Don’t think anyone mentioned David Lean. He had a fantastic 3-film run, but I haven’t seen the films that bookend it - anyone?
Summertime
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Lawrence of Arabia
Doctor Zhivago
Ryan’s Daughter
Also, a fantastic three-film run is tough enough for most directors, so I think four really pushes it.
The more I think about it, the more impressed I am by P.T. Anderson:
Disregarding the documentary Junun (which might be good? Never seen it), that’s a pretty incredible run of eight films.
That’s funny, I was just thinking of Katheryn Bigelow also, but my run would have been:
Near Dark
Point Break
Strange Days
But, you’ll notice that’s only three. She directed a movie called Blue Steel with Jamie Lee Curtis in the middle there, and I’ve never seen it and have a hard time imagining it’s any good.
Roger Ebert liked (not loved) it. I haven’t seen it.
“Blue Steel” was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, whose previous credit was the well-regarded “Near Dark.” Does that make it a fundamentally different picture than if it had been directed by a man? Perhaps, in a way. The female “victim” is never helpless here, although she is set up in all the usual ways ordained by male-oriented thrillers. She can fight back with her intelligence, her police training and her physical strength. And there is an anger in the way the movie presents the male authorities in the film, who are blinded to the facts by their preconceptions about women in general and female cops in particular.
The bottom line, however, is that “Blue Steel” is an efficient thriller, a movie that pays off with one shock and surprise after another, including a couple of really serpentine twists and a couple of superior examples of the killer-jumping-unexpectedly-from-the-dark scene. I always feel dumb after I jump during one of those scenes. But I always jump.
Dog Soldiers
The Descent
Doomsday
Centurion
George Lucas almost made it.
THX1138
American Graffiti
Star Wars
…
SW Ep.1 The Phantom Menace
I actually like TPM, but it does not compare to his first three movies. So sad that he stopped directing after the original Star Wars… but if you count Empires Strikes Back as his movie, you have a 4 film run.
How about this four-film run?
Dreams
Smiles of a Summer Night
The Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries
There was a one-hour film Bergman did for Swedish TV in the middle of that run, but, if we’re considering only feature films, this qualifies.
Here’s an interesting run from Sidney Lumet:
Dog Day Afternoon
Network
Equus
The Wiz
Until a few minutes ago I didn’t know he directed any of those except the first. I guess I always thought of Network as a Paddy Chayefsky joint and never even considered who directed it.
David Michôd has only directed four films, and they’re all excellent.
Animal Kingdom is a perfect movie.
The Rover is a perfect movie.
War Machine is great in a Coen brothers kinda way.
The King is a perfect movie.
I can’t wait to see what he makes next. He doesn’t seem interested in repeating himself.
I just watched Stalker. This film tricked me. Closest thing I can compare it to is 2001: A Space Odyssey, but… you know, Russian. Down to Earth and… spiritual, although I’m told that goes for Tarkovsky’s work (I was unfamiliar with him, prior to).
I clicked because of the video game, which I have not played, although I suspect it’s closer to Ice Pick Lodge’s The Void in tone, at least.
Really good movie.