Some of the best films ever conceived have also been made early in a director's career, but some have even been the very first. A solid debut film can solidify a certain filmmaker as genius right off the bat, yet a terrible debut can make it incredibly difficult for anyone to get another film made. It's a vicious cycle, but I have come up with a list of 10 films that rise above the pressures of the business and have each solidified themselves as masterpieces. These 10 selections are more than just the 10 greatest debut films of all time, they also announced the arrival of 10 very unique and incredibly influential directors behind them. Without further ado I present to you the 10 greatest debut films of all time...
10. American Beauty
Easily the newest film on the list, American Beauty is an incredibly well directed film that makes excellent use of all of its actors' abilities. Kevin Spacey gives what may be the finest performance of his career which is saying a lot given how talented he has proven himself to be. American Beauty tells a tale of suburban dissatisfaction and the perils of consumerism that will resonate with anyone who has even been upset with a middle class existence. Sam Mendes is able to turn what could have been a dreary, whiny, first world problems movie into a delicate and moving film about finding beauty in the most un-likely of places and regressing back to when we were most happy. Mendes also uses the symbolism of the colour red perfectly throughout the movie to emphasise the allegory and visually add an extra element to the story.