When Sam Mendes came to the forefront of Hollywood with his astonishing 1999 debut feature “American Beauty,” he was primarily known as a director of theater in London. Suffice to say, his debut film changed his life, winning the Best Picture Oscar, among many other statuettes. However, the next two decades would be a mixed bag for Mendes, but he did manage to churn out a classic gangster film (“Road to Perdition”) and an all-time great Bond (“Skyfall”).