Quick ahead just a few years, and he’s now one of the vital distinct motion administrators working as we speak—somebody who injects his combat scenes with ballet-like precision and a sly wink on the digital camera.
Leitch’s directorial model blends bone-crunching practicality with glossy, high-octane aptitude. He thrives in hyper-stylized violence, characters who discuss like they’ve learn an excessive amount of pulp fiction, and a signature rhythm that appears like a mixture between a punchline and a sucker punch. Whether or not he’s flipping muscle vehicles in Samoa or staging a neon-lit stairwell brawl in Berlin, his motion sequences are tightly choreographed chaos.
However past the stunts, his filmography swings between exhilarating and uneven. That’s what makes this rating just a little spicy.
This record breaks down all six of Leitch’s directorial efforts—from the scrappy begin to the newest field workplace blitz. The rating considers directorial imaginative and prescient, storytelling power, motion choreography, viewers affect, and the way every movie holds up within the action-verse.
06. Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Written by: Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce | Directed by: David Leitch
In Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Leitch stepped into the full-throttle world of the Quick & Livid universe, pairing up Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) in a high-octane buddy journey that hardly ever lifts its foot off the gasoline. The plot is simple in the very best manner: two frenemies should group as much as cease a cyber-enhanced supervillain, Brixton (Idris Elba), from unleashing a lethal virus. There’s globe-trotting, muscle-flexing, car-chasing, and extra slow-motion walkaways than your common season of The Bachelor.
This movie gave Leitch his greatest canvas but, and he painted it with spectacle. The motion is ludicrously over-the-top—and pleased with it. What it could lack in emotional depth or narrative nuance, it greater than makes up for with sheer scale and bravado. The chemistry between Johnson and Statham is sharp, the set items are explosive (each actually and figuratively), and the Samoa sequence provides a refreshing spin to a franchise that normally sticks to avenue racing and skyscraper-hopping. Positive, the plot can get crowded and the villain arc leans cartoonish, however the film is aware of precisely what it’s—and leans into the enjoyable.
There’s a priceless lesson right here for rising filmmakers: if you’re engaged on a franchise juggernaut with a number of stars and a large finances, readability of tone is your greatest pal. Hobbs & Shaw exhibits that motion might be each extravagant and entertaining if it stays self-aware, and that directing charisma-heavy leads is simply as vital as choreographing the stunts round them.
05. The Fall Man (2024)
Written by: Drew Pearce | Directed by: David Leitch
The Fall Man (2024) stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a washed-up stuntman dragged again into the chaos when a film star disappears mid-production. Emily Blunt performs Jody Moreno, a rising director and Colt’s ex, who’s caught between her imaginative and prescient for the movie and the spiraling behind-the-scenes catastrophe. It’s a film about making films—or extra particularly, a rom-com-action hybrid that tries to honor stunt performers whereas juggling style tones.
There’s one thing genuinely endearing about The Fall Man. Leitch is clearly pouring his coronary heart out in tribute to the stunt group that raised him. The movie is full of actual stunt work, intelligent in-jokes, and nods to business tradition. Its tone is mild on its ft, the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt is irresistible, and the set items—particularly the single-take stunt sequence—are pure adrenaline poetry. That stated, the pacing sometimes drags, and a number of the meta-humor feels stretched skinny. Nonetheless, these are minor pace bumps in what’s in any other case a heartfelt tribute wrapped in a crowd-pleasing package deal. It’s not his tightest narrative, but it surely’s simply certainly one of his most adorable.
What shines right here is Leitch’s deep respect for the stunt group. For filmmakers who’ve hung out behind the scenes or dream of it, The Fall Man is a reminder that nice motion doesn’t have to return from results and budgets. It may, somewhat, it ought to, come from the individuals prepared to take successful for the shot.
04. Bullet Practice (2022)
Written by: Zak Olkewicz | Directed by: David Leitch
Bullet Practice (2022) follows Ladybug (Brad Pitt), a self-proclaimed unfortunate murderer, on a mission to get well a briefcase aboard a rushing Japanese practice. He’s not alone—5 different hitmen with intersecting agendas, colourful aliases, and wildly totally different personalities are additionally aboard, turning the journey right into a kinetic, kill-or-be-killed journey. It’s a movie the place mayhem is fixed, and almost each body is loaded with wit, stylized violence, and absurdly enjoyable coincidences.
Leitch leans totally into his aptitude for managed chaos right here. Visually, the movie is a pop-art blast. The motion sequences—notably these involving “Lemon” (Brian Tyree Henry) and “Tangerine” (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)—are meticulously choreographed and characterised, every motion revealing one thing new in regards to the individuals concerned. Admittedly, the plot can get overcomplicated, and the tonal shifts are jarring at instances. However there’s no denying the movie’s wild ambition and vitality. It’s huge, messy enjoyable, with the type of genre-blending confidence few administrators would even try.
What’s value noting for upcoming administrators is Leitch’s fearlessness with type. Bullet Practice exhibits how construction might be playful with out being chaotic, and the way character quirks—when rooted in theme—can elevate a easy motion setup into one thing that feels nearly mythic. When you’re going to swing huge, that is the way you do it.
03. Atomic Blonde (2017)
Written by: Kurt Johnstad | Directed by: David Leitch
In Atomic Blonde (2017), Charlize Theron performs Lorraine Broughton, an elite MI6 agent despatched into Chilly Conflict-era Berlin to get well a stolen record of double brokers. Her mission turns right into a brutal and classy sport of survival via a maze of shifting allegiances, together with with station chief David Percival (James McAvoy), whose motives are as murky because the East Berlin alleys they navigate.
That is Leitch’s solo directorial debut—and what a calling card. The movie is a visible stunner, lit in blues and pinks, pulsing with synth tracks, and anchored by one of the vital bodily demanding performances of the last decade. The stairwell combat scene—filmed to seem like a single take—is a masterstroke of pressure, brutality, and craft. Whereas the plot sometimes will get tangled in its personal spy-vs-spy mechanics, that complexity doesn’t uninteresting its affect. If something, it enhances the icy intrigue.
What makes Atomic Blonde so priceless for filmmakers is its fusion of aesthetic and bodily storytelling. Leitch makes use of violence as a language right here—every punch and crack echoing character intent. It’s a uncommon instance of a director trusting the viewers to really feel their manner via motion, somewhat than simply watch it.
02. Deadpool 2 (2018)
Written by: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds | Directed by: David Leitch
Deadpool 2 (2018) sees Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) attempting to avoid wasting a troubled mutant teen, Russell (Julian Dennison), from turning into a future killer, all whereas being hunted by the time-traveling soldier Cable (Josh Brolin). The result’s half household drama, half gore-soaked cartoon, and half superhero satire that in some way manages to juggle emotional beats with decapitations.
Leitch picks up the place the unique left off and ranges it up. The movie’s motion is leaner, its emotional backbone stronger, and its ensemble tighter. The X-Drive parachute sequence? Hysterical and stunning. The ultimate act? Surprisingly heartfelt. Leitch brings self-discipline to the chaos, with out ever sanitizing what made the primary Deadpool successful. It’s straightforward to underestimate how difficult it’s to handle this type of tonal whiplash, however right here it clicks. The one critique? A couple of gags really feel like they’re taking part in for response GIFs greater than story—however even then, they land most of the time.
If there’s a takeaway right here, it’s the significance of tonal management. For any filmmaker stepping right into a beloved franchise, Deadpool 2 exhibits that respecting the DNA of a property whereas layering your personal rhythm and emotional core is what retains sequels feeling recent—not formulaic.
01. John Wick (2014)
Written by: Derek Kolstad | Directed by: Chad Stahelski (with David Leitch as uncredited co-director)
John Wick (2014) is a couple of man who simply wished to grieve in peace. However after his canine is killed and his automotive is stolen, Wick (Keanu Reeves) dives again into the prison underworld he left behind, abandoning a path of our bodies—and redefining the trendy motion movie alongside the best way. What begins as a revenge story unfolds into one thing mythic, introducing a world of assassins ruled by ritual, guidelines, and blood oaths.
At the same time as an uncredited co-director, David Leitch was instrumental in crafting the look, rhythm, and soul of John Wick. The movie’s clear framing, lengthy takes, and emphasis on sensible stunts set it aside from the shaky-cam chaos of the period. The now-iconic membership shootout is virtually a ballet of bullets. And let’s not overlook: that is the place the “pencil kill” lore started. The story is tight, the stakes are clear, and each body feels deliberate. It’s a terrific motion movie that ended up being the style blueprint.
It’s value noting that John Wick isn’t spectacular solely due to what’s on display—it’s primarily due to what it represents: a complete shift in how Western motion movies are made. The most important lesson right here? Limitations (like finances and scale) aren’t limitations—they’re alternatives to innovate, streamline, and create one thing unforgettable.
Last Verdict: What Makes a Nice Leitch Movie?
If there’s one fixed in David Leitch’s films, it’s this: he treats motion like choreography, not chaos. His greatest movies are these the place the punches, kicks, and crashes are greater than eye sweet—they’re narrative beats. The characters survive the violence in model and go on to speak via extra violence. His worlds are stylized, barely absurd, and sometimes darkly humorous. However that very same model can generally smother a narrative, leaving sure movies wanting cooler than they really feel.
What Leitch nails is the physicality of cinema. He champions actual stunts, tangible ache, and dynamic digital camera work. He’s at his greatest when he is reined in—when the plot doesn’t meander, the tone doesn’t wobble, and the motion has which means. When these items lock into place, you get John Wick. After they don’t, you get Hobbs & Shaw. Nonetheless, just a few administrators working as we speak are pushing the style in additional visually thrilling methods.
So the place does he go subsequent? If The Fall Man was a self-aware nod to his previous, possibly his upcoming The right way to Rob a Financial institution (anticipated to launch in September 2026) can be a touch at his future.
Both manner, the blueprint is obvious: preserve it tight, preserve it brutal, and always remember the place you got here from—even when it was a flaming automotive flip.
