Every Kevin Smith Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

1. Clerks (1994)

Clerks was the moment a talent announced itself: precociously, arrogantly but most of all insistently. It was the moment a stagnating, intellectually atrophied generation trapped in McJobs that life simply happened to them. No opportunities to carpe any diems, no hope, no prospects but the kind of self-effacing charm and completely disarming heart that make the most important indie films so successful.

The film is the archetypal home-made indie work of art and the story of how it was made - financed on credit cards and thanks to a sold comic book collection, shot in just 21 days and then slammed with an awfully destructive NC-17 rating at the last hurdle.

And it shouldn't have worked, but in creating heroes the disaffected youth could completely get behind - you know, without having to make much effort - Clerks have a voice to the voiceless. It is still the best example of Smith's ability as a writer (which is his best asset), and it has an easy but cynical charm that remains incredibly irresistible.

And of course it still stands as a call to arms for film-makers and script-writers across the world, challenging them to take up arms and actually go and make something.

How would you rank Kevin Smith's films? Share your rankings below in the comments thread.