With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson became the target of the internet’s most beloved phenomenon: made-up, unimportant controversy. Detractors of the film were so loud online that Johnson’s work and style became a topic of heated debate among virtual communities on Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. Whether fans love his work or hate it, the film inspired passion. When his next film, Knives Out, hit theaters, it was met with almost universal love. Who could hate a classic whodunit film with such a vibrant cast of performers?

The rest of his filmography follows a similar pattern as Knives Out: specific subversions of popular genres, usually with lots of wit and heart behind the storytelling. From science fiction to comedy to mystery, Johnson has brought a deconstructive sensibility to all of his films. In his work, genre conventions and their expected associations are often reversed or toyed with, and the resulting story feels fresh and different. Here are all of Rian Johnson’s films, ranked.

Related: Rian Johnson Teases Future Scream Movie Featuring Detective Benoit Blanc

5 The Brothers Bloom

EB20090520REVIEWS905209987AR
Endgame Entertainment

Beginning as a seemingly routine “one more con” story following two brothers who work as con artists, The Brothers Bloom’s many twists and turns are mostly effective at separating it from other movies of its kind. Strong performances from Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz (who learned to play an instrument for her role) make the ambitious con feel alive and dangerous. The details of the job become complicated when one of the brothers begins to fall in love with their target, causing the duo's goals to diverge. The brother’s begin planning details of the con separately, leading to a breakdown in their relationship and further confusion on what events that transpire are part of the plan or not. Many felt that the interesting premise was bogged down by the film’s tone, which seemed to feign more mystery and intrigue than actually existed. Still, The Brother's Bloom is more entertaining and carefully created than the average crime thriller.

4 Brick

brick-on-netflix
Bergman Lustig Productions

Before Euphoria brought all the real-world stakes of life and death to the high school setting, Brick had already achieved cult-classic status for the same reasons. The movie firmly establishes a dark neo-noir atmosphere, weaving together the plot of a heroin exchange among students and the murder of the main character’s love interest. In the style of old noir detective films, protagonist Brendan drops everything to pursue the truth of the murder and loses himself in the darkness of the events as a result. Carefully blending satire and drama, Johnson manages to translate the success of those old stories into a new setting, with the same intrigue and shock that made those detective films so good.

3 Looper

looper
DMG Entertainment

Time travel media frequently suffer from the mind-bending logic required to buy into their creative premises, but Looper manages to succeed within those bounds. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Joe, a contract killer hired by a crime syndicate. When his future self is sent back to the past to be killed by his younger self, the two engage in a high-stakes chase with all the insanity and drama that accompanies the task of killing your future self. Having to grapple with the darkness of his choices in both the present and the future, Joe has to come to terms with his own nature before making the choice that will permanently alter the future. Brilliant performances and a steadily increasing atmosphere of tension and anxiety lead to a jaw-dropping conclusion.

2 Star Wars: The Last Jedi

lastjedicover.0
Lucasfilm Ltd.

After a whole host of non-canon media asked intriguing questions about the lore and universe of Star Wars, the big-budget productions seemed to shy away from the same material. This was somewhat undone in The Last Jedi, where Johnson chose to paint a harsher portrait of the universe’s world after Return of the Jedi. Characters are jaded by the darkness of their choices and the darkness of the institutions that promised them nobility and goodness. This is a story about redemption and about how the choice to protect and become renewed is a constant struggle throughout one’s life. The film did not work for many die-hard fans, but to others, it offered a bold new perspective into the politics and mythology of Star Wars, reinventing a franchise that has become afraid to tread new ground.

Related: Star Wars Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best

1 Knives Out

knivesout-anatomy2-videoSixteenByNine3000
T-Street

The whodunit is a lost art that seemed relegated to the universe of Clue and old mystery novels until the release of Knives Out. The family of Harlan Thrombey comes together to unravel the mystery of his murder and tackle the question of what will be done with his vast estate. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out manages to capture everything exciting and familiar about these stories, bringing together a star-studded cast, each with a biting wit and nasty social tendencies. Daniel Craig excels at playing the whimsical detective Blanc, and seems delighted to be having fun in a role that allows him to do more than brood and smirk. Watching this group of ridiculous people deteriorate into chaos is one of the most entertaining plots in recent cinema. The film was so popular that the potential for a sequel is already drumming up major excitement.