The document discusses several independent and low-budget films from the 1980s to early 2000s that were critical and commercial successes, focusing on how talented directors were able to achieve a lot with limited resources. Some of the films highlighted include Blood Simple, Mona Lisa, Reservoir Dogs, El Mariachi, The Usual Suspects, Bound, The Limey, Sexy Beast, Memento, and The American.

2. Back before they were the Coen Brothers,
Joel and Ethan Coen decided to make a
movie. That movie was 1984’s Blood
Simple, and from it came a body of work to Telling the story of Texas barman Ray
rival anything in post-war American (John Getz) and his affair with Abbey
cinema. (Frances McDormand), the wife of his
boss, Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), the
movie rather leisurely and moodily follows
the gradual interweaving of its characters’
fates.

3. A far more intimate
and contained film
than the similarly
London-set Hoskins
starrer, The Long
Good Friday, or
Jordan’s more
obviously shocking
and internationally
Director Neil Jordan’s successful, The Crying
1986 London-set Game, Mona Lisa is a
thriller, Mona Lisa is woozy, bluesy movie
probably the finest film that perfectly captures
that Jordan, and its the seedy, run-down
star, Bob Hoskins, feel of mid-80s
ever made. London.

4. When it comes to the
more recent
independent wave of
thrillers, Reservoir Dogs A talky, bloody, pithy and
(1991) is the undisputed pop culture-savvy piece of
daddy of them all. Made work, Dogs gave Michael
for a paltry $1.2m by Madsen, Steve Buscemi
writer and director and Tim Roth breakout
Quentin Tarantino, roles, revitalised the
Reservoir Dogs was an careers of both Harvey
exocet missile across Keitel and Chris Penn,
the bows of a and launched the love-
complacent and overly him-or-loathe-him figure of
formulaic Hollywood. Tarantino onto the world
stage.

5. The story of the
making of Robert
Rodriguez’s
Mexican action However, that self-
movie, El Mariachi mythologising
(1992), with its shouldn’t detract from
less-than- what Rodriguez
shoestring $7,000 managed to achieve
budget, is an on a budget that
amazing story in probably wouldn’t
itself, and one cover the catering on a
better read in major American movie
Rodriguez’s own for more than a couple
self-mythologising of days.
book, Rebel
Without A Crew.

6. Famously described by
director Bryan Singer as
“Double Indemnity-meets-
Rashomon”, The Usual
Suspects firmly established Budgeted at a mere $6m
director Singer, writer Chris dollars, Singer managed to
McQuarrie and star Kevin expertly manage his
Spacey as part of the resources to deliver a
Hollywood A-list after its picture that looked a darn
Oscar winning success in sight more expensive.
1995.

7. Before the
Matrix
trilogy made
them
synonymou
s with wire-
fu, bullet- Made on a
time and budget of $6m
gnomic dollars and
utterances imaginatively
that’d make shot by
George cinematographer
Lucas Bill Pope, Bound
blush, the riffled heavily on
Wachowski the comic book
Brothers styling's of Frank
were simply Miller’s Sin City
the two series, and in
guys who many ways
made that paved the way
rather cool for its eventual
lesbian adaptation some
crime film, years later.
Bound.

8. While it may not be
his most well-known
thriller – the Ocean’s
films and Out Of Sight While it may not be his most
win there – Stephen well-known thriller – the
Soderbergh’s The Ocean’s films and Out Of
Limey is arguably his Sight win there – Stephen
most efficient, lean Soderbergh’s The Limey is
and effective stab at arguably his most efficient,
the genre. lean and effective stab at the
genre.

9. Opening the new However, the film’s
millennium with a bang, most memorable
the Costa Del Crime-set character was
Sexy Beast was a psychopath Don
welcome and stylish Logan. Brilliantly
change from the brought to life by Sir
depressingly Ben Kingsley, Logan
misogynistic rut that gave the film an
British crime films had unpredictable
fallen into after the energy and made
success of Lock, Stock the Academy Award-
And Two Smoking winning actor hot
Barrels and Snatch. property once again.

10. Based around the
brilliant central conceit of
a man who’s unable to
form new memories,
Memento is at once a
classic memory loss film
noir spliced with a
revenge thriller, while at
After his impressive, no- the same time serving as
budget debut, Following, a deconstruction of both
bowed in 1998, director character and narrative,
Christopher Nolan with its backwards
graduated to the big structure and haunting
leagues with the stunning depiction of a man
Memento (2000). literally cut loose from
cause and effect.

11. Featuring Hollywood
icon George Clooney in
an unusually ruthless
leading role, director Using both minimal
Anton Corbijn’s taut dialogue, stunning yet
euro thriller is a bleak haunting locations, and a
yet hugely impressive very deliberate and
film, which takes controlled camera style,
Clooney out of his usual Corbijn evocatively
comfort zone and conjures a mood of dark
teases out one of his secrets, hidden agendas
most affecting and and fatal betrayal that are
impressive forever lurking just out of
performances. frame.