Everyone has heard of the likes of Spielberg, Lucas and Coppola; during the late seventies and early eighties they helped to redefine cinema with the Hollywood blockbuster. There's one name that may not be as familiar though, but it's one that they all looked up to and admired greatly: John Milius.

As a youth, Milius was about as sure as one can be as to what profession he wanted to join – he wanted to serve his country and be a marine. To his horror he couldn't enlist, as he was diagnosed as being asthmatic. He then decided that he wanted to be a film-maker.

He attended USC, where he met and made friends with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. They all showed a real passion for film-making, but Milius showed a real gift for writing. His credits include writing the screenplays for Apocalypse Now, Dirty Harry, and Conan the Barbarian. He was also seen as the go to guy for script doctoring; a writer who could be called in and add some sparkle to a script. One of the titles he tinkered with was Jaws.

What he really wanted to do though was sit in the director's chair, like his peers, and make his own films. This documentary looks at the career of this remarkable talent, highlighting his many highs and lows, as well as his struggle to direct the films he wanted.

So, you go straight on for a bit, then make a left, and then anther left. Now can I keep the sword?

You can certainly get a measure of a man by the contributors to a documentary about them. Milius, quite rightly, gets the cream of Hollywood queuing up to tell tales about him. Lucas, Spielberg and Coppola, are joined by such names as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger, all of whom show great affection for this filmmaker.

They all agree that he is a unique creative force, but one whose reputation often preceded him; he wasn't shy about airing his political views for instance, and this eventually took its toll on his career, regardless of his obvious talent.

Often described as a maverick, Milius was most concerned with doing things his way. The documentary, directed by relative newbies Zak Knutson and Joey Figueroa, shines a fond light on this real character. Although initially it appears that they had a long queue of respected admirers wanting to comment on their subject, and all they had to do was simply point a camera at them, the pair have created a documentary that looks deceptively simple. But when you have the kind of talking heads they bagged, you can't argue with the results.

Ultimately they have produced a fascinating portrayal of a larger than life Hollywood player, whose own antics would probably make a highly entertaining film in their own rights.