Best Actor in a Leading Role

by soak0383 | created - 28 Mar 2013 | updated - 13 Apr 2022 | Public
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1. Biutiful (2010)

R | 148 min | Drama, Romance

58 Metascore

A man dying of cancer tries his best to leave the world on his own terms.

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella

Votes: 94,632 | Gross: $5.10M

Javier Bardem

2. 127 Hours (2010)

R | 94 min | Biography, Drama

82 Metascore

A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Sean Bott

Votes: 401,527 | Gross: $18.34M

James Franco

3. Crazy Heart (2009)

R | 112 min | Drama, Music, Romance

83 Metascore

A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

Director: Scott Cooper | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, James Keane

Votes: 94,707 | Gross: $39.46M

*Jeff Bridges*

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

PG-13 | 166 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

70 Metascore

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond

Votes: 695,934 | Gross: $127.51M

Brad Pitt

5. The Visitor (I) (2007)

PG-13 | 104 min | Drama

79 Metascore

A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.

Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass

Votes: 44,533 | Gross: $9.42M

Richard Jenkins

6. Eastern Promises (2007)

R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

83 Metascore

A teenager who dies during childbirth leaves clues in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Josef Altin

Votes: 261,217 | Gross: $17.11M

Viggo Mortensen

7. In the Valley of Elah (2007)

R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

65 Metascore

A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Jason Patric

Votes: 75,112 | Gross: $6.78M

Tommy Lee Jones

8. Venus (I) (2006)

R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

82 Metascore

Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager.

Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Jodie Whittaker, Leslie Phillips, Beatrice Savoretti

Votes: 13,414 | Gross: $3.34M

Peter O'Toole

9. Blood Diamond (2006)

R | 143 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller

64 Metascore

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Kagiso Kuypers

Votes: 586,334 | Gross: $57.37M

Leonardo DiCaprio

10. Hustle & Flow (2005)

R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Music

68 Metascore

With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.

Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning

Votes: 43,233 | Gross: $22.20M

Terrence Howard

11. House of Sand and Fog (2003)

R | 126 min | Crime, Drama

71 Metascore

An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her house's new owners.

Director: Vadim Perelman | Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher

Votes: 72,618 | Gross: $13.01M

Ben Kingsley

12. The Quiet American (2002)

R | 101 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller

84 Metascore

An old British reporter vies with a young U.S. doctor for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese woman.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen, Rade Serbedzija

Votes: 29,747 | Gross: $12.99M

Michael Caine

13. In the Bedroom (2001)

R | 131 min | Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.

Director: Todd Field | Stars: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei

Votes: 42,437 | Gross: $35.93M

Tom Wilkinson

14. Ali (2001)

R | 157 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

65 Metascore

A biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles

Votes: 105,573 | Gross: $58.20M

Will Smith

15. I Am Sam (2001)

PG-13 | 132 min | Drama

28 Metascore

An intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.

Director: Jessie Nelson | Stars: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest

Votes: 155,331 | Gross: $40.31M

Sean Penn

16. Training Day (2001)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

71 Metascore

A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger

Votes: 473,080 | Gross: $76.63M

*Denzel Washington*

17. Quills (2000)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama

70 Metascore

In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.

Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine

Votes: 56,747 | Gross: $7.06M

Geoffrey Rush

18. Cast Away (2000)

PG-13 | 143 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez, Lari White

Votes: 638,961 | Gross: $233.63M

Tom Hanks

19. Before Night Falls (2000)

R | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

85 Metascore

The life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas.

Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Olatz López Garmendia, Giovani Florido

Votes: 26,379 | Gross: $4.22M

Javier Bardem

20. The Hurricane (1999)

R | 146 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

74 Metascore

The story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber

Votes: 102,510 | Gross: $50.67M

Denzel Washington

21. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

70 Metascore

In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Woody Allen, Ben Duncan

Votes: 36,690 | Gross: $4.20M

Sean Penn

22. The Straight Story (1999)

G | 112 min | Biography, Drama

86 Metascore

An old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.

Director: David Lynch | Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Joseph A. Carpenter

Votes: 97,507 | Gross: $6.20M

Richard Farnsworth

23. The Insider (1999)

R | 157 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller

85 Metascore

A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora

Votes: 180,270 | Gross: $28.97M

Russell Crowe

24. Affliction (1997)

R | 114 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

79 Metascore

A deeply troubled small-town cop investigates a suspicious hunting death while other events jeopardize his sanity.

Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Brigid Tierney

Votes: 19,108 | Gross: $6.30M

Nick Nolte

25. Wag the Dog (1997)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama

74 Metascore

Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson

Votes: 88,487 | Gross: $43.02M

Dustin Hoffman

26. Ulee's Gold (1997)

R | 113 min | Drama

77 Metascore

A reclusive beekeeper slowly pulls his dysfunctional family back together, but not without having to fight his son's previous dastardly cohorts.

Director: Victor Nunez | Stars: Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, Christine Dunford, Tom Wood

Votes: 7,586 | Gross: $9.05M

Peter Fonda

27. The Apostle (1997)

PG-13 | 134 min | Drama

83 Metascore

After his happy life spins out of control, a preacher from Texas changes his name, goes to Louisiana and starts preaching on the radio.

Director: Robert Duvall | Stars: Robert Duvall, Todd Allen, Paul Bagget, Lenore Banks

Votes: 14,903 | Gross: $20.73M

Robert Duvall

28. Sling Blade (1996)

R | 135 min | Drama

85 Metascore

Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.

Director: Billy Bob Thornton | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh, John Ritter

Votes: 98,828 | Gross: $24.48M

Billy Bob Thornton

29. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

R | 130 min | Biography, Drama

79 Metascore

The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson

Votes: 100,753 | Gross: $20.19M

Woody Harrelson

30. Shine (1996)

PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Music

87 Metascore

Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.

Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd

Votes: 56,719 | Gross: $35.81M

*Geoffrey Rush*

31. The Postman (1994)

PG | 108 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

81 Metascore

A simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet, and then uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.

Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi | Stars: Massimo Troisi, Philippe Noiret, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Renato Scarpa

Votes: 39,008 | Gross: $21.85M

Massimo Troisi

32. Nixon (1995)

R | 192 min | Biography, Drama, History

66 Metascore

A biographical story of former U.S. President Richard Nixon, from his days as a young boy, to his eventual Presidency, which ended in shame.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris

Votes: 32,740 | Gross: $13.56M

Anthony Hopkins

33. Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

PG | 143 min | Drama, Music

59 Metascore

A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.

Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis

Votes: 41,719 | Gross: $82.57M

Richard Dreyfuss

34. Nobody's Fool (1994)

R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

86 Metascore

A stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.

Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Paul Newman, Bruce Willis, Jessica Tandy, Melanie Griffith

Votes: 22,532 | Gross: $39.49M

Paul Newman

35. Forrest Gump (1994)

PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance

82 Metascore

The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field

Votes: 2,258,311 | Gross: $330.25M

*Tom Hanks*

36. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music

76 Metascore

The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.

Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers

Votes: 24,595 | Gross: $39.10M

Laurence Fishburne

37. Philadelphia (1993)

PG-13 | 125 min | Drama

66 Metascore

When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman

Votes: 258,181 | Gross: $77.32M

*Tom Hanks*

38. Chaplin (1992)

PG-13 | 143 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

47 Metascore

An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.

Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, John Thaw

Votes: 62,251 | Gross: $9.49M

Robert Downey Jr.

39. Cape Fear (1991)

R | 128 min | Crime, Thriller

73 Metascore

A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis

Votes: 216,778 | Gross: $79.10M

Robert De Niro

40. The Field (1990)

PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Thriller

When a field (which has been farmed by the McCabe family for generations) goes up for auction, the patriarch of the McCabe family will stop at nothing to prevent a rich American from buying it.

Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Richard Harris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Frances Tomelty

Votes: 6,772 | Gross: $1.41M

Richard Harris

41. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

PG | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, History

79 Metascore

Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.

Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Jacques Weber

Votes: 25,954 | Gross: $15.14M

Gérard Depardieu

42. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery

93 Metascore

Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.

Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra

Votes: 18,821 | Gross: $15.45M

Jeremy Irons

43. Henry V (1989)

PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History

83 Metascore

In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.

Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin

Votes: 31,661 | Gross: $10.16M

Kenneth Branagh

44. Pelle the Conqueror (1987)

PG-13 | 157 min | Drama

When his wife dies, Lasse takes his 12-year-old son, Pelle, from their home in Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life.

Director: Bille August | Stars: Pelle Hvenegaard, Max von Sydow, Erik Paaske, Björn Granath

Votes: 11,866 | Gross: $2.05M

Max von Sydow

45. Stand and Deliver (1988)

PG | 103 min | Biography, Drama

77 Metascore

The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.

Director: Ramón Menéndez | Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris

Votes: 22,347 | Gross: $13.99M

Edward James Olmos

46. Big (1988)

PG | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

73 Metascore

After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.

Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard

Votes: 240,056 | Gross: $114.97M

Tom Hanks

47. Ironweed (1987)

R | 143 min | Drama

56 Metascore

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe

Votes: 9,926 | Gross: $7.39M

Jack Nicholson

48. Oci ciornie (1987)

118 min | Comedy, Romance, Drama

An Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks, Romano Patroni leaves his wife to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman. He returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love.

Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Silvana Mangano, Marthe Keller, Elena Safonova

Votes: 3,514 | Gross: $2.20M

Marcello Mastroianni

49. Wall Street (1987)

R | 126 min | Crime, Drama

56 Metascore

An impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamara Tunie, Franklin Cover

Votes: 165,229 | Gross: $43.85M

*Michael Douglas*

50. Salvador (1986)

R | 122 min | Drama, History, Thriller

69 Metascore

A burnt-out photojournalist becomes involved in a Central American revolution.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage

Votes: 23,161

James Wood

51. Mona Lisa (1986)

R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

85 Metascore

A man recently released from prison manages to get a job driving a call girl from customer to customer.

Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane

Votes: 18,716 | Gross: $5.79M

Bob Hoskins

52. 'Round Midnight (1986)

R | 133 min | Drama, Music

A troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.

Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips

Votes: 5,866 | Gross: $3.27M

Dexter Gordon

53. The Color of Money (1986)

R | 119 min | Drama, Sport

77 Metascore

Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver

Votes: 93,310 | Gross: $52.29M

*Paul Newman*

54. Runaway Train (I) (1985)

R | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

67 Metascore

Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a speeding train with no brakes and nobody driving.

Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy | Stars: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner

Votes: 33,022 | Gross: $7.94M

Jon Voight

55. Prizzi's Honor (1985)

R | 130 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

84 Metascore

Two professional assassins fall in love.

Director: John Huston | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia, John Randolph

Votes: 26,407 | Gross: $26.70M

Jack Nicholson

56. Murphy's Romance (1985)

PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Emma moves to a ranch with her son after a divorce and befriends the older Murphy, but things turn complicated when her ex shows up.

Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim

Votes: 7,061 | Gross: $30.76M

James Garner

57. Witness (1985)

R | 112 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller

76 Metascore

While protecting an Amish boy - who is the sole witness to a brutal murder - and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life is threatened.

Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer

Votes: 104,703 | Gross: $68.71M

Harrison Ford

58. The Killing Fields (1984)

R | 141 min | Biography, Drama, History

76 Metascore

A journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.

Director: Roland Joffé | Stars: Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Julian Sands

Votes: 59,232 | Gross: $34.70M

Sam Waterston

59. Under the Volcano (1984)

R | 112 min | Drama

70 Metascore

A day in the life of a self-destructive British consul in Mexico on the eve of World War II.

Director: John Huston | Stars: Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews, Ignacio López Tarso

Votes: 6,245 | Gross: $2.56M

Albert Finney

60. Starman (1984)

PG | 115 min | Romance, Sci-Fi

70 Metascore

An alien takes the form of a young Wisconsin widow's husband and makes her drive him to his departure point in Arizona. Distrustful government agents, along with a more ambivalent scientist, give pursuit in hopes of intercepting them.

Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel

Votes: 52,241 | Gross: $28.70M

Jeff Bridges

61. The Dresser (1983)

PG | 118 min | Drama

Personal assistant Norman struggles to get deteriorating veteran actor Sir through a difficult performance of King Lear.

Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Zena Walker

Votes: 5,704 | Gross: $5.31M

Tom Courtenay Albert Finney

62. Reuben, Reuben (1983)

R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A drunken Scottish poet who has not written a word in years feels compelled to regain control of his life and work after meeting a beautiful young woman.

Director: Robert Ellis Miller | Stars: Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts Blossom, Joel Fabiani

Votes: 1,329

Tom Conti

63. Educating Rita (1983)

PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

54 Metascore

An alcoholic professor has been hired by a working-class girl for higher education.

Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Michael Williams, Maureen Lipman

Votes: 14,928 | Gross: $14.65M

Michael Caine

64. Tender Mercies (1983)

PG | 92 min | Drama, Music

76 Metascore

A broken-down, middle-aged country singer gets a new wife, reaches out to his long-lost daughter, and tries to put his troubled life back together.

Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley

Votes: 12,031 | Gross: $8.44M

*Robert Duvall*

65. My Favorite Year (1982)

PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama

62 Metascore

An aging, dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show in 1954, and a young comedy writer is tasked with the thankless job of keeping him ready and sober for the broadcast.

Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna

Votes: 10,523 | Gross: $20.12M

Peter O'Toole

66. The Verdict (1982)

R | 129 min | Drama

77 Metascore

An outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason

Votes: 45,998 | Gross: $54.00M

Paul Newman

67. Missing (1982)

PG | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History

78 Metascore

When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.

Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Melanie Mayron, John Shea

Votes: 23,380 | Gross: $14.00M

Jack Lemmon

68. Absence of Malice (1981)

PG | 116 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller

64 Metascore

When a prosecutor leaks to a Miami reporter that a liquor wholesaler is suspected in the murder of a union head, the man's life begins to unravel.

Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon

Votes: 14,764 | Gross: $40.72M

Paul Newman

69. Arthur (1981)

PG | 97 min | Comedy, Romance

69 Metascore

Alcoholic billionaire playboy Arthur Bach must marry a woman he does not love, or he will be cut off from his $750,000,000 fortune. But when Arthur falls in love with a poor waitress, he must decide if he wants to choose love or money.

Director: Steve Gordon | Stars: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Votes: 31,107 | Gross: $95.46M

Dudley Moore

70. On Golden Pond (1981)

PG | 109 min | Drama

68 Metascore

Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.

Director: Mark Rydell | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon

Votes: 34,877 | Gross: $119.29M

*Henry Fonda*

71. The Stunt Man (1980)

R | 131 min | Action, Comedy, Drama

75 Metascore

A fugitive stumbles onto a movie set just when they need a new stunt man, takes the job as a way to hide out and falls for the leading lady while facing off with his manipulative director.

Director: Richard Rush | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield

Votes: 10,470 | Gross: $7.06M

Peter O'Toole

72. Tribute (1980)

PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama

A shallow Broadway press agent learns he is dying just as his son by his ex-wife arrives for a visit.

Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Robby Benson, Lee Remick, Colleen Dewhurst

Votes: 839

Jack Lemmon

73. The Elephant Man (1980)

PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama

78 Metascore

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.

Director: David Lynch | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

Votes: 258,555

John Hurt

74. The Great Santini (1979)

PG | 115 min | Drama

64 Metascore

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.

Director: Lewis John Carlino | Stars: Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, Michael O'Keefe, Lisa Jane Persky

Votes: 6,949

Robert Duvall

75. Being There (1979)

PG | 130 min | Comedy, Drama

83 Metascore

After the death of his employer forces him out of the only home he's ever known, a simpleminded, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful tycoon and an insider in Washington politics.

Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden

Votes: 77,689 | Gross: $30.18M

Peter Sellers

76. And Justice for All (1979)

R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

58 Metascore

A lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg

Votes: 39,692

Al Pacino

77. The China Syndrome (1979)

PG | 122 min | Drama, Thriller

81 Metascore

A reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a nuclear power plant.

Director: James Bridges | Stars: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady

Votes: 33,050 | Gross: $51.72M

Jack Lemmon

78. The Boys from Brazil (1978)

R | 125 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

40 Metascore

A Nazi hunter in Paraguay discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Lilli Palmer

Votes: 30,586 | Gross: $19.00M

Laurence Olivier

79. The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

PG | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Music

78 Metascore

The story of the life and career of the early rock and roll singer, from his meteoric rise to stardom, to his marriage and untimely death.

Director: Steve Rash | Stars: Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, Conrad Janis

Votes: 9,989 | Gross: $14.36M

Gary Busey

80. Heaven Can Wait (1978)

PG | 101 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

72 Metascore

A Los Angeles Rams quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.

Directors: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry | Stars: Warren Beatty, James Mason, Julie Christie, Jack Warden

Votes: 23,529 | Gross: $81.64M

Warren Beatty

81. A Special Day (1977)

Approved | 106 min | Drama

Two neighbors, a persecuted journalist and a resigned housewife, meet during Hitler's visit to Italy in May 1938.

Director: Ettore Scola | Stars: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, John Vernon, Françoise Berd

Votes: 15,842

Marcello Mastroianni

82. Equus (1977)

R | 137 min | Drama, Mystery

A psychiatrist attempts to uncover a troubled stable boy's disturbing obsession with horses.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright

Votes: 8,749

Richard Burton

83. The Goodbye Girl (1977)

PG | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.

Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Paul Benedict

Votes: 16,198 | Gross: $102.00M

Richard Dreyfuss

84. Seven Beauties (1975)

R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, War

The defense of honor, a strong value in Neapolitan society, and its effects on the life of everyman Pasquale Frafuso.

Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler, Elena Fiore

Votes: 6,488 | Gross: $0.01M

Giancarlo Giannini

85. Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975)

PG | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

One-man show about the presidency of Harry S. Truman.

Directors: Steve Binder, Peter H. Hunt | Star: James Whitmore

Votes: 575 | Gross: $11.00M

James Whitmore

86. The Man in the Glass Booth (1975)

PG | 117 min | Drama

Mossad agents kidnap an American Jewish man, accuse him of being a fugitive Nazi war criminal and take him to Jerusalem to face trial for genocide.

Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Maximilian Schell, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence Pressman, Luther Adler

Votes: 1,482

Maximilian Schell

87. The Sunshine Boys (I) (1975)

PG | 111 min | Comedy

A vaudeville duo agree to reunite for a television special, but it turns out that they can't stand each other.

Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, Lee Meredith

Votes: 6,707

Walter Matthau

88. The Godfather Part II (1974)

R | 202 min | Crime, Drama

90 Metascore

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton

Votes: 1,364,811 | Gross: $57.30M

Al Pacino

89. Harry and Tonto (1974)

R | 115 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

72 Metascore

When his apartment building is torn down, a retired lifelong New Yorker goes on a cross-country odyssey with his beloved cat Tonto.

Director: Paul Mazursky | Stars: Art Carney, Ellen Burstyn, René Enríquez, Herbert Berghof

Votes: 6,222 | Gross: $1.26M

*Art Carney*

90. The Last Detail (1973)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama

86 Metascore

Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison, but decide to show him one last good time along the way.

Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Otis Young, Clifton James

Votes: 27,975 | Gross: $3.19M

Jack Nicholson

91. Last Tango in Paris (1972)

NC-17 | 129 min | Drama, Romance

77 Metascore

A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi, Giovanna Galletti

Votes: 58,376 | Gross: $36.14M

Marlon Brando

92. Save the Tiger (1973)

R | 100 min | Drama

A disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.

Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Norman Burton

Votes: 5,613 | Gross: $2.33M

Jack Lemmon

93. Sounder (1972)

G | 105 min | Drama, Family

80 Metascore

The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.

Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews

Votes: 4,828 | Gross: $3.10M

Paul Winfield

94. Sleuth (1972)

PG | 138 min | Mystery, Thriller

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, John Matthews

Votes: 50,181 | Gross: $4.08M

Michael Caine Laurence Olivier

95. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

G | 181 min | Drama, Family, Musical

67 Metascore

In pre-revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant with traditional values contends with marrying off three of his daughters with modern romantic ideals while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon

Votes: 47,890 | Gross: $80.50M

Chaim Topol

96. The Hospital (1971)

PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery

72 Metascore

A hospital's chief-of-staff struggles to find meaning in his life during a spate of staff deaths.

Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: George C. Scott, Diana Rigg, Barnard Hughes, Richard Dysart

Votes: 7,335 | Gross: $19.71M

George C. Scott

97. Kotch (1971)

GP | 113 min | Comedy, Drama

Wanting to avoid settling in a nursing home, Joseph Kotcher, a retired salesman, is obliged to leave his son's family. He embarks on a road trip during which he strikes up a friendship with... See full summary »

Director: Jack Lemmon | Stars: Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman

Votes: 1,627 | Gross: $1.33M

Walter Matthau

98. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

R | 110 min | Drama

The emotional intricacies of a polyamorous relationship between young artist Bob and his two lovers: a lonely male doctor and a frustrated female office worker.

Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft

Votes: 7,067 | Gross: $0.54M

Peter Finch

99. The French Connection (1971)

R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama

94 Metascore

A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco

Votes: 135,754 | Gross: $15.63M

*Gene Hackman*

100. Five Easy Pieces (1970)

R | 98 min | Drama

85 Metascore

A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.

Director: Bob Rafelson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Billy Green Bush, Fannie Flagg

Votes: 40,564 | Gross: $19.40M

Jack Nicholson



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