10 Directors Who Never Topped Their First Film

Kevin Smith is one of those filmmakers who forever splits opinion. While Kev has his passionate die-hard fans, he also has those who continue to dismiss his movie career as one based solely on, as he himself has put it at times, d*ck and fart jokes.

Whether you're a massive Smith fan - as your humble scribe here most certainly is - or one of the New Jersey native's big detractors, the one thing that many will agree on is that Kevin Smith has never bettered his 1994 debut feature, Clerks.

Some would argue that Chasing Amy maybe edges it out as Smith's best constructed picture, while others will point to the solid mainstream box office pull of Dogma, yet the majority of film fans will usually point to Kevin's black and white tale of two store clerks and their everyday routine as being the director's very best outing.

For those who do appreciate the filmmaking ways of Kevin Smith, he has an impressive back catalogue consisting of comic book heavy Mallrats, donkey show delivering Clerks II, the bible-thumping terror of Red State, the twisted body horror of Tusk, and the grin-inducing ensemble pieces of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot - yet it's Clerks that still stands on a pedestal.

Of course, the less said about Cop Out and Yoga Hosers, the better.