I've been in plenty of situations where I thought the film would turn out one way or my performance would be looked at one way and it was an entirely….

I think it's too easy often to find a villain out of the headlines and to then repeat that villainy again and again and again. You know, traditionall….

There is a segment of the American population that has been excluded from the national myth, and that should be redressed..

However much I may like to talk about or be interested in a more philosophical or moral agenda, [film] is, ultimately, about narrative. And it's abou….

To make a great movie is such a combination of different things that need to come into play to actually make a memorable film and not have a film to ….

And how deeply do I let business considerations affect [screenwriting] choices that might otherwise be more or less esthetic? . . . Do I choose the u….

I maintain that no movie can be funny enough. I mean even the most serious, even the most intense movie and I know enough about life to know in those….

I never thought about that ever throughout the entire course of my career about choosing a specific role because it would make me seem more man-like..

There is something universal in the theme of a man trying to save his family in the midst of the most terrible circumstances. It is not limited to Si….

It seems that almost every time a valuable natural resource is discovered in the world-whether it be diamonds, rubber, gold, oil, whatever-often what….

Sometimes when we weep in the movies we weep for ourselves or for a life unlived. Or we even go to the movies because we want to resist the emotion t….

What I was really overwhelmed with by Africa was its tremendous natural beauty; I got to go to some pretty amazing places. Every other weekend we got….

I am a fan of movies and there is something about watching film that is burned into celluloid for all time that is now a piece of history. You go wat….

There is no reason why challenging themes and engaging stories have to be mutually exclusive - in fact, each can fuel the other. As a filmmaker, I wa….

I look at modern life and I see people not taking responsibility for their lives. The temptation to blame, to find external causes to one's own issue….

To me this movie is about what is valuable. To one person it might be a stone; to someone else, a story in a magazine; to another, it is a child. The….

It's always great to do a movie that you find is entertaining, but also can give some sort of political or social message..

There is no reason why challenging themes and engaging stories have to be mutually exclusive - in fact, each can fuel the other..

You do these movies, you give it out to the world and you really have no idea how people are going to react to you..

I have nothing against diamonds, or rubies or emeralds or sapphires. I do object when their acquisition is complicit in the debasement of children or….

I think one of the privileges of being a filmmaker is the opportunity to remain a kind of perpetual student..