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Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow

Director, producer, actor and writer · Born November 27, 1951 (74) · San Carlos, California, USA

2 Oscars · Primetime Emmy winner · 2 BAFTA Awards · 5 other major award bodies

Kathryn Ann Bigelow (born November 27, 1951) is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark (1987), the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break (1991), the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water (2000) and the war drama The Hurt Locker (2008). The Hurt Locker won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Picture, won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, and was nominated for the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama. With The Hurt Locker, Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, the BAFTA Award for Best Direction, and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Director. In April 2010, Bigelow was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people of the year.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 27, 1951 (74)
From
San Carlos, California, USA
Works as
Director, producer, actor and writer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 36 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 22% in 30 days

What are Kathryn Bigelow's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Action 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
29%
Self
26%
Survival
16%
Society
10%
Power
9%
Bonds
8%
Ideas
3%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 3 · Dark 11

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 12

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

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

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 7

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 9

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Dread
8
Melancholic
5
Thrilling
3
Contemplative
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical1

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 Kathryn Bigelow's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kathryn Bigelow'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

36 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • A House of Dynamite(2025)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Year Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Esther's Choice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Thanks

  • Triple Frontier(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Detroit(2017)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Protectors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director

  • Mogadishu, Minnesota(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • Cartel Land(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Last Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Zero Dark Thirty(2012)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Beyond Melodrama: Kathryn Bigelow on Douglas Sirk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Interviewee

  • The Hurt Locker(2008)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Mission Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • The Colbert Report (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Karen Sisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • K-19: The Widowmaker(2002)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Weight of Water(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Eye of God(1997)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Undertow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Writer

  • Strange Days(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Wild Palms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · as Mazie Woiwode (uncredited)

  • Homicide: Life on the Street(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Point Break(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Blue Steel(1990)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Martini Ranch: Reach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Posse Leader

  • Near Dark(1987)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Story

  • The Loveless(1981)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Born in Flames(1983)

    as Newspaper editor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Union City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Script Supervisor

  • Bored (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer · Writer

  • Altered to Suit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Editor

  • The Set-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Psychological Operations in Support of Unconventional Warfare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • Prisoner's Dilemma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Worker

  • Done To (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles from 1974 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

$133M worldwide

Highest rated

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 36: 6 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting19 of 36: 10 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdWriting6 of 36: 2 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing9 of 36: 4 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score90thCinematography1 of 36: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleEditing1 of 36: 1 only editing, 0 with another roleOther crew3 of 36: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

36 titles, 10 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s6 · 2 acting · 4 crew1980s6 · 2 acting · 4 crew1990s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew2000s7 · 2 acting · 5 crew2010s7 · crew2020s3 · 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.

Awards

2 Oscars, a Primetime Emmy, 2 BAFTA Awards and 7 other major awards from 23 major nominations, 2008–2025.

WinNomination
  1. 2025
    • Venice award, nominated · Best Film
  2. 2022
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
  3. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
  4. 2013
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Director
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film
    • +3 other major bodies · 3 nominations
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Director
  5. 2010
    • Oscar, won · Best Achievement in Directing
    • Oscar, won · Best Motion Picture of the Year
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Director
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Film
    • +3 other major bodies · 3 wins
      • Directors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
      • Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Director
  6. 2008
    • Venice award, won · Best Film in Competition
    • Venice award, won ×3
    • Venice award, nominated

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Kathryn Bigelow's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of the 15 of 16 with a score; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 16 titles divides audiences: 10 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed1

Most loved · director

Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)

Midcredits 96th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 78/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 13 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 Kathryn Bigelow's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles41–90 · median 80 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles18–69 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles56–88 · median 83 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles19–49 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles56–90 · median 71 · intenseheavier 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 Kathryn Bigelow work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kathryn Bigelow's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Boal shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers