Ranking the Films of Scott Cooper

Scott Cooper has quietly made an interesting career for himself. As I said here when I interviewed him a few years ago, when you watch a film from Cooper, you’re watching work that has a decidedly throwback feel to it. In particular, the character studies of Crazy Heart, Hostiles, and Out of the Furnace are almost a generation out of time, not to mention his latest movie, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. That’s a compliment, too, as Cooper seems like a filmmaker that would have been right at home in the 1970s. Whether it’s The Pale Blue Eye (which is the work I spoke to him about) or his Bruce Springsteen biopic, he does things in an old fashioned way, as too few are currently. With Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere hitting theaters on Friday, I wanted to look at his resume and rank the flicks that he’s put out so far.

In my review of the movie out of the Telluride Film Festival (here), I raved about Cooper’s work like so:

Filmmaker Scott Cooper does the best work of his career adapting the Warren Zanes book Deliver Me From Nowhere. Cooper’s direction has never been this assured or steady, while his script avoids nearly all of the biopic cliches. He makes this an intelligent and evocative tale, only once showing you Bruce Springsteen the rock and roll god, but when he does, boy does your heart soar. It’s in how he captures a lost man that really knocks your socks off. It’s truly stunning filmmaking, getting in under two hours to tell a tale that gives you a fuller understanding of a legend.

Below, you can see how Cooper’s filmography stacks up for me. Seven films in, he’s only made one that didn’t work for me, which is his horror effort Antlers. I’m mixed on Black Mass, but the other five range from solid, like with The Pale Blue Eye and Out of the Furnace, to very good with Crazy Heart and Hostiles, all the way to an absolute home run with Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Every single one of them is interesting, as he’s clearly attracted to stories that become fascinating movies. His newest, whether you love Springsteen or not, is his finest work to date and an absolute must see, though you can see my full order next…

Here now is my ranking of the films of Scott Cooper so far. Behold:

7. Antlers

6. Black Mass

5. The Pale Blue Eye

4. Out of the Furnace

3. Crazy Heart

2. Hostiles

1. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

As you can see, Cooper has done his best work with his latest film in my eyes, but where do you stand? Are you a particular fan of one of these movies? If so, definitely chime in. If you’re waiting for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere in order to decide, that’s cool too. Either way, don’t be shy about joining the conversation.

What is your favorite film from Scott Cooper? Let us know!