Making a movie is hard, but making an impressive directorial debut is even more difficult, due to the lack of experience of first-time feature directors. Even some directors who are considered the best of the best still have mediocre or outright bad feature directorial debuts (such as David Fincher's Alien 3 or James Cameron's Piranha 2: The Spawning).
Yet, there are some directors who managed to direct some of the best feature directorial debuts there are. A good way to identify such highly-rated debuts is by looking at the IMDb Top 250 list which includes the movies considered the best by regular viewers. (Because of this, some entries may have a different overall rating on their individual IMDb page than on the list. The ratings from the list itself are referenced here.)
10 American Beauty (1999) - 8.3 - Available On HBO Now, HBO Max, And DirecTV
Though somewhat tainted by what happened to Kevin Spacey's reputation many years later, American Beauty remains an outstanding movie from the 1990s and a great debut for director Sam Mendes. The movie was a critical and commercial success and went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor at the Academy Awards (out of eight nominations). It sits at the #78 spot.
The story follows an advertising executive who experiences a midlife crisis as he becomes infatuated with his daughter's best friend who is only in her teen years.
9 Coco (2017) - 8.3 - Available On Disney+
With one of the best Pixar protagonists, Coco was initially supposed to be directed by Lee Unkrich who had previously directed Toy Story 3 and co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. But the writer Adrian Molina was eventually promoted to co-director which made Coco his feature directorial debut. The animated movie sits at the #75 spot on the list.
The movie follows a twelve-year-old boy named Miguel who has a passion for music despite his family disapproving of his calling. On the Day of the Dead, Miguel accidentally finds himself in the Land of the Dead that he must now find a way to escape. It is 75th on the top 250.
8 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) - 8.3 - Available On FXNow, DirecTV, And Sling TV
With one of the best animated villains of recent years, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the most unique and successful animated movies of the 21st century. It was co-directed by Bob Persichetti (first-time director), Peter Ramsey (previously directed Rise of the Guardians), and Rodney Rothman (also first-time director). Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse takes the #68 spot.
Based on characters from Marvel Comics, it takes place in a shared multiverse known as the Spider-Verse where multiple versions of Spider-Man find themselves in a single world and must now figure out how to defeat the evil Kingpin and get back to their respective homes.
7 Hamilton (2020) - 8.4 - Available On Disney+
Though Hamilton is originally a musical and the movie is just a live stage recording of it, it still got recognition as an actual movie and even received two nominations at the Golden Globes. Hamilton was directed by first-timer Thomas Kail who had previously directed other Broadway productions of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals. Right now, Hamilton sits at the #60 spot.
Inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton, it follows Hamilton's life and his work as one of the founding fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury.
6 The Lives Of Others (2006) - 8.4 - Available To Buy From Prime Video, Google Play, And YouTube
The German drama movie The Lives of Others was Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's feature directorial debut after directing multiple short films. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and Donnersmarck would go on to direct The Tourist (with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie) and Never Look Away which was nominated for two Oscars. It lands at the #58 spot on the IMDb Top 250 list.
Set in 1984 East Berlin, the story follows a secret police agent who must spy on a writer and his lover while gradually becoming obsessed with their lives.
5 American History X (1998) - 8.5 - Available On Tubi TV
One of Edward Norton's best roles to date, American History X is known for its first-time director Tony Kaye having a disagreement with the studio about the final cut which led him to publicly disown the movie. Yet, it was a critical success and American History X would even be used for educational purposes in the US. The movie is in the top fifty on the list, sitting at the #38 spot.
The story follows two brothers living in LA who become involved in a white supremacist and neo-Nazi group. After coming back from prison, the older brother decides to change his life and help his brother leave the group behind.
4 The Lion King (1994) - 8.5 - Available On Disney+
Perhaps Disney's most influential movie, The Lion King was co-directed by two first-timers Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, who had previously worked on other Disney movies in various ways. The Lion King was a massive success and is the highest-grossing traditionally-animated movie to date. The iconic animated movie sits at the #33 spot on the IMDb Top 250 list.
Taking inspiration from various sources (such as William Shakespeare's Hamlet), the movie follows the young lion Simba whose father, King of the Pride Lands, is killed by Simba's uncle. After years in exile, Simba must return to reclaim his throne.
3 City Of God (2002) - 8.6 - Available On HBO Now, HBO Max, And DirecTV
City of God's achievements are just as impressive as its creation history. Though Fernando Meirelles (who had co-directed two features before) got the director credit on the movie, first-time feature director Katia Lund got the co-director credit. Interestingly, the movie received several Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director - but Lund wasn't nominated. City of God occupies the #22 spot on the IMDb Top 250 list.
Spanning several decades, the movie depicts the rise of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus (or "City of God") suburb of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
2 12 Angry Men (1957) - 8.9 - Available To Buy From Prime Video, Google Play, And iTunes
The courtroom drama 12 Angry Men was Sidney Lumet's first feature directorial work and is still considered one of the best movies ever made. In fact, it was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. 12 Angry Men is actually in the top five on the list, sitting at the #5 spot.
Taking place almost entirely in a single room, the story follows twelve jury men who are deliberating the conviction of an eighteen-year-old defendant as they question the evidence and their own values.
1 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - 9.2 - Available On Sling TV
Perhaps the best Stephen King adaptation to date, The Shawshank Redemption is Frank Darabont's feature directorial debut which also happens to be the highest-rated movie on the IMDb Top 250 list (the #1 spot). Darabont would go on to direct two other King adaptations - The Green Mile and The Mist.
The story follows a banker who is sentenced to life in the Shawshank State Penitentiary for murdering his wife and her lover even though he claims to be innocent. While in prison, he befriends a fellow prisoner and gets involved in a money-laundering operation.
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