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, traditionally, America has always looked to scapegoat someone as the boogie man.

And how deeply do I let business considerations affect [screenwriting] choices that might otherwise be more or less esthetic? . . . Do I choose the upbeat rather than the downer ending because I know it will score better at the preview? Can the idea be sold in a single sentence? Can it compete with space aliens and tornadoes and missions impossible?

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.

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

I don't think movies can ever be too intense, but people have to understand why you're showing them the things you are showing them.

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

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 fall by the wayside, to have something live on during the years, and one of those elements is the commitment the actors have to their performance.