Welcome to our celebration of the 100 Best Films of the 2020s (So Far). We are now officially halfway through the decade, making this an ideal time to reflect on the remarkable films that have shaped the first five years. Despite global uncertainty and major shifts in how we watch movies, the early 2020s have proven that cinema remains as vital and inventive as ever.
In this list, we highlight the highest-rated and most critically acclaimed films released between 2020 – 2024. These selections showcase the range, ambition, and emotional resonance that have defined the decade so far. From intimate character studies to visionary spectacles, the best films of the 2020s reveal a medium constantly evolving and finding new ways to connect with audiences.
Discover how Sean Baker has continued to tell deeply human stories grounded in overlooked corners of American life, how Chloé Zhao brought poetic realism and spiritual depth to the mainstream, and how Ryusuke Hamaguchi crafted intricate, quietly powerful dramas that explore the inner lives of his characters with remarkable nuance.
Join us as we revisit the 100 films that have stood out, sparked conversations, and left a lasting impression in the first half of the decade. These are the works that define what cinema has meant in the 2020s so far, and hint at the possibilities still to come.
Click below to delve deeper into our rating system and learn all about the inner workings of our algorithm.
Top10nerScore77.513 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin
WRITERS: Aaron Sorkin
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Phedon Papamichael
STARRING: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Legal Drama, Political Drama, Biopic, Period Drama
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
Packed with Sorkin’s signature rapid-fire exchanges, The Trial of the Chicago 7 transforms a turbulent chapter of history into cinematic dynamite. Redmayne’s idealism clashes with Baron Cohen’s irreverence, while Langella’s stone-faced judge makes injustice feel suffocating. Equal parts legal drama and call to arms, it’s history told with bite.
Top10nerScore71.534 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Julia Ducournau
WRITERS: Julia Ducournau
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ruben Impens
STARRING: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Lais Salameh, Mara Cissé
GENRE: Horror, Drama
SUB-GENRE: Body Horror, Psychological Drama
Alexia is a dancer who, after being injured in a car accident as a child, has a titanium plate fitted into her head. Amidst a series of brutal and unexplained murders, her path crosses with Vincent, a firefighter desperately searching for his long-missing son, changing their lives forever.
Titane crashes through genre lines like its chrome-plated heroine—part body horror, part family fable. Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner melds metal, flesh, and emotion into a fever dream of identity, grief, and transformation. Bold, brutal, and bizarre, it pulses with gasoline and tenderness in equal measure.
Top10nerScore71.557 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Cord Jefferson
WRITERS: Cord Jefferson
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Cristina Dunlap
STARRING: Jeffrey Wright, Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross
GENRE: Satire, Drama, Comedy
SUB-GENRE: Family Drama
A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
American Fiction skewers cultural commodification with razor wit and a soulful undercurrent. Jeffrey Wright delivers a career-best turn as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, whose literary hoax hilariously and heartbreakingly exposes the absurdities of racial expectation. Bold, brainy, and bitingly funny, it’s satire with serious staying power.
Top10nerScore71.623 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Sunghoo Park
WRITERS: Hiroshi Seko
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Teppei Ito
STARRING: Megumi Ogata, Kana Hanazawa, Yuichi Nakamura, Takahiro Sakurai, Mikako Komatsu, Koki Uchiyama, Tomokazu Seki
GENRE: Animation, Fantasy, Action
SUB-GENRE: Anime, Low Fantasy, Martial Arts
Yuta Okkotsu is haunted by the spirit of his childhood friend Rika, who died in a traffic accident. Her spirit no longer appears as the sweet girl he called his beloved. Instead, her spirit has been cursed and she manifests as a monstrous entity who protects him against his will.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 strikes with mythic force, an electrifying prequel pulsing with emotional weight, masterful sakuga, and a tragic hero in Yuta Okkotsu. With MAPPA’s dynamic animation, rich world-building, and darkly tender storytelling, it’s a curse-breaking spectacle that deepens the lore without losing its soul.
Top10nerScore71.735 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Greta Gerwig
WRITERS: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rodrigo Prieto
STARRING: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Will Ferrell
GENRE: Satire, Comedy, Fantasy
SUB-GENRE: Absurdist Comedy, Portal Fantasy, Low Fantasy
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
Barbie is a dazzling pop fantasia that blends bubblegum aesthetics with existential bite. Greta Gerwig reimagines the iconic doll as a vessel for feminist inquiry, identity crisis, and laugh-out-loud satire, wrapping radical ideas in sparkly heels and a perfectly pink dreamhouse of cinematic subversion and self-discovery.
Top10nerScore71.774 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Saim Sadiq
WRITERS: Saim Sadiq, Maggie Briggs
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Joe Saade
STARRING: Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada, Sohail Sameer, Sania Saeed, Ramiz Law
GENRE: Drama
THEME: LGBTQ+
As the patriarchs of the Rana family yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.
Joyland is a tender rebellion wrapped in vibrant melancholy, exploring themes of gender, duty, and desire within a conservative Lahore household. Saim Sadiq’s debut is filled with visual poetry and emotional restraint, offering a bold and empathetic portrait of identity and the quiet revolution that comes with simply being seen.
Top10nerScore71.925 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Payal Kapadia
WRITERS: Payal Kapadia
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ranabir Das
STARRING: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, Azees Nedumangad, Tintumol Joseph
GENRE: Drama, Romance
In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha’s routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.
All We Imagine as Light immerses the audience in the pulse of modern India, where every frame feels like a fleeting moment captured in time. Payal Kapadia’s lens is tender yet bold, offering an evocative portrayal of life’s quiet complexities. It’s a stunning debut that announces her as a vital voice in cinema.
Top10nerScore71.972 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Max Barbakow
WRITERS: Andy Siara
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Quyen Tran
STARRING: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher
GENRE: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
SUB-GENRE: Romantic Comedy, Low Fantasy
THEME: Time Loop
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
Beneath Palm Springs’ breezy humor and vibrant aesthetic lies a meditation on love, purpose, and the weight of eternity. Siara’s script infuses the time-loop premise with emotional nuance, while Samberg and Milioti’s electric dynamic ensures every repeated moment feels alive, making the film both clever and unexpectedly poignant.
Top10nerScore72.149 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie
WRITERS: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Fraser Taggart
STARRING: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny
GENRE: Action, Thriller
THEME: Spy
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: to track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.
Dead Reckoning is a high-octane ballet of espionage and entropy, where Tom Cruise defies gravity and logic with balletic precision across land, sea, and sky. Christopher McQuarrie orchestrates a tech-paranoia thriller steeped in old-school spycraft, sharpening every chase, twist, and whisper for a finale that promises fallout-level fireworks.
Top10nerScore72.233 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Makoto Shinkai
WRITERS: Makoto Shinkai
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ryosuke Tsuda
STARRING: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito, Kotone Hanase, Kana Hanazawa
GENRE: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure
SUB-GENRE: Anime, Low Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
THEME: Road Movie, Disaster, Coming-of-Age
Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.
Suzume turns a post-disaster road trip into a mythic coming-of-age tale, weaving the supernatural into Japan’s historical and emotional landscape. Shinkai’s mastery of color, pacing, and symbol transforms talking chairs, celestial cats, and locked doors into potent elegies for trauma, memory, and the healing power of connection.
Top10nerScore72.239 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Jon M. Chu
WRITERS: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Alice Brooks
STARRING: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage
GENRE: Musical, Fantasy, Epic
THEME: Buddy
In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two’s unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked dazzles as a breathtaking return to Oz, where emotion, music, and magic collide. Cynthia Erivo’s soulful intensity meets Ariana Grande’s shimmering charm in a performance duet that lifts the film into the skies. With lush production, iconic songs, and a heartfelt core, this is a soaring spectacle of friendship and destiny.
Top10nerScore72.302 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson
WRITERS: Paul Thomas Anderson
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Bauman
STARRING: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie
GENRE: Comedy
THEME: Coming-of-Age
The story of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
Licorice Pizza captures the hazy thrill of 1970s California with a sun-drenched coming-of-age story that feels both unpredictable and achingly true. Paul Thomas Anderson blends oddball romance, youthful aimlessness, and rich period detail into a tender, offbeat ode to growing up the hard, weird, and wonderful way.
Top10nerScore72.413 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Siân Heder
WRITERS: Siân Heder
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Paula Huidobro
STARRING: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Daniel Durant, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Eugenio Derbez, Amy Forsyth
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Family Drama
THEME: Coming-of-Age
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
CODA translates silence into resonance, telling a story of family, identity, and belonging with extraordinary nuance. Its authentic Deaf representation, heartfelt humor, and stirring musical arcs transform a familiar formula into something deeply humane, making cinema itself feel more inclusive and alive.
Top10nerScore72.474 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Fran Kranz
WRITERS: Fran Kranz
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ryan Jackson-Healy
STARRING: Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney
GENRE: Drama
THEME: Chamber Film
Two couples meet for a painful and raw conversation in the aftermath of a violent tragedy.
Mass is a gripping exploration of grief and forgiveness, set in a single room where two sets of parents confront the unthinkable. With powerhouse performances from the cast, the film tackles complex emotions with quiet dignity and intense vulnerability, offering a deeply human reflection on tragedy and healing.
Top10nerScore72.556 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Gaspar Noé
WRITERS: Gaspar Noé
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Benoît Debie
STARRING: Dario Argento, Françoise Lebrun, Alex Lutz
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Psychological Drama
Lui, a struggling author with a heart condition, and his wife Elle, a retired psychiatrist, find their idyllic life shattered when Elle begins to succumb to the effects of dementia.
Vortex is a haunting exploration of memory, decay, and existential weight. Gaspar Noé crafts a slow-burn narrative that immerses viewers in the painful deterioration of a couple’s lives. With an intimate, split-screen approach, it becomes a deeply personal meditation on aging, love, and loss that resonates long after the credits roll.
Top10nerScore72.567 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Aki Kaurismäki
WRITERS: Aki Kaurismäki
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Timo Salminen
STARRING: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen
GENRE: Drama, Romance, Comedy
SUB-GENRE: Romantic Comedy
In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.
Fallen Leaves is Kaurismäki distilled at its finest: laconic dialogue, painterly static frames, and wistful rock ballads shape a melancholic dream of modern alienation. As love flickers between two weathered hearts, the film finds understated poetry in repetition, resilience in routine, and quiet beauty in the smallest acts of kindness.
Top10nerScore72.617 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Magnus von Horn
WRITERS: Line Langebek Knudsen, Magnus von Horn
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Michał Dymek
STARRING: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Besir Zeciri, Joachim Fjelstrup, Tessa Hoder, Ava Knox Martin, Ari Alexander Søren Sætter-Lassen
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Period Drama, Biopic
Struggling to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen, a newly unemployed and pregnant young woman is taken in by a charismatic elder to help run an underground adoption agency. The two form an unexpected bond, until a sudden discovery changes everything.
The Girl with the Needle threads a haunting story through luminous black-and-white cinematography, crafting a spellbinding parable steeped in longing and quiet strength. Every frame feels hand-stitched with care, blending poetic stillness and emotional depth into a beautifully woven tale of fate, sacrifice, and resilience.
Top10nerScore72.657 / 100
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DIRECTOR: George Miller
WRITERS: George Miller, Nico Lathouris
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Simon Duggan
STARRING: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson
GENRE: Action, Science Fiction, Adventure
THEME: Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian
As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by the Immortan Joe.
Furiosa expands the Wasteland into something mythic and majestic, with Anya Taylor-Joy embodying fierce resilience in a role destined for legend. George Miller delivers thunderous set pieces and stunning visuals while adding unexpected emotional depth, forging a prequel that honors Fury Road and fuels its legacy with fire and soul.
Top10nerScore72.676 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Troy Quane, Nick Bruno
WRITERS: Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Troy Quane, Pamela Ribon, Keith Bunin, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno
STARRING: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Indya Moore
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure, Animation, Science Fiction, Comedy
SUB-GENRE: Sword and Sorcery, Computer Animation, High Fantasy
THEME: Buddy, LGBTQ+, Family
When a knight in a futuristic medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona — a mischievous teen who happens to be a shapeshifting creature he’s sworn to destroy.
Nimona is a genre-smashing firecracker of a film, pairing punk rock flair with heartfelt storytelling. With its bold animation style, razor-sharp humor, and a shape-shifting heroine who shatters binaries, it flips the script on fairy tale tropes while championing identity, love, and defiance in a world that fears difference.
Top10nerScore72.681 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Eliza Hittman
WRITERS: Eliza Hittman
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hélène Louvart
STARRING: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder
GENRE: Drama
THEME: Coming-of-Age
A pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy.
In Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Eliza Hittman’s sensitive direction brings to life the quiet strength of two young women faced with an overwhelming decision. Sidney Flanigan’s standout performance subtly conveys a world of emotion. This film is a powerful exploration of vulnerability, empathy, and autonomy.
Top10nerScore72.796 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Philip Barantini
WRITERS: Philip Barantini, James Cummings
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Matthew Lewis
STARRING: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Jason Flemyng, Alice May Feetham, Ray Panthaki, Hannah Walters
GENRE: Drama
THEME: Food, Chamber Film
On the busiest night of the year at one of the hottest restaurants in London, charismatic and commanding head chef Andy Jones balances along a knife’s edge as multiple personal and professional crises threaten to destroy everything he’s worked for.
Boiling Point simmers with relentless tension, capturing the chaos of a single night in a high-pressure kitchen through a bravura one-shot technique. Stephen Graham delivers a raw, nerve-fraying performance in a film that serves up class commentary, emotional unraveling, and culinary crisis with searing authenticity.
Top10nerScore72.838 / 100
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DIRECTORS: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
WRITERS: Mark Burton
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dave Alex Riddett
STARRING: Ben Whitehead, Reece Shearsmith, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan
GENRE: Animation, Comedy, Science Fiction
SUB-GENRE: Claymation
THEME: Family, Artificial Intelligence
Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
Vengeance Most Fowl marks a triumphant return, brimming with visual inventiveness, gentle wit, and Wallace & Gromit’s timeless chemistry. As Feathers McGraw hatches a new scheme, the film blends heartwarming antics with sly jabs at modern technology, reaffirming that clay-crafted brilliance never loses its charm.
Top10nerScore72.860 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Paola Cortellesi
WRITERS: Furio Andreotti, Paola Cortellesi, Giulia Calenda
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Davide Leone
STARRING: Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Emanuela Fanelli, Giorgio Colangeli
GENRE: Drama, Comedy
SUB-GENRE: Period Drama, Family Drama
Delia is a typical housewife in post-war Italy, whose family is in turmoil over the impending engagement of beloved first-born Marcella. The arrival of a mysterious letter, however, will ignite Delia’s courage to face her abusive husband and imagine a better future.
There’s Still Tomorrow reclaims postwar Italian cinema with fresh urgency, blending neorealist grit and biting humor. Paola Cortellesi directs and stars in a feminist triumph that channels black-and-white nostalgia into a stirring call for liberation, as one woman dares to imagine a different future amid silence and tradition.
Top10nerScore72.924 / 100
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DIRECTORS: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
WRITERS: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Nicolas Bolduc
STARRING: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino, Patrick Mille, Vassili Schneider, Julien de Saint Jean
GENRE: Adventure, Drama, Epic, Action
SUB-GENRE: Period Drama
Edmond Dantes becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.
The 2024 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo condenses Alexandre Dumas’ epic tale into a brisk, lavish action-adventure. With stunning visuals, sharp performances, and rapier-like precision, this French retelling brings the classic revenge story to life with thrilling energy and heartfelt intensity, capturing both grandeur and grit.
Top10nerScore73.025 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Santiago Mitre
WRITERS: Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás, Ignacio Seligra
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Javier Julia
STARRING: Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Paula Ransenberg, Carlos Portaluppi, Antonia Bengoechea, Laura Paredes
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Legal Drama, Period Drama
In the 1980s, a team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship in a battle against odds and a race against time.
Argentina, 1985 transforms legal procedure into political rebellion, capturing the bravery behind prosecuting a dictatorship. With crisp pacing, biting dialogue, and emotional nuance, it becomes more than history retold. It is a stirring reminder that democracy must be defended with vigilance and courage.
