I think Steve McQueen is one of the most prominent and interesting filmmakers working today. He may only have three titles to his credit, but each feel distinctive in their own ways, and all three are simply great films.
Hunger (2008)
IMDb: A compelling and unforgettable portrayal of life within the maze prison at the time of 1981 IRA hunger strike.
Shame (2011)
IMDb: In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
IMDb: In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
This is how I would rank his work so far:
1. Hunger
2. Shame
3. 12 Years a Slave
I think Hunger is one of the most accomplished directorial debuts in a long time. He deals with a very sensitive slice of Irish history, often riddled with bias and fallacies, and manages to conjure up something very aesthetically beautiful, refraining from all the political dissension. He seemed to discard all customary storytelling conventions by telling his story in a very... unstructured manner. Shame and 12 Years a Slave are great, too, not compromising to the average viewer, and managing to deal with delicate subject matters in a very levelheaded way.
Your ratings/rankings? Your thoughts on McQueen? I greatly look forward to his upcoming projects. Here's hoping the financial and critical success of his latest feature doesn't impact his good run.