Ranked: The Films Of David O. Russell

It’s getting less attention right now than movies with Jedi or cowboys or bear attacks, but one of the most exciting films hitting theaters in time for Christmas is “Joy,” starring Jennifer Lawrence as a single mother and entrepreneur battling to make her mark on the world. And one of the reasons it’s so exciting is that it’s the latest movie from director David O. Russell.

It’s the eighth movie credited to Russell (there’s a ninth, as we’ll see, of murkier origins) across his 21-year career, and he’s had one of the more fascinating ones in modern cinema. Breaking out with comedy “Spanking The Monkey” in 1994, Russell came up alongside Tarantino and co., but has always marched to the beat of his own drum, with a distinctly vibrant, fleet-footed comedy vibe.

Early in his career, he got something of a reputation as an enfant terrible, thanks to well-publicized on-set blow-outs with A-list stars, including the infamous leaked “I Heart Huckabees” confrontations with star Lily...