Director Gore Verbinskic is one of Hollywood’s most versatile filmmakers. His nearly three-decade long career spans films in a variety of genres, such as family movies, drama, and horror. In addition, Verbinski has also directed music videos for bands such as Bad Religion and Vicious Rumors. Verbinski’s filmography also varies in scale.
The budgets in his films ranged from about $20 million to $300 million. The oeuvre of this Oscar-winning filmmaker certainly speaks for itself. He’s seen some highs and lows during his career (and sadly hasn’t made a movie in six years), but almost all of his movies have made a splash in the movie industry in one way or another. Here are his best movies, ranked.
10/10 The Lonely Ranger
This 2013 remake of the 1940s television series of the same name stars Johnny Depp as Tonto and the now disgraced Armie Hammer as the titular character. With a running time of two and a half hours, The Lonely Ranger flopped at the box office and received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. However, the movie offers some cartoonish reckless fun. In addition, Helena Bonham Carter provides a very energetic and enjoyable supporting performance as Red Harrington.
9/10 The Mexican
The Mexican is one of Verbinski’s earlier works. This 2001 adventure comedy stars Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and the late James Gandolfini. Verbinski gives this film a warmer feel to complement the more violent sequences. The film is ultimately a road trip involving a supposedly cursed gun nicknamed ‘The Mexican’. In addition, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts have a chemistry that explodes on screen following Verbinski’s cues.
8/10 A cure for wellness
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A curious and indefinable epic, A cure for wellness is arguably Verbinski’s most controversial and divisive film to date. It embodies true horror in its ambiguity, but is beautiful to look at. The movie stars Dane DeHann, Jason Isaacs of the Harry Potter franchise, and a sinister Mia Goth (who stars as the titular character in the new Ti West horror prequel to X). A cure for wellness is disturbing and contains intense visuals that are an acquired taste for genre fans, but worth checking out for anyone prepared for something a little more cerebral and bizarre.
7/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End the third installment of the explosive franchise. Johnny Depp is the climax of the film, where he encounters both the supernatural and the gang of pirate lords. The film is one of the most expensive ever made with a budget of nearly $300 million and is one of Disney’s darkest live-action films. This is the last of the pirates franchise that Verbinski directed, and it closes the chapter of the trilogy with a satisfying bookend so that it can be continued by Rob Marshall with the next film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
6/10 mouse hunt
Nathan Lane and Lee Evans take on a mouse in Gore Verbinski’s first feature film, Mouse hunt. Lane always delivers a very energetic performance that has been powerful for both screen and stage. However, the film is much more than two brothers trying to rid their home of a mouse – it’s a surprisingly moving family film with elements for both parent and child.
5/10 The weatherman
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Nicolas Cage is The weatherman in Verbinski’s vastly underrated 2005 comedy drama. At its core, Cage’s character David Spritz is eager for his father’s approval and wants to be the best weather forecaster possible. He can’t seem to escape bad luck by having everything thrown at him, including a 7/11 Big Gulp.
Lucky Spritz is an empathetic character whose narration by Cage compliments his inner struggle. Verbinski uses his cooler and bluish cinematography that he used so well in The ring to highlight a Chicago winter. The film is heartfelt and dark, but doesn’t fall short of Cage’s famed enthusiasm and short fuse.
4/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is the second installment in the pirates franchisee. It introduced the audience to Davy Jones, a CGI character who is so astonishingly realistic despite being executed via motion capture by Bill Nighy. This movie expanded from the subtle introduction of the original to the supernatural and got more fantastic. It’s one of Disney’s more violent movies, but Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow is always a joy to watch.
3/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first to launch the major Disney franchise based on a theme park ride. Johnny Depp delivers an Oscar-nominated performance and one of the best of his career as the reckless Captain Jack Sparrow. He is the heart and soul of this movie, but Geoffrey Rush is a worthy match as a fantastic antagonist, Captain Hector Barbossa.
The successful modern blockbuster is just pure fun and entertainment and marks a milestone in Verbinski’s career. Until then it was the biggest project in his filmography and with the next few films his budget increased. Verbinski immediately became one of the most popular directors of the time with this film, having created what is still considered the best Disney adaptation of a ride yet.
2/10 The ring
Possibly one of the best horror movies of all time, The ring is a 2002 remake of the Japanese film ringu from 1998. Not only does the cinematography create a wet, cold aurora, the great score by Hans Zimmer compliments the disturbing images. The ring is a subtle, slow-burning mystery that will have audiences panicking when their screens become static. The ghostly villain combines both CGI and practical effects to create one of the most iconic images in horror history.
1/10 rango
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rango is the film that finally gave Verbinski an Academy Award. Johnny Depp voices the charismatic chameleon who gets entangled in quite an adventure. rango‘s shooting sessions were done with the actors playing as they would if the movie was live action. Behind the scenes featurette for the film, Verbinski describes his approach to this style of filmmaking:
“Animation is not a genre, it is a technique of telling a story. So why give up the thing you’ve relied on… and your career? When you’re making a movie, you’ve got everyone on set and everyone’s playing their game because there’s another actor, and they’re reacting to each other.”
This style of recording and blocking was also done in Wes Anderson’sFantastic Mr Fox. As Verbinski describes, it adds a lot to the performances. Actors in costume, on a soundstage interacting with each other promote more authentic performances. Verbinski simply translated those performances and vocals into an animated format, because that was the best way to tell this story.
Gore Verbinski hasn’t directed a movie since his 2016 thriller A cure for well-being.However, in 2023 he is expected to release a science fiction film titled Spaceless. It is impossible to predict what else the famous director has in store for the public in the coming years.