve, Prisoners is him at the top of his game. It follows Keller Dover whose daughter gets kidnapped and he is doing everything in his power to make the accused admit to it. Hot on his tail though is detective Loki on the case whose growing suspicions take him on a dark path too. Prisoners explores the idea of just how far is too far going for family, and to date I think contains Hugh Jackman’s best performance.

Incendies (8.3)

A Still from Incendies

I think Incendies was when Denis Villeneuve finally started getting appreciated for his films. It features a mom whose dying wish was that her twins set out to find their father and brother. It’s a dark, gripping tale that explores the mother’s dark history too. It’s probably the only film that made me feel like taking a shower after I got done with it.

We can’t wait to see the visual treat Villeneuve brings us with Dune. It surely is going to be a great films and the early reviews for it has us all the more excited for it. With this we finish off our list and wish Denis Villeneuve a very happy birthday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2021 10:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).