Richard Donner

Donner made a defining film in three different genres and left no visual signature connecting them. The Omen follows a diplomat who comes to suspect the son he secretly adopted is not what he seems, as the people closest to the boy keep turning up dead. The Goonies sends a group of kids chasing a pirate's treasure to save their homes, with an escaped family of criminals blocking the way. Lethal Weapon pairs a veteran cop with an unstable new partner, and builds a franchise out of the friction between them.

Signature

• No single visual style; the film's genre sets the terms each time.
• A mismatched pair or an outsider whose friction drives the story.
• Practical stunts, sets and effects built to be felt rather than admired.
• Warmth held next to violence or horror rather than replacing it.