1917's Sam Mendes takes Best Director Golden Globe in another major upset

The 2020 Golden Globes delivered another big upset in the directing category, with 1917's Sam Mendes surprisingly taking the prize.

Mendes won the Best Director Golden Globe on Sunday night for 1917, winning in a highly competitive category that also consisted of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Bong Joon-Ho. Critics widely expected the award to go to one of those three directors, with many seeing a win for Parasite as likely.

Instead, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association went with a dark horse in Mendes, who seemed as shocked as everyone else, taking the stage and immediately noting the win as a surprise.

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After a shock win for Missing Link in the best animated feature category, Mendes' victory was another that broke with critics' expectations, with The Ringer's Sean Fennessey simply tweeting, "WHAT IN THE WORLD." The Washington Post's Steven Zeitchik wrote, "Whoa, Mendes wins director. 1917 suddenly a drama favorite."