Kubrick wrote and directed some of the most talked-about films of the 1960s and 1970s: the Roman slave saga Spartacus (1960), the Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove (1964), the spooky and thoughtful space opera 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, co-written with Arthur C. Clarke), the nightmarish A Clockwork Orange (1971), and the socko horror film The Shining (1980, starring Jack Nicholson). Kubrick's films featured arresting visuals, inventive stories and an often bleak view of humanity. The director was known as a deliberate perfectionist who often filmed dozens of takes of a single shot and took three or more years to plan and shoot a film. He was also famously reclusive, rarely appearing in public and wrapping his later productions in extreme secrecy. He died in 1999 shortly after shooting his last film, Eyes Wide Shut, with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.

After Kubrick's death his long-planned film project, A.I., was completed and released by Steven Spielberg in 2001.