7 Directors Who Purposefully Sabotaged Other Movies

Sometimes, directors can't keep their mouths shut. Sometimes it's on purpose.

JJ Abrams Last Jedi
Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) / Lucasfilm

While it may be insanely lucrative, Hollywood films are also very fragile. It doesn't take much to derail a production, be it actor drama, budgetary concerns, or any number of other issue. And even when a film is completed, a single scathing review or rumor of on-set drama can drive audiences away in hoards. On top of that, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to make these movies.

There are some surefire hits that are safe for studios to fully invest in and horror films almost always make a profit because they can be made cheaply, but just about every other film has virtually no certain guarantee of even making its money back.

And nobody knows just how vulnerable the movie industry is than directors. They have to oversee every minuscule detail of a film throughout all stages of its production and pour a not insignificant amount of passion and effort into their work. So when it comes to defending their reputations, promoting their movies, or, above all, sabotaging their industry peers and competition, nobody can outdo an experienced director.

7. Spike Lee Trashes Django Unchained

JJ Abrams Last Jedi
Alan Diaz/AP

Noted filmmaker Spike Lee, the visionary behind such works as Malcolm X, Jungle Fever, and Do The Right Thing, has never been one to pull his punches. The man knows what he stands for and does not abide by those who would misappropriate or misrepresent his race, culture, or heritage.

Enter Quentin Tarantino, celebrated director of mainstream art house films known for their graphic nature and uniquely personal style. For years, Tarantino had been trying Lee's patience with his obsessive use of racial slurs and frustrating ignorance of African American culture. But the last straw was the release of 2012's Django Unchained, a movie about the pre-American Civil War Antebellum period and the titular former-slave-turned-folk-hero who brought justice to slavers in the style of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

Lee was livid, tweeting out at the time "American Slavery Was Not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western" and going on to describe the horrors of slavery without the flair and panache of Tarantino's visual style. As a respected director, Lee's opinion carries a not insignificant amount of weight and, while it's impossible to say for sure, Tarantino seems to have believed that Lee's public outcry damaged the reputation of Django Unchained because he replied with a burst of vulgarity.

Contributor

A writer, blogger, comedian, and actor in New York City, Mason relishes any opportunity to discuss his favorite topics. He has many strong opinions on all facets of media and pop culture.