Few directors are as provocative as Oliver Stone. While he got his start as a screenwriter on films like Scarface, Stone soon moved behind the camera and started an acclaimed career as a director himself. Since then he has created some of the most controversial and acclaimed films in recent memory.
Though his films don’t strike a chord with everyone, there’s no mistaking that he is a unique talent capable of making some truly poignant pictures. If you’re looking to browse through Stone’s eclectic filmography, here are his best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Snowden (2016) - 60%
Stone is known for taking on controversial real-life figures in his movies, and Edward Snowden certainly fits into that category. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars a Snowden, a young man who took a job as with the NSA before discovering the department’s surveillance techniques, and started leaking the information to the public.
Critics acknowledged that Stone plays the story surprisingly safe which slightly takes away from the film. However, the real-life tale of Snowden is compelling enough, and Gordon-Levitt is reliably excellent in the lead role.
Comandante (2003) - 62%
While Stone has tackled a number of famous and infamous figures in his dramatized films, Comandante showcases him exploring one such figure in real-life. The documentary centers on a series of interviews Stone conducted with Fidel Castro during Stone’s trip to Cuba.
Many felt that Stone was too soft on his subject and presented Castro in too positive of a light given his past. However, it is undoubtedly fascinating to see the filmmaker sit down with such a powerful figure in a rare interview format.
World Trade Center (2006) - 67%
The thought of Stone directing a film centered around the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 worried a lot of people. However, Stone took this opportunity to tell a very small and intimate story about the heroes of the day, focusing on two police officers (played by Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña) who are trapped underneath the rubble of the World Trade Center.
The politically muted approach to the story proved to be a wise decision for Stone. World Trade Center serves as a moving and beautiful tribute to the heroes of that day in this visually stunning story.
Nixon (1995) - 74%
Stone’s films are known for being politically minded, so his exploration of one of America’s most infamous presidents was an enticing prospect. Anthony Hopkins stars as Richard Nixon in the decades-spanning story of his rise from youth to his path to the White House and his eventual downfall.
Despite the somewhat challenging runtime of the film — over three-and-a-half hours — Stone managed to construct a compelling look at this important figure in American history. Hopkins is particularly impressive in the lead role while being backed by a stellar supporting cast.
Wall Street (1987) - 79%
Stone focused on the money-hungry culture of the 1980s in this intense drama. Charlie Sheen stars as a young stockbroker who is taken under the wing of a corporate big shot Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). The young man is soon blinded by ambition and willing to bend his morals to succeed in the business.
The film is as unsubtle as you might expect from a Stone feature. However, the filmmaker constructs an engaging thriller within an interesting world featuring a wonderful villainous turn from Douglas.
Talk Radio (1988) - 82%
Stone has always been very outspoken himself, and in that way, Talk Radio might be one of his more personal films. Eric Bogosian stars as a vulgar radio talk show host whose show is being picked up to go national just as he is becoming overwhelmed with the negativity of his environment.
With the combined talent of Stone and Bogosian, they manage to create a fascinating portrait of a highly unlikable person whom you cannot help by watch. It is a funny, dark and gripping drama that feels quite different in Stone’s filmography.
JFK (1991) - 84%
Stone tackled another American president as the subject of his film, but this time it dealt with the death of one. JFK stars Kevin Costner as Jim Garrison, a district attorney who sought to investigate the Kennedy assassination and uncover aspects the government was hiding from the public.
Though the facts of the film have widely been disputed, Stone does deliver a compelling and intense courtroom drama, according to critics. With an all-star cast and an electric storytelling pace, this makes for an unforgettable film regardless of its inaccuracies.
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) - 87%
Stone, a veteran of the Vietnam War, has tackled the subject in several of his films. Born of the Fourth of July looks at the cost of the war to those who made it home. Tom Cruise stars as Ron Kovic, a man who was paralyzed in the war and went on to become an outspoken anti-war activist.
Cruise gives one of his best performances in the complex central role. The ambitious story is handled well by Stone, and it results in a powerful and thought-provoking epic.
Salvador (1986) - 88%
Even early in his career, Stone did not shy away from challenging stories with heavy subject matter. Salvador stars James Woods as an American journalist who becomes caught up in the political unrest of El Salvador in 1980.
Critics felt the film did not always come together in a satisfying way, yet it still made for an intense and gripping story set amidst real-world issues. It also served as a hint at the kinds of provocative stories Stone was interested in telling as a filmmaker.
Platoon (1986) - 88%
Stone became one of the most intriguing filmmakers in Hollywood as he revisited his time as a young soldier in Vietnam in the war epic Platoon. Charlie Sheen stars a new arrival to the war who is quickly introduced to the dangers and brutality of life in the army while caught in the middle of two officers with opposing philosophies on the war.
Stone’s personal experiences add realism and rawness to the film that had largely been missing from Hollywood war films. It is a harrowing account of a hellish environment where innocence is lost.