Megalopolis Was A Mess, But Here Are Some Great Movies By Late Career Directors

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24/7 Wall St. Insights

• There are many examples of great, big-budget epics made by directors at the end of their careers.
• Some directorial farewells feature the director's close friends and family in the cast.
• Masters like Kurosawa and Scorsese top the list.
• Also : 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever

The reviews are in: Megalopolis stunk. In its opening weekend, Francis Ford Coppola's much-hyped, largely self-funded epic was met with negative reaction from critics and general bewilderment from audiences. Lofty dialogue, ambitious visuals, and heavy-handed messaging seemed to contrast with what many moviegoers perceived to be a lazy, messy production that included flubbed lines in the final cut and clearly recognizable furniture brands like Herman Miller meant to pass as futuristic set design. Megalopolis made $4 million domestically, finishing sixth in the weekend box office. While most of the director's filmography has aged like his wine, it is unclear whether Megalopolis will be ever considered among Coppola's best.

But part of the attraction of Megalopolis is the swing-for-the-fences attitude of a director at the end of his career. Coppola reportedly spent $120 million self-financing the project, imbuing the movie with an urgency and sincerity that may appeal to some viewers. In that regard, Megalopolis is the latest entry in a long list of big, go-for-broke movies made by late career directors with one last thing to say.

Akira Kurosawa, for example, was 75 and in ailing health when he made Ran, his historical epic about an elderly warlord in medieval Japan. John Huston reportedly directed his James Joyce adaptation The Dead from a wheelchair, while Cecil B. DeMille suffered heart attacks and other health issues while directing The Ten Commandments and died several years after its release. A deeper dive into IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings data reveals some of the best movies made by directors in the final stages of their careers.

To determine the best movies made by late career directors, 24/7 Wall St reviewed data on audience and critical reception from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Movies were ranked based on an index consisting of average IMDb user rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score, all components weighted equally. Only movies made by directors who were at least 70 years old at the time of production and movies made by late directors in the last five years of their lives were considered. Data is current as of September 2024.

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