Sam Mendes is a prolific stage and film director. He was born in the UK and was married to actress Kate Winslet until 2010. He has earned the distinction of Academy Award for Best Director as well as other recognition for his work. He shares his passion for directing movies both big and small with a variety of genres and actors. Not everyone knows him by name, but you’ll certainly be familiar with the quality of his work as we share the top five films directed by Sam Mendes.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Tom Hanks stars in the lead role of a hitman under the direction of Sam Mendes. His son witnesses one of his father’s hits and the head of he organization finds out. Even though he tells the boy to say nothing, Hanks knows that they will try to silence his son permanently. The two return home to find Hanks’ wife and younger son butchered at the hands of the crew sent out to kill his son. The two hit the road and go out on the lam in this action packed criminal drama that shows the lengths that a father will go to save his child.
American Beauty (1999)
This is the film that earned Mendes an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award. The story delivers a powerful punch as it illustrates how taboo behaviors can occur in families. Kevin Spacey is a suburban father whose sexual frustrations get the best of him. His daughter’s pretty girlfriend becomes the object of his infatuation. Co-stars include Annette Bening and Thora Birch.
Skyfall 007 (2012)
Writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade deliver the script for Daniel Craig’s execution of the role of Bond under the direction of Sam Mendes. Skyfall is about a loyalty test for Bond to M as she has a bad episode in her life. The past can return with a fury. Bond is charged with tracking, locating and destroying the threat to M16.
Jarhead (2005)
Sam Mendes directs the William Broyles Jr. screenplay of the Anthony Swofford book Jarhead. It’s the story about a US marine sniper played by Jake Gyllenhaal embroiled in a psychological study of the gulf war maneuvers desert storm and desert shield. The study records the events as seen through his eyes. He attempts to deal with the thought of his girlfriend back home and the possibility that she is cheating on him.
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Revolutionary Road is a romantic drama about a young couple who are trying to deal with the personal problems they encounter while raising their two children. The setting is 1950s Connecticut. The film is a Justin Haythe screenplay based on the Richard Yates novel, directed by Sam Mendes. Featured actors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Christopher Fitzgerald.
Mendes is making good progress in his goal for directing films in a variety of genres, sizes and with an assortment of different actors.
Mendes has won multiple awards for his direction which has helped in crafting many of the top movie hits that we’ve all enjoyed. He’s currently set to direct The voyeur’s Motel which has been in production since Dec. 23, 2016. We’re looking forward to its release and hopeful success as many of his other ventures.
