one of the few filmmakers who makes better work when he's held back on a leash

Anyone ever notice that Rodriguez's best films tend to be the ones he didn't have full control over?

That's 'cause as creative and talented as he is, Rodriguez has no discipline to his filmmaking. He makes movies based on whatever strange thoughts come to him during the day. It's like "Hey! Why don't I have a scene of Danny Trejo swinging out a window with a guy's intestines?" or "You know what would be cool? Rose McGowan with a machine gun leg." And he just bases his movies around scenes like that.

Which is why his best movies tend to be the ones that he had limited control over. Whether it be written by someone else (The Faculty, From Dusk till Dawn), adapted from a pre-existing property very faithfully (Sin City, Alita: Battle Angel), or just made on scraps (El Mariachi). It's when he has complete control and all the budget that he needs that his films begin to fall apart.

It'd be great if he can grow up a little and learn to tell a proper story but until then, it's probably best that he remains a collaborator, as opposed to the sole author of his works.