A movie’s plot and dialogue are its most delicate pillars. Films that impress in every other aspect, but fall short in these two areas are always guaranteed to get negative or average reviews from fans and critics. Screenwriting is, therefore, seen as complex art that ought to only be handled by the most talented minds. As such, the best directors have a tendency to rely on storytelling experts, instead of penning the tales themselves.
Interestingly, there are a few filmmakers that are not only skilled enough to write their own films but also do it for others. However, they don’t normally do this out of love for their colleagues. For some, it’s a case of writing the script and losing the desire to finish the entire project, hence they pass it over to someone else. Others simply tend to have hectic schedules, leaving them with no option but to gift some of the manuscripts to fellow directors that they have faith in. No matter the reason, fans will forever be thankful for the fact that these Hollywood projects had some iconic names working behind the scenes.
10Scarface (1983)
Scarfaceis a loose remake of the 1932 pre-Code gangster film of the same name, and the fact that it’s very different from the original is mostly because of Oliver Stone’s vision. Stone figured that the original — which revolves around an immigrant gangster rising up the ranks of Chicago’s Cosa Nostra — was boring. In fact, he hated it so much that he initially rejected Brian DePalma’s offer to have him on board as a screenwriter. Thankfully, he changed his mind after DePalma switched up the idea to one about a Cuban immigrant in Miami. Audiences thus ended up getting one ofthe best modern remakes of classic movies.
Looking back atScarface, there are numerous things worth singling out for praise. A line like “Say hello to my little friend!” by a delusional Tony Montana (Al Pacino), will never get old, and neither will the tense mob meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia. However, what truly makes the story come out well is the writer’s own real-life inspirations, According toThe Independent, Stone was struggling with cocaine addiction at the time. His frustrations can be seen in the manner in which he handles the main character. Despite making him rise to the top of the Miami underworld by selling drugs, he punishes him by subjecting him to a brutal death in the end.
9Patton (1970)
Francis Ford Coppola’s name is so synonymous withThe Godfatherthat his other work is often ignored. But that’s the price he has to pay for making one of the greatest movies of all time. Away from the Corleone crime family saga, Coppola has had direct contributions to the creation of two incredible war movies.Apocalypse Nowis his vision from start to finish but inPatton, he is only a writer, a responsibility that earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
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The biopic covers the life of George Smith Patton Jr., who was in charge of the US Army’s 2nd Armored Division during World War II. Here, Coppola once again proves why he is the master of turning books into movie scripts. As he did withThe GodfatherandApocalypse Now,he only plucks the most exciting bits out of the source material and tweaks the character’s original worlds to make them appropriate for all audiences. For example, the original version of Patton Jr’s famous rallying cry is full of expletives but in the movie, several words are replaced with more palatable ones.
8True Romance (1993)
Tony Scott’sTrue Romanceis a relatable examination of some of the dumb decisions that people make while in love. The turmoil all begins after an Elvis impersonator falls in love with an escort and then kills her pimp. The two go on the run, hoping to sell some of the dead man’s cocaine in Vegas but soon find themselves being pursued by the mob. The film is largely associated with Quentin Tarantino, yet he only wrote it. The director is reported to have sold the script to Warner Bros to get money to makeReservoir Dogs.
Several Tarantino trademarks can be spotted all overTrue Romance.There is the armed standoff, characters engaging in destructive leisure activities, and pop culture references. Apart from the Elvis Presley scenes, there are nods topopular Vietnam War moviesand Humphrey Borgart’s character inCasablanca. Above all, each character is shown to be very willing to engage in bloody violence when things don’t go their way.
7Bridge of Spies (2015)
Bridge of Spiesscintillatingly explores the quid-pro-quo games that unfolded between the US and the USSR during the tense period. In it, Tom Hanks stars as James B. Donovan — a lawyer tasked with negotiating the release of a CIA pilot whose plane was shot down in Soviet skies. In order for that to happen, the KGB also demands the release of one of its spies. Steven Spielberg serves as the director, with the Coen brothers writing the script.
DespiteBridge of Spiesbeing written by the iconic director duo, their fingerprints can hardly be noticed. There are no black comedy elements or characters constantly finding themselves in awkward scenarios. At heart, it’s still a Steven Spielberg, and it isn’t surprising for a director of his caliber to forcefully put his stamp everywhere he could. Thankfully, the efforts of both parties were appreciated by the Academy Awards.
6Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
Don’t Be Afraid of the Darkis the typical-haunted house flick. It follows a family that begins experiencing strange phenomena while living inside a Victorian-era mansion. The film is one of three to be written by Oscar-winning director, Guillermo del Toro, so far, and it nails all the basics because he had mastered nearly everything about the genre after making several horror flicks in the 2000s.
During an interview withCollider, del Toro stated thatDon’t be Afraid of the Darkwas a passion project for him since he had loved the original made-for-TV version since childhood. This is evident in the plot since there are a number of emotional moments that involve children. On top of that, the attention to detail is remarkable. Overall, the film has very few scary moments compared to others of its kind and lacks the crisp visuals that the director has come to be known for. Still, it remains a worthy watch for genre fans and the director’s biggest fans.
5Poltergeist (1982)
Tobe Hooper’sPoltergeistbelongs to the same taxonomy of films asDon’t be Afraid of the Dark, butit’s a more recommendable production, not only because it has a flawless script written by Steven Spielberg but also because it has some of the most outstanding special effects out of any ‘80s movie. Events revolve around a family that’s forced to battle evil spirits emerging from a television screen after they move into a dream home.
Though the horror flick is mostly associated with Spielberg, it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did if not for Hooper’s suggestion. Initially, the now highest-grossing director had pictured it as a sequel toClose Encounters of the Third Kind,but Hooper suggested exploring a new ghost tale instead. Consequently, a frightening and gripping film was born. Years later, its legacy remains intact. Recently, James Wan confessed thatPoltergeistwas used as inspiration forM3GAN.
4Strange Days (1995)
Hollywood is full of examples ofcelebrity couples that have worked together, butStrange Daysprovides an interesting scenario where it’s actually exes teaming up. For the cyberpunk film, Kathryn Bigelow sought the scripting services of her ex-husband, James Cameron (who she had divorced in 1991), resulting in a complex yet captivating tale about voyeurism, technology, and crime.
Events take place in a technologically advanced version of the year 1999 where black market techies have created a device that can record one’s memories and bodily sensations into a disc. The disc can then be purchased by other people. This enables depressed people to experience the good feelings of happy people. The sci-fi element has Cameron written all of it since Bigelow had never dived into the genre before and has never done so again. Still, she infuses her mastery with fight scenes, creating a film that is both action-packed and thought-provoking.
3V for Vendetta (2005)
James McTeigue’sV for Vendettais set in a futuristic version of London that has fascist policies and is defined by police brutality. Soon, a vigilante attempts to ignite a nationwide revolution by conducting terrorist attacks. Rather than adapt the DC Vertigo Comics himself, McTeigue left the task to the capable, Wachowskis, who manage to bring some of the same mayhem that they had incorporated intoThe Matrix.
In a way,V for Vendettastill feels like aMatrixfilm. The aggressive policemen in it are very similar to the Agents in the earlier sci-fi film. They are all tasked with ensuring no one rebels against the ‘regime.’ But as expected, a hero pops up. Hugo Weaving (best known for playing Agent Smith) also returns and casts spells on viewers in the same way he did in his breakout role.
2The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Hergé’sTintincomics had been popular for decades and when a blockbuster adaptation came, it was long overdue. Spielberg took on the challenge once again and in order to ensure the story flowed smoothly, he gave the writing responsibilities to Edgar Wright, who was a self-confessed fan of the character. A plot was thus conceived, revolving around the titular character’s search for a treasure that had been left in a ship belonging to Sir Francis Haddock.
Overall,The Adventures of Tintinhas the same sense of urgency that most Edgar Wright films do. Characters are always on the move. Most importantly, they remain positive, no matter how grim the future looks. Additionally, Wright takes plenty of creative liberties, notably turning the character, Ivan Sakharine, into a villain, yet he is a minor harmless figure in the books. Whether this is beneficial is up for debate, but the movie’s mostly positive reviews confirm that no major missteps were made.
1Halloween II (1980)
The ‘80s were busy years for John Carpenter. Driven by a desire to tell new stories and a lack of time, he wrote the script and left the directorial duties ofHalloween IIto the previous installment’s Art Director, Tommy Lee Wallace. In the sequel, the killer, Michael Myers heads to the hospital in order to finish the job on the survivor, Laurie, but the task proves more complicated than he expected.
Carpenter’s decision to stick to the pen, while avoiding the camera, didn’t harm the film. Instead,Halloween IIrevolutionized the slasher genre.The movie constructed many of the tropes that are now abused by other movies. These include a final girl that keeps returning in installments, the hero being related to the villain, and the killer standing beside an unsuspecting victim. Today, the sequel still stands out as a much more entertaining offering than many others like it in the genre.
