4. The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects is one my favourite movies ever, so it really pains me to put it on this list. Brilliantly acted, brilliantly directed and brilliantly written, it details how a group of five criminals, brought together at a police line-up, become involved with a legendary crime boss; a perfectly told thriller. Sadly, as Brian Singers first major release, it also marks a high point that he seems unable to match. Yes, his X-Men films were entertaining, but they are now more important as piece of popular film history (the first of the new wave of superhero films) and dont match the narrative brilliance of The Usual Suspects. His career has been plagued by interesting projects that, while they havent completely failed, have underwhelmed; Superman Returns and Valkrie immediately spring to mind. Great directors Speilberg, Fincher, Welles all kept producing great films after massive success early on, moving into different genres and style, but still keeping the quality high. Maybe it was never Singers plan, but he will be forever hampered with being the director of The Usual Suspects. I know Jack The Giant Killer, Singers entry in the recent trend of re-imagined fairytales, will be a terrible blockbuster, but because hes is directing it and in the grand tradition of one hit wonders, Ill most certainly catch it.