10 Directors Who Survived Huge Movie Failures
1. Guy Ritchie (Swept Away)
Search for any "worst films of the century" list (or even just a "worst films ever" list) and there's a good chance that Guy Ritchie's awful 2002 rom-com will be on there.
Boring, two-dimensional and fronted by a terrible Madonna performance, Swept Away was an absolutely bizarre effort from Ritchie, whose previous two films (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels/Snatch) were cheeky, violent, and punchy crime comedies. If his name wasn't on the poster, it would be impossible to tell that he made it.
Deservedly so, the film didn't make any money, it was torn to shreds by critics, and it even signalled the end of Madonna's career as an actress, with the star winning a Razzie Award for her part in the movie. Ritchie came plummeting down from the highs of Snatch and landed with a saddening thud, and he was forced to return to his gangster wheelhouse in order to try and salvage his career.
His next effort, Revolver, was a step in the right direction, but it was merely okay, not exactly the runaway victory that someone in his position needed, and it wasn't until the one-two-punch of RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes that the filmmaker truly found his old groove again.
Ritchie currently has another crime caper on the horizon, and most recently directed the billion-dollar-grossing Aladdin remake - as well as the tragically underrated Man From UNCLE - confirming that he's very much a major Hollywood player. Not bad for that guy who directed that terrible Madonna movie 20 years ago.
-
Know any other filmmakers who successfully climbed back from massive failures? Let us know in the comments section!