No matter the decade or genre, the lateJoel Schumacherhas a thrilling story for anyone. Born and raised in New York in 1939, this criminally underrated storyteller started as a costume and fashion designer before eventually breaking into film with his directorial debut with 1981’sThe Incredible Shrinking Woman. Thirty years and over twenty-three films later, he’s become recognized in cinematic history for creating some of the most wildly entertaining and iconic cult classics of all time.
Sadly,with his passing in 2020, the world lost this talented and prolific director, producer, and screenwriter, but his skills and legacy behind the camera will never be forgotten. Throughout his career,Schumacher has amassed an incredible filmography with some of the most critically and financially successful films of the last several decades. Whether it’s goofy comic book adaptations, compelling crime thrillers, or even charming vampire tales, Schumacher certainly knows how to tell an entertaining story. Here are the ten best movies by this wonderfully brilliant filmmaker that represent the pinnacle heights of his career.
10Batman Forever (1995)
Starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O’Donnell
Whileit’s certainly not the best superhero movie, there is still much to love and appreciate about Joel Schumacher’s hilariously over-the-top blockbusterBatman Forever.Released in 1995,this charming homage to the Silver Age of Comicsproved to be a monster hit at the box office, grossing over $336.5 million against a $100 million budget. Starring ’90s SuperstarVal Kilmerat the height of his powers, it sees him dawning the role of the iconic Caped Crusader on an action-packed adventure to save Gotham City from the terrible clutches of the sinister Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the conniving trickster The Riddler (Jim Carrey).
Following the negative backlash for the much darker, violent tone ofTim Burton’sBatman Returns,Warner Bros.decided to give Schumacher the reins for the later sequels, hoping to make them more light-hearted and child-friendly. What resulted in Schumacher’s reluctant attempts at a saferBatmanfilm was a campier, over-the-top popcorn flick reminiscent to theAdam WestTV show of the 1960s. While many fans and critics continue to bash the film’s more colorful tone and goofy acting,Batman Forevercertainly isn’t terrible. It sometimes can be quite enjoyable at times,especially whenever Jim Carrey and his off-screen rival Tommy Lee Jones share the screen together. While there are plenty of superior Batman films out there, this one is at least remembered for being a fun, inoffensive, and wildly amusing superhero movie.
Batman Forever
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9Flatliners (1990)
Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon.
Coming froma triumphant decade for horror movies, Schumacher’s often overlooked 1990 psychological thrillerFlatlinersoffers an eerie and thought-provoking approach to the age-old question of what happens to life after death. Starring his frequent collaborator,Keifer Sutherland, it follows five ambitious medical students who subject their bodies to suffer near-death experiences to unlock the secrets of the afterlife.
Perfectly blending science fiction with religious elements,Flatlinersgives a unique twist on death. It shows its main characters playing god and learning too late of the shocking mysteries that await people on the other side. Despite mixed reactions at the time, the film has since become regarded asan underrated horror cult classic, generating a solid fanbase over the years and even a lackluster 2017 remake directed byNiels Arden Oplev.
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8St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)
Starring Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Mare Winningham, and Andrew McCarthy
“The Brat Pack” defined the youth culture of 1980s cinema.The Outsiders,Pretty in Pink, andThe Breakfast Clubare allsome of the greatest coming-of-age films ever created, thanks to this wildly talented troop of rising young stars. Thankfully, Schumacher collaborated with a few to create 1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire, a thoughtful, romantic drama about seven young friends struggling to move past their glory days after graduating from college.
Taking a slightly darker spin on the genre, St. Elmo’s Fire explores the tragic decline of friendships and growing apart as it follows these friends struggling to find their ambitions. It’s all backed by powerful performances, especially from Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, who contribute to some of the most heartbreaking scenes of the entire film. Though it can be quite melodramatic at times, with some critics even panning the film’s lackluster and unlikable characters, there is still much to get invested in this emotional, heartfelt tale about what it takes to be an adult.
St. Elmo’s Fire
A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.
Watch on Prime
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7Veronica Guerin (2003)
Starring Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Brenda Fricker, and Ciarán Hinds.
The early 2000s saw Schumacher dipping his hands into much darker territory. Combining forces with two-time Academy Award winnerCate Blanchet, the two deliveredVeronica Guerin, a 2003 biographical crime drama detailing the heroic actions of a brave Irish journalist who gave her life to bring Dublin’s crime and drug syndicates to a grinding halt.
Trading in his usual style of bright colors, visual spectacles, and over-the-top performances for grounded realism and nuanced characters,Veronica Guerinis one of Schumacher’s more subtle and mature films,filled to the brim with compelling drama and expertly acted performances by the main cast. Blanchet incredibly steps into the role of his determined woman from her time reporting on the streets till her eventual slaying at the hands of the crime lords she swore to expose. Though it’s not as enjoyable or entertaining as some of Schumacher’s other works, not to mention having a shockingly low RT score of 53%, this underrated biopic deserves a look at for anyone curious about this incredible journalist’s life.
6Phone Booth (2002)
Starring Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, and Katie Holmes
Originally pitched to the “Master of Suspense” himself,Alfred Hitchcock, in the 1960s, screenwriterLarry Cohen’s thrilling concept about a man trapped in a telephone booth eventually became the basis for Schumacher’s tense 2002 nail biterPhone Booth. Told in real-time, it follows the story of small-time publicist Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell) in a fleeting game for survival after becoming confined in a cramped phone booth by a mysterious rifle-wielding assassin (Sutherland).
While a story of a man trapped in a tiny, single location for the entire runtime might not seem compelling,Phone Boothexcels in its execution, delivering a tightly written and brilliantly tense story that has audiences holding their breaths till the very end.Colin Farrell without a doubt gives one of the most outstanding performances of his careeras Stu Shepard, playing a sleazy, dishonest publicist who’s forced to confront all his wrongdoings. His emotional confession at the film’s climax was reportedly all in done in one take, ending with Farrell receiving tremendous applause from all those around him.
Phone Booth
Phone Booth follows a New York publicist who becomes trapped in a phone booth by a mysterious caller threatening his life. With a laser rifle trained on him, he must navigate fear and reveal hidden truths, all while struggling to maintain composure in a tense and precarious situation.
5Tigerland (2000)
Starring Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins, Tom Guiry, and Shea Whigham
In this intense anti-war drama, 2000’sTigerlandsees the many conflicting mindsets of American Soldiers before being sent off to fight in the bloody Vietnam War. Starring Colin Farrell once again in a commanding lead performance, it follows a unit of reluctant young recruits in their brutal final weeks of training before deployment. As their training reaches closer to the end, one rebellious soldier defies his superiors in an attempt to prevent himself and some of his compatriots from dying overseas.
Shown entirely through the recruits' perspective,Tigerlandtells a heartbreaking anti-war-themed story without any actual war shown in it. Instead of explosive battles and chaotic firefights, the film primarily explores the damaging toll authority has on the minds of young boys sent off to fight in a war most of them don’t want to. It’s a unique approach to how these men felt during this time, and thankfully,Schumacher delivers this idea with maturity and restraint without making the film feel emotionally manipulating. Though a box office flop, grossing a low $148,700 at the box office,Tigerlandtruly is a compelling war film that no war movie buff should overlook.
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4A Time to Kill (1996)
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kevin Spacey
Considered one of the greatest 90s courtroom dramas ever made, 1996’sA Time to Killwas a star-studded, heartbreaking, and captivating masterpiece about one man’s determination to persue justice. Based onJohn Grisham’s 1989 best-selling novel of the same name, the story follows a hot-shot young attorney named Jake Tyler Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) as he’s on the case of a lifetime defending a vengeful father (Samuel L. Jackson) on trial for murdering the two despicable men responsible for committing an unspeakable act against his daughter.
Featuring some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in any crime drama,A Time to Killis a genuinely touching story that’s not afraid to tackle distressing issues of racism and prejudice in the eyes of the law. Performances are stellar throughout the entire film, especially from McConaughey, who arguably gives one of the best closing statements with his iconic and tearful speech in the finale. Along with its rousing 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, this wonderfully praised legal drama is among the best.
A Time to Kill
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
3The Client (1994)
Adapted from another of Grisham’s novels, 1994’sThe Clientsees Oscar-winnersSusan Sarandonand Tommy Lee Jones shinning in this compelling legal thriller. Co-starring the lateBrad Renfroin his screen debut, it follows his character, 11-year-old Mark Sway, in a fight for his life and freedom after witnessing the death of a notorious Mafia lawyer. Facing the threat of the mob and the pressure of an ambitious district attorney, he turns to a good-natured lawyer to protect him from both sides of the law.
A critical and financial success,The Clientowes much of its success to the incredible performances and dialog. Best known for her gripping, dramatic performances, Susan Sarandon easily steals the show as Reggie Love, a determined lawyer with a dark past who eventually redeems herself in her fight to help poor Mark. It’s also backed by her and Renfro’s fantastic chemistry together, creating some of the most heartfelt moments of the entire film.
2Falling Down (1993)
Starring Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, and Rachel Ticotin
One of the most underrated films of the ’90s, Schumacher’s 1993 cult classic action crime thrillerFalling Downwas truly ahead of its time. StarringMichael Douglas in one of his all-time greatest performances, it tells the tragic downward spiral of William “D-Fens” Foster, a struggling family man and working Joe frustrated with his life and society after becoming unemployed and divorced. Now cracking under the pressure of his frustration, he goes on a violent, self-destructive rampage through the streets of Los Angeles, all in an attempt to make it home to his estranged daughter’s birthday party.
A film that’s just as relevant today as it was back in 1993,Falling Downis a heartbreaking tale that explores the haunting themes of societal collapse and the deconstruction of the everyman. Following along with Foster is tragic as he vents his relatable issues with the world in some of the most harmful ways possible. It all culminates in a heartbreaking epic finale that sees him coming to terms with his actions and realizing how much of a villain he’s become. The film’s certainly Schumacher’s most underappreciated and thought-provoking film, and one that surely won’t leave audiences' minds any time soon.
Falling Down
Falling Down follows an ordinary man who, overwhelmed by daily frustrations and societal flaws, begins a descent into violence and chaos. As he lashes out against perceived injustices, the narrative explores themes of societal pressure and personal breakdown, creating a tense examination of urban discontent.
1The Lost Boys (1987)
Starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Cory Feldman, Dianne Wiest, and Keifer Sutherland.
Taking the top spot as Schumacher’s crowning achievement goes to his 1987 dark comedy classicThe Lost Boys. Released inan iconic decade with some of the greatest horror comedies ever released, it stands out as one of the best. Featuring a fantastic cast of rising young actors, includingCory Feldmanand the lateCory Haim, it tells the story of two brothers as they move to a fun-loving, laid-back beach community secretly home to a ruthless and deadly gang of teenage vampires.
With its iconic costumes and style, this charming piece of 1980s nostalgia continues to be watched and beloved by fans alike even to this day. It showcases Schumacher’s best qualities as a director as he creates a fun, unique atmosphere with truly likable and complex characters to keep the excitement and audiences' attention going from beginning to end. Along with an impressive 77% critics score on RT, The Lost Boys truly is Schumacher’s most endearing film and has ensured his legacy for years to come.
The Lost Boys
After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
