Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023)

Best Actor Oscar-Winning Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

See every movie that won the Academy Award for Best Actor in one place!

The trophy has been around since the very first Academy Award ceremony, starting with Emil Jannings winning for his 1927 double header of The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Since then, actors who’ve won the Oscar multiple times include Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, Lincoln), Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump), Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, As Good As It Gets), Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Father), Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront, The Godfather), Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs Kramer, Rain Man), Gary Cooper (Sergeant York, High Noon), and Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous, Boys Town).

There’s been one tie in the history of award, when The Champ‘s Wallace Beery and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde‘s Fredric March shared the stage in 1932. And only one movie Best Actor-winning movie is missing from this list due to lack of a Tomatometer score: 1930’s A Free Soul. Every other movie awarded across a century is featured here so read on and discover all the Best Actor Oscar-winning movies by Tomatometer! Alex Vo

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 115044%
Critics Consensus: Offering a wonderfully witty script, spotless direction from George Cukor, and typically excellent lead performances, The Philadelphia Story is an unqualified classic.
Synopsis: This classic romantic comedy focuses on Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), a Philadelphia socialite who has split from her husband, C.K.... [More]
Directed By: George Cukor

#2

On the Waterfront (1954)
Tomatometer icon 99%

#2
Adjusted Score: 113344%
Critics Consensus: With his electrifying performance in Elia Kazan's thought-provoking, expertly constructed melodrama, Marlon Brando redefined the possibilities of acting for film and helped permanently alter the cinematic landscape.
Synopsis: Dockworker Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) had been an up-and-coming boxer until powerful local mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb)... [More]
Directed By: Elia Kazan

#3

The Father (2020)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#3
Adjusted Score: 115312%
Critics Consensus: Led by stellar performances and artfully helmed by writer-director Florian Zeller, The Father presents a devastatingly empathetic portrayal of dementia.
Synopsis: Anthony (Academy Award Winner, Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne... [More]
Directed By: Florian Zeller

#4
#4
Adjusted Score: 123625%
Critics Consensus: Capturing its stars and director at their finest, It Happened One Night remains unsurpassed by the countless romantic comedies it has inspired.
Synopsis: In Frank Capra's acclaimed romantic comedy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) impetuously marries the scheming King Westley, leading her... [More]
Directed By: Frank Capra

#5
Adjusted Score: 113070%
Critics Consensus: An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.
Synopsis: Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews)... [More]
Directed By: William Wyler

#6

My Left Foot (1989)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#6
Adjusted Score: 101600%
Critics Consensus: No doubt most will come to My Left Foot for Daniel Day-Lewis' performance, but the movie's refusal to go downbeat will keep it in viewer minds afterwards.
Synopsis: No one expects much from Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family.... [More]
Directed By: Jim Sheridan

#7

The Godfather (1972)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#7
Adjusted Score: 119344%
Critics Consensus: One of Hollywood's greatest critical and commercial successes, The Godfather gets everything right; not only did the movie transcend expectations, it established new benchmarks for American cinema.
Synopsis: Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo's novel of... [More]
Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

#8
#8
Adjusted Score: 108103%
Critics Consensus: Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart, The French Connection is bolstered by stellar performances by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, not to mention William Friedkin's thrilling production.
Synopsis: New York Detective "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler.... [More]
Directed By: William Friedkin

#9

The Lost Weekend (1945)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#9
Adjusted Score: 107308%
Critics Consensus: Director Billy Wilder's unflinchingly honest look at the effects of alcoholism may have had some of its impact blunted by time, but it remains a powerful and remarkably prescient film.
Synopsis: Writer Don Birnam (Ray Milland) is on the wagon. Sober for only a few days, Don is supposed to be... [More]
Directed By: Billy Wilder

#10

All the King's Men (1949)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#10
Adjusted Score: 109401%
Critics Consensus: Broderick Crawford is spellbinding as politician Willie Stark in director Robert Rossen's adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel about the corrosive effects of power on the human soul.
Synopsis: Drama about the rise and fall of a corrupt southern governor who promises his way to power. Broderick Crawford portrays... [More]
Directed By: Robert Rossen

#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 113331%
Critics Consensus: Manchester by the Sea delivers affecting drama populated by full-bodied characters, marking another strong step forward for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan.
Synopsis: After the death of his older brother Joe, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked that Joe has made him sole... [More]
Directed By: Kenneth Lonergan

#12

Marty (1955)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#12
Adjusted Score: 105226%
Critics Consensus: Scriptwriter Paddy Chayefsky's solid dialogue is bolstered by strong performances from Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair in this appealingly low-key character study.
Synopsis: This acclaimed romantic drama follows the life of Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine), a stout bachelor butcher who lives with his... [More]
Directed By: Delbert Mann

#13

Oppenheimer (2023)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#13
Adjusted Score: 122618%
Critics Consensus: Oppenheimer marks another engrossing achievement from Christopher Nolan that benefits from Murphy's tour-de-force performance and stunning visuals.
Synopsis: During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan... [More]
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

#14

Stalag 17 (1953)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#14
Adjusted Score: 101268%
Critics Consensus: Stalag 17 survives the jump from stage to screen with flying colors, thanks to Billy Wilder's typically sterling direction and a darkly funny script.
Synopsis: One night in 1944 in a German POW camp housing American airmen, two prisoners try to escape the compound and... [More]
Directed By: Billy Wilder

#15
Adjusted Score: 90963%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur (Paul Muni) is on a quest to cure the ailments of the 19th century.... [More]
Directed By: William Dieterle

#16
Adjusted Score: 111510%
Critics Consensus: This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.
Synopsis: Adaptation of the Pierre Bouelle novel about POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort... [More]
Directed By: David Lean

#17

The African Queen (1951)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#17
Adjusted Score: 104577%
Critics Consensus: Perfectly cast, smartly written, and beautifully filmed, The African Queen remains thrilling, funny, and effortlessly absorbing even after more than half a century's worth of adventure movies borrowing liberally from its creative DNA.
Synopsis: After religious spinster's (Katharine Hepburn) missionary brother is killed in WWI Africa, dissolute steamer captain (Humphrey Bogart) offers her safe... [More]
Directed By: John Huston

#18

Hamlet (1948)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#18
Adjusted Score: 103218%
Critics Consensus: A well-executed labor of love from star and director Laurence Olivier, Hamlet not only proved that Shakespeare could be successfully adapted to the big screen, it paved the way for further cinematic interpretations.
Synopsis: Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" continues to be the most... [More]
Directed By: Laurence Olivier

#19

The Artist (2011)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#19
Adjusted Score: 108432%
Critics Consensus: A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.
Synopsis: In the 1920s, actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a bona fide matinee idol with many adoring fans. While working... [More]
Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius

#20

The Pianist (2002)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#20
Adjusted Score: 101360%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and dramatically moving, The Pianist is Polanski's best work in years.
Synopsis: In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Wladyslaw... [More]
Directed By: Roman Polanski

#21
#21
Adjusted Score: 109295%
Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice... [More]
Directed By: Jonathan Demme

#22
#22
Adjusted Score: 105894%
Critics Consensus: Tense, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison's look at murder and racism in small-town America continues to resonate today.
Synopsis: African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the... [More]
Directed By: Norman Jewison

#23

High Noon (1952)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#23
Adjusted Score: 111380%
Critics Consensus: A classic of the Western genre that broke with many of the traditions at the time, High Noon endures -- in no small part thanks to Gary Cooper's defiant, Oscar-winning performance.
Synopsis: Former marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is preparing to leave the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico, with his new... [More]
Directed By: Fred Zinnemann

#24

The King's Speech (2010)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#24
Adjusted Score: 106655%
Critics Consensus: Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King's Speech, a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama.
Synopsis: England's Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing... [More]
Directed By: Tom Hooper

#25

My Fair Lady (1964)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#25
Adjusted Score: 104213%
Critics Consensus: George Cukor's elegant, colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
Synopsis: In this beloved musical, pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) is so sure of his abilities that he takes... [More]
Directed By: George Cukor

#26

Raging Bull (1980)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#26
Adjusted Score: 108897%
Critics Consensus: Arguably Martin Scorsese's and Robert De Niro's finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it's a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.
Synopsis: The story of a middleweight boxer as he rises through ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown.... [More]
Directed By: Martin Scorsese

#27

Patton (1970)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#27
Adjusted Score: 98582%
Critics Consensus: George C. Scott's sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics.
Synopsis: Biography of controversial World War II hero General George S. Patton. The film covers his wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning... [More]
Directed By: Franklin J. Schaffner

#28

Milk (2008)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#28
Adjusted Score: 102915%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by Sean Penn's powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America's first openly gay man elected to public office.
Synopsis: In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined... [More]
Directed By: Gus Van Sant

#29
Adjusted Score: 107153%
Critics Consensus: Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher are worthy adversaries in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with Miloš Forman's more grounded and morally ambiguous approach to Ken Kesey's surrealistic novel yielding a film of outsized power.
Synopsis: When Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) gets transferred for evaluation from a prison farm to a mental institution, he assumes... [More]
Directed By: Milos Forman

#30
#30
Adjusted Score: 101233%
Critics Consensus: To Kill a Mockingbird is a textbook example of a message movie done right -- sober-minded and earnest, but never letting its social conscience get in the way of gripping drama.
Synopsis: Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their... [More]
Directed By: Robert Mulligan

#31

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#31
Adjusted Score: 104419%
Critics Consensus: Dallas Buyers Club rests squarely on Matthew McConaughey's scrawny shoulders, and he carries the burden gracefully with what might be a career-best performance.
Synopsis: In mid-1980s Texas, electrician Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is stunned to learn that he has AIDS. Though told that he... [More]
Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallée

#32

Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#32
Adjusted Score: 95994%
Critics Consensus: Featuring exceptional performances and a cunning script, Reversal of Fortune doubles as a tantalizing mystery and ruthless satire of the rich.
Synopsis: When socialite Sunny von Bülow (Glenn Close) inexplicably slips into an irreversible coma, police suspect foul play -- and the... [More]
Directed By: Barbet Schroeder

#33

There Will Be Blood (2007)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#33
Adjusted Score: 101026%
Critics Consensus: Widely touted as a masterpiece, this sparse and sprawling epic about the underhanded "heroes" of capitalism boasts incredible performances by leads Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano, and is director Paul Thomas Anderson's best work to date.
Synopsis: Silver miner Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) leads a hardscrabble life with his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier). When he hears about... [More]
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson

#34

Network (1976)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#34
Adjusted Score: 101025%
Critics Consensus: Driven by populist fury and elevated by strong direction, powerful acting, and an intelligent script, Network's searing satire of ratings-driven news remains sadly relevant more than four decades later.
Synopsis: In this lauded satire, veteran news anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) discovers that he's being put out to pasture, and... [More]
Directed By: Sidney Lumet

#35

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#35
Adjusted Score: 94484%
Critics Consensus: Oscar-awarded Nicolas Cage finds humanity in his character as it bleeds away in this no frills, exhilaratingly dark portrait of destruction.
Synopsis: Adapted from the novel by John O'Brien, this acclaimed drama follows alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) as he drinks... [More]
Directed By: Mike Figgis

#36

On Golden Pond (1981)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#36
Adjusted Score: 94881%
Critics Consensus: Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn are a wondrous duo in On Golden Pond, a wistful drama that movingly explores the twilight years of a loving marriage.
Synopsis: Cantankerous retiree Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) and his conciliatory wife, Ethel (Katharine Hepburn), spend summers at their New England vacation... [More]
Directed By: Mark Rydell

#37
#37
Adjusted Score: 97014%
Critics Consensus: A classic. The definitive version of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella from 1931, with innovative special effects, atmospheric cinematography and deranged overacting.
Synopsis: Testing his theory that in every man dwells a good and an evil force, the reserved Dr. Jekyll (Fredric March)... [More]
Directed By: Rouben Mamoulian

#38

Shine (1996)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#38
Adjusted Score: 93510%
Critics Consensus: Featuring a strong performance from Geoffrey Rush, Shine succeeds in telling a compelling, inspirational story without resorting to cheap sentimentality.
Synopsis: As a child piano prodigy, David Helfgott's (Geoffrey Rush) musical ambitions generate friction with his overbearing father, Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl).... [More]
Directed By: Scott Hicks

#39

King Richard (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#39
Adjusted Score: 105390%
Critics Consensus: King Richard transcends sport biopic formulas with refreshingly nuanced storytelling -- and a towering performance from Will Smith in the title role.
Synopsis: Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his daughters, Venus and... [More]
Directed By: Reinaldo Marcus Green

#40

Lincoln (2012)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#40
Adjusted Score: 103951%
Critics Consensus: Daniel Day-Lewis characteristically delivers in this witty, dignified portrait that immerses the audience in its world and entertains even as it informs.
Synopsis: With the nation embroiled in still another year with the high death count of Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln brings... [More]
Directed By: Steven Spielberg

#41

Crazy Heart (2009)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#41
Adjusted Score: 98484%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a captivating performance from Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart transcends its overly familiar origins and finds new meaning in an old story.
Synopsis: With too many years of hazy days and boozy nights,former country-music legend Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is reduced to playing... [More]
Directed By: Scott Cooper

#42

Amadeus (1984)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#42
Adjusted Score: 104669%
Critics Consensus: Amadeus' liberties with history may rankle some, but the creative marriage of Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer yields a divinely diabolical myth of genius and mediocrity, buoyed by inspired casting and Mozart's rapturous music.
Synopsis: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the... [More]
Directed By: Milos Forman

#43

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#43
Adjusted Score: 100332%
Critics Consensus: The divorce subject isn't as shocking, but the film is still a thoughtful, well-acted drama that resists the urge to take sides or give easy answers.
Synopsis: On the same day Manhattan advertising executive Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) lands the biggest account of his career, he learns... [More]
Directed By: Robert Benton

#44

Mystic River (2003)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#44
Adjusted Score: 96087%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by the exceptional acting of its strong cast, Mystic River is a somber drama that unfolds in layers and conveys the tragedy of its story with visceral power.
Synopsis: When the daughter of ex-con Jimmy Marcus is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Dave,... [More]
Directed By: Clint Eastwood

#45

Capote (2005)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#45
Adjusted Score: 96186%
Critics Consensus: Philip Seymour Hoffman's riveting central performance guides a well-constructed retelling of the most sensational and significant period in author Truman Capote's life.
Synopsis: Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover... [More]
Directed By: Bennett Miller

#46

Gandhi (1982)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#46
Adjusted Score: 100571%
Critics Consensus: Director Richard Attenborough is typically sympathetic and sure-handed, but it's Ben Kingsley's magnetic performance that acts as the linchpin for this sprawling, lengthy biopic.
Synopsis: This acclaimed biographical drama presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who... [More]
Directed By: Richard Attenborough

#47
#47
Adjusted Score: 98948%
Critics Consensus: Solid cinematography and enjoyable performances from Paul Scofield and Robert Shaw add a spark to this deliberately paced adaptation of the Robert Bolt play.
Synopsis: When the highly respected British statesman Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) refuses to pressure the Pope into annulling the marriage... [More]
Directed By: Fred Zinnemann

#48

Rain Man (1988)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#48
Adjusted Score: 100775%
Critics Consensus: This road-trip movie about an autistic savant and his callow brother is far from seamless, but Barry Levinson's direction is impressive, and strong performances from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman add to its appeal.
Synopsis: When car dealer Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where... [More]
Directed By: Barry Levinson

#49

True Grit (1969)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#49
Adjusted Score: 95861%
Critics Consensus: True Grit rides along on the strength of a lived-in late-period John Wayne performance, adding its own entertaining spin to the oft-adapted source material.
Synopsis: After hired hand Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) murders the father of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), she seeks vengeance and... [More]
Directed By: Henry Hathaway

#50
#50
Adjusted Score: 91927%
Critics Consensus: A weakness for melodrama dampens its impact, but Emil Jannings' outstanding performance makes The Way of All Flesh worth following.
Synopsis: Devoted family man and bank worker August Schilling (Emil Jannings) leaves Milwaukee for the first time to deliver bonds to... [More]
Directed By: Victor Fleming

#51

American Beauty (1999)
Tomatometer icon 87%

#51
Adjusted Score: 96976%
Critics Consensus: Flawlessly cast and brimming with dark, acid wit, American Beauty is a smart, provocative high point of late '90s mainstream Hollywood film.
Synopsis: Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he... [More]
Directed By: Sam Mendes

#52
#52
Adjusted Score: 94454%
Critics Consensus: Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.
Synopsis: While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante... [More]
Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

#53

Ben-Hur (1959)
Tomatometer icon 87%

#53
Adjusted Score: 92799%
Critics Consensus: Uneven, but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle, Ben-Hur still ranks among Hollywood's finest examples of pure entertainment.
Synopsis: Charlton Heston plays a Palestinian Jew who is battling the Roman empire at the time of Christ. His actions send... [More]
Directed By: William Wyler

#54

The Color of Money (1986)
Tomatometer icon 87%

#54
Adjusted Score: 91307%
Critics Consensus: That it's inferior to the original goes without saying, but Paul Newman and Tom Cruise are a joy to watch, and Martin Scorsese's direction is typically superb.
Synopsis: Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil.... [More]
Directed By: Martin Scorsese

#55

As Good as It Gets (1997)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#55
Adjusted Score: 91551%
Critics Consensus: James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.
Synopsis: Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is an obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction who's rude to everyone he meets, including his gay... [More]
Directed By: James L. Brooks

#56

Scent of a Woman (1992)
Tomatometer icon 85%

#56
Adjusted Score: 88665%
Critics Consensus: It might soar on Al Pacino's performance more than the drama itself, but what a performance it is -- big, bold, occasionally over-the-top, and finally giving the Academy pause to award the star his first Oscar.
Synopsis: Frank is a retired Lt. Col. in the US army. He's blind and impossible to get along with. Charlie is... [More]
Directed By: Martin Brest

#57

Darkest Hour (2017)
Tomatometer icon 84%

#57
Adjusted Score: 101270%
Critics Consensus: Darkest Hour is held together by Gary Oldman's electrifying performance, which brings Winston Churchill to life even when the movie's narrative falters.
Synopsis: The fate of Western Europe hangs on Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II. The newly appointed... [More]
Directed By: Joe Wright

#58
#58
Adjusted Score: 93882%
Critics Consensus: Part biopic, part love story, The Theory of Everything rises on James Marsh's polished direction and the strength of its two leads.
Synopsis: In the 1960s, Cambridge University student and future physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with fellow collegian Jane... [More]
Directed By: James Marsh

#59

Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Tomatometer icon 81%

#59
Adjusted Score: 87244%
Critics Consensus: Benigni's earnest charm, when not overstepping its bounds into the unnecessarily treacly, offers the possibility of hope in the face of unflinching horror.
Synopsis: A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), meets Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a pretty schoolteacher, and wins her over with... [More]
Directed By: Roberto Benigni

#60

Philadelphia (1993)
Tomatometer icon 81%

#60
Adjusted Score: 86977%
Critics Consensus: Philadelphia indulges in some unfortunate clichés in its quest to impart a meaningful message, but its stellar cast and sensitive direction are more than enough to compensate.
Synopsis: Fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) hides his homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful... [More]
Directed By: Jonathan Demme

#61

Gladiator (2000)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#61
Adjusted Score: 90965%
Critics Consensus: While not everyone will be entertained by Gladiator's glum revenge story, Russell Crowe thunderously wins the crowd with a star-making turn that provides Ridley Scott's opulent resurrection of Rome its bruised heart.
Synopsis: Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor... [More]
Directed By: Ridley Scott

#62

Ray (2004)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#62
Adjusted Score: 85777%
Critics Consensus: An engrossing and energetic portrait of a great musician's achievements and foibles, Ray is anchored by Jamie Foxx's stunning performance as Ray Charles.
Synopsis: Legendary soul musician Ray Charles is portrayed by Jamie Foxx in this Oscar-winning biopic. Young Ray watches his 7-year-old brother... [More]
Directed By: Taylor Hackford

#63

Wall Street (1987)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#63
Adjusted Score: 84499%
Critics Consensus: With Wall Street, Oliver Stone delivers a blunt but effective -- and thoroughly well-acted -- jeremiad against its era's veneration of greed as a means to its own end.
Synopsis: On the Wall Street of the 1980s, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a stockbroker full of ambition, doing whatever he... [More]
Directed By: Oliver Stone

#64

The Revenant (2015)
Tomatometer icon 78%

#64
Adjusted Score: 98091%
Critics Consensus: As starkly beautiful as it is harshly uncompromising, The Revenant uses Leonardo DiCaprio's committed performance as fuel for an absorbing drama that offers punishing challenges -- and rich rewards.
Synopsis: While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustains life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack.... [More]

#65

Forrest Gump (1994)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#65
Adjusted Score: 87191%
Critics Consensus: Tom Hanks' rigorously earnest performance keeps Forrest Gump sincere even when it gets glib with American history, making for a whimsical odyssey of debatable wisdom but undeniable heart.
Synopsis: Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field),... [More]
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

#66

The Champ (1931)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#66
Adjusted Score: 98666%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Champ (Wallace Beery) is a down-on-his-luck boxer in Tijuana whose son, Dink (Jackie Cooper), adores him despite Champ's addictions to... [More]
Directed By: King Vidor

#67

The Last Command (1928)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#67
Adjusted Score: 97491%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Tsarist general Sergius Alexander (Emil Jannings) is basking in the glory of imperial Russia. After sending the revolutionary Lev Andreyev... [More]
Directed By: Josef von Sternberg

#68
Adjusted Score: 97132%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII (Charles Laughton) goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne... [More]
Directed By: Alexander Korda

#69

Captains Courageous (1937)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#69
Adjusted Score: 98012%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When spoiled Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) is suspended from boarding school, his businessman father (Melvyn Douglas) takes him to Europe... [More]
Directed By: Victor Fleming

#70

The Informer (1935)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#70
Adjusted Score: 92041%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen) is a former Irish Republican Army man who drowns his sorrows in the bottle. He's desperate... [More]
Directed By: John Ford

#71

The King and I (1956)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#71
Adjusted Score: 96653%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, widowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens (Deborah Kerr) becomes a governess... [More]
Directed By: Walter Lang

#72
#72
Adjusted Score: 95644%
Critics Consensus: Judgment at Nuremberg dramatizes historical atrocity with thoughtfulness and vitality, interrogating complicity and genocide with an all-star cast at the peak of their respective powers.
Synopsis: In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer... [More]
Directed By: Stanley Kramer

#73

Lilies of the Field (1963)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#73
Adjusted Score: 94534%
Critics Consensus: Sidney Poitier lends heart and humor to the wonderfully simple Lilies of the Fields, in which splendor sprouts from wholesome soil.
Synopsis: When traveling African-American handyman Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) stops by a farm in rural Arizona, he is welcomed by a... [More]
Directed By: Ralph Nelson

#74

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#74
Adjusted Score: 95310%
Critics Consensus: James Cagney deploys his musical gifts to galvanizing effect in Yankee Doodle Dandy, a celebration of patriotic fervor as much as it is a biopic of George M. Cohan.
Synopsis: Brought to the White House to receive a Congressional Gold Medal from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Broadway legend George M.... [More]
Directed By: Michael Curtiz

#75

Cat Ballou (1965)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#75
Adjusted Score: 93631%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When hired gun Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin) kills her rancher father, Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda) becomes an outlaw set on... [More]
Directed By: Elliot Silverstein

#76

Harry and Tonto (1974)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#76
Adjusted Score: 90988%
Critics Consensus: Making his sorely belated debut in a big-screen leading role, Art Carney brings Harry and Tonto brilliantly to life.
Synopsis: Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is a man in his seventies who is evicted from his Manhattan apartment when the building... [More]
Directed By: Paul Mazursky

#77

Boys Town (1938)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#77
Adjusted Score: 89946%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy) leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention... [More]
Directed By: Norman Taurog

#78
#78
Adjusted Score: 88822%
Critics Consensus: Kiss of the Spider Woman weaves an alluring exploration of sexual and societal norms that's further elevated by strong work from William Hurt and Raul Julia.
Synopsis: In a prison cell somewhere in Latin America, two very different men warily confront each other. Molina (William Hurt) is... [More]
Directed By: Hector Babenco

#79

Save the Tiger (1973)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#79
Adjusted Score: 88416%
Critics Consensus: Jack Lemmon's outstanding performance helps Save the Tiger grab early '70s American anxiety firmly by the tail.
Synopsis: Clothing manufacturer Harry Stoner (Jack Lemmon) mourns the loss of his youthful idealism even as he seals his fate by... [More]
Directed By: John G. Avildsen

#80

Sergeant York (1941)
Tomatometer icon 85%

#80
Adjusted Score: 88219%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Prize-winning Tennessee marksman Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a recent convert to Christianity, finds himself torn between his non-violent beliefs and... [More]
Directed By: Howard Hawks

#81

Coming Home (1978)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#81
Adjusted Score: 85577%
Critics Consensus: Coming Home's stellar cast elevates the love triangle in the center of its story - and adds a necessary human component to its none-too-subtle political message.
Synopsis: The wife of a Marine serving in Vietnam, Sally Hyde (Jane Fonda) decides to volunteer at a local veterans hospital... [More]
Directed By: Hal Ashby

#82

Tender Mercies (1983)
Tomatometer icon 81%

#82
Adjusted Score: 83155%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by a deftly understated performance from Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies is a quiet character study that leaves a lasting emotional impact.
Synopsis: Down-on-his-luck country singer Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall) has nowhere to turn when he wakes up in a motel, short on... [More]
Directed By: Bruce Beresford

#83

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Tomatometer icon 85%

#83
Adjusted Score: 86989%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Young schoolteacher Charles Edward Chipping (Robert Donat) imposes strict discipline on his young charges at a Victorian-era English public school,... [More]
Directed By: Sam Wood

#84

Disraeli (1929)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#84
Adjusted Score: 83191%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (George Arliss) is intent on buying the Suez Canal. If realized, the purchase would complete... [More]
Directed By: Alfred E. Green

#85

Going My Way (1944)
Tomatometer icon 85%

#85
Adjusted Score: 89483%
Critics Consensus: Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald are eminently likable, and film is pleasantly sentimental, but Going My Way suffers from a surplus of sweetness.
Synopsis: Father Charles O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is an easy-going, golf-playing young priest whose entry into a tough neighborhood parish in midtown... [More]
Directed By: Leo McCarey

#86

Watch on the Rhine (1943)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#86
Adjusted Score: 80021%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Anti-Fascist German engineer Kurt Muller (Paul Lukas), with his American-born wife, Sara (Bette Davis), and their three children, returns to... [More]
Directed By: Herman Shumlin

#87

The Goodbye Girl (1977)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#87
Adjusted Score: 82032%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Former Broadway hoofer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and her young daughter, Lucy (Quinn Cummings), are outraged to find that Paula's... [More]
Directed By: Herbert Ross

#88

A Double Life (1947)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#88
Adjusted Score: 88563%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Highly regarded theater actor Anthony John (Ronald Colman) has a violent temper, which leads his actress wife, Brita (Signe Hasso),... [More]
Directed By: George Cukor

#89

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
Tomatometer icon 74%

#89
Adjusted Score: 77170%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Poet, romantic and sword fighter Cyrano de Bergerac (Jose Ferrer) loves the beautiful Roxane (Mala Powers), but although he is... [More]
Directed By: Michael Gordon

#90

Training Day (2001)
Tomatometer icon 74%

#90
Adjusted Score: 80131%
Critics Consensus: The ending may be less than satisfying, but Denzel Washington reminds us why he's such a great actor in this taut and brutal police drama.
Synopsis: Police drama about a veteran officer who escorts a rookie on his first day with the LAPD's tough inner-city narcotics... [More]
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

#91

Joker (2019)
Tomatometer icon 68%

#91
Adjusted Score: 100473%
Critics Consensus: Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star -- and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema.
Synopsis: Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur... [More]
Directed By: Todd Phillips

#92

Separate Tables (1958)
Tomatometer icon 67%

#92
Adjusted Score: 68939%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: During the off-season at the Beauregard Hotel, the secrets of some guests are exposed. Lovely but vulnerable Ann Shankland (Rita... [More]
Directed By: Delbert Mann

#93

The Whale (2022)
Tomatometer icon 64%

#93
Adjusted Score: 83409%
Critics Consensus: Held together by a killer Brendan Fraser, The Whale sings a song of empathy that will leave most viewers blubbering.
Synopsis: A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance... [More]
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

#94

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Tomatometer icon 60%

#94
Adjusted Score: 83606%
Critics Consensus: Bohemian Rhapsody hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.
Synopsis: Freddie Mercury -- the lead singer of Queen -- defies stereotypes and convention to become a beloved entertainer; the band's... [More]
Directed By: Bryan Singer

#95

In Old Arizona (1929)
Tomatometer icon 56%

#95
Adjusted Score: 56789%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this early Western, notorious bandit the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter) is so feared that he rarely has to fire... [More]
Directed By: Raoul Walsh

#96

Charly (1968)
Tomatometer icon 55%

#96
Adjusted Score: 56866%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Charly Gordon (Cliff Robertson), who has an IQ of 69, is constantly derided by his boss and fellow employees at... [More]
Directed By: Ralph Nelson