Every Edgar Wright film, ranked: from ‘Scott Pilgrim’ to ‘Hot Fuzz’
With 'The Running Man' (W)right around the corner, we're ranking every film Edgar Wright has directed
By Cayle Reid
THERE ARE FEW directors today with a style as distinctive as Edgar Wright’s. For nearly three decades, Wright has built a career out of his unique, chaotic direction and the way sound, image and timing can combine to make something enthralling.
And now, Wright is stepping into new territory. The Running Man, a reimagining of the 1987 Schwarzenegger classic, releases this week and marks Wright’s most ambitious project yet: a full-scale, near-future action thriller adapted from Stephen King’s dystopian novel. It’s an unexpected move for a director best known for quick-cut comedy and pop culture pastiche, but then again, Wright has never been one to fit a mould.
As anticipation builds for The Running Man, we’ve revisited the director’s entire filmography. Now we’re ranking Wright’s best films, from worst to best.
Edgar Wright’s best films, ranked
7. A Fistful of Fingers (1995)
Before there was a Cornetto Trilogy, there was A Fistful of Fingers. The film was a no-budget Western spoof made by a 20-year-old Wright with a borrowed camera and perhaps too much creativity. It’s essentially a Western spoof about a cowboy tracking down the wanted man who killed his horse. It’s messy and a little rough around the edges, but you can already see the DNA of Wright’s later work: the love of genre, the quick cuts, the visual gags. We all have to start somewhere, but considering how hard it is to even find this film, we’ forgive you for skipping it.
6. The World’s End (2013)
The final entry in the Cornetto Trilogy saw Wright reunite with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for a sci-fi story about a group of friends who go on a pub crawl only to uncover an alien invasion. It’s certainly clever and has it’s funny moments, but it’s also a little uneven. Coming off the highs that were the first two films in the unofficial trilogy, The World’s End was disappointing.
5. Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver proved Wright could do Hollywood-scale spectacle without losing his style. In fact, this is where Wright really homed in on his modus operandi. Every edit, gunshot and gear shift in this action flick about a gifted getaway driver syncs to the soundtrack, transforming the film into a visual symphony of motion and music. It’s wildly original, but it does have some holes. At times the characters felt secondary to the concept. Still, Baby Driver is an accomplishment few directors could match.
4. Last Night in Soho (2021)
Wright’s first foray into horror wasn’t overly well received upon release, but it’s grown on us. Last Night in Soho is a love letter to 1960s London, with a smattering of neon and a fantastic soundtrack (as usual for Wright). And the term ‘visually intoxicating’ has never felt more appropriate. Sure, the narrative wobbles in the final act, but the opening two-thirds were enough to raise it high on this list.
3. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The film that announced Wright to the world. Shaun of the Dead is both a parody and a tribute to classic zombie tropes. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s bumbling attempt to save their loved ones during a zombie apocalypse is, naturally, hilarious. Wright’s whip-smart direction makes this more than just a spoof and elevates it to being one of the best zombie films ever made. And, beneath the banter is a surprisingly tender look at friendship when the world’s falling apart.
2. Hot Fuzz (2007)
The apex of the Cornetto Trilogy and arguably Wright’s most complete film. Hot Fuzz fuses an old-school cop mystery with the quaint absurdity of English village life. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have never been better, and Wright’s command of pace and detail hits a new level of mastery. Every setup has a payoff, every frame a joke.
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
No other film captures the manic, hyper-stylised essence of Edgar Wright quite like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It’s like a video game or comic book in the form of a film; a sensory overload on screen. While it divided audiences on release, Scott Pilgrim has since become a cult favourite. It’s purposefully messy, maximalist, and unlike anything else ever made. All of which makes it the perfect embodiment of Edgar Wright himself.
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