For years, IMDb's list of their 250 highest-rated films has served as the perfect gateway for movie fans to discover new and better movies, entering the world of cinephiles. The list offers a wide variety of films from all decades, genres, and countries, made by directors of all sorts of backgrounds.
For a director to get one of their movies into the top 250 is enough of a feat, but to have more than one of their outings counted among IMDb's most beloved is on a whole other level. From classic Hollywood veterans like Billy Wilder to modern masters of the craft like Steven Spielberg, there are only a few directors with multiple entries in IMDb's most prestigious list.
10 Hayao Miyazaki — 4 Movies
Usually regarded as one of the greatest directors who have ever mastered the medium of animation, Hayao Miyazaki is one of the best filmmakers Japan has to offer. He's done it all, from a fantastical coming-of-age like the Oscar-winning Spirited Away to a mature epic about man vs. nature like Princess Mononoke.
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Miyazaki never speaks down to his audience, creating movies that children can easily fall in love with and adults can find tremendous enjoyment in. His work is beautiful and enrapturing, making it no surprise that four of his movies are among the most highly praised on IMDb.
9 Billy Wilder — 5 Movies
Born in Austria but spending the vast majority of his career in Hollywood, Billy Wilder is usually referred to as one of the greatest auteurs from classic Hollywood. He won an impressive six Oscars over the course of his life, and constantly cemented himself as one of the most delightful voices in American cinema.
Wilder explored and re-defined multiple genres, like the noir with Sunset Boulevard and the rom-com with The Apartment. His impact on filmmakers can still be seen and felt today, and modern audiences still love his work.
8 Charles Chaplin — 5 Movies
The days of silent cinema may be far in the past, but these kinds of movies are still a delight to watch. Charles Chaplin was unarguably one of the biggest representatives of silent movies, proving that films can be magical even without dialogue or sound effects.
Chaplin made some of the funniest and most highly-praised comedies of all time, from City Lights to Modern Times, which audiences on IMDb still find to be a riot. He was a tremendous performer and an attentive director, but more than anything, he was a one-of-a-kind storyteller.
7 Quentin Tarantino — 5 Movies
There are many directors who usually serve as new movie fans' door to the world of great cinema, and Quentin Tarantino is one of the best. He has made timeless classics like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, many of which are among IMDb users' favorites.
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Bloody, humorous, and with a knack for non-linear storytelling, Tarantino's style is one of the most idiosyncratic and distinctive of any director working today. You always know what you're getting into with his movies, and if it's the kind of thing you enjoy, you're bound to have an awesome time with each and every one of his works.
6 Alfred Hitchco*ck — 6 Movies
Nicknamed the "Master of Suspense" for his unparalleled capacity to keep audiences biting their nails at the edge of their seats, Alfred Hitchco*ck was without a doubt one of the most important directors the medium has ever seen.
Whether it was a groundbreaking horror classic like Psycho or a more traditional (yet every bit as outstanding) thriller like Rear Window, Hitchco*ck always delivered. He had a keen eye for small details, which always helped him craft thrilling stories populated by interesting characters and mind-blowing twists.
5 Stanley Kubrick — 7 Movies
Stanley Kubrick is often referred to by many as the single greatest filmmaker to ever do it. Even those who don't agree with the superlative can't deny that he was magnificent at what he did, creating some of the most memorable classics of the 20th century, from a sci-fi epic like 2001: A Space Odyssey to a game-changing horror drama like The Shining.
Kubrick's masterpieces have everything that a movie fan could ask for impressive technical qualities, fascinating characters and themes, engrossing storylines, and some really great needle drops.
4 Akira Kurosawa — 7 Movies
If you're the least bit familiar with Japanese cinema, you've seen at least one Akira Kurosawa movie. If you still haven't, you don't know what you're missing out on. Kurosawa was one of the best directors from his country and one of the most influential auteurs in cinema's history.
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The director was the undisputed master of the samurai genre thanks to movies like Seven Samurai but also explored many other genres in movies like the police procedural drama High and Low. He was versatile and smart, and his movies are unsurprisingly some of the most beloved on IMDb.
3 Martin Scorsese — 7 Movies
One of the main faces of New Hollywood, one of the film movements that have shaped cinema the most, Martin Scorsese is exceptional at what he does. Whether it's in the mob genre that he helped shape, like in the case of Goodfellas, or an entirely different realm, such as the dramatic biopic Raging Bull, you can always trust this director to make an excellent film.
Incredibly versatile to the point of being almost chameleonic, Scorsese has spent decades leaving an indelible mark in cinema. He has influenced countless filmmakers as the years have passed, and his work will likely remain a collection of essential classics for as long as the medium exists.
2 Steven Spielberg — 7 Movies
Capable of creating gut-wrenching war dramas like Schindler's List as well as delightful sci-fi landmarks like Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg is a director who needs no introduction. He defined blockbuster cinema and what it could be, and despite some ups and downs in his career, he has remained one of the finest American directors of the past few decades.
Spielberg makes pure movie magic, films made with a sense of wonder that very few directors can replicate. He knows how to nail suspense, drama, comedy, and character development, and IMDb audiences evidently notice.
1 Christopher Nolan — 8 Movies
Christopher Nolan is often praised as one of the greatest directors working today, and for good reason. He has taken the basis laid out by past blockbuster filmmakers and built upon it beautifully, making movies as highly praised as his Dark Knight trilogy and his most recent outing, Oppenheimer.
Nolan likes to toy with story structure and experiment with creative gimmicks. He has an understanding of visual effects like few modern directors do and a capacity to make tremendously entertaining stories. Way over half of his entire filmography is present in IMDb's Top 250, and it is no surprise.
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