With the recent end of another decade, this post marks the first in a series of posts where I’ll look at my favorite movies from individual decades. I’m starting with the 90’s because it is arguably my favorite decade, and for me, had the deepest roster of movies. A few things to note about this post, and future posts:
I noted that these are “favorites”, so it isn’t a best-of list. There will be movies in the Honorable Mentions that may be of a higher artistic caliber, but they may not be movies I’ve revisited as many times.
Also, the list is just the movies I most enjoy that came out in the 90’s. It is not a list of quintessential 90’s movies, or the most important movies of the 90’s. Just the movies I like best. This won’t be a commentary on film in the 90’s.
One odd thing that doesn’t need to be mentioned, but I feel like telling you is that despite being alive for the entire decade, I did not see most of these movies in the 90’s. Many are adult dramas, and therefore I was not seeing them when they came out. Coincidentally, this decade has most of my all-time favorites.
Another incidental note, a lot of movies seem to be clustered in certain years. Between the official list and the Honorable mentions, 1995 and 1997 each have 4 movies included, many of which weren’t nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
SPOILERS ahead for the movies, it’s hard to describe things that are good about a movie without noting things that happen.
To the list!
Most Honored of Honorable Mentions: This goes out to the missing 10th movie on the list. There were so many movies to choose from, and it was very difficult for me to settle on a 10th. For some reason, 9 was just an easier cutoff for this list, but, spoiler alert (!), there are some classics that didn’t quite crack the top 9.
9). The Usual Suspects (1995, directed by Bryan Singer)
Me from 2009 cannot believe this movie is only ninth on my list, as I went through a period of being obsessed with this movie. It has a plot that is both tightly constructed, but also leaves open many possibilities for the viewer to ponder.
First and foremost, the twist. This movie is one of the most popular movies to spoil, including efforts from other movies like Scary Movie and Trainwreck. The twist is big and it still holds up as one of the best ever. It makes us question the most basic elements of the movie, for example, how much of Verbal’s story (aka everything we just watched) even happened? Even more pointed, can we ever again trust characters with limps, wheelchairs, cerebral palsy, broken bones? I swear, when I saw The Theory of Everything, I was like “this guy is gonna get up and walk at the end”.
Movies with twists are always fun to rewatch because it’s interesting to look at the movie through new eyes and see how well the twist was delivered. This movie absolutely falls into that category.
The Usual Suspects also features a great ensemble cast, and though Kevin Spacey is the most famous actor now, he was not at the time. Gabriel Byrne is very believable as the authoritative ex-cop, Stephen Baldwin plays a comically crazy thief, Kevin Pollack is good as the wiseass, and Benicio Del Toro is completely off the reservation. Chazz Palmintieri is also really strong as U.S. Customs Agent Kujian, the man questioning Verbal for the whole movie.
The script won an Oscar, which is a testament to the great dialogue, good jokes, well-executed twist, and tightly-constructed crime story. It combines a few popular, but different movie tropes: banning together of a team of misfit underdogs, the team introductions, the witness/accomplice who knows more than they let on, and the criminals being pulled in for “one last job”.
One other randomly cool thing, the movie takes place in New York City, but basically makes no reference to it. They note that a crime was committed in Queens, but New York City is minimally involved in the story. Most movies that take place in New York City go out of their way to showcase it, even if it’s completely incidental to the plot. I appreciate Suspect’s restraint.
All in all, it is a wonderful movie that excels in every conceivable aspect, functioning as both a smart crime movie and a mind-bending mystery. Though it was nominated for 2 Oscars, it was not nominated for Best Picture in 1995.
8). L.A. Confidential (1997, directed by Curtis Hanson)
A quintessential example of one of my favorite subgenres, L.A. noir movies. Above is the opening sequence of the movie, which explains why Los Angeles is the perfect backdrop for crime stories; there’s sunshine, Hollywood, beautiful people, and wealth, but it all covers up a seedy underbelly.
L.A. Confidential follows three protagonists, each an officer in the LAPD, portrayed by Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey. It’s another great ensemble movie where each of the three characters basically gets equal screen time, and all parts are well-acted without being too showy.
Although there are three lead characters, the story is told from one omniscient perspective, and we get to see each character battle personal and professional issues that ultimately end up tying together with the larger crime taking place. The story is a windy cops and corruption noir tale. At the same time, it is very direct in how it handles the characters. They start out one way, see the shortfalls of their current state, and seek redemption in solving the complex case.
There is a twist in this movie, and though it isn’t necessarily an all-time mind-blower, the way they punctuate the reversal is extremely effective on each viewing.
By and large, I love this movie because of the plot. There are numerous movies and TV shows about cops and a lot of them have plots involving some type of corruption. This is an expertly crafted story that is easy enough to understand, but complex enough to add suspense. As noted, the actors are all strong, but none overpower the plot, the true star of the movie.
7). Scream (1996, directed by Wes Craven)
I’ve mentioned this movie here before, most notably for the opening scene. This is one of the few movies on this list that I did see in the 90’s, which is unfortunate, because I was only 9 years old when this slasher movie with many stabbing deaths came out. As I probably said in the other post, it hit me at a perfect time – my mother started letting me stay home alone for brief periods of time, like if she was dropping my sister off somewhere. Caller ID didn’t exist. The scenario in the opening scene could have very conceivably happened to me. Though I’m not scared to the same degree in 2020, I still think the scene is very effective.
Scream is a legitimate slasher movie that also pokes fun at the genre, constantly referencing and talking about horror movies. This is a really underrated achievement. Genre spoofs can be fun, but often, the spoof overrides the actual plot of the movie, and it only works as a spoof. It’s rare for the movie to both exemplify and spoof in the same genre. Related, there’s a twist! A really good one. I talked about it in my post on plot twists, but this twist was a thoughtful addition to the genre that showed their commitment to actually making a horror movie, and not just paying homage. For lots of movies like this, we’re all trying to figure out who the killer is, who’s the bad person, etc. Scream has 2 killers, which is not only a great twist, but actually provides a good explanation for a common issue in slasher movies – how is the killer is in so many places at once.
For some historical context, this movie helped revive the horror genre, which, after a run slasher flicks in the 80’s, had died off by the mid-90’s. Additionally, this movie was an early entry into the 90’s high school movies, which kicked off in earnest around that time.
Finally, looking back, this movie is crazy! When I first saw this, I was young, and high school kids seemed like adults (partially because they were always played by adults in movies). Now that I’m in my 30’s, high school kids seem very young. This movie puts forth that two high school students were savagely murdering people! They killed classmates, the school principle (!), their friend’s mother! It’s bonkers!
6). Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994, directed by Tom Shadyac)
I’ve certainly written about this movie before as well, it was a seminal movie for my sister and I. Jim Carrey broke out in 1994 by starring in this movie, as well as Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. He went from a brief stint on In Living Color to a $20 million movie star. Those 3 movies best utilized his big, goofy, and physical comedic gifts. Ace Ventura is carried by Carrey’s career-best comedic performance.
Ace Ventura is a tremendously funny movie. Unlike a lot of comedies, the humor in this movie spans many different types. The lead character is silly and ridiculous. There are brilliant moments of slapstick and physical comedy. There is also cleverness and sarcasm. It’s a versatile comedy that has many varying, but not competing, brands of humor. There’s a little something for everyone.
Another thing about this movie that has aged really nicely is the plot. I’ve noted it in previous posts, but if the comedy was removed, the plot of Ace Ventura would actually work well as a straight noir movie. It is twisty and highly unusual, it’s hard to think of other mystery movie with a comparable storyline.
As it pertains to the plot, Ace is like some of the other movies on this list in that it seems to span multiple genres. It is effective as both a raunchy comedy and a crime mystery. It is a movie that should be taken more seriously, and at this point, I think it is underrated. Most likely, because of things like this!
5). Pulp Fiction (1994, directed by Quentin Tarantino)
It’s a crazy, non-linear story about fate that took moviegoers by storm in 1994. Tarantino followed up to his debut indie hit, Reservoir Dogs, with a movie that had even better dialogue, more characters and a larger scope. Pulp Fiction was the first Tarantino movie that I saw, and if I can be highfalutin for a second, the first time we see a major work from a great director, it’ll likely leave an impression.
There were a few interesting things that stood out with this movie, but I’d have to start with the dialogue. It felt like a precursor to a lot of the Apatowian comedies from the 2000’s where characters talked about random, everyday things in-between the larger, crazier events. Ringo and Yolanda are finishing their meal at a diner, talking about the strategy and logistics of committing a stick-up-type of robbery. I had never really heard criminals casually discuss the logistics of their job. Then of course that scene ends with them deciding they’re going to rob that diner, which raises the stakes, but the scene stops before we get to see it happen (!).
Of course, right after that, the car ride with Jules and Vincent is maybe the most fun dialogue in any movie, period. We find out Vincent just got back from being in Amsterdam for a year, and he starts talking about how they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese, a Royale w/ cheese. Then they disagree over the intimacy of foot massages. This casual banter happens for the duration of their trip, all the way up to the door of an apartment, where they eventually kill everyone inside. It is then that we realize the reason that Vincent was in Amsterdam is likely because he had to leave the country after a hit.
Another highly impressionable aspect of this movie was the timeline. Other than Memento, Pulp was the first non-linear movie that I ever saw, and in Memento, that timeline was in place specifically because it related to a character with amnesia. Otherwise, I just assumed that movie time always moved forward. Seeing a non-linear timeline in a movie is just kind of trippy. Vincent gets killed about two thirds of the way through, but then is still on-screen for the last 40 minutes of the movie because the chapters are out of order. The movie opens and closes with the diner scenes, which overlap in terms of their actual timeline, and occur from different perspectives. For me, it was just a completely new way to view a movie.
The characters are also just very well-developed and unique. Jules is a cold-blooded, bible-quoting hitman who starts to ponder fate and divine intervention. Vincent is a disinterested, drug-using hitman, who doesn’t believe in anything. Butch is a dishonest prize fighter who is both grounded and immorally opportunistic. Mia is an adventurous, confident failed actress who apparently bores easily. Marcellus is a cold, intimidating crime boss who is overly trustworthy as it relates to his wife. Just very unique people that are fleshed out and different from other movie characters. They aren’t characters I’ve experienced many other times.
Pulp Fiction is always a trip worth going on.
4). Goodfellas (1990, directed by Martin Scorsese)
There aren’t a lot of lists I’d make where Goodfellas is only #4. I think it is quite possibly the best movie of the 90’s. That opening scene, which I’ve written about before, might be the most intriguing opening in any movie. It starts with movement in the trunk of a car, when they pull over, they have to finish the job on the guy in the truck, and then Henry voices over a crazy notion – that he’s always wanted to be a gangster.
To me, the movie serves as less of a glorification of mafia life than it is study in how these people think, behave, and how someone could end up being a career criminal – other than sheer desperation. We’re often taken with gangster movies, but our fascination is usually derived from the fact that they’re a complete departure from our lives. We don’t actually admire these guys. Goodfellas answers very early how a regular kid from New York could look up to the neighborhood mobsters.
The characters are entertaining. Henry is a very alluring guy. He is also the narrator, and it is one of the all-time great narrations in any movie. This allows us to understand Henry’s perspective, and the movie makes him slightly less of a psycho than his two best friends: Tommy and Jimmy. Tommy is a small maniac with a Napoleon complex and a sharp mouth. Jimmy is just a psychopath. There are a ton of other random associates that are just ridiculous. They’re a ball to watch.
It’s also interesting because it shows guys rising up through the mob. They start off as kids doing low level re-sales of cigarettes, and slowly work their way up to bigger jobs. Most mafia movies seem to primarily involve high level figures, or one particularly large job, they are less of a study about the day-to-day existence.
Goodfellas provides a unique perspective on a historically popular genre, with memorable characters and quotable dialog.
3). The Shawshank Redemption (1994, directed by Frank Darabont)
The IMDb summary for Shawshank is as follows: “Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.” There aren’t a ton of movies about male friendship that don’t ultimately involve any romantic entanglements. This is just a nice story of friendship and hope, and as you probably already assumed, that story takes place in a prison.
The movie humanizes prisoners, and even if it is a bit allegorical, it helps us to think of them as people who made a mistake, which is what many of them are. It also brings up what I’m sure are real issues facing prisoners upon their re-entry into society. Red is a key character for both of these ideas: he is the only prisoner to admit his guilt, and therefore, he should be what most of us would think of as a monster. However, he is not that way at all. Red is just a guy who has resigned himself to being stuck in prison, and gets too comfortable with that life.
Red’s narration is also perfect. Morgan Freeman has a terrific voice, and narrates many of his movies. I think this is comfortably the best one. It is part somber and part inspiring, setting the perfect tone each time.
I talked about the plot twist in my post on plot twists, but it is another movie with a twist that is very well-executed. It is looking more and more like Andy is at his wit’s end, and might take is own life. He doesn’t come out of his cell for roll call, and we fear the worst. Then we find out that this whole time, Andy has been tunneling his way out. It is both shocking, and a huge relief, the rare positive twist!
The last act of the movie follows Red in prison as he deals with Andy’s absence. As an aside, this is a really interesting move, as most twists happen right at the climax, and we don’t see how life goes afterward. In this case, Red is still in prison, and misses his friend, prison-life just isn’t the same without him. When Red is finally out, he ultimately goes down to meet Andy, and their embrace is probably the most cathartic and warm moment I’ve ever seen in a movie. Maybe it’s just me, but there isn’t a single romantic or family-oriented moment in any movie that makes me feel as good as their reunion.
2). Se7en (1995, directed by David Fincher)
The ending of Se7en is basically the exact opposite as the ending of Shawshank. This is among the two or three bleakest movies I can recall seeing. Maybe I’ve just seen it too many times, but I can’t really picture this movie with an alternate ending that is a little more cheerful. The whole movie takes place in a dark and rainy unnamed city, and we follow a couple of detectives as they investigate a string of gruesome murders that appear to be related. The opening title sequence above sets the tone perfectly. We don’t know what we’re witnessing yet, but we know it’s dark and unsettling.
As I wrote above for L. A. Confidential, there have been a ton of movies and shows about cops, serial killers, and forensic profilers. A lot of them start to blend together after a while. Se7en is just such a distinguished story; a killer with crimes inspired by the seven deadly sins. The killer is absolutely brutal, but not necessarily perverted. He is so disgusted by the “sinners” (aka the victims) that these murders are almost revenge killings. It’s horrifying, but also very intriguing.
The tension builds over the course of the movie as the crimes get more brutal, and we start to wonder who and what this murderer will be like. It’s like Somerset says, “…I mean if he’s the devil himself…”, this killer has been built up and we know we’ll eventually see him, and it’s hard to imagine what kind of monster he’s going to be. Then, out of nowhere, the killer just shows up at the police precinct, and turns himself in, a highly irregular move in movies. Why the heck would he do that? Bad reasons, that’s why.
Like some other entries on this list, Se7en straddles a couple of genres. It is a police procedural where we watch Officers Mills and Somerset investigate each homicide as it comes in. That aspect is akin to most other cop dramas. The movie is also part mystery. As noted above, once John Doe turns himself in, it’s a tense ride to the end, where we’re waiting to find out why he turned himself in.
It is dark, it is intriguing, and it is thrilling.
1). The Silence of the Lambs (1991, directed by Jonathan Demme)
I’ve written about this movie a few times before. Some people consider it a horror movie, some people a thriller. It’s another serial killer movie that came out at a time before CSI. It features one of the greatest movie heroines of all time, and also one of the most iconic characters in movie history.
Arguably the most interesting aspect of this movie is that a law enforcement officer would consult a prisoner on how to catch another killer. It seems semi-obvious now because it is a legendary relationship, but until I saw this movie, the idea that an officer would ever ask a criminal for advice seemed completely impossible.
Villain-wise, this movie has two, and they’re both great. One is an icon, and technically, not the antagonist in the story. Hannibal might’ve been one of the early villains that was more of a complete person. He isn’t just a murderer or a thief. He’s a complete monster, but he’s also very cultured, highly intelligent, and is a well-mannered conversationalist. The other villain, Buffalo Bill, has a sympathetic aspect, his issues with gender identity. However, his psychopathy and rage outweigh our sympathy. He is a total creep, and formidable problem, proving to be a handful for the FBI.
The story is a linear race against time to capture a serial killer before he kills his next victim. It is thrilling and tense. There is also a good amount of danger in the movie, which adds to the tension. Clarice, our heroine, is forced to confront painful memories and she’s willing to do so just to help find the most recently kidnapped woman. She is highly driven, tough and smart. When Clarice ultimately catches Buffalo Bill, in one of the best climaxes in movie history, we are happy to see her achieve peace. However, this ending is also unsettling because…
Hannibal escapes! It’s like Andy escaping from Shawshank, except that instead of being falsely accused of murder, Hannibal is a complete savage; even though we kind of still want him to be freed. It is an incredible sequence when he disables the guards, and then pretends to be one of them, passed out from his wounds. It is simultaneously vicious and cunning. Later, when he hangs up the phone with Clarice, we see him walk out and disappear into a crowd. The only thing more unsettling than being faced with a predator is knowing it’s out there somewhere, and can strike at any time…
Honorable Mentions: Rounders (1998); The Big Lebowski (1998); American History X (1998); Boogie Nights (1997); Good Will Hunting (1997); The Fugitive (1993); Tommy Boy (1995); Eyes Wide Shut (1999); Con Air (1997); Rush Hour (1998); Thomas Crown Affair (1999); Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995); The Matrix (1999); Schindler’s List (1993); Toy Story (1995); Fight Club (1999); Saving Private Ryan (1998); Point Break (1991); The Sandlot (1993); Dumb and Dumber (1994); Casino (1995); Home Alone (1990); Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992); Southpark: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1998); Heat (1995); Rudy (1993); He Got Game (1998); American Pie (1999); Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997); Billy Madison (1995); Happy Gilmore (1996); Clueless (1995)
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