The 12 Best Directorial Debuts of the 1990s

First features that announced bold new voices and went on to reshape the decade's cinema. Which debut hits hardest?

1

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino explosive 1992 debut featuring a diamond heist told entirely in non-linear fragments.

1000pts

2

Clerks

Kevin Smith 1994 micro-budget debut shot in the convenience store where he worked.

749pts

3

Hard Eight

Paul Thomas Anderson 1996 debut about a mysterious gambler mentoring a young drifter in Reno.

702pts

4

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Guy Ritchie 1998 British crime comedy debut that launched his signature overlapping heist ensemble style.

702pts

5

Kids

Larry Clark controversial 1995 debut following a group of teenagers over one day in New York City.

562pts

6

Following

Christopher Nolan 1998 micro-budget debut featuring a writer who follows strangers and gets entangled in crime.

449pts

7

Being John Malkovich

Spike Jonze 1999 debut about a portal found inside an office building that leads into Malkovich mind.

449pts

8

Bound

The Wachowskis 1996 debut noir thriller about an ex-con and a mob girlfriend hatching a cash theft scheme.

449pts

9

Boyz n the Hood

John Singleton 1991 debut capturing the realities of life in South Central LA with remarkable emotional power.

281pts

10

El Mariachi

Robert Rodriguez 1992 debut shot for $7,000 on a 16mm camera about a musician mistaken for a hit man.

281pts

11

Shallow Grave

Danny Boyle 1994 British debut about three flatmates who discover their dead housemate fortune.

0pts

12

Pi

Darren Aronofsky 1998 $60,000 debut about a mathematician whose obsession with patterns drives him mad.

0pts