Genre: Drama
Drama draws its power from conflict between people — the choices, betrayals, and reconciliations that test who characters are. The stakes are emotional, and they land hard.
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Raging Bull (1980)
Scorsese's 1980 boxing biopic of Jake LaMotta. Black-and-white, Schoonmaker-cut, De Niro at 60 pounds heavier. A man who only feels anything when hit. -
Falling Down (1993)
Schumacher's 1993 urban thriller. Michael Douglas walks across LA leaving violence behind, Robert Duvall follows. The Whammyburger scene is the least of it. -
American Beauty (1999)
Sam Mendes's 1999 suburban satire. Kevin Spacey as a midlife-crisis dad, Annette Bening as the wife. Won five Oscars. Aged in complicated ways. -
Fight Club (1999)
David Fincher's 1999 anarchist satire. Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter. The film that gave us a reading test the audience usually fails. -
Joker (2019)
Todd Phillips's 2019 character study. Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor. Scorsese-adjacent but not Scorsese. Still the strongest live-action Joker film. -
Nightcrawler (2014)
Dan Gilroy's 2014 LA satire. Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, freelance crime videographer. One of the great American films of its decade. -
American History X (1998)
Tony Kaye's 1998 Edward Norton vehicle on neo-Nazi violence. The bathroom scene with Avery Brooks remains the most powerful in the film. -
Phenomenon (1996)
Jon Turteltaub's 1996 Northern California drama. John Travolta as ordinary mechanic with accelerating capabilities. Robert Duvall in support. -
Her (2013)
Spike Jonze's 2013 near-future drama. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson as voice. Won Best Original Screenplay. One of the strongest American films of 2010s. -
Lord of War (2005)
Andrew Niccol's 2005 Nicolas Cage international arms trade drama. Among the most accomplished commercial cinema examinations of the industry.