BFI's 90 great films of the 1990s
Created by Chilton.
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One decade. 90 films. One film per director.
How do you even begin to choose just 90 films to represent an entire decade of cinema? That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves ever since BFI Southbank announced its two-month retrospective, Nineties: Young Cinema Rebels.
With the season casting a very specific eye on the new voices that emerged between 1989 and 1999, we thought we’d cast our net a little wider, in a squabble-inducing attempt to shine a light on some of the very best films the decade produced.
There’s no scientific method applied to the selection process here, and this isn’t a Sight & Sound poll involving hundreds of critics or filmmakers. It’s more a chance for us to highlight some of our favourite films from around the world.
This list of 90s greats could very easily have been at least double the size (in early drafts it was), but with only 90 spots available, some favourites – both ours and yours – are bound to be missing, the hope being that any frustration at omissions will be juxtaposed with a few new discoveries.
To keep things as varied as possible, we’ve allowed for only one film per director – in itself leading to some impossible choices. Take the ranking with as little or large a pinch of salt as you see fit; every film on this list is terrific as far as we’re concerned, and these things are always going to be subjective, with any and all grievances or nods of approval welcome.
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2 new
Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian
1991 — a.k.a. A Brighter Summer Day, in 19 top lists Check -
27 new
Pulp Fiction
1994, in 38 top lists Check -
33 new
The Silence of the Lambs
1991, in 36 top lists Check -
35 new
Goodfellas
1990, in 31 top lists Check -
36 new
Heat
1995, in 23 top lists Check -
37 new
Lat sau san taam
1992 — a.k.a. Hard Boiled, in 12 top lists Check -
38 new
La cérémonie
1995 — a.k.a. La Cérémonie, in 7 top lists Check -
40 new
Strange Days
1995, in 4 top lists Check -
51 new
King of New York
1990, in 8 top lists Check -
54 new
Fargo
1996, in 26 top lists Check -
58 new
Xích lô
1995 — a.k.a. Cyclo, in 5 top lists Check -
64 new
Sonachine
1993 — a.k.a. Sonatine, in 10 top lists Check -
67 new
Carlito's Way
1993, in 5 top lists Check -
72 new
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999, in 7 top lists Check -
81 new
Cure
1997 — a.k.a. The Cure, in 7 top lists Check -
85 new
Out of Sight
1998, in 7 top lists Check -
88 new
One False Move
1991, in 8 top lists Check
Last updated on May 20, 2020 by Chilton; source