Best Films of Each Year (1950 - 2011)

by alexhall187 | created - 19 Aug 2011 | updated - 29 Jan 2012 | Public
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1. Rashomon (1950)

Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

98 Metascore

The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.

Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura

Votes: 180,589 | Gross: $0.10M

Runner Up:

Sunset Blvd. (Dir. Billy Wilder)

2. Ace in the Hole (1951)

Approved | 111 min | Drama, Film-Noir

72 Metascore

A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.

Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Porter Hall

Votes: 39,136 | Gross: $3.97M

Runners Up:

Strangers on a Train (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) A Streetcar Named Desire (Dir. Elia Kazan)

3. To Live (1952)

Not Rated | 143 min | Drama

92 Metascore

A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.

Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka

Votes: 87,642 | Gross: $0.06M

Runner Up:

Umberto D. (Dir. Vittorio De Sica)

4. Tokyo Story (1953)

Not Rated | 136 min | Drama

100 Metascore

An old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.

Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara

Votes: 68,674

Runners Up:

Mr. Hulot's Holiday (Dir. Jacques Tati) The Earrings of Madame De... (Dir. Max Ophuls)

5. Seven Samurai (1954)

Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama

98 Metascore

Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki

Votes: 367,031 | Gross: $0.27M

Runners Up:

On the Waterfront (Dir. Elia Kazan) Rear Window (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) La Strada (Dir. Federico Fellini)

6. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

97 Metascore

A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.

Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason

Votes: 97,421 | Gross: $0.65M

Runners Up:

Diabolique (Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot) East of Eden (Dir. Elia Kazan)

7. The Killing (1956)

Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

91 Metascore

Crook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen

Votes: 97,589

Runner Up:

The Searchers (Dir. John Ford)

8. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama

97 Metascore

The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler

Votes: 865,886 | Gross: $4.36M

Runners Up:

Paths of Glory (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) The Seventh Seal (Dir. Ingmar Bergman) Wild Strawberries (Dir. Ingmar Bergman) Throne of Blood (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) The Bridge Over the River Kwai (Dir. David Lean)

9. Jalsaghar (1958)

Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Music

Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.

Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Chhabi Biswas, Gangapada Basu, Padmadevi, Kali Sarkar

Votes: 6,769 | Gross: $0.09M

Runners Up:

Vertigo (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) The Magician (Dir. Ingmar Bergman) Touch of Evil (Dir. Orson Welles)

10. The 400 Blows (1959)

Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama

A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier, Guy Decomble

Votes: 128,130

Runners Up:

Shadows (Dir. John Cassavetes) Pickpocket (Dir. Robert Bresson) Floating Weeds (Dir. Yasujiro Ozu) Some Like it Hot (Dir. Billy Wilder) Rio Bravo (Dir. Howard Hawks)

11. Breathless (1960)

Not Rated | 90 min | Crime, Drama

A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Van Doude, Jean-Luc Godard

Votes: 87,977 | Gross: $0.34M

Runners Up:

Psycho (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) La Dolce Vita (Dir. Federico Fellini) Shoot the Piano Player (Dir. Francois Truffaut) L'Avventura (Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni) Spartacus (Dir. Stanley Kubrick

12. Yojimbo (1961)

Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

93 Metascore

A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.

Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa

Votes: 131,426

Runner Up:

La Notte (Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni) Through a Glass Darkly (Dir. Ingmar Bergman A Woman Is A Woman (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard) Leon Morin, Priest (Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)

13. Vivre sa vie (1962)

Not Rated | 85 min | Drama

Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger

Votes: 35,016

Runners Up:

Jules and Jim (Dir. Francois Truffaut) Ivan's Childhood (Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) Le Doulos (Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) L'Eclisse (Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni) Lolita (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) Sanjuro (Dir. Akira Kurosawa)

14. (1963)

Not Rated | 138 min | Drama

93 Metascore

A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.

Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale, Sandra Milo

Votes: 125,252 | Gross: $0.05M

Runners Up:

Contempt (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard) Shock Corridor (Dir. Samuel Fuller) High and Low (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) Winter Light (Dir. Ingmar Bergman)

15. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

PG | 95 min | Comedy, War

97 Metascore

An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn

Votes: 518,538 | Gross: $0.28M

Runners Up:

Band of Outsiders (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard) Red Desert (Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni) A Fistful of Dollars (Dir. Sergio Leone) The Naked Kiss (Dir. Samuel Fuller) Fail-Safe (Dir. Sidney Lumet)

16. Pierrot the Fool (1965)

Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani, Aicha Abadir

Votes: 36,963

Runners Up:

For A Few Dollars More (Dir. Sergio Leone) Repulsion (Dir. Roman Polanski)

17. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Drama, Western

90 Metascore

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè

Votes: 811,768 | Gross: $6.10M

Runners Up:

Persona (Dir. Ingmar Bergman) The Battle of Algiers (Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo) Andrei Rublev (Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) Au Hasard Balthazar (Dir. Robert Bresson) Masculin, Feminin (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard) Blow-Up (Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni)

18. The Samurai (1967)

GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

90 Metascore

After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier

Votes: 57,214 | Gross: $0.04M

Runners Up:

The Graduate (Dir. Mike Nichols) Belle De Jour (Dir. Luis Bunuel)

19. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi

84 Metascore

After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter

Votes: 720,045 | Gross: $56.95M

Runners Up:

Once Upon a Time in the West (Dir. Sergio Leone) Stolen Kisses (Dir. Francois Truffaut) Rosemary's Baby (Dir. Roman Polanski) Faces (Dir. John Cassavetes)

20. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

R | 113 min | Drama

79 Metascore

A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.

Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver

Votes: 120,900 | Gross: $44.79M

Runners Up:

Army of Shadows (Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) Easy Rider (Dir. Dennis Hopper)

21. The Red Circle (1970)

Not Rated | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

92 Metascore

After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand

Votes: 28,179 | Gross: $0.37M

Runners Up:

Husbands (Dir. John Cassavetes) Five Easy Pieces (Dir. Bob Rafelson)

22. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi

77 Metascore

In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke

Votes: 881,708 | Gross: $6.21M

Runners Up:

The Last Picture Show (Dir. Peter Bogdanovich) Murmur of the Heart (Dir. Louis Malle) Walkabout (Dir. Nicholas Roeg) Two-Lane Blacktop (Dir. Monte Hellman)

23. The Godfather (1972)

R | 175 min | Crime, Drama

100 Metascore

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton

Votes: 2,014,055 | Gross: $134.97M

Runners Up:

Solaris (Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) The Last Tango in Paris (Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci) The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Dir. Luis Bunuel) Cries and Whispers (Dir. Ingmar Bergman)

24. Mean Streets (1973)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

96 Metascore

In New York City's Little Italy, a devoutly Catholic mobster must reconcile his desire for power, his feelings for his epileptic lover, and his devotion to his troublesome friend.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson

Votes: 119,730 | Gross: $3.13M

Runners Up:

Amarcord (Dir. Federico Fellini) Day for Night (Dir. Francois Truffaut) Badlands (Dir. Terrence Malick) Serpico (Dir. Sidney Lumet) The Exorcist (Dir. William Friedkin) Scenes from a Marriage (Dir. Ingmar Bergman

25. Chinatown (1974)

R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

92 Metascore

A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez

Votes: 350,060

Runners Up:

The Godfather Part II (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) A Woman Under the Influence (Dir. John Cassavetes) The Conversation (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Dir. Martin Scorsese)

26. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar

Votes: 273,187 | Gross: $50.00M

Runners Up:

Barry Lyndon (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Dir. Milos Forman) The Mirror (Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) Nashville (Dir. Robert Altman) Picnic at Hanging Rock (Dir. Peter Weir)

27. Taxi Driver (1976)

R | 114 min | Crime, Drama

94 Metascore

A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks

Votes: 921,398 | Gross: $28.26M

Runners Up:

Network (Dir. Sidney Lumet) The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (Dir. John Cassavetes) Hearts of Glass (Dir. Werner Herzog)

28. Annie Hall (1977)

PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance

92 Metascore

Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane

Votes: 278,534 | Gross: $39.20M

Runners Up:

Eraserhead (Dir. David Lynch) 3 Women (Dir. Robert Altman) Stroszek (Dir. Werner Herzog) The Obscure Object of Desire (Dir. Luis Bunuel) House (Dir. Nobuhiko Ohbayashi)

29. Days of Heaven (1978)

PG | 94 min | Drama, Romance

94 Metascore

A hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.

Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz

Votes: 62,795

Runners Up:

The Deer Hunter (Dir. Michael Comino) Autumn Sonata (Dir. Ingmar Bergman) Halloween (Dir. John Carpenter)

30. Apocalypse Now (1979)

R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War

94 Metascore

A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest

Votes: 710,745 | Gross: $83.47M

Runners Up:

Manhattan (Dir. Woody Allen) Stalker (Dir. Andei Tarkovsky) Alien (Dir. Ridley Scott)

31. Raging Bull (1980)

R | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

90 Metascore

The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent

Votes: 380,459 | Gross: $23.38M

Runners Up:

The Shining (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) The Last Metro (Dir. Francois Truffaut) The Elephant Man (Dir. David Lynch) Stardust Memories (Dir. Woody Allen) Atlantic City (Dir. Louis Malle)

32. Blow Out (1981)

R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

86 Metascore

A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz

Votes: 63,370 | Gross: $13.75M

Runners Up:

My Dinner with Andre (Dir. Louis Malle)

33. Fanny and Alexander (1982)

R | 188 min | Drama

100 Metascore

Two young Swedish children in the 1900s experience the many comedies and tragedies of their lively and affectionate theatrical family, the Ekdahls.

Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt

Votes: 67,520 | Gross: $4.97M

Runner Up:

Blade Runner (Dir. Ridley Scott) The Verdict (Dir. Sidney Lumet) White Dog (Dir. Samuel Fuller)

34. Videodrome (1983)

R | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

58 Metascore

A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.

Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky

Votes: 103,074 | Gross: $2.12M

Runners Up:

The King of Comedy (Dir. Martin Scorsese) Scarface (Dir. Brian De Palma) Rumble Fish (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

35. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama

86 Metascore

A New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting a strange, unpredictable adventure.

Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edson, Cecillia Stark

Votes: 40,681 | Gross: $2.44M

Runners Up:

Once Upon a Time in America (Dir. Sergio Leone) Blood Simple (Dir. Joel Coen) Amadeus (Dir. Milos Forman) Paris, Texas (Dir. Wim Wenders) This Is Spinal Tap (Dir. Rob Reiner)

36. After Hours (I) (1985)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

89 Metascore

An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho he met that evening at a coffee shop.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong

Votes: 81,499 | Gross: $10.60M

Runner Up:

Ran (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) Come and See (Dir. Elem Klimov) Brazil (Dir. Terry Gilliam) The Purple Rose of Cairo (Dir. Woody Allen) The Color Purple (Dir. Steven Spielberg)

37. Blue Velvet (1986)

R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

75 Metascore

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Votes: 215,840 | Gross: $8.55M

Runners Up:

Down by Law (Dir. Jim Jarmusch) She's Gotta Have It (Dir. Spike Lee) Something Wild (Dir. Jonathan Demme) Sid & Nancy (Dir. Alex Cox)

38. Goodbye, Children (1987)

PG | 104 min | Drama, War

88 Metascore

A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. Occupying the next bed in the dormitory to the top student in his class, the two young boys begin to form a bond.

Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carré de Malberg

Votes: 36,131 | Gross: $4.54M

Runners Up:

Full Metal Jacket (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) Wings of Desire (Dir. Wim Wenders) Wall Street (Dir. Oliver Stone)

39. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

R | 164 min | Drama

80 Metascore

The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Paul Greco

Votes: 63,196 | Gross: $7.63M

Runners Up:

Cinema Paradiso (Dir. Guiseppe Tornatore) Mississippi Burning (Dir. Alan Parker) School Daze (Dir. Spike Lee) Frantic (Dir. Roman Polanski)

40. Do the Right Thing (1989)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

93 Metascore

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson

Votes: 112,496 | Gross: $27.55M

Runners Up:

Drugstore Cowboy (Dir. Gus Van Sant) Crimes and Misdemeanors (Dir. Woody Allen) Mystery Train (Dir. Jim Jarmusch) Sex, Lies, and a Videotape (Dir. Steven Soderbergh)

41. Goodfellas (1990)

R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

92 Metascore

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco

Votes: 1,258,277 | Gross: $46.84M

Runners Up:

Miller's Crossing (Dir. Joel Coen) Dreams (Dir. Akira Kurosawa) The Godfather Part III (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

42. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama

76 Metascore

Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.

Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II

Votes: 154,755 | Gross: $57.50M

Runners Up:

Barton Fink (Dir. Joel Coen) Hearts of Darkness (Dir. Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola) Slacker (Dir. Richard Linklater) Naked Lunch (Dir. David Cronenberg) The Silence of the Lambs (Dir. Jonathan Demme) My Own Private Idaho (Dir. Gus Van Sant) JFK (Dir. Oliver Stone)

43. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller

81 Metascore

When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn

Votes: 1,088,848 | Gross: $2.83M

Runners Up:

Malcolm X (Dir. Spike Lee) Unforgiven (Dir. Clint Eastwood)

44. Menace II Society (1993)

R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

76 Metascore

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda

Votes: 64,501 | Gross: $27.90M

Runners Up:

Dazed and Confused (Dir. Richard Linklater) Short Cuts (Dir. Robert Altman) Naked (Dir. Mike Leigh) Groundhog Day (Dir. Harold Ramis) The Age of Innocence (Dir. Martin Scorsese)

45. Pulp Fiction (1994)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama

95 Metascore

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis

Votes: 2,221,979 | Gross: $107.93M

Runners Up:

Chungking Express (Dir. Wong-Kar Wai) Crumb (Dir. Terry Zwigoff) Clerks. (Dir. Kevin Smith) Hoop Dreams (Dir. Steve James) The Shawshank Redemption (Dir. Frank Darabont)

46. La haine (1995)

Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama

24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili

Votes: 196,661 | Gross: $0.31M

Runners Up:

Kids (Dir. Larry Clark) A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (Dir. Martin Scorsese, Michael Henry Wilson) Se7en (Dir. David Fincher)

47. Fargo (1996)

R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller

88 Metascore

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare

Votes: 727,112 | Gross: $24.61M

Runners Up:

Trainspotting (Dir. Danny Boyle) Hard Eight (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) Bottle Rocket (Dir. Wes Anderson) Breaking the Waves (Dir. Lars von Trier)

48. Boogie Nights (1997)

R | 155 min | Drama

86 Metascore

Back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Luis Guzmán

Votes: 282,221 | Gross: $26.40M

Runners Up:

Jackie Brown (Dir. Quentin Tarantino) L.A. Confidential (Dir. Curtis Hanson) Good Will Hunting (Dir. Gus Van Sant) Chasing Amy (Dir. Kevin Smith) Gummo (Dir. Harmony Korine)

49. The Big Lebowski (1998)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime

71 Metascore

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Votes: 860,837 | Gross: $17.50M

Runners Up:

The Thin Red Line (Dir. Terrence Malick) Pi (Dir. Darren Aronofsky) Rushmore (Dir. Wes Anderson) American History X (Dir. Tony Kaye) Saving Private Ryan (Dir. Steven Spielberg) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Dir. Terry Gilliam)

50. Magnolia (1999)

R | 188 min | Drama

78 Metascore

An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Votes: 328,660 | Gross: $22.46M

Runners Up:

Eyes Wide Shut (Dir. Stanley Kubrick) Fight Club (Dir. David Fincher) American Beauty (Dir. Sam Mendes) The Virgin Suicides (Dir. Sofia Coppola)

51. Requiem for a Dream (2000)

R | 102 min | Drama

71 Metascore

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..

Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Votes: 899,289 | Gross: $3.64M

Runners Up:

Amores Perros (Dir. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu) George Washington (Dir. David Gordon Green) Almost Famous (Dir. Cameron Crowe) Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai (Dir. Jim Jarmusch) Battle Royale (Dir. Kinji Fukasaku) Dancer in the Dark (Dir. Lars von Trier)

52. Waking Life (2001)

R | 99 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy

85 Metascore

A man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.

Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Trevor Jack Brooks, Lorelei Linklater, Wiley Wiggins

Votes: 66,948 | Gross: $2.89M

Runners Up:

Y Tu Mama Tambien (Dir. Alfonso Cuaron) Mulholland Dr. (Dir. David Lynch) Donnie Darko (Dir. Richard Kelly) Bully (Dir. Larry Clark) The Royal Tenenbaums (Dir. Wes Anderson) Ghost World (Dir. Terry Zwigoff)

53. 25th Hour (2002)

R | 135 min | Drama

69 Metascore

Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson

Votes: 184,702 | Gross: $13.06M

Runners Up:

City of God (Dir. Ferdinand Meirelles) Punch-Drunk Love (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) Irreversible (Dir. Gaspare Noe) Adaptation. (Dir. Spike Jonze) Minority Report (Dir. Steven Spielberg) The Pianist (Dir. Roman Polanski) Talk to Her (Dir. Pedro Almodovar) Gangs of New York (Dir. Martin Scorsese)

54. Lost in Translation (2003)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama

91 Metascore

A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

Votes: 489,494 | Gross: $44.59M

Runners Up:

Oldboy (Dir. Park-chan Wook) Coffee and Cigarettes (Dir. Jim Jarmusch) 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)

55. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

89 Metascore

When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.

Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne

Votes: 1,078,687 | Gross: $34.40M

Runners Up:

Collateral (Dir. Michael Mann) Kill Bill Vol. II (Dir. Quentin Tarantino) Shaun of the Dead (Dir. Edgar Wright) Million Dollar Baby (Dir. Clint Eastwood) Before Sunset (Dir. Richard Linklater)

56. The Squid and the Whale (2005)

R | 81 min | Comedy, Drama

82 Metascore

Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg

Votes: 90,473 | Gross: $7.36M

Runners Up:

A History of Violence (Dir. David Cronenberg) The New World (Dir. Terrence Malick) The Best of Youth (Dir. Marco Tullio Giordana) Capote (Dir. Bennet Miller) Broken Flowers (Dir. Jim Jarmusch)

57. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War

98 Metascore

In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú

Votes: 703,319 | Gross: $37.63M

Runners Up:

This Is England (Dir. Shane Meadows) Half Nelson (Dir. Ryan Fleck) Little Miss Sunshine (Dir. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Ferris) The Departed (Dir. Martin Scorsese) United 93 (Dir. Paul Greengrass) Children of Men (Dir. Alfonso Cuaron) Babel (Dir. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu)

58. There Will Be Blood (2007)

R | 158 min | Drama

93 Metascore

A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds, Martin Stringer

Votes: 641,528 | Gross: $40.22M

Runners Up:

The Assassination of Jesse James (Dir. Andrew Domonik) Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Dir. Sidney Lumet) 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Dir. Christian Mungui) Zodiac (Dir. David Fincher) Control (Dir. Anton Corbijn) No Country for Old Men (Dir. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) Gone Baby Gone (Dir. Ben Affleck) Ratatouille (Dir. Brad Bird) Into the Wild (Dir. Sean Penn)

59. The Wrestler (2008)

R | 109 min | Drama, Sport

80 Metascore

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis

Votes: 320,055 | Gross: $26.24M

Runners Up:

Synecdoche, New York (Dir. Charlie Kaufman) Gomorrah (Dir. Matteo Gorrane)

60. A Prophet (2009)

R | 155 min | Crime, Drama

90 Metascore

A delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss. But his gradual rise through the mob's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.

Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb

Votes: 102,219 | Gross: $2.08M

Runners Up:

A Serious Man (Dir. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) Up in the Air (Dir. Jason Reitman) Fish Tank (Dir. Andrea Arnold) Inglourious Basterds (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)

61. The Social Network (2010)

PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama

95 Metascore

As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara

Votes: 759,225 | Gross: $96.96M

Runners Up:

Black Swan (Dir. Darren Aronofsky) Blue Valentine (Dir. Derek Cianfrance) Animal Kingdom (Dir. David Michod) Greenberg (Dir. Noah Baumbach)

62. The Tree of Life (2011)

PG-13 | 139 min | Drama, Fantasy

85 Metascore

The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.

Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken

Votes: 184,181 | Gross: $13.30M

Runners Up:

Drive (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dir. David Fincher) 50/50 (Dir. Jonathan Levine) Terri (Dir. Azazel Jacobs) Midnight in Paris (Dir. Woody Allen) Hugo (Dir. Martin Scorsese)



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