Best Films of the 90s - 25-21

25. The Sweet Hereafter - (1997)

Most of the children in a small Canadian town die in a bus accident and their devastated parents grieve in different ways. There's more genuine emotion and heartache found here than in any other film of the decade. The film is anchored by the great Ian Holm, who plays a lawyer who visits the parents in an attempt to form a class action lawsuit. Sarah Polley is also excellent as a crippled accident survivor who's more accepting and forgiving than the adults. Director Atom Egoyan frames the characters exceptionally well and depicts the wintry landscapes perfectly.

24. Last of the Mohicans - (1992)
Michael Mann was known as an accomplished TV producer-director before this and would never be seen the same again. His vision of colonial America is now the benchmark and his use of music is unparalleled. His search for perfection led him to multiple composers (Trevor Jones did the rousing, bold stuff and Randy Edelman did the beautiful, smaller stuff). Mann is ably assisted by Daniel Day-Lewis, who controls the screen with intensity and exactness. It could be more epic, but chooses to become a "pursuit" movie in the second half. But it really couldn't end better, and is easily the best romantic film of the decade.

23. Heat - (1995)

Michael Mann owns the modern crime movie with Thief, Miami Vice, Collateral and this 3 hour epic. The Robert De Niro half is perfect with specific characterizations and expert acting all around, including Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore. Even small roles like Dennis Haysbert's are fleshed out fully. The mechanics of the robberies and shootings contain an authenticity rarely found outside of Mann's filmography. The Al Pacino half gets better with each viewing; his over-acting now seems like a device to unsettle his interview subjects. The Diane Venora character is a thankless role and the low point of the film, but she's good in it. I'm sort of buying the 2 sides of the same coin thing, but I never completely sympathize with De Niro since, after all, he's just a murdering thief. Tremendous supporting cast (Jon Voight, Ted Levine, Tom Noonan, Jeremy Piven, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Wes Studi, Ashley Judd, Hank Azaria, Tone Loc, and on and on).

22. Trainspotting - (1996)
Danny Boyle's aggressive direction actually serves the story about Scottish heroin addicts by depicting abuse, craving, and withdrawal energetically and truthfully. The convergence of the source music (Iggy Pop, Lou Reed) with Boyle's inventive images are instantly unforgettable upon first viewing. Ewan McGregor and Kelly MacDonald still have stellar careers nearly 15 years out. McGregor has never been better, and neither has Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, or Robert Carlyle, whose Begbie is a force of nature. But it's Boyle's kinetic camera that really makes this one kick - and stick.

21. The Big Lebowski - (1998)

Much of it is overly misanthropic and in very poor taste, but nearly every one of Walter Sobchak's lines is classic, each perfectly delivered by John Goodman. Jeff Bridges creates an equally indelible character as The Dude, who, for such a laid back character gets awfully angry and frustrated with Walter for the whole film. David Thewlis and Julianne Moore throw down some strong supporting work as some pretentious artsy jerks, but it's scene-stealer John Turturro as pedophile and expert bowler Jesus who gives the best performance in the film. The film is told in classic Raymond Chandler fashion and all the expected plot points are hit. Roger Deakins's cinematography is beautiful and the musical choices by the Coens hit the MJ mood perfectly.

100. Glengarry Glen Ross
99. Dead Again
98. Ed Wood
97. True Romance
96. The Commitments
95. Bound
94. Die Hard 2
93. In the Line of Fire
92. Affliction
91. Shakespeare in Love
90. In the Company of Men
89. Short Cuts
88. Copland
87. The Hudsucker Proxy
86. The Last Seduction
85. The Apostle
84. Burnt by the Sun
83. The Godfather Part III
82. Good Will Hunting
81. Speed
80. Reversal of Fortune
79. Forest Gump
78. American Beauty
77. Dazed and Confused
76. True Lies
75. Nixon
74. Malcolm X
73. Red Rock West
72. Hearts of Darkness
71. Wag the Dog
70. Thelma and Louise
69. Hoop Dreams
68. Quiz Show
67. Reservoir Dogs
66. Total Recall
65. The Hunt for Red October
64. Babe
63. Braveheart
62. Searching for Bobby Fischer
61. Bottle Rocket
60. Jerry Maguire
59. Terminator 2
58. Toy Story
57. Toy Story 2
56. Elizabeth
55. Apollo 13
54. Casino
53. Rushmore
52. Get Shorty
51. Barton Fink
50. Swingers
49. The Matrix
48. 12 Monkeys
47. Out of Sight
46. The Sixth Sense
45. The Limey
44. Hamlet
43. Dark City
42. Leaving Las Vegas
41. Hard Eight
40. The Fugitive
39. Three Kings
38. Waiting for Guffman
37. Beauty and the Beast
36. Hard-Boiled
35. In the Name of the Father
34. Lone Star
33. Three Colors: Blue, White, Red
32. A River Runs Through It
31. Dead Man Walking
30. The Usual Suspects
29. Dances with Wolves
28. The Player
27. Groundhog Day
26. Truman Show