Every Kathryn Bigelow Film Ranked From Worst To Best

10. The Weight Of Water (2000)

The closet Bigelow has ever gotten to making a straight bad movie, yet due to its split narrative thats only half true. ‘Water’ essentially feels like a filmmaker trying to find her footing in a lower-key arena. Sadly, the results fail for the most.

The generally uninteresting main plot revolves around the usually charismatic Sean Penn and Catherine McCormick, as a mopey couple who research an age old murder case whilst on holiday. The leads never gain your sympathy and nothing really happens. When the high-point of your plot featuring Oscar winning talent, is that Elisabeth Hurley shows some side boob - your movie is in trouble.

The B-plot though, set in the late 1800s, and centred around the excellent Sarah Polley as a Norwegian immigrant, is much more intriguing. Focused on unrequited love affair that ends in a grisly axe murder, it's a gripping threadline that shows glimpses of a better movie.

It’s sadly the shorter story though and doesn’t get the lions-share of development, yet Bigalow’s sharp eye for period detail and a subtle build on tension, leads it to a heartbreaking conclusion. Its a shame this plot wasn’t put front and centre, it would’ve been an enticing showcase featuring a major director working in a lower gear. As is, it’s highly forgotten about - and for good reason.