8 Worst Films Directed By Oscar Winners

Dean Semler is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand cinematographers, having shot Maleficent (2014), 2012 (2009) and Dances With Wolves (1990), for which he won an Oscar. He also directs, but his features to date consist of two flops, Firestorm (1998) and The Patriot (1999).

Described by Leonard Maltin as “what Ed Harris would look like if he couldn’t move his facial muscles”, Howie Long plays Jesse Graves, a “smokejumper” (one of those dudes who parachutes into forest fires) who crosses the path of Shaye (William Forsyth), a snarly villain who’s stolen $37 million, escaped from jail and incinerated a Canadian forest for “cover.”

If that sounds like the plot of a Sylvester Stallone movie, that’s because Sly was set to star before he dropped out to appear in An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn and voice a cartoon ant in Antz (life’s weird, isn’t it?). Say what you like about Stallone’s wilderness period, but this is one film that might’ve benefitted from his presence.

Semler’s involvement ensures that Firestorm is slickly shot and well-staged, but everything else is one-dimensional and by the numbers. Not that audiences care if the people are “finely nuanced” or what have you, but a few sparky characters with good lines wouldn’t have gone amiss.