Many of the movies Sheridan wrote are already well known – such as Sicario and Without Remorse – but fans of the writer may not be as familiar with his directing career. In fact, Sheridan has quite a bit of experience in the director’s chair: he’s directed episodes of many of his shows, including Yellowstone, Landman, Lioness, and more. What’s even more interesting is that Sheridan’s directing career actually predates his writing jobs, and the first movie he ever directed is so different from the rest of his filmography that it thoroughly surprised me.
3. Vile (2011)
Sheridan’s Directorial Debut Came Before His First Writing Credit
Taylor Sheridan’s first turn in the director’s chair is also unique for a number of other reasons. Sheridan first directed the 2011 horror film Vile, which came out just a year after his last time playing David Hale in Sons of Anarchy and long before his first writing credit for Sicario in 2015. Vile seems to be inspired by the Saw franchise of horror films, as it follows a group of people who have been abducted and fitted with a device that harvests chemicals produced by the brain as it feels pain. The victims have to work together to inflict enough pain on one another to leave alive.
Sheridan certainly isn’t well-known for his horror film, but Vile does provide an early insight into the creator he would become with his later projects. Vile largely centers around the interpersonal drama of the survivors trying to figure out how to produce enough pain to survive, and Sheridan’s directing was already up to the task of depicting their descent into torture and tribalism. Vile is also reminiscent of some of Sheridan’s more controversial decisions, such as Donald Whitfield’s torture scenes in 1923. He may not have written it, but Vile was a preview of what Sheridan could do well before he garnered massive fame.
2. Wind River (2017)
Wind River Proved Sheridan Could Direct Just As Well As He Could Write
After writing both Sicario and Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan combined his two creative talents for the first time with Wind River. Sheridan both wrote and directed Wind River, and it was largely due to his extensive involvement behind the camera that it became one of the best neo-Westerns ever made. Of course, it helped that Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner starred in Wind River, but Sheridan left an indelible mark on the film through his directing. Wind River is filled with the swooping nature shots, the heated interpersonal drama, and the high-octane action that most of Sheridan’s movies are defined by.
What really makes Wind River stand out among the movies Taylor Sheridan has directed is the clear love he has for the people and places the film is about. Each shot of Wind River looks like it was planned out by a person who deeply cares for the West and the people of the Northern Arapaho tribe, a description which fits Sheridan to a T. In Sheridan’s typical way of showing his love, however, Wind River also highlights some of the ugly truths of its subject: in this case, the countless Native American women who go missing each year, and whose disappearances are never solved.
1. Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Sheridan Could Dominate The Action Thriller Genre With More Movies Like Those Who Wish Me Dead
| Movies Written By Taylor Sheridan | |
|---|---|
| Title | Release Date |
| Sicario | 2015 |
| Hell or High Water | 2016 |
| Wind River | 2017 |
| Sicario: Day of the Soldado | 2018 |
| Without Remorse | 2021 |
| Those Who Wish Me Dead | 2021 |
Those Who Wish Me Dead is also probably the best proof that Taylor Sheridan isn’t just great at interpersonal drama, he’s also great at intrapersonal stories. Hannah’s guilt is a major recurring element of Those Who Wish Me Dead, and Sheridan clearly did something right to evoke Angelina Jolie’s impressive and moving performance as a woman with a very dark past. It’s hard to say if a different director would have understood the script and been able to direct Jolie as well as Taylor Sheridan did in Those Who Wish Me Dead.
