1990s was a great decade for filmmaking. New directors with a great vision made films from scratch, without compromising, and quite boldly. This makes the decade filled with so many masterpieces. The decade saw the uprising of many great directors. Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Lars Von Trier, Coen Brothers, Sam Mendes, and many more.
Best 90's movies to watch
At the same time, the experienced directors also provided some of their best works in this decade. Let it be Martin Scorsese, with his films Casino, Cape Fear. Or Steven Spielberg, who gave us Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park, the best films of the 1990s. It was great for films in general. In this article, we are going to go through some of the best 90’s movies to watch.
15. The Silence of the Lambs
1991 ‧ Thriller/Horror
Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Ted Levine, Brooke Smith
IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
Quite perhaps one of the most renowned and critically acclaimed films released in the 1990s, it is a great psychological crime drama concerning a psychopathic criminal. With unbelievable performances from the two leads, especially unforgettable Hopkin’s Hannibal Lector. Its a performance of the decade. It’s a modern masterpiece and will be revered even more in times to come.
14. Fargo
1996 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
A dark comedy directed by Coen Brothers. Its strangely fascinating study of psychology of crime. Its bold, audacious and utterly hilarious. Finding humor in darkest of things. The performances are thoroughly enjoyable, but at the end it leaves you with certain sense of melancholia and harsh reality of what the film presented. It’s beautiful film with all its faulty characters.
13. Being John Malkovich
1999 ‧ Comedy/Fantasy
Director: Spike Jonze
Cast: John Malkovich, John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener
IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
Imaginative, strange and completely fascinating film. Released at nearly end of the decade, its story of psychotic puppeteer, who gets access to the portal to the mind of John Malkovich, a famous actor. Its extremely weird plot, but surprisingly works, that too very beautifully. Its an imaginative film defying all logic, which creates it own logic and as a result provides something very original and fascinating.
12. La Haine
1995 ‧ Drama/Crime
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Cast: Mathieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui, Hubert Koundé
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
La Haine means Hate in English. And it is basically a story about hate. Three young boys wander aimlessly in the streets of unknown French city where violence is about to burst out. Its a leisurely film, with nothing significant happening. It’s a hangout film for more serious movie lovers. Its spontaneous film, giving us no clue about what is about to happen, and its claustrophobic in a sense. But most of all, its a great observation on troubled youth in an unhinged society. It is a mind provocative film albeit its sheer simplicity.
11. Rushmore
1998 ‧ Comedy/Indie film
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
Wes Anderson’s most quirky movie to date. And that’s saying a lot! Though it lacks the visual idiosyncrasies which his films have now, but it is one of his best films. What makes this film great is the fact that how original it is. Though we know Anderson for his visual and narrative style, its the way he tells the story is much more important than before said aspects. It tells the story of Max Fischer, quite probably one of the most interesting Anderson character. It’s basically coming of age film in Wes Anderson style
10 Pulp Fiction
1994 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
IMDb Ratings: 8.9/10
Regarded as one of the most renowned work of Quentin Tarantino and also of 1990s. It was a huge hit in the time. With its unique narrative structure which was uncommon in its time, catchy music, very colorful and quirky characters and story to be remembered for a long time. It still hasn’t lost its fame and hype. The posters of Pulp Fiction with Mia Wallace laying with a cigarette in her hands, are still making their space in the rooms of films lovers all around the world.
9. The Fugitive
1993 ‧ Action/Thriller
Director: Andrew Davis
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Neil Flynn
IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
Extremely thrilling film with Harrison Ford as a lead. It doesn’t let you breath for its whole running time. With one twist after the another. With a murder mystery at the centre of the story, it is compelling, thrilling and brilliantly made film. Special mention to its realistic effects, and how realistically it is shot. If made today, it would definitely have used CGI for shooting the train scene it features, and also many others. Harrison Ford as Dr. Kimble gave robust performance but Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerald steals the show with his masterful performance, which earned him an Oscars for best supporting actor role.
8. American Beauty
1999 ‧ Romance/Comedy
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Mena Suvari, Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Annette Bening
IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
This Oscar winning film definitely deserves all the praise it gets. The story revolves around a dysfunctional family. Kevin Spacey as Lester, a middle age man who is falling into depression and existentialism, and gets infatuated with his daughter’s friend. While this seems an interesting but nasty plot, it is surprisingly humane and full of bitter truth. Lester is struggling with his emotions, but others around him are no less conflicted. It shows how everyone is going through same kind of problems around, it really feels genuinely affecting. It also shades light on the hypocrisies of human behavior and a great study of human nature.
7. Unforgiven
1992 ‧ Western/Drama
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris, Morgan Freeman, Anna Thomson
IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
Clint Eastwood is known for his westerns. This another western in which he stars, he also directs it. Earning the film an Oscars but also for Eastwood as a director. Quite successful in its time, it is getting faded and forgotten with time. It has got the feel of a western. It stars Eastwood as William Murray, a widower who gives up everything after his wife dies. He once was a gunfighter, and left that nasty bussiness because of her wife’s wish. But fate makes him go his old brutal ways. Unforgiven is one of greatest film in its genre, which is still quite loved but it certainly have lost its name and glory which was earlier quite all around.
6. Schindler's List
1993 ‧ War/Drama
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davidtz, Caroline Goodall
IMDb Ratings: 8.9/10
A heartbreaking film involving a German businessman and an industrialist, who is also a member of Nazi party. After recruiting Jews for his business, he sees their horror and how they are persecuted, making him do something about them. He then tries to save them from the atrocities of Nazi Party. Held as perhaps the best and most important work of Steven Spielberg, it is regarded as his peak point. The film is devoid of any flaw and is a technical masterpiece. But more than that it is great work of cinema, and is truly a wrenching film which will be remembered for a long time.
5. Goodfellas
1990 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
IMDb Ratings: 8.7/10
Martin Scorsese quite possibly changed the gangster genre with this film. Surely a great film, and many things are said about the film. But the depiction of women and their life who are in relations with these gangsters is specially admirable. He gives them a voice here, which is quite uncommon in this genre. With great voice narration, technically inventive camera angles, great performances all around, it is certainly Scorsese’s top work. With a great ensemble of cast, including De Niro, Pesci, Liotta and many others, it is a work of sheer brilliance. Goodfellas is one of the best 90’s movies in Crime genre.
4. Jurassic Park
1993 ‧ Sci-fi/Action
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Ariana Richards, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Steven Spielberg changed the very conception of blockbuster filmmaking with his films. Be it his first such blockbuster film Jaws, or a friendly alien sci-fi ET, or Indiana Jones films. But with Jurassic Park, he took that to another level. Its one of its kind, an imaginative escapist epic. Full of adventure, wonder and unreal use of special effects, which were impossible at the time. It is still one of the most watched films of all time. And perhaps a peak point of Spielberg’s blockbuster filmmaking.
3. The Big Lebowski
1998 ‧ Comedy/Crime
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
It is a clever, funny and absolutely hilarious film by Coen Brothers. Just released after two years when Fargo was released, the another funny but darkly comedic Coen Brothers masterpiece. It has became cult classic since and is praised by movie lovers all around. The Dude has became a popular character. With his cool beard, cool costumes which are replicated and tried by many film loves, this film is insanely watchable. With great ensemble of cast, and equally enjoyable performances from all of them.
2. Saving Private Ryan
1998 ‧ War/Action
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
Released in the later half of the 1990s, the film is a worthy contender of being of the most impactful war movies of its time. The masterful opening sequence still gives chills. Perfectly executed and made its near 3 hours of genius filmmaking. With Spielberg’s usual humanistic approach and his genius skills, this gives some great sense of purpose to the film. Tom Hanks is worthy of praise for his extraordinary performance in the film. According to us this is one of the best 90’s movies in War genre.
1. Jackie Brown
1997 ‧ Crime/Drama
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Perhaps one the most ignored work of Quentin Tarantino. And that’s a pity, since it is perhaps his one of the most perfect films to date. Every single aspect of this is memorable and precise in its execution. With soundtrack worthy of praise, the perfectly structured narrative, fantastic performances from all the cast, and is enjoyable throughout. It is like hanging with the characters. The characters are so Tarantino esque, still perhaps one of the most grounded and believable.
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