9 Directors Who Only Made One Good Movie

Releasing in 1974, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot marked Michael Cimino's directorial debut. Despite starring the likes of Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, the movie came out to a muted response and has since fallen by the wayside into relative obscurity.

It wasn't until four years later that Cimino would unleash his magnum opus on to the world. The Deer Hunter told the story of three life-long friends from Pennsylvania who enlist in the army to join the Vietnam war. Rather than taking a broader look at the setting, the movie was praised for its harrowing depictions of the personal impact of war. The inhumanities they face, along with the exploration of the scars left behind by such torturous conditions, meant this movie landed with a bang. Coming in at just over three hours (not a common occurrence in 1978), the uneasy but intelligent viewing netted the movie five Oscars, including best picture.

Sadly, over the next 12 years, Cimino would go on to direct more movies to little success. These ranged from 'okay' (Year Of The Dragon) to flat-out bad (Desperate Hours). Common complaints about his subsequent output included over-long runtimes and lack of coherence in plot and characters.