“You can’t handle the truth!”

“My name is Inigo Montoya.”

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

“These go to eleven.”

Each of these quotes have significant cultural impacts, but they have one more thing in common. The quotes, and the movies they came from, all came from one director: Rob Reiner, a legend of the film industry responsible for many movies now considered to be all-time classics.

On December 14, Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with their murder. Reiner was 78 years old at the time. This horrid event marked the ending of a story containing one of the greatest directorial streaks in film history. The death of an artist can often change the way a particular artist is viewed. This sentiment applies even more if their death is sudden and unexpected, as it was for Reiner.

Reiner began his directorial career by releasing This is Spinal Tap in 1984. Within the next eight years, he followed that up with five more bona fide classic movies. Not only that, but each of the six films fall under completely different genres, and are unique from one another in every way imaginable. To summarize, in the first eight years of Reiner’s career, he made six movies falling under six different genres, and on top of that, each one is arguably the best film in its respective genre.

This is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary following an English rock band. Beyond being a great movie in its own right, it essentially invented the mockumentary genre. No other movie or show before this had quite the same feeling. Due to the nature of this being the first of its kind, it’s considered to be incredibly influential, as other beloved movies and shows follow this style. If it weren’t for this movie’s success, shows like The Office or Parks and Recreation may never have been created.

In 1986, Reiner directed Stand by Me. This is a coming of age drama based on a Stephen King work considered to be a classic by many. This is especially impressive considering when in Reiner’s career it was made. Most directors would have trouble with a movie this complex even after gaining experience with decades in the film industry. Reiner, however, made this as his third ever movie, and only two years after the release of This is Spinal Tap.

The very next year, in 1987, Reiner perfected the fantasy adventure genre with The Princess Bride. Undoubtedly one of Reiner’s most iconic movies, The Princess Bride features immediately recognizable performances from André the Giant, Mandy Patinkin, and Wallace Shawn among others. The story’s fantastical elements contrast with the more serious Stand by Me, proving Reiner’s versatility as a director.

When Harry Met Sally… came out in 1989. It reinvented the rom-com genre, sparking an influx of movies similar in various ways. Quotes like “I’ll have what she’s having” and many more have entered the lexicon of audiences. Arguably more so than any other Reiner film, When Harry Met Sally… is a genre defining film. It’s what many, if not most people jump to when they think of a romantic comedy.

Misery, a 1990 film, is Reiner’s stab at the psychological horror genre. Like Stand by Me, it’s an adaptation of a Stephen King work, though the two are distinct in both narrative and overall tone. In fact, Misery is distinct from every Reiner film, more so than any other. Even though Reiner is known for working with a variety of genres, there are some similarities between films, most of which are nowhere to be found in Misery.

To end off the historical run, Reiner released A Few Good Men. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore star in this iconic courtroom drama. In the film, Col. Nathan Jessip, portrayed by Nicholson, delivers what is often considered one of the most famous lines in film history. “You can’t handle the truth” has become just as famous as the film it came from, building the legacy of both the movie itself, as well as Reiner.

Looking back at Reiner’s movies following his death, many elements come across as more impactful than they were before. Death often isn’t vital to the films, but it’s often there, lurking as a background element. In The Princess Bride, something magical happens when Westley is resurrected by Miracle Max. Billy Crystal’s Harry in When Harry Met Sally… always reads the last page of a book first, just in case he dies before finishing it. Tom Cruise acts immature as Lieutenant Kaffee in A Few Good Men, but changes after learning more about the murder of William Santiago, leading him to find the strength to fight Col. Jessip.

Reiner’s career was full of “what ifs.” What would have happened if he had followed up A Few Good Men with The Shawshank Redemption? Reiner wanted to direct it, but the rights belonged to Frank Darabont, who directed it himself. Since then, Reiner struggled to reach the heights of his original run. After 78 years, perhaps Reiner’s biggest “what if”, is what more he could have done if not for his unfortunate death.