2. Simon West (Con Air)
Compared to Sam Mendes, Simon West's successes are considerably more modest, beginning with his best-loved film to date, the barmy actioner Con Air, which should have made him a household action director pretty much overnight. Instead, West opted to take on a litany of assignments that were nothing if not varied, as much in quality as subject matter; the murky John Travolta vehicle The President's Daughter, Tomb Raider, When A Stranger Calls, the watchable The Mechanic and The Expendables 2, and finally, the glorified-straight-to-DVD action flick Stolen, starring Nicolas Cage. The guy just can't seem to catch a break, and as he has not been asked back for The Expendables 3, don't expect him to top his first feature anytime soon...