The films of Rian Johnson, ranked
Rian Johnson is one of the most visionary filmmakers working today, so let's see how all of his original films stack up against each other.
*Note: The Last Jedi will be excluded from this ranking, because we don't need to bring that kind of fandom toxicity here.
Brick
Johnson’s first film is a tribute to hard-boiled detective films, with an added twist of a setting at a high school. Made with a microscopic budget and starring a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brick is his most niche idea yet whose meshing of two radically different genres never fully lands. There is some novelty to see a noir investigation at a high school, but this wears out its welcome fairly quickly and exposes the lack of any real substance behind the premise. The script reeks of Johnson trying too hard to find a quirky hook that will distinguish himself, although the lack of noteworthy characters makes it hard to get invested in a standard mystery. All of the supporting high schoolers are simplistic caricatures, including our paper-thin lead brought to some life by Levitt, but the straight-laced tone hints that the film doesn’t understand its own goofiness. Though the concept initially appears promising, the awkward blend of two antithetical genres is executed with too much self-seriousness to be memorable.
The Brothers Bloom
Another film that resembles an early attempt by Johnson to find his voice at a caper story, The Brothers Bloom is another misfire. The plot is a largely generic con man tale with many of the familiar dynamics between the main characters, exempt from the pure originality that every other film on this list contains. The fizzy tone and likable cast makes it more watchable than Brick’s drab mismatch of genres, but the slightly more fun spirit also has little that’s singularly interesting about it. Since the characters are mostly cutouts from other films, the dramatic arcs surrounding them hold little impact while the bland attempts at comedy all fall flat. This is also one of the only times that Johnson feels like he’s trying to replicate the style of others without finding the reasons that his story is, particularly that of Wes Anderson and Steven Soderbergh. In all, this is the most disposable entry in his filmography, containing a few appealing elements that are drowned out by other uninspired additions that are difficult to get invested in.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
After reinvigorating the murder mystery with Knives Out, Johnson upped the ante with bolder ambitions and a fierce skewering of modern-day entitlement. Shifting from creaky mansions to sleek techno-domes, targets are turned to the brilliant mockery of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk that allows his unflinching social commentary to be unleashed. As Benoit Blanc conducts an even funnier investigation, he’s surrounded by another egocentric cast consisting of boisterous performers like Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, and Dave Bautista. Luckily, the material decides not to copy the original’s success and instead lean into more subversive storytelling, using an unconventional structure that constantly skips throughout time and different perspectives to veer the plot into shocking new directions. The establishing scenes and final resolution both veer into over-the-top writing whose sloppiness is a bit surprising compared to the remaining air-tight script. However, the broader characters don’t prevent Glass Onion from being another whip-smart gem that pushes whodunnits forward into an area just as polished as the titular onion.
Looper
One of the best science-fiction films of the last decade, Looper is a stellar time travel story that demonstrated Johnson’s exemplary skill at refreshing spins onto tried-and-true genres. The idea of “loopers”, hitmen who kill mob targets sent from the future, is such an intelligent way to mine propulsive action from advanced world-building and excellent performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt. The seedy underworld uncovers the darker implications of time travel through haunting sequences where a man’s limbs start to rapidly disappear from his present-day body or the thought-provoking arguments over how to prevent a child’s future crimes. As the film progresses, and we travel through multiple futures that the two versions of Joe battle over which to maintain, the moral complexities become just as complex as the gunfights since the script truly makes you care about the past, present, and futures established. Looper is Rian Johnson at the creative heights that make him a firmly distinct directing talent, forming a fascinating premise and crafting extremely exciting results out of it.
Knives Out
Similar to how Looper found a fresh way to expand the sci-fi genre, Knives Out expertly combines the classic Agatha Christie template with modern sensibilities. It contains the traditional setup and lengthy monologues that reveal the killer’s true motives, but with a far more layered mystery that contains multiple unexpected revelations that constantly stay one step ahead of the audience. The complex plotting avoids being overly tiring due to the strong sense of humor spliced into the dialogue, giving everyone in the robust cast their own marked sense of humor. Chris Evans’ self-assured snark, Toni Collette’s Goop-esque narcissism, Daniel Craig’s drawling bravado, and Ana de Armas’ subdued realism are some of the noteworthy highlights. The ensemble never becomes overcrowded as Johnson keeps the focus on his taut mystery, having the deft ability to control his busy script with an equally energetic direction. As entertaining as it is sharp-witted, Knives Out is Rian Johnson at his strongest writing and directing that shows off his knack for surprising us with imaginative material that would be unable to capture the same boldness in the hands of many lesser filmmakers.
More from Almost A Critic
This Weekend On-Screen: Let’s discuss the best movies in theaters right now
All 11 Seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’ Ranked
Halloween Ends is a trite bait-and-switch that’s all dead air
This Weekend On-Screen: Pearl is far from X-cellent, Tales Of The Walking Dead is dead on arrival
This Weekend On-Screen: Rush out to Barbarian, Cobra Kai spins its well-worn wheels
The Slow Death of the Studio Comedy
Every Jordan Peele Film, Ranked
Why are the most popular franchises so afraid to kill their characters?