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Roger Spottiswoode

Roger Spottiswoode

Director, editor and producer, also writer · Born January 5, 1945 (81) · Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Roger Spottiswoode (born January 5, 1945) is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire (1983) and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring Pierce Brosnan. Spottiswoode was one of the writing team responsible for 48 Hrs. starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. In 2000, he directed the science fiction action thriller The 6th Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 5, 1945 (81)
From
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Director, editor and producer, also writer
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

What are Roger Spottiswoode's films like?

Across their 31 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
24%
Bonds
21%
Survival
19%
Self
13%
Power
13%
Ideas
5%
Society
4%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 8 · Dark 14

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 25 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 12 · Intense 16

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 13 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
23
Thrilling
10
Dread
8
Melancholic
8
Hopeful
8
Other
26

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Roger Spottiswoode's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Roger Spottiswoode's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Either Side of Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • The Beach House(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • A Street Cat Named Bob(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Journey Home(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Beyond Right & Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Producer

  • The Children of Huang Shi(2008)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Ripley Under Ground(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Shake Hands with the Devil(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Spinning Boris(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Ice Bound(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Matthew Shepard Story(2002)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The 6th Day(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Noriega: God's Favorite(2000)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow Never Dies(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Murder Live!(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Hiroshima (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Hiroshima (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Mesmer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • And the Band Played On(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Air America(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Another 48 Hrs.(1990)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Time Flies When You're Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Turner & Hooch(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Third Degree Burn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Shoot to Kill(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Last Innocent Man(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Best of Times(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Under Fire(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • 48 Hrs.(1982)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Renegades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper(1981)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Terror Train(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Who'll Stop the Rain(1978)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Hard Times(1975)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Gambler(1974)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid(1973)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Straw Dogs(1971)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Stamping Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Editor

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1971 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

$333M worldwide

Highest rated

And the Band Played On (1993)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing31 of 40: 29 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score46thWriting2 of 40: 2 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing4 of 40: 2 only producing, 2 with another roleEditing5 of 40: 5 only editing, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s6 · crew1980s12 · crew1990s9 · crew2000s8 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Roger Spottiswoode's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director

Murder Live! (1997)

57th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

And the Band Played On (1993)

Midcredits 93rd · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Roger Spottiswoode's work okay for kids?

Across up to 18 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles38–83 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity18 titles20–63 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity13 titles34–93 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles27–62 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles50–69 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Roger Spottiswoode work with?

People who share at least 2 of Roger Spottiswoode's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dominique Fortin shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers