30 best '90s movies of all time: from Fight Club to The Matrix
The very best '90s movies - a glorious decade in film
With the Matrix 4 currently shooting, we thought it was high time we all needed a best '90s movies guide.
The Nineties was an era of essential, classic movies. This was the decade of Spielberg, of action blockbusters that weren't faintly embarrassing or packed to the gills with superheroes, and the time when the likes of Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher and The Coen Brothers came to prominence.
Yes, the '70s was an era of groundbreaking creativity, and the '80s saw the advent of the blockbuster, but the '90s was a quintessential mix of both, resulting in a miasma of big-budget hits, and quirky, inventive cult hits.
Here's our pick of the 30 best 90s movies of all time...
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30. The Thin Red Line
At 170 minutes long, Terrence Malick’s war movie undoubtedly counts as an epic. Featuring a huge cast of big names - some of whom became bigger names after starring in what would be Malick’s first film after a 20-year hiatus - and it was a huge undertaking for all involved. Despite turning none of its seven Oscar nominations into awards, it’s still one to add to your list the next time you have a spare three hours.
29. Being John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich may have been released at the beginning of the year 2000, but it's a 1999 movie officially, so it'll make the list. Just. This quirky fantasy-meets-comedy has a fantastic cast with John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, as well as John Malkovich and Charlie Sheen playing themselves. It's hard to tell you much about this movie without giving away some of the best twists and turns, but it's about a strange office and a strange tunnel that's behind a filing cabinet. The rest you can maybe guess from the title.
28. Titanic
The tragic love story that never was - yes, that's right (spoiler alert) Rose and Jack were never actually aboard the real Titanic - Titanic tells the tale of the ill-fated steam liner that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Hitting an iceberg mid-voyage, the pair of lovers are faced with a tough decision, as Jack remains locked below deck and Rose is swept along by first class passangers.
27. Good Will Hunting
From the minds of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck before they became Hollywood elite, Good Will Hunting is the story of a WIll Hunting (played by Damon) who is a caretaker at a high school but also turns out to be a genius mathematician. It features fantastic performances from Damon and Robin WIlliams, who co-stars. The movie was a huge hit with audiences, critics and award bodies alike, picking up the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
26. L.A. Confidential
A stylish, seductive and smart film based on the bestselling novel by James Ellroy, LA Confidential took the relatively unknown Antipodeans Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, and catapulted them to fame. Murder, corruption and ambition abound as three concurrent stories intertwine and unravel in a beautifully detailed rendering of 1950s LA. Kim Basinger won an Oscar for her performance as a Veronica Lake lookalike sex worker in this pitch-perfect, cerebral noir.