Richard Donner ed away on July 5, 2021, leaving behind an extraordinary and eclectic filmography - but which of these iconic works is his best? After making a splash with the '70s horror classic The Goonies.
Donner began his career in television, directing episodes for programs as diverse as Gilligan's Island and The Twilight Zone. His all-timer episode from the latter, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," served as a preview for the type of playful, genre-defining exercises he would eventually bring to the big screen. After a lackluster first few films, the director struck gold with 1976's The Omen, parlaying that into a decade spent flipping from genre to genre, from the influential Superman: The Movie, to crafting a holiday cult classic in the Bill Murray comedy Scrooged.
Donner's influence is clear in all his best films, and his loss is keenly felt by those who worked with him. Steven Spielberg, who collaborated with him on The Goonies, said this after learning of his death, "Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favorite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally, and – of course – the greatest Goonie of all.” Here are his films, ranked from worst to best.
19. The Toy (1982)
Two of the great comedians of all time, Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason, ed forces in this 1982 comedy to extraordinarily disappointing results. Loosely based on a French film Le Jouet, The Toy tells the story of a spoiled rich kid who requests that the janitor (Pryor) at his father's (Gleason) department store be his own personal toy for a week. The setup is promising, and could easily be reimagined as a satisfyingly dangerous satire of white privilege and entitlement, particularly with Pryor on board. Alas, this is as cloying and overly-sentimental as the director ever got, far from the high-flying entertainment of Superman.
18. Lola (1970)
The tagline for Lola was "She's almost 16... He's almost 40. It may be love, but it's definitely exhausting." Such is the odd, striving-for-comedy vibe of Richard Donner's bizarrely undercooked ode to Lolita. The lackluster screenplay removes any moral complexity from this story of an older man dating a minor, and instead opts for romantic comedy filtered through the counter-cultural button-pushing of the time. The results are icky at best; this is a Donner offering for completists only.
17. Radio Flyer (1992)
Lorraine Bracco plays the mother of a young Elijah Wood and Elijah Wood flies off in a radio flyer to safety. It's cringe-worthy, cloying, and just downright irresponsible from beginning to end.
16. Salt and Pepper (1968)
Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. play nightclub owners who stumble into a criminal plot in this talent-waster of a comedic caper. The film's biggest joke is that Lawford, who's white, is named Pepper while Davis, who's Black, is named Salt. It's all downhill from there. Davis remains one of the most divinely talented artists of all time, but he deserved a better vehicle than this.
15. Timeline (2003)
Richard Donner was in the running to direct Jurassic Park, and so immediately seized the opportunity to direct the screen adaptation of this lesser-known Michael Crichton book. Alas, the director clashed with Paramount Pictures over the final cut, and the resulting film left critics mostly cold. Viewed now, it's a thoroughly charming Big Dumb Action Movie with some fun swashbuckling energy and early-career performances by Gerard Butler and the late Paul Walker.
14. Inside Moves (1980)
John Savage plays a depressed man whose failed suicide has left him disabled in this sensitive but surface-level drama. Donner exhibits a real sense of comion, but the film has frustratingly little to say about the psychology of those who have become disabled or the societal stigma placed on them. Diana Scarwid was nominated for Best ing Actress for the kind woman who helps rehabilitate Savage's character. However, this is mostly a decently observed and capably performed bit of sap.
13. Assassins (1995)
Assassins was dinged at the time of its release for being an overly grim actioner missing the fun of Donner's own Lethal Weapon films. The comparison isn't necessarily fair; while the film is a bit too long and moody, it's also a stylishly made thriller with some exciting setpieces and a wild performance from Julianne Moore as an "info thief" named Electra. Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas play against type, Stallone giving one of his most understated turns as a hitman craving retirement and Banderas having a ball chewing the scenery as the young up-and-comer who wants to be the best.
12. Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
The third Lethal Weapon is hardly great, but it's a masterpiece compared to this sputtering fourth and final entry in the series. Donner is clearly at a loss for what new territory to explore here, so he just winds up recycling all the greatest hits from the previous three films, but with a robotic delivery lacking any of those movies' charms. Joe Pesci is forced to spin his wheels, Chris Rock delivers a series of grating riffs on his standup routine, and the less said about the bizarre monologue about the pet frog the better. Still, even with their charm largely neutered, it's still pleasant to see Mel Gibson and Danny Glover together onscreen, and Jet Li (making his American debut) makes for a fun villain.
11. Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
The series would peter out completely with the fourth installment, but the third showed it was already running on fumes and ranks almost as low in the Lethal Weapon franchise. The dynamic between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson betrays signs of auto-pilot mode, Gibson in particular mugging to his heart's content (and to diminishing returns). Joe Pesci, such a knockout delight as Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 2, is elevated from Gibson and Glover's babysitting charge to a full-on partner, and the results are instantly obnoxious. The action and explosions are as great as ever, but the elements around them that made the prior two entries transcend the genre are sorely lacking.
10. 16 Blocks (2006)
Donner's last film sounds like a typical late-career Bruce Willis action flick but it actually is a pretty inventive, enjoyable ride. Willis plays Jack, an alcoholic cop who's charged with transporting trial witness Eddie Bunker to court. When forces arise attempting to kill Eddie and prevent him from testifying, Jack fights back in a desperate quest to get Eddie to the courthouse 16 blocks away. Clear stakes and a controlled environment make for a wildly fun lark from the experienced action director, with a remarkably present performance from Willis and solid work from the always-underrated Mos Def.
