Audiences might not realize it, but 2022 has seen the return of some beloved directors to the screen after a long absence. Whether it's David O. Russell (Dead for a Dollar), or Todd Field (Tár), it's good to see the old pros come back from hiatus to deliver something new.
While it remains to be seen whether these filmmakers will mount a true comeback, plenty of directors ended their hiatus with a truly great movie. Proving that time away from the director's chair doesn't always develop rust, auteurs like Stanley Kubrick and Kathryn Bigelow made the most of their return to cinemas.
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Kenneth Lonergan, 5 Years
Films about dysfunctional families are quite common, but Manchester by the Sea proves that the subject is still ripe for powerful drama. The movie follows Lee Chandler, who must become his nephew's father figure after his brother dies, and it's slowly revealed that he sees it as a way to redeem himself after a horrible tragedy.
Helmed by stage veteran Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea was a critical darling, and Casey Affleck earned an Oscar for his lead performance. Interestingly, it was not the first time Lonergan had taken a long break from film directing, with his previous film Margaret being released over a decade after his directorial debut, You Can Count on Me.
Moneyball (2011)
Bennett Miller, 6 Years
Often Moneyball tells the story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane and his quest to assemble a winning team to save the ailing franchise. The movie was a hit both critically and commercially, with the performances and Aaron Sorkin's screenplay being singled out for particular praise.
While Moneyball is typically considered Sorkin's baby, the movie wouldn't have been what it was without director Bennett Miller, who previously directed Philip Seymour Hoffman to an Academy Award with Capote. He later followed up Moneyball with Foxcatcher, another sports biopic with a considerably darker twist.
The Fighter (2010)
David O. Russell, 6 Years
The Fighter coming six years after I Heart Huckabees. While Amsterdam's early reviews have been mixed, The Fighter earned widespread praise, particularly for Christian Bale's powerhouse performance as Dickie Eklund.
The movie is a biopic following both boxer Micky Ward and his half-brother Eklund, who struggled for years with drug addiction. The two brothers have roughly equal screentime, but Eklund is arguably more compelling, being a selfish, unreliable man whose self-loathing and broken dreams nonetheless make him highly sympathetic.
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Quentin Tarantino, 6 Years
A throwback to '70s martial arts and revenge films, Kill Bill quickly became one of the most iconic of them all, and it remains one of Quentin Tarantino's most popular movies. Because the movie was over fours long, it was split into two volumes for its theatrical release, with the first being more action-oriented and inspired by Japanese exploitation films.
Volume 1 introduces "the Bride" as a retired assassin out for revenge after her former compatriots shot up her wedding and (presumably) killed her unborn baby. Filled with memorable characters and terrific action sequences, the climax is famous as one of the best "one vs many" fight scenes.
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Kathryn Bigelow, 7 Years
The Hurt Locker was one of the most surprising success stories of 2009, overcoming an initial weak box office take to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. It also served as a comeback for Kathryn Bigelow, who became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director.
Some viewers took issue with unrealistic details in how military life was portrayed, but The Hurt Locker is still impressive on its own merits. The bomb disposal scenes are intense, but the movie has some effective psychological drama, particularly when protagonist William James returns home to find that he can't readjust to civilian life.
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
Lynne Ramsay, 7 Years
Lynne Ramsay may be a non-prolific director known for taking long breaks between movies, but that adds to the mystique whenever a new one comes out. Her fourth feature film You Were Never Really Here continued her hot streak, scoring positive reviews and plenty of awards for both her and star Joaquin Phoenix.
The plot follows Joe, a hitman who is tasked with rescuing a politician's daughter from a human trafficking ring, but the movie is much quieter than the premise might suggest. It's a highly psychological character study that digs deep into the protagonist's troubled mind, never shying away from his deep loneliness and suicidal tendencies.
The Avengers (2012)
Joss Whedon, 7 Years
As the finale for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 1, The Avengers was arguably the movie where the franchise truly became a cinematic universe. Not only was it an incredibly fun popcorn movie, it was a truly great superhero team-up, proving that characters as vastly different as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers could work very well together without anyone hogging the spotlight.
The Avengers also marked the cinematic comeback of Joss Whedon, seven years after his Endgame.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Stanley Kubrick, 12 Years
Late in his career, Stanley Kubrick was known for taking breaks between movies, but over a decade was a long time to wait for his swan song, Eyes Wide Shut. Completed only days before the director's untimely death, the movie confounded general audiences but proved to be a cult hit, with fans iring Kubrick's filmmaking and the plot's wild twists.
Following Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) on a night of near-misses in eroticism, Eyes Wide Shut teases a grand mystery but ultimately turns out to be more an exploration of the nature of truth and deceit. It also features one of Kubrick's strongest female characters in Bill's wife Alice (Nicole Kidman), who turns out to be far tougher than one might give her credit for at first glance.
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Sergio Leone, 13 Years
Sergio Leone's final film saw him move away from the Spaghetti Westerns he made his name on, instead tackling an epic story about organized crime and friendship destroyed. Once Upon a Time America's American cut getting butchered in post-production meant it took a while to find, but the uncut version is beloved by critics and has risen in stature over time.
Although it's often ranked close to Goodfellas as one of the best gangster movies, Once Upon a Time in America is overall less flashy, more melancholy, and mostly unromanticized. Protagonist David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) has a great rise and fall arc, rising from the streets to become a powerful gangster, only to have everything he cared about slip away.
A age To India (1984)
David Lean, 14 Years
A story of racial and cultural tension in the British Raj, A age to India was the final film directed by David Lean after a long career of mounting some of cinema's greatest epics. It also served as a nice comeback after his previous effort, Ryan's Daughter, did middling business and received scathing reviews.
While A age to India isn't as well-known as Lean's Lawrence of Arabia or The Bridge on the River Kwai, it's an important movie for spotlighting a place and time (1920s India) that American moviegoers probably know little about. Similar to Gandhi, it shows the tensions that lead to Indian independence, but on a more intimate level that emphasizes interpersonal relationships, particularly the beleaguered Dr. Aziz and British school heaster Richard Fielding.
