John Milius

A self-described Zen anarchist, writer-director John Milius was called far worse by friend and foe - everything from a self-styled fusion of Hemingway and Genghis Khan to the Hermann Goering of film directors. Such pat labels, however, failed to convey the depth and emotion on display in a Milius film, despite his unquenchable thirst for militarism and glorification of violence. Whether taking audiences on a journey into man's heart of darkness during the Vietnam War or depicting the uncommon friendship of two plebian soldiers from the Roman Empire, Milius made some of Hollywood's most memorable and hackle-raising films and television series. While his gun-toting, right-wing politics remained largely at odds from mainstream Hollywood, Milius nonetheless carved out a substantial - albeit, lonely - niche that allowed him to maintain his trademark individualism, while pushing his brash contrarian views.