Top 5 Films Directed By Steven Spielberg (That aren't E.T., Indiana Jones,Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Shindlers List, Close Encounters, or Saving Private Ryan)

5- Sugarland Express

Before Steven redefined the summer blockbuster with Jaws, he made a small film about a mother and her convict husband who kidnap their daughter who is in custody with foster parents. The plan goes awry when they take a police officer hostage and lead a chase across Texas.

The story, which is based on an actual event, lead to the death of the father who was shot in the neck because he was armed during he police stand off. Its a pleasure to see Spielberg use his natural talent for the lens instead of relying on visual effects. This film also features a great performance from Goldie Hawn four years after her run on Laugh-In.

4- The Color Purple

Who better to bring to live Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize winning story about a young black girl raising a child in the early 1900's than a 40 year old Jew from Long Beach, California? With an impressive black ensemble including Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Oprah Winfrey, Spielberg's 1985 film has stood the test of time and translates Walker's complex novel with a noble maturity.

This film also holds a record for being one of the most nominated films in the Academy Awards history not to win a single Oscar. Legendary composer and producer Quincy Jones also scored the film.

3- Catch Me If You Can

In Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's fourth collaboration, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Frank Abagnale Jr. a conman who used fake checks to scams millions of dollars in over 26 different countries. Although the budget for this is well over a the amount Frank stole, Spielberg is obviously having fun with the story and his cast which includes Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, James Brolin, and Jennifer Gardner.

This film concluded Spielberg's "running man" series that included A.I. and Minority Report. Again, the film feels long, but the fact that all of this is a true story makes the audience roll over the parts that sag and grab a hold of the ride. Take notice of the retro opening credit sequence, which comes across as a nice homage to classic sixties films with animated opening credits like the Pink Panther.

2- Munich

The story of the 1972 Olympic Games hostage crisis could have been a disaster, but instead the story of the aftermath of the event unfolds with well managed tension. This is also a film that takes on the notion of what it means to be Jewish. Spielberg touched on this issue with "Shindler's List" but it is in this film he goes into another direction opening questions about the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Tony Kushner's screenplay is poignant and gives Spielberg the freedom to explore and create new cinematic ground.

1- Minority Report

Now a days it seems that every Philip K. Dick story has been adapted into a feature film. There are some films that are good: Blade Runner and A Scanner Darkly for example. But the other films such as Total Recall, Paycheck, and Next are as bloated and dead as the murder victim involved in this story line.

Minority Report is an example of a Dick short story used for its full potential by exploring concepts of destiny through a detective story set in the future. Here Spielberg enhances a storyline with technology instead of exploiting it. Although a bit long and with some "cheesy" action sequences that seem a bit misplaced, this is a great popcorn film with a brain.