The 21st century has certainly been an interesting era for cinema, as the industry has changed in many significant ways. In addition to the rise of streaming services and the setbacks by COVID-19, the industry is simply not producing as many dramatic films aimed at an adult audience; more often than not, Hollywood has been obsessed with crafting blockbusters films that appeal to more casual viewers, as opposed to serious cinephiles.
That being said, there are many films from the last 25 years that will stand the test of time, and may be able to resonate with a younger generation of viewers in the same way that all-time classics like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Best Years of Our Lives, Raging Bull, or The Godfather have been able to. Here are the ten best drama movies of the last 25 years, ranked.
10 ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Image via Universal Pictures
Oppenheimer is the crowning achievement of Christopher Nolan’s career, as it finally earned him the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director that he had long since deserved. While there have been countless films that have tackled the World War II era, Nolan was able to analyze the research of Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy in an Academy Award winning performance), and show how it had a devastating effect on world politics over the course of the next century.
Oppenheimer is relentlessly paced, and so the over three hours of running time never feels like it drags. Nolan has occasionally been criticized for his interest in playing with time, but the use of flashbacks and interludes within Oppenheimer were able to make the complex narrative more easily comprehensible, even for those that don’t know a lot about the origins of the nuclear race and the Cold War era.
The story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Mystic River is one of the best thrillers that Clint Eastwood has ever made, proving that he is far more than just a great filmmaker behind westerns. Although Mystic River is ostensibly a mystery that keeps its audience guessing about a suspected murderer until the very end, it proves to be an even more insightful examination of childhood trauma and the loss of innocence.
Mystic River is a devastating examination of how friendships can fall apart over time, which is made even more powerful thanks to the incredible performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, both of whom received Academy Awards for their work. While Eastwood has often looked at the dark side of human nature, Mystic River may be the most viscerally upsetting and undeniably cynical project that he has made within his entire career, which is no small statement.
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Mystic River
The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.
Brokeback Mountain is among the most deeply moving romantic dramas of all-time, as it reworked the mythology behind masculinity within western stories to tell a heartbreaking story about forbidden love and prejudice. Although Hollywood has often been timid in granting LGBTQ-centirc stories with respect, Brokeback Mountain is both a celebration of unabashed love and a desperate warning about the horrors of homophobia and suppression. Brokeback Mountain isn’t just an important piece of representation, but a film capable of changing hearts and minds.
The chemistry between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal is simply terrific, as both stars were able to believably play the same characters for several decades. Although Ledger sadly died before he was able to show the full extent of what he was capable of doing, Brokeback Mountain serves as a heartbreaking reminder of what a brave, exciting, and intensely passionate artist he was.
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Brokeback Mountain
Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.
No Country For Old Men is one of the more intense films that the Coen brothers have ever made, as it diverts wildly from the quirky sensibilities that made The Big Lebowski and Fargo so interesting. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, No Country For Old Men explores the inherent violence within the American frontier as it reckons with the changes within different generations.
No Country For Old Men is lean and effective, but remains so packed with details that each subsequent rewatch provides more clues as to the deeper themes that the Coen brothers were hinting at. Although the duo is responsible for bringing some of the greatest characters to life in the history of cinema, Javier Bardem’s performance as the ruthless assassin Anton Chigurh will certainly go down as one of most memorable villains ever.
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
There Will Be Blood is often compared to Citizen Kane, as it explores themes of obsession, greed, and betrayal that are essential to American history. Although the narrative that Paul Thomas Anderson constructed is deeply rooted in the “oil boom” that had a significant impact on the American economy, its themes are prevalent to nearly any era in history.
There Will Be Blood benefits from one of the greatest performances of all-time from Daniel Day-Lewis, whose performance as Daniel Plainview will certainly go down in history as one of the best anti-heroes ever. While Day-Lewis has earned immense acclaim for his work in dramas like My Left Foot, Lincoln, and The Gangs of New York among many others, There Will Be Blood is certainly the film that he will be remembered for best, and has served as an inspiration for a new generation of aspiring actors.
A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
The Fabelmans is perhaps the most personal film of Steven Spielberg’s entire career, as it allowed him to delve into his own past by telling a semi-autobiographical film about his emergence as a filmmaker. Gabriel LaBelle’s performance is simply a breakout, as he managed to capture how familial dysfunction, artistic devotion, and Jewish faith factored into his decision to become a Hollywood filmmaker.
The Fabelmans is among Spielberg’s bravest films, as he was able to analyze his parents’ divorce from a mature perspective. That being said, The Fabelmans is also a love letter to all generations of moviegoers, and celebrates the unique feelings of exhilaration and satisfaction that can only come when watching images dazzle across a silver screen. Spielberg has made many great dramas over the course of the last 25 years, but The Fabelmans may be his most emotionally affecting.
The Fabelmans is a film loosely based on the life of a young Steven Spielberg, with Gabriel Labelle playing the role of 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman. Fictionalizing but treading essential moments in the director's life, The Fabelmans is set in the 1960s with the titular family moving from New Jersey to California, where a dark secret begins to cause the life of young Sammy to unravel. To escape the reality he's faced with, he turns to films and reinforces a new dream - the aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. The film allows the director and the audience to look back on the past and try to understand the motivations of family members' various actions by contextualizing them through the lens of film.
12 Years a Slave is a monumental drama that examines the cruelty of slavery in a way that Hollywood has never reckoned with before. While there have been some films that have examined aspects of the Civil War, Steven McQueen brought to life the deeply upsetting story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man who was abducted and sold into slavery, where he was forced to live under the cruel landowner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) for over a decade.
12 Years a Slave is a deeply upsetting film to watch, as McQueen does not shy away from the brutality of history. That being said, it's an unparalleled work of craftsmanship that features incredible work from its cast and crew, and may serve as an educational resource for future generations. The importance of 12 Years a Slave is equivalent to its outstanding artistic merit.
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12 Years a Slave
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Release Date October 18, 2013
Director Steve McQueen
Runtime 134 minutes
Main Genre Biography
Writers John Ridley , Solomon Northup
Tagline The extraordinary true story of Solomon Northup
The Social Network was a film perfectly suited for the 21st century, as it examined the ways in which communication has changed as the result of the Internet through the true story of how Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) created Facebook, and was drawn into various lawsuits as a result. The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is one of the best ever written, as it manages to intertwine various aspects of Zuckerberg’s life into a deeply entertaining “rise to power” story.
The Social Network is deeply cynical about the ways in which the Internet promotes toxic masculinity, and shows how Zuckerberg’s personal hardships led him to create a destructive empire. While it was famously snubbed for the Best Picture Oscar in favor of The King’s Speech, The Social Network is so articulate in its examination of the current era that it has only grown more relevant in recent years.
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.
Release Date October 1, 2010
Runtime 120 minutes
Writers Aaron Sorkin , Ben Mezrich
Budget $40 Million
Studio(s) Trigger Street Productions, Scott Rudin Productions, Michael De Luca Productions, Relativity Media, Columbia Pictures
The Departed is proof that Martin Scorsese can do almost anything, as he managed to remake the popular Asian action film Infernal Affairs and turn it into a modern crime classic. This intense “cat-and-mouse” thriller is packed with twists and turns, all whilst constructing a unique message about the instability of power when dogmatic personalities are involved.
The Departed includes a simply extraordinary ensemble cast; Jack Nicholson chews the scenery with one of his most entertaining performances ever, Leonardo DiCaprio provides the unkempt rage necessary for the protagonist, Matt Damon surprises as a truly detestable villain, Alec Baldwin gives balance with his role as a senior law enforcement officer, and Mark Wahlberg earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for providing a hilarious comic relief role. The Departed isn’t just Scorsese’s best of the 21st century, but a modern classic worthy of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Mean Streets.
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The Departed
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
It may seem too soon to declare a new release as an all-time great, but The Brutalist is among the most ambitious American films ever made, and provides an unparalleled opportunity for viewers to see something truly special on the big screen. The epic film spans over three hours, including an intermission, which makes it feel like a classic worthy of “The Golden Age of Hollywood.”
Brady Corbet crafted a deeply thought-provoking story about the collapse of the American dream, the inescapable greed of capitalism, and the aggressive anti-Semitism that is still pertinent today. Adrien Brody’s performance is absolutely heartbreaking, as he captures the tortured soul of a talented artist who suffers severe feelings of self-doubt as he watches his work turned against him. The Brutalist is an unforgettable film, and serves as a reminder that true innovations within the industry are still possible.
The Brutalist follows visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet as they flee Europe, aiming to rebuild their legacy in modern America. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious and wealthy client alters the course of their lives, intertwining ambition with the challenges of a new world.
Character(s) László Tóth , Harrison Lee Van Buren , Erzsébet Tóth , Harry Lee Van Buren , Zsófia , Maggie Lee Van Buren , Audrey , Gordon , Attila , Jim Simpson , Leslie , Hoffman , Orazio , Zsófia in 1980 , Party Guest , Bar Manager , Mayor Kinney , Receptionist , Construction Supervisor , Townsperson , Townsperson #2
Custom Image by Nimesh Perera
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