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Simon West

Simon West

Director and producer, also writer · Born July 17, 1961 (65) · Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Simon West (born 1961) is an English-born film director. West started as a film editor with the BBC, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser. His film directing career started when he directed Con Air in 1997.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 17, 1961 (65)
From
Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Works as
Director and producer, also writer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 26 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 37% in 30 days

What are Simon West's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
33%
Morality
31%
Bonds
18%
Self
14%
Power
2%
Society
2%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 5

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 11

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 1

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 9 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 8

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 13 · 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 7 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Thrilling
11
Absurd
3
Dread
3
Melancholic
6
Other
8

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Simon West's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Simon West'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

26 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Legend Hunters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • Bride Hard(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Old Guy(2024)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Boundless(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Skyfire(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Gun Shy(2017)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The Saint(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Stratton(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Wild Card(2015)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Stolen(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Expendables 2(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Mechanic(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Cape(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • Human Target(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Unwinking Gaze: The Inside Story of the Dalai Lama's Struggle for Tibet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • The Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • When a Stranger Calls(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Keen Eddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Black Hawk Down(2001)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider(2001)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The General's Daughter(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Con Air(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Swallows and Amazons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as John Walker

  • Fortitude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Raider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles, 24 of them dated from 1974 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Expendables 2 (2012)

$315M worldwide

Highest rated

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Con Air (1997)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 26: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting21 of 26: 18 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score24thWriting1 of 26: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing5 of 26: 3 only producing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score14thMusic1 of 26: 1 only music, 0 with another role

26 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · acting1990s2 · crew2000s6 · crew2010s11 · crew2020s4 · 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 Simon West's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 22nd percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 26th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th11

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · producer

Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2015)

83rd percentile spread · 60% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 56/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 16 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 Simon West's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles50–95 · median 78 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles13–63 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles37–78 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles28–58 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles44–85 · median 64 · 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 Simon West work with?

People who share at least 2 of Simon West's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jib Polhemus shares the most, 12.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers