Best-Reviewed Dramas 2014

Critics Consensus: Epic in technical scale but breathlessly intimate in narrative scope, Boyhood is a sprawling investigation of the human condition.

Synopsis: The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke)... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Critics Consensus: Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo, Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- but doesn't ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied.

Synopsis: Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for Blacks to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Giovanni Ribisi

Directed By: Ava DuVernay

Critics Consensus: Smart, hard-hitting, and queasily realistic, Starred Up is an instant classic of U.K. prison cinema.

Synopsis: An explosive teenager runs into his equally violent father after being switched to an adult prison from a facility for juveniles.

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Jack O'Connell, Sam Spruell

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Critics Consensus: Led by a masterful performance from Timothy Spall and brilliantly directed by Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner is a superior Hollywood biopic.

Synopsis: Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey

Directed By: Mike Leigh

Critics Consensus: A one-man show set in a single confined location, Locke demands a powerful performance -- and gets it from a never-more-compelling Tom Hardy.

Synopsis: A man's (Tom Hardy) life unravels after he leaves a construction site at a critical time and drives to London to be present for the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Tom Holland

Directed By: Steven Knight