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. 1
   Reservoir Dogs

   Quentin Tarantino explosive 1992 debut featuring a diamond heist told entirely in non-linear fragments.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Clerks

   Kevin Smith 1994 micro-budget debut shot in the convenience store where he worked.
   652pts
3. 3
   Hard Eight

   Paul Thomas Anderson 1996 debut about a mysterious gambler mentoring a young drifter in Reno.
   587pts
4. 4
   Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

   Guy Ritchie 1998 British crime comedy debut that launched his signature overlapping heist ensemble style.
   587pts
5. 5
   Kids

   Larry Clark controversial 1995 debut following a group of teenagers over one day in New York City.
   391pts
6. 6
   Following

   Christopher Nolan 1998 micro-budget debut featuring a writer who follows strangers and gets entangled in crime.
   235pts
7. 7
   Bound

   The Wachowskis 1996 debut noir thriller about an ex-con and a mob girlfriend hatching a cash theft scheme.
   235pts
8. 8
   Being John Malkovich

   Spike Jonze 1999 debut about a portal found inside an office building that leads into Malkovich mind.
   235pts
9. 9
   Boyz n the Hood

   John Singleton 1991 debut capturing the realities of life in South Central LA with remarkable emotional power.
   1pts
10. 10
    El Mariachi

    Robert Rodriguez 1992 debut shot for $7,000 on a 16mm camera about a musician mistaken for a hit man.
    1pts
11. 11
    Shallow Grave

    Danny Boyle 1994 British debut about three flatmates who discover their dead housemate fortune.
    1pts
12. 12
    Pi

    Darren Aronofsky 1998 $60,000 debut about a mathematician whose obsession with patterns drives him mad.
    1pts