William Monahan’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
William Monahan has 9 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 2000s through the 2020s. 1 sits in the Top 1% of all titles we track — including The Departed.
Recurring themes
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
Dir. Martin Scorsese · With Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson

The CIA’s hunt is on for the mastermind of a wave of terrorist attacks. Roger Ferris is the agency’s man on the ground, moving from place to place, scrambling to stay ahead of ever-shifting events. An eye in the sky – a satellite link – watches Ferris. At the other end of that real-time link is the CIA’s Ed Hoffman, strategizing events from thousands of miles away. And as Ferris nears the target, he discovers trust can be just as dangerous as it is necessary for survival.
Dir. Ridley Scott · With Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Golshifteh Farahani

After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
Dir. Ridley Scott · With Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons

JR is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — JR begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.
Dir. George Clooney · With Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri

Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of Frank, a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship with a student deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a second chance.
Dir. Rupert Wyatt · With Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson

As a seasoned homicide detective, Thomas Craven has seen the bleakest side of humanity. But nothing prepares him for the toughest investigation of his life: the search for his only daughter Emma's killer. Now, he is on a personal mission to uncover the disturbing secrets surrounding her murder, including corporate corruption, government collusion and Emma's own mysterious life.
Dir. Martin Campbell · With Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston

Private detective Philip Marlowe becomes embroiled in an investigation involving a wealthy Californian family after a beautiful blonde hires him to track down her former lover.
Dir. Neil Jordan · With Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange

A suicidal artist goes into the desert, where he finds his doppelgänger, a homicidal drifter.
Dir. William Monahan · With Garrett Hedlund, Oscar Isaac, Louise Bourgoin

A parolee falls for a reclusive movie star while trying to evade a ruthless gangster.
Dir. William Monahan · With Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, David Thewlis
Top Collaborators
Directors with 2+ shared titles, ranked by frequency