Every Gus Van Sant Directed Movie Ranked Including 'Dead Man's Wire'
From 'Drugstore Cowboy' to 'Psycho,' Moviefone counts down every film of director Gus Van Sant's extremely impressive and award-winning career.
Gus Van Sant attends the red carpet premiere of FX’s 'Feud: Capote vs. The Swans' at MOMA on January 23, 2024 in New York City. FX’s 'Feud: Capote vs. The Swans' premieres with two episodes on Wednesday, January 31 at 10pm on FX, next day on Hulu. Photo by Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for FX.
Director Gus Van Sant is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his generation!
Beginning his career in the late 80s and early 1990s with such critically acclaimed independent films as 'Drugstore Cowboy' and 'My Own Private Idaho', Van Sant scored his biggest box office hit with 1998's 'Good Will Hunting', which won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams.
Van Sant has also helmed such popular and acclaimed movies as 'To Die For', 'Psycho', 'Finding Forrester', 'Last Days', and 'Milk', which went on to earn an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for Sean Penn.
The filmmaker's latest movie, 'Dead Man's Wire', which is based on a true story and stars Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino, and opens in theaters on January 16th.
In honor of the director's new film, Moviefone is counting down every film Gus Van Sant has ever directed, including his latest.
Let's begin!
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18. 'Mala Noche' (1988)
A scene from 1987's 'Mala Noche'.
Walt (Tim Streeter) is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny (Doug Cooeyate). Though Walt has little in common with the object of his affections — including a shared language — his desire to possess Johnny prompts a sexual awakening that results in a tangled love triangle.
17. 'Paranoid Park' (2008)
A scene from 2007's 'Paranoid Park'. Photo: IFC Films.
A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".
16. 'Restless (2011)
(L to R) Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper in 'Restless'. Photo: Sony Pictures Classics.
Two outsiders (Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper), both shaped by the circumstances that have brought them together, forge a deep and lasting love.
15. 'Psycho' (1998)
Vince Vaughn in 1998's 'Psycho'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A young female embezzler (Anne Heche) arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.
14. 'The Sea of Trees' (2016)
Matthew McConaughey in 'The Sea of Trees'. Photo: A24.
In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.
13. 'Gerry' (2003)
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in 'Gerry'. Photo: THINKFilm.
Two friends (Casey Affleck and Matt Damon) named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.
12. 'Elephant' (2003)
A scene from 2003's 'Elephant'. Photo: Fine Line Features.
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.
11. 'Finding Forrester' (2001)
Sean Connery in 'Finding Forrester'. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal (Rob Brown) who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester (Sean Connery) who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor, Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
10. 'Dead Man's Wire' (2026)
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery as Richard 'Dick' Hall and Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in 'Dead Man's Wire'. Photo: Row K Entertainment
Set in 1977 and based on a true story, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård), a former real estate developer puts a dead man's switch on himself and the mortgage banker (Dacre Montgomery) who did him wrong, demanding $5 million and a personal apology.
9. 'Last Days' (2005)
Michael Pitt in 'Last Days'. Photo: HBO Films.
The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician (Michael Pitt) seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial aid and favors, inspired by rock music legend Kurt Cobain and his final hours.
8. 'Promised Land' (2012)
(L to R) Frances McDormand and Matt Damon in 'Promised Land'. Photo: Focus Features.
A salesman (Matt Damon) for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.
7. 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot' (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix in 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot'. Photo: Amazon Studios.
On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.
6. 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' (1994)
Uma Thurman in 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'. Photo: Fine Line Features.
A girl born with enormous thumbs (Uma Thurman) in the repressive era of the 1950s learns to turn her quirks into assets.
5. 'To Die For' (1995)
Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.
4. 'Milk' (2009)
(L to R) Sean Penn and Victor Garber in 'Milk'. Photo: Focus Features.
The true story of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
3. 'Drugstore Cowboy' (1989)
(L to R) Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch in 'Drugstore Cowboy'. Photo: International Video Entertainment.
Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon) is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne (Kelly Lynch), and another couple, Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham), who skillfully steal from drugstores and hospital medicine cabinets in order to appease their insatiable need for drugs. But neither fun nor luck last forever.
2. 'My Own Private Idaho' (1991)
(L to R) Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix in 'My Own Private Idaho'. Photo: Fine Line Features.
Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
1. 'Good Will Hunting' (1998)
(L to R) Robin Williams and Matt Damon in 'Good Will Hunting'. Photo: Miramax Films.
Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.
