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Kathryn Bigelow is a highly acclaimed filmmaker from America who is well-known for making films based on American culture and history. She has been working in the industry since the early 80s, with her first feature film, The Loveless, released in 1981. Since then, Kathryn Bigelow has made over 10 titles, each making a sort of social commentary, being relevant with its roots firmly planted in reality.
During a presentation in New York from May 13-16, Netflix announced working on a new title with Kathryn Bigelow in the director's chair. This is exciting news, considering that she had been on a hiatus since the late 2010s, with Detroit (2017) being her last feature and I am Not a Weapon (2018) being her last short film.
Here is a list of some of the most highly-rated films from Kathryn Bigelow's filmography.
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Note: This list is prepared according to the ratings available on IMDb.
The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and 3 other highly-rated films by Kathryn Bigelow
1) The Hurt Locker
IMDb rating - 7.5
The Hurt Locker is an American war thriller drama from the house of Summit Entertainment. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the screenplay is written by Mark Boal. The film premiered at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before releasing in theaters in mid-2009.
The cast features Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Guy Pearce, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly among others in pivotal roles. The film received nine Oscar nominations and went on to win six of them, even making Bigelow the first woman to win a Best Director award. The Hurt Locker is widely considered among the best war films of the 21st century.
The film follows Staff Sergeant William James, a U.S. soldier tasked with disarming bombs during the Iraq war. Instead of using conservative techniques, he prefers doing things his own way. The Hurt Locker revolves around the psychological toll on a soldier, be it the desensitization of death or the addiction to the adrenaline rush in the middle of warfare.
2) Zero Dark Thirty
IMDb rating - 7.4
Zero Dark Thirty is a historical drama thriller film from the house of Sony Pictures. Kathryn Bigelow directed the movie with a screenplay from Mark Boal, while Megan Ellison produced the title alongside Bigelow and Boal. The film had a limited release in December 2012 before being made available in theaters across the country in January 2013.
The cast featured Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong, Jason Clarke, Reda Kateb, Jeremy Strong, and others. Another title from Bigelow's filmography to receive universal critical acclaim, Zero Dark Thirty won an Oscar and a Golden Globe. It was also considered one of the best films of the year, albeit a bit controversial.
Zero Dark Thirty is based on the decade-long hunt for the once most-wanted man on the planet, Osama Bin Laden. The film explores the intensive and lengthy search that finally culminated in 2011 with the raid at Bin Laden's Pakistan hideout and his subsequent death.
3) Point Break
IMDb rating - 7.3
Point Break is an action crime thriller film from the house of 20th Century Fox. The film has Kathryn Bigelow in the director's chair with W. Peter Iliff working on the screenplay based on a story he developed alongside Rick King. The film was released in theaters in 1991, just a week after the iconic film, Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
The cast featured Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, and others in pivotal roles. The film received positive feedback from critics as well as the audience for its adrenaline-packed storyline. In the later years, Point Break became a cult title and even spawned a reboot in 2015.
The film follows Reeves' Johnny Utah, an FBI agent, who goes undercover to infiltrate and investigate a surfer's gang, who they suspect are also masked robbers looting banks.
4) Detroit
IMDb rating - 7.3
Detroit is a historical crime drama from the house of Annapurna Pictures. The film is another Kathryn Bigelow-Mark Boal partnership, with Boal writing the screenplay and Bigelow in the director's chair. The film was released in theaters in the summer of 2017.
The cast featured John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Mason Alban, and others. The film could not hook the larger audience and was re-released at the end of the year with the hope of reaching a larger audience.
Based on the 12th Street riots in Detroit back in 1967, the film is a dramatic retelling of the Algier's Motel incident. Detroit revisits one of the darkest weeks in American history when race-fueled urban riots broke through the city.
5) Strange Days
IMDb rating - 7.2
Strange Days is a sci-fi thriller drama from the house of 20th Century Fox. The film has Kathryn Bigelow directing with a screenplay that her ex-husband, James Cameron, wrote alongside Jay Cooks. The film premiered at the 1995 New York Film Festival before getting a nationwide theatrical release.
The cast featured prominent actors including Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio, and others. Poor marketing paired with its intense visuals could not score with the larger audience. However, the film was recognized by critics as a cinematographic marvel for its time. It also won Bigelow the Best Director award at the 1995 Saturn Awards.
Set in an alternate 1999 Los Angeles, Strange Days follows Ralph Fiennes' Lenny Nero as he gets involved in a major conspiracy involving murder and an illegal device capable of recording memories and physical sensations.
The above list represents some of the highest-rated films from Kathryn Bigelow's filmography as per IMDb ratings. If you're interested in checking out her work, be sure to add these titles to your watchlist.
Kathryn Bigelow is also set to return to the director's chair for her latest upcoming feature film since 2017. Netflix just announced their collaboration with Bigelow during a presentation in New York. With no title or release date revealed yet, fans can only wait for more details to drop while binging on her previous work.
