9. Clint Eastwood, Play Misty For Me
After learning the craft of film-making as an actor from his mentors Sergio Leone (The Good The Bad & The Ugly) and Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) Clint Eastwood took a stab (no pun intended) at directing with Play Misty For Me, a terrific nail biter about a disc jockey (Eastwood) and an obsessed psycho fan (Jessica Walters). Eastwood takes a very minimalistic approach to film-making and although there are some 70's style trappings like rack zooms and montages set to Roberta Flack music, this film showcases a deft hand at making solid films that would continue in decades in Eastwood's directorial career. The film, which is a crackling suspense thriller about when obsession becomes more than unhealthy is a prime example of Eastwood's style. Like a good jazz riff, he surrounds himself with solid players and delivers a smooth experience for everyone to perform at the top of their game. 32 films later and counting, Eastwood would out-do his debut here as a director, winning 2 Oscars for his later work (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) and creating some of the best films in the last 30 years.