10 Distinctive Voices In Film: Screenwriters With A Brand Of Their Own

Spike Lee

While he has been the multi-hyphenate talent behind some of the most iconic movies ever made, it is his screenwriting that makes Spike Lee one of the most distinctive voices in cinema. Bursting onto the scene in 1986 with She’s Gotta Have It, Lee made his mark with an unusual story that saw a well-written woman in control of her own destiny – living her life and resisting calls from her three lovers to commit to only one. Following that up with the popular comedy School Daze in 1988, Lee soon found himself in a position to demonstrate the sheer brilliance that happens when talented storytellers other than white men are allowed to voice tales of their own making.

Writing the kind of scenarios and dialogue that allowed up and coming young performers – such as Laurence Fishburne, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Giancarlo Esposito, Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, John Turturro, Anabella Sciorra, Angela Bassett and Delroy Lindo – to showcase their talent, Lee quickly built a reputation for high quality screenplays that made great films. He writes in any genre, covering a wide range of themes and issues – including violence (Do The Right Thing), jazz (Mo’ Better Blues), adultery (Jungle Fever), political biography (Malcolm X), murder (Clockers), sport (He Got Game), historical thriller (Summer Of Sam), corporate and gender politics (She Hate Me) and religion (Red Hook Summer).

His ability to create an environment in which richly developed characters can experience these scenarios with razor-sharp wit and high drama has made Spike Lee a screenwriting legend.