Doug Liman is a unique director who started during the indie explosion of the '90s. Although he has directed big box office hits, he still feels like an outsider and a rebel, and that shows in his way of doing things; improvising, and changing ideas until the last minute to get the best shot, making his films one of a kind. Some actors love him, some loathe him, but all have to admit that his system usually works for creating entertaining, special movies. Here are Doug Liman’s best movies, ranked:

7 Jumper (2008)

 Hayden Christensen & Rachel Bilson in Jumper
20th Century Fox

David Rice (Hayden Christensen) is a teenager who discovers he can teleport (“jump” as they call it in the movie). After having some fun with his powers, he discovers he’s in over his head, as a battle between jumpers and an ancient society who want to eliminate them forever, led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), develops. Jumper might not be the best movie ever, but Liman directs some incredible set-pieces, taking advantage of the idea of teleporting. He also shot in the real Roman Colosseum, creating shots that had never been done in a movie before. As always, it’s pure Liman. As Akiva Goldsmith told Variety: “Doug is a self-and-semi-managed tornado. It’s chaos, and it’s effective chaos.”

6 American Made (2017)

Tom Cruise at a pay phone in American Made
Universal Pictures

Based on the true story of Barry Seal, American Made tells the tale of the commercial pilot who ended up running drugs for Pablo Escobar and the American government, with Tom Cruise in the leading role. The movie is interesting and makes for a fun romp, probably because both Liman and Cruise identify with Seal’s rebellious and outlaw attitude. The real story has more dark implications, but the movie wants us to enjoy ourselves with some stylized direction and performances, as it has a great cast. It’s not just Cruise’s movie, as Sarah Wright, Domhnall Gleeson, Lola Kirke, Jesse Plemons, and Caleb Landry Jones all do fantastic jobs with their roles.

5 Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

Jolie and Pitt in Mr and Mrs Smith
20th Century Fox Releasing

John (Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) Smith, are in a marriage rut. Until they discover his/her other half is also an assassin, and their last job is to kill each other. From there, action, romance, and hijinks ensue. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is many things: a satire about marriage after the honeymoon phase; one of Angelina Jolie’s best performances, a sexy action film with two movie stars, Doug Liman’s maturity as an action filmmaker, a scene-stealing performance by Vince Vaughn (it won’t be the last one on this list), and a tabloid goldmine for what happened offscreen between the two leads. This film is still Liman’s greatest success at the box office.

4 Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Tom Cruise as Cage and Emily Blunt as Rita in Edge of Tomorrow.
Warner Bros. 

There’s a battle against aliens, and humanity is losing. Cage (Tom Cruise) is a PR manager with zero combat experience, who ends up on the battlefield. After killing one of the aliens, he keeps repeating D-Day over and over again. It’s still baffling to us that Edge of Tomorrow didn’t do well at the box office, as it has everything we could want. The film is an action-adventure using Groundhog Day ideas (and jokes) and video game logic. It includes a montage of Tom Cruise getting repeatedly killed in gruesomer ways and shows Emily Blunt as the proven soldier, that must be Cruise’s sensei in battle.

Liman is at the top of his game, using all his action chops and knowledge for fun. Edge of Tomorrow is a film that gets better with each re-watch. When the worst you can say of a movie is that the comic title was much better (All you need is kill), then we know we’re in good hands.

Related: Tom Cruise's Best Action Movies, Ranked

3 The Bourne Identity (2002)

Bourne Identity
Universal Pictures

A man is found in the sea, with a couple of bullets in his body and amnesia. He doesn’t know his name, but discovers he’s an assassin. That’s the idea behind The Bourne Identity, Liman’s first action movie, with Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. As always, Liman looked at what was done before in a genre and tried to do something different, and in this case, it changed action movies forever. Liman himself, became surprised that the Bond movies copied his Bourne style, as he had always wanted to direct a 007 film.

Be it the Mini Cooper car chase, the understated duel with Clive Owen, or the intimacy that grows between Bourne and Marie (Franka Potente), this unique movie doesn’t stop surprising us. The movie's success led to four more Bourne films, full of action, but we’ll always have the understated moments in the film, the romantic stolen glances, and scenes that are a lot more than fighting.

Related: Best Matt Damon Movies, Ranked

2 Go (1999)

Go - Sarah Polley & Katie Holmes
Sony Pictures Releasing

One night in L.A., three interconnected stories, and a lot of fun, drugs, and parties. Those are the ingredients of Go, a sadly forgotten cult classic of the '90s, directed by Liman and written by John August. This was a real indie film, as Liman himself was the camera operator, so he could see everything, and talk with actors between takes, and steal shots from real raves. He also extracted great performances from a group of young actors, starting to hit it big in Hollywood (Katie Holmes, Sarah Polley, Taye Diggs, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, and Timothy Olyphant). When the movie premiered, some said it was a Tarantino imitator, but Liman and the script make it so much more. It explains a subculture never seen before in film, it has inventive shots and ideas, it has colorful characters, it has tension and suspense, it has jokes, it has chaos, and all of it ends exploding in a final joke that sums up the idea of the movie: you do a lot of stupid things when you’re on your twenties.

1 Swingers (1996)

Swingers - Favreau & Vaughn
Miramax Films

A wannabe actor (Jon Favreau) tries to move on from a break-up with the help of his friends, (Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston) is the plot of Swingers. The movie was about much more. It showed male friendship in a more realistic and vulnerable way (this was before Apatow), while using new ideas and situations. From friends playing video games, going to Vegas, or an almost horror-like scene about leaving voice messages to a woman you want to date.

This movie put Liman (and Favreau, and Vaughn) on the map. Written by Favreau before he became a director, the film was an indie in the most strict sense. They shot in real bars, with real people, and not extras. They did things like opening the fridge because the scene needed more light, and shooting without permits. Liman told Grantland, “We organized the shoot around the things most likely to get us arrested at the end of the schedule.”. Even with all these difficulties, Liman made a movie with the “it” factor, with personality, inventiveness, and some rebellious behavior, which was a blast to watch. Actually, it can also be applied to all the movies he has done since, as that seems to be his recipe for film success.