Best Films of the 90s - 40-36

40. The Fugitive - (1993)

The improvisational nature of the US Marshal scenes makes it the rare film where you feel the group has been together for years. Director Andrew Davis gets incredibly naturalistic performances from everyone (especially Tommy Lee Jones). Harrison Ford has always been underrated as an actor and never more so than here. The plot (involving an evil drug company) seems too naive now after a decade of medical training, but it's really about the fully formed characters and there are puh-lenty of them.

39. Three Kings - (1999)
Schwarzkopf's Gulf War seems like child's play given America's two current engagements, but that doesn't take away writer-director David O. Russell's effort involving 4 soldiers trying to smuggle gold back to the States. The heart of the movie lies in the interrogation scenes involving Mark Wahlberg but George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze each deliver their characters as well. in the end, the film belongs to Russell - who shows a confident, unusual style that still impresses with its boldness.

38. Waiting for Guffman - (1997)

Once you've seen Corky St. Clair, you'll never forget him. Christopher Guest's creation is infinitely quotable and the funniest character of the decade (just edging out Walter Sobchak). The supporting cast (including Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, and Parker Posey) bring their own incomparable comedic talents to the story of a small town stage director (St. Clair) putting on a musical to impress a critic. The film is brisk, never waiting for the laughter to subside. But more than that, it cleverly shows a part of America that's fascinated by celebrity & fame - and really shouldn't be.

37. Beauty and the Beast - (1991)

The best musical and the best animated film of the decade are one and the same. Like all great musicals, the film seamlessly and flawlessly transitions in and out of song. The great songs draw you in and somehow make you care about talking flatware. The classic story is known to all but the beauty is in the way it plays.

36. Hard-Boiled - (1992)

John Woo's last brilliant, electric, Hong Kong, slo-mo, dove-filled masterpiece (before his underachieving Hollywood career) has Chow Yun-Fat as a cop whose partner gets killed. He then teams with and undercover cop (Tony Leung - Hero, Infernal Affairs) to take out some gun smugglers. Each action scene is staggering and invigorating but Woo really shoots the works with a 2 minute 43 second one-take scene during the climactic shootout at a hospital. See it here.

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