One of the most fiercely independent-minded directors working in Hollywood today, the willfully controversial Oliver Stone hardly requires introduction, as his name had become near-synonymous for the sharply edited, conspiracy-theory driven, politically engaged movies that have been given him the greatest amount of commercial success. Never a man noted for subtle delicacy, his immediate embrace of the DVD format has resulted in a a set of terrifically candid audio commentaries for much of his oeuvre, as well as providing him with a platform for presenting deleted footage and documentaries about the production process on his films.

Oliver Stone Collection box set editions are available in various countries, with varying content, as rights issues have regrettable kept a definitive collection from appearing anywhere. But Warner and MGM/UA have produced great Special Edition content for the films of his they distribute, and these titles are available separately in most Regions by now. This page lists the DVD releases of most films he directed as reviewed here on DVD Breakdown, starting with the five titles available together in the new Region 2 box set.

JFK: The controversial landmark film that became Stone's signature work as a director, identifying him for posterity as the conspiracy-theory guy. The excellent two-disc set features a director's cut of the film that runs nearly hallf an hour longer than the theatrical cut, actually making the film slightly less fatiguing an experience. For those who truly can't get enough of Stone's theorizing, an hour's worth of extended/deleted scenes and two 'audiovisual essays' from other conspiracy-minded 'experts' appear on disc 2.

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Heaven & Earth: Stone's third instalment in his 'Vietnam trilogy' is perhaps too conscious an attempt at satisfying critics who have lambasted him over his male-driven narratives, as well as his lack of perspective on the Vietnamese side of the war. The film does have some strong moments, and features some outstanding cinematography, but his leading actors fail to convince dramatically.

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Natural Born Killers: More Stone controversy, this time over the grossly unsubtle media satire and supposed copycat killings that were being said to take place. Despite the film's many faults, it's a landmark film in its unique use of digital editing tools, and the DVD benefits from some terrific extras.

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Any Given Sunday: This testosterone-driven football movie is huge in scope and features an impressive cast, but only truly comes to life in the football games, that are exciting, loud, intimidating and as violent as anything Stone has ever done. Dramatically, the film only succeeds intermittently, and its exposé of professional football will hardly raise much of an eyebrow, much less cause a scandal. The two-disc set available internationally features the longer director's cut of the film along with many deleted/extended scenes and two audio commentary tracks.

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Oliver Stone's America: A 52-minute interview with the director in which he defends his work from his detractors, illustrated by occasional brief snippets from the films he's talking about. Available only as bonus disc in the Oliver Stone Collection box set.

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Platoon: The Oscar-winning war film that put Stone on the map as a major director, released several times on DVD before they got it right with the excellent MGM/UA Special Edition, carrying two audio commentaries and an hour-long documentary that's even more enthralling than the film itself.

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Wall Street: Another landmark film for the 1980s, with a terrific performance from Michael Douglas as iconic corporate raider Gordon 'Greed is Good' Gecko. With an audio commentary from Stone that pulls no punches and yet another outstanding documentary, the DVD release is another essential purchase.

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Salvador: Stone's first major work as a director is marked by a terrific performance from James Woods and a little-known historical background that adds a great deal of interest to the sometimes uneven narrative. The Special Edition available for Region 1 and Region (UK) is fantastic, the pan&scan movie-only Region 2 release is to be avoided at all costs.

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read the review (movie-only R2 release)