Is there a director with as high a hit rate today as Denis Villeneuve? The French-Canadian director has been producing critically acclaimed films for the past 15 years A true visionary, Villeneuve is best known for his technical prowess, specializing in science fiction, thrillers, and war dramas Villeneuve creates writer-driven stories at the major studio level that become events for the general public In this respect, he shares with Christopher Nolan

Villeneuve's career spans more than 25 years, beginning with 1998's "August 32 on Earth"; after starting his career by directing four French dramas, Villeneuve moved to Hollywood and began making English-language films in 2013 with "Enemy" and "Prisoners In honor of "Dune: Part 2," we rank the seven best Villeneuve-directed films since 2013 With apologies to fans of "Incendies," this list consists only of Villeneuve's English-language films since 2013

Are we our own worst enemy? This thought-provoking question is at the heart of Villeneuve's psycho-horror "Enemy," in which Jake Gyllenhaal takes on a one-man double role Adam Bell is a Toronto university professor who discovers his doppelganger in the film, actor Anthony Clare Adam follows Anthony around and becomes obsessed with his life

The two finally meet in a hotel room and marvel at their identification Their lives become intertwined and they both seek comfort in their partners: Adam's girlfriend Helen (Melanie Laurent) and Anthony's pregnant wife Helen (Sarah Gadon) Fans of "Mulholland Drive" and "Memento" will enjoy "Enemy A cat-and-mouse thriller with a memorable but polarizing ending

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Did "Blade Runner," one of the most influential science fiction films of all time, need a sequel? Villeneuve presented a compelling case in Blade Runner 2049 Thirty years after the last film, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), working as a Blade Runner, uncovers a Replicant secret that may change the course of history k's investigation leads him to former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has lived in seclusion for 30 years k must team up with Deckard to uncover the truth and prevent a war between humans and Replicants

Despite the issues surrounding characterization and running time (even Ridley Scott thinks it is too long), "Blade Runner 2049" is a technical marvel and arguably Villeneuve's most visually stunning work The film is beautifully shot, a credit to legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who won his first Oscar for his work on this sequel

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While many of Villeneuve's films are noted for their bright, stunning visuals, Prisoners is his darkest, grittiest film It is a rainy crime thriller about one man who is willing to do anything to protect his family Two girls go missing on Thanksgiving One was the daughter of Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests Alex Jones (Paul Dano), the owner of an RV parked on Keller's street where the girls went missing

With no evidence, Loki releases Jones, much to Keller's dismay Keller takes the law into his own hands, kidnapping Jones, holding him hostage, and torturing him in an attempt to locate his daughter Jackman as the vengeful father and Gyllenhaal as the beleaguered cop give the best performances of their careers

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The cards were stacked against Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune Frank Herbert's groundbreaking science fiction novel was considered unfilmable due to incomprehensible narration changes, vast scope, and copious exposition David Lynch tried his hand at the film in 1984, disliked it so much that he disowned it Future filmmakers working on this original work will choose television over film, requiring more time to tell the story

So much time has passed since Villeneuve's "Dune" that it can be said to have broken the curse With its stunning worldview and easy-to-understand plot, it was the best film adaptation of "Dune" at the time of its release Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, the protagonist of "Dune" He is gifted and travels with his family to the dangerous planet Arrakis Paul's father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), wants to broker a peace with the Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis When the Halconens wage war against the Atreides over Arrakis, Paul must accept his destiny as the "Chosen One" and unite the planet

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When making "Dune," Villeneuve knew that a second film was needed to adapt Herbert's novel During the promotion of this science fiction epic, Villeneuve acknowledged that Dune: Part 2 would be a better film than Part 1: Villeneuve acknowledged during the promotion of this science fiction epic that "Dune: Part 2" would be a better film than "Part 1" Villeneuve's comments were genuine and not just a publicity tactic to build anticipation for the sequel

We should have trusted Villeneuve because his analysis was spot on Dune: Part 2 is an excellent film in almost every respect In the sequel, Paul (Chalamet) is in the desert with Chani (Zendaya) and the Freemen, and the battle with the Halkonen family rages With more epic battle scenes, a sinister and psychopathic villain played by Austin Butler, and an impressive sandworm ride, Dune: Part 2 is already cited as a masterpiece by the director

"Dune": With "Arrival," Villeneuve explored time, grief, and humanity through the lens of an alien film Aliens have landed on Earth, and a dozen spacecraft hover in various locations What do the extraterrestrials want? That's the job of linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams), hired to investigate the ships over Montana With the help of physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Louise attempts to communicate with the aliens

When the two creatures respond with circular symbols, Louise makes a breakthrough Louise needed time to decipher the code, but it may be too late, as other nations were on the verge of starting a war for humanity Supported by Adams' sensational performance and a shocking ending, "Arrival" is a shocking examination of the human condition and one of the best films of Villeneuve's career

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To call "Sicario" intense would be an understatement From its explosive opening, "Sicario" never lets the audience catch its breath, as FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to join the Special Joint Task Force to fight drugs Macer joins a team that includes Graver's right-hand man, the mysterious assassin Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) Their mission is to capture a senior lieutenant of a Mexican cartel, hopefully leading to the arrest of the organization's leader

The three leads are sensational, especially del Toro's dark portrayal of a vengeful killer is spellbinding Villeneuve has never been better as an action director, and the border scene is one of the most iconic action scenes of the 2010s Exhale and catch your breath as the credits roll

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