When it comes to stylish, provocative filmmaking, few directors can match the audacity and panache of Brian De Palma. Over his 50+ year career, De Palma has crafted some of the most memorable and influential films in the suspense, crime, and psychological thriller genres. His signature style, marked by dazzling camera work, meticulous editing, and a penchant for the shocking, has made him a true cinematic icon.
As a leading figure of the New Hollywood generation alongside the likes of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg, De Palma has left an indelible mark on American cinema. His films are known for their homages to classic directors like Alfred Hitchcock, as well as their boundary-pushing violence and sexual content.
While his work has sometimes been controversial and divisive, there’s no denying the raw talent and singular vision behind De Palma’s greatest films. Here’s a look at the 20 best brian de palma movies that showcase the director at the height of his powers:
20. The Fury (1978)
This supernatural thriller stars Kirk Douglas as a father trying to rescue his psychic son from a shadowy government agency that wants to exploit his powers. The Fury features some of De Palma’s most visually stunning set pieces, including a jaw-dropping finale involving an exploding body. While not as well-known as some of his other films, it’s an underrated gem in the director’s canon.
19. Snake Eyes (1998)
Nicolas Cage stars as a corrupt Atlantic City detective investigating an assassination at a boxing match in this twisty, Rashomon-style mystery. De Palma employs his signature split-screen techniques to great effect, unraveling the various perspectives on the central crime. Snake Eyes may not reach the heights of the director’s best, but it’s still a solid, entertaining thriller.
18. Femme Fatale (2002)
This erotic neo-noir stars Rebecca Romijn as a seductive con artist caught up in a diamond heist that goes wrong. With its non-linear structure, steamy love scenes, and abundance of plot twists, Femme Fatale is pure, uncut De Palma. It may be too lurid and over-the-top for some, but fans will relish the director’s gleefully trashy sensibilities.
17. Raising Cain (1992)
John Lithgow delivers a tour-de-force performance as a psychologist with multiple personalities in this deliriously campy psychological thriller. Raising Cain leans into De Palma’s most outrageous impulses, with a fractured narrative, bizarre dream sequences, and an anything-goes attitude. It’s not for all tastes, but it’s a must-see for devotees of the director’s wilder side.
16. Obsession (1976)
De Palma’s Hitchcockian tendencies are on full display in this twisty tale of a businessman (Cliff Robertson) who becomes fixated on a woman who looks just like his deceased wife. With its lush Bernard Herrmann score and ornate visual style, Obsession is a loving tribute to Hitchcock’s Vertigo. While it may not reach the heights of that classic, it’s still a gripping, gorgeously crafted thriller.
15. Body Double (1984)
This deliriously sleazy erotic thriller stars Craig Wasson as a struggling actor who becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman (Melanie Griffith) he spies on through his telescope. Body Double is a shameless pastiche of Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Vertigo, amped up with copious nudity and violence. It’s pure, unfiltered De Palma, and a must-see for fans of the director’s more lurid work.
14. Redacted (2007)
De Palma’s most politically charged film is a found-footage drama about a group of American soldiers who rape and murder an Iraqi girl. Redacted is a brutal, uncompromising look at the horrors of war, told through a collage of video diaries, surveillance footage, and news reports. While it divided critics and audiences upon release, it remains a daring and provocative work from a director who’s never been afraid to court controversy.
13. Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
This wild, campy rock musical reimagines The Phantom of the Opera as a glam-rock fever dream. William Finley stars as a disfigured composer who sells his soul to a devilish record producer (Paul Williams) in order to have his music performed. With its outrageous costumes, catchy tunes, and satirical jabs at the music industry, Phantom of the Paradise is a one-of-a-kind cult classic that showcases De Palma’s more playful side.
12. Sisters (1972)
De Palma’s breakthrough film is a twisted tale of murder and madness involving a pair of separated Siamese twin sisters (both played by Margot Kidder). Sisters established many of the director’s signature motifs, from the Hitchcockian plot twists to the dizzying split-screen sequences. It remains one of his most stylish and suspenseful early works.
11. Casualties of War (1989)
Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn star in this harrowing Vietnam War drama about a young soldier who stands up against his fellow troops when they kidnap and rape a Vietnamese girl. Based on a true story, Casualties of War is a powerful and disturbing look at the moral toll of combat. De Palma brings his visual flair to the battle scenes, but never loses sight of the human cost at the center of the story.
10. Dressed to Kill (1980)
This erotic thriller stars Angie Dickinson as a sexually frustrated housewife whose one-night stand turns deadly. With its infamous elevator murder scene and a killer twist involving a transgender villain, Dressed to Kill ignited controversy upon its release. But it’s also a masterful exercise in suspense, with De Palma’s bravura camerawork and editing on full display.
9. Scarface (1983)
Al Pacino goes gloriously over-the-top as Cuban drug lord Tony Montana in this sprawling, operatic crime saga. While Scarface was criticized for its excessive violence upon release, it’s since become a pop culture touchstone, endlessly quoted and referenced in hip-hop lyrics and posters on dorm room walls. De Palma brings an almost Shakespearean grandeur to the rise-and-fall narrative, crafting an indelible portrait of greed and hubris.
8. Mission: Impossible (1996)
De Palma kicked off the blockbuster franchise with this slick, stylish adaptation of the classic TV series. Tom Cruise stars as super-spy Ethan Hunt, framed for murder and on the run from his own agency. With its convoluted plot, dazzling set pieces (including an unforgettable wire-dangling infiltration of CIA headquarters), and a killer cast (including Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, and Vanessa Redgrave), Mission: Impossible proved that De Palma could deliver pure popcorn thrills with the best of them.
7. The Untouchables (1987)
Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro star in this rousing crime epic about Eliot Ness and his team of incorruptible lawmen taking on Al Capone in Prohibition-era Chicago. With David Mamet’s crackling script and De Palma’s bravura set pieces (including the famous Union Station shootout), The Untouchables is a classic gangster movie with style and substance to spare. Connery won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his iconic turn as the veteran cop who shows Ness the ropes.
6. Carlito’s Way (1993)
Al Pacino delivers one of his greatest performances as Carlito Brigante, an ex-con trying to go straight in 1970s New York. With its rich supporting cast (including Sean Penn as a sleazy lawyer), evocative sense of time and place, and heart-stopping climax in Grand Central Station, Carlito’s Way is a crime drama of uncommon depth and power. De Palma’s direction is more restrained than usual, but no less stylish, making this one of his most emotionally resonant films.
5. Carrie (1976)
Sissy Spacek is unforgettable as the titular telekinetic teen in De Palma’s breakthrough horror classic. With its iconic prom scene climax and a chilling performance by Piper Laurie as Carrie’s religious fanatic mother, Carrie remains one of the most indelible horror films of the 1970s. De Palma brings his signature visual flair to Stephen King’s material, crafting a film that’s both terrifying and oddly poignant in its depiction of high school cruelty and outsider angst.
4. Blow Out (1981)
John Travolta stars as a movie sound effects technician who accidentally records a political assassination in this masterful paranoid thriller. With its intricate plotting, bravura set pieces (including a stunning 360-degree shot in a train station), and tragic finale, Blow Out is one of De Palma’s most ambitious and accomplished films. It’s also a loving homage to Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, two other classics of the paranoid thriller genre.
3. Dressed to Kill (1980)
This erotic Hitchcockian thriller stars Angie Dickinson as a sexually frustrated housewife whose one-night stand leads to murder. With its infamous elevator slaying, kinky sex scenes, and a jaw-dropping twist involving a transgender killer, Dressed to Kill pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in mainstream cinema. But it’s also a masterclass in suspense, with De Palma’s dazzling camerawork and razor-sharp editing on full display. The film ignited controversy upon release, but has since been recognized as one of the director’s most stylish and provocative works.
2. Scarface (1983)
Al Pacino’s Tony Montana became a cultural icon in De Palma’s blood-soaked remake of the 1932 gangster classic. Scripted by Oliver Stone, Scarface charts the rise and fall of a Cuban immigrant who becomes a powerful drug kingpin in 1980s Miami. With its unflinching violence, quotable dialogue (“Say hello to my little friend!”), and Pacino’s larger-than-life performance, the film set a new standard for cinematic excess. But beneath the flash and sizzle, De Palma crafts a searing indictment of the American Dream gone rotten, making Scarface a true crime epic for the ages.
1. Blow Out (1981)
For my money, Blow Out is De Palma’s crowning achievement, a perfect synthesis of his obsessions and his unparalleled technical skill. John Travolta gives a career-best performance as Jack Terry, a B-movie sound technician who accidentally records a political assassination and finds himself drawn into a deadly conspiracy. With its intricate plotting, pulse-pounding set pieces (including an unforgettable chase through Philadelphia’s subways), and tragic finale, Blow Out is a masterclass in suspense. But it’s also a deeply moving character study, with Travolta’s haunted, guilt-ridden protagonist at its center. The film flopped upon release, but has since been recognized as one of the greatest thrillers of the 1980s, and a testament to De Palma’s singular genius. If you only see one Brian De Palma movie, make it this one.
So there you have it: the 20 greatest films of Brian De Palma, a true master of the macabre, the sensual, and the shocking. From his early Hitchcockian thrillers to his big-budget blockbusters, De Palma has left an indelible mark on American cinema. His films may be divisive, but there’s no denying the skill, the vision, and the sheer audacity behind them. Long live the king of the cinematic thriller.
