The 8 Best Dramas of the 1990s

Ranked by movie.guru score. All eight are Elite. The gap from #8 to #1 is 0.4 points, so every spot is an argument.

Two movies tie at the top. Only one gets #1, and you'll object.

1. 8
   Being John Malkovich (1999)9.3

   Weirdest premise here, and it fully earns its spot.

   A portal into an actor's head sounds like a sketch. Spike Jonze stretched it into a 90 Metacritic on a reported $13M budget. Tagged comedy, but the loneliness is real.
2. 7
   Reservoir Dogs (1992)9.3

   A heist movie that skips the heist. Still works.

   Reported budget of $1.2M to $3M, just $2,832,029 domestic. Then 1,185,818 IMDb voters found it later. Audiences beat 98% of movies, critics only 86%.
3. 6
   The Fugitive (1993)9.4

   The best action movie that's secretly a drama.

   Harrison Ford runs, Tommy Lee Jones steals every scene. An A+ CinemaScore and $368.9M worldwide on a reported $44M. Studios have chased this formula since 1993.
4. 5
   La Haine (1995)9.5

   The one on this list most people still haven't seen.

   $815,549 worldwide. That's it. Yet it beats 99% of movies with audiences and holds 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Vincent Cassel looks ready to fight the camera.
5. 4
   Trainspotting (1996)9.5

   The most energetic movie ever made about falling apart.

   Danny Boyle turned a grim subject into pure momentum. 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 777,267 IMDb votes, and a $16.9M domestic run that punched way above its size.
6. 3
   Saving Private Ryan (1998)9.5

   The battle scenes are untouchable. The bookends, less so.

   Spielberg's war film earned $482.4M worldwide and a 91 Metacritic. The combat is harrowing and honest. The present day framing scenes feel like a flag waving at you.
7. 2
   Goodfellas (1990)9.7

   Tied for the top score and still the runner-up.

   A 9.7 movie.guru score and a 100% audience beat rate, the only perfect one here. Joe Pesci owns every scene. $46.8M domestic on a reported $25M.
8. 1
   Schindler's List (1993)9.7

   The best drama of the decade, and the hardest to rewatch.

   Spielberg's Holocaust film holds 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 95 Metacritic and an A+ CinemaScore. It edges Goodfellas on critics, 99% to 97%. That's the whole tiebreaker.

$726.83 says you type Goodfellas in the comments before you finish reading #1.

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