Scott Cooper started as an actor in various movies and television shows before trudging the waters of directing. The American filmmaker graduated from the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York. He appeared in such movies as Breakin' (1984), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Rain (2001), Bill's Gunshop (2001), Gods and Generals (2002), Track Down (2004), and Get Low (2009).

In TV, he was credited for his roles in The X-Files (1999), The District (2001), and Broken Trail (2006). After a decade of TV and movie roles, Cooper forayed into directing with his debut film Crazy Heart, which he also produced and wrote in 2009. His first film was a success, earning praise and awards. That same year, he produced, wrote, and starred in the horror film For Sale by Owner.

The year 2013 saw him directing, producing, and writing the crime drama film Out of the Furnace, followed by the biographical flick Black Mass in 2015. Cooper worked with big stars, and most of his films earned commendations, thanks to his brilliance as an actor-writer-producer-director. The filmmaker is not yet done, as he aims to impress with his future projects, like the horror movie A Head Full of Ghosts (director), The Pale Blue Eye (director), and the limited TV series, Angels And Demons (director and writer).

5 Out of the Furnace (2013)

The crime drama film Out of the Furnace is controversial because it attracted a lawsuit from New Jersey’s Ramapough Mountain Indians. The indigenous group alleged that the film portrayed them in a bad way, though the distributor insisted the movie is “entirely fictional”, and not based on anyone. The lawsuit was dismissed later on. The movie follows the character of Christian Bale as he locates his brother (Casey Affleck), who disappeared after a big money fight with a criminal gang. Though packed with big names, the movie was not well-received by the market and critics.

Matt Zoller Seitz said it “has none of their urgency or sense of control; for long stretches, it just doesn't seem to have any idea what, exactly, it wants to say, or be.” The Guardian’s Mark Kermode, meanwhile, said it “requires a fair amount of heavy lifting from the cast to elevate it from well-worn mundanity,” though he praised Cooper because under his direction, the cast “rises to the challenge.”

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4 Antlers (2021)

The supernatural folk horror flick Antlers, based on Nick Antosca’s The Quiet Boy, is about a teacher (Keri Russell) who wants to help her student, who turns out to be living in a demon-infested house. The Guardian's Simran Hans said it was "satisfyingly gross," while Todd Gilchrist from TheWrap said it was “suspenseful and well-acted.” Critic Brian Tallerico said the movie is "a visually confident film,” and The Hollywood Reporter said it is “an ideal match of Cooper’s directing style with the sensibility of producer Guillermo del Toro.”

Ben Travis, from Empire, is all praises for Cooper for his first horror film. He said the writer-director was able to conjure “a humanistic but full-blooded monster movie that doesn’t hold back on steaming entrails and horned horrors.” The critic also praised the filmmaker for smartly interweaving “the real-life spectres of neglect and addiction with his metaphorical beasts.” To end, he said that “when it comes to the monster stuff, Scott Cooper doesn’t skimp.”

3 Hostiles (2017)

Hostiles is a Western film that narrates the story of an Indian Wars veteran (Christian Bale) as he escorts a war chief (Wes Studi) and his family from prison to their home. It was based on a manuscript by Donald E. Stewart. Critic Godfrey Cheshire said it was “beautifully shot and acted,” while The Guardian’s Kermode praised its score by Max Richter. David Sims of The Atlantic said that for this film, Cooper was “intent on showing a world severely lacking in empathy,” adding that “as a handsome-looking western, Hostiles does the trick.” Aside from Studi’s “towering performance,” Empire praised Bale, saying his role in this movie was one of his strongest performances.

David Ehrlich from IndieWire was a generous critic when he said that Hostiles was “Cooper’s best movie to date (2017).” If there’s one review to beat all reviews, it was from the National Congress of American Indians that praised the film for its “culturally accurate portrayal of Native peoples.”

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2 Black Mass (2015)

Black Mass was based on the life of mobster James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr., who was still alive though incarcerated when the film was released in 2015. He condemned the movie and decided not to watch it, while his associate, Kevin Weeks, said it was “pure fiction." It was a success in the market and for critics. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw commended it as it “brims with confidence and verve,” also praising Johnny Depp (who played Bulger), Joel Edgerton, and Benedict Cumberbatch for their “richly absorbing performances.”

Variety applauded Cooper for his “taut, elegantly understated crime drama,” and praised Depp for his “career-best work.” Empire’s Chris Hewitt said it best: Black Mass is “compelling and powerfully acted, with just enough wrinkles to avoid the ghosts of gangster movies past.” For fans of crime movies, Black Mass is a must.

1 Crazy Heart (2009)

As previously mentioned, Crazy Heart was Cooper’s directorial debut, and he did not disappoint. For a first-time director, his drama film immediately received prizes and nominations from the Academy Awards (Best Actor for Jeff Bridges), British Academy Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards (Best Actor again for Bridges), and Screen Actors Guild Awards (again for Bridges), among others. The list goes on.

Bridges played the role of Otis "Bad" Blake, an impoverished musician who wanted to change his life after meeting a journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Critic Richard Propes praised the lead actor, saying “what could have easily been a tired, cliché-filled story feels vibrant and fresh and alive in the hands of Bridges.” He also praised the engaging script of Cooper.

Empire’s Nev Pierce, meanwhile, commended Cooper’s “rich characters that propel the story” and the cinematography of Barry Markowitz. Acclaimed critic Roger Ebert is enamored by one line from the movie: "I want to talk about how bad you make this room look," and praised Bridges for his award-worthy performance – which he got multiple times.