Here are the Best Movies of All-Time, as evaluated by Screen Rant. Covering Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Rear Window, it’s the perfect list for emerging cinephiles or checking off the essentials from your watchlist.
Deciding the best movies ever takes a balance of objective and subjective preference, which can differ for industry professionals and general viewers. We took the top 250 movies on IMDb and Metacritic and assigned each movie a score based on the range of scores in the dataset. These equally weighted scores were summed and then standardized into our own Screen Rant score. The result is a scoring system that equally and fairly honors both the audience and critic voice, leading to a list that runs the full length of cinema history.
50 My Left Foot (1989)
- Metacritic: 97/100
- IMDb: 7.8/10
- Screen Rant: 93.64/100
My Left Foot tells the true story of Christy Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy who learns how to paint with his left foot, the only limb he has control over. The film stars Daniel-Day Lewis as Christy Brown, for which he won his first Academy Award for Best Actor. A story of family, adversity, stubbornness, and triumph, My Left Foot has been praised by critics and audiences alike for the inspiring performance by Lewis and the film’s ability to maintain an upbeat tone. The movie brilliantly captures the story of a man’s life while defeating the odds, which effectively tugs at the heartstrings and restores faith in humanity.
My Left Foot is available to stream on Paramount+.
49 The Wild Bunch (1969)
- Metacritic: 98/100
- IMDb: 7.9/10
- Screen Rant: 93.64/100
The epic revisionist Western film The Wild Bunch follows an aging outlaw gang on the US-Mexican border adapting to the changes of the modern world in 1913. While controversial upon release for its depiction of graphic violence and crude anti-heroes, The Wild Bunch’s legacy has since established it as an essential classic in its genre. Arriving at a time when Westerns were leaving the Hollywood mainstream, the film’s meta themes about a dying breed have also cemented its iconic reputation. In addition to its engrossing ode to Westerns, The Wild Bunch is celebrated for its groundbreaking technical achievements of quick cuts, multi-angle editing, and slow-motion sequences. It is a favorite Western of filmmakers like John Carpenter and Quentin Tarantino showing its lasting legacy.
The Wild Bunch is available to stream on HBO Max.
48 Jules And Jim (1962)
- Metacritic: 97/100
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Screen Rant: 93.64/100
Set before and after World War I, Francois Truffaut’s drama Jules and Jim explores the tragic love triangle of the Bohemian Frenchman Jim, his Austrian friend Jules, and wife Catherine. Jules and Jim is considered the pinnacle of Truffaut’s French New Wave era, which was a hit upon release and remains a poignant tale of the intersections of love, freedom, and loyalty. The celebrated legacy of Jules and Jim surrounds its cinematic style that originated in post-war Europe, as well as the timeless manner in which it captures the unspoken truth of relationships and changing perspectives on modern love.
Jules and Jim is available to stream on HBO Max.
47 A Separation (2011)
- Metacritic: 95/100
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Screen Rant: 93.88/100
The movie follows the dilemma of a married couple who must decide to move to another country and improve the life of their child or stay in Iran and care for a parent with advancing Alzheimer’s disease. The winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012, A Separation also became the first critically acclaimed non-English film in five years to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay. In addition to providing a suspenseful narrative, the movie is essential for its moral complexities, engrossing portrait of a dissolving relationship, and intensely felt performances by the cast.
A Separation is available to rent on Apple TV.
46 Double Indemnity (1944)
- Metacritic: 95/100
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Screen Rant: 93.88/100
The film follows an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) involved in the murder scheme of a seductive housewife (Barbara Stanwyck), who plans to kill her husband and cash in on his fraudulent death claim. Double Indemnity is a classic in the film noir genre of the 1940s, maintaining an eerie black-and-white format, a captivating femme fatale, and a compelling narrative choice in which the investigation is simultaneously a doomed confession. Billy Wilder’s revolutionary direction in Double Indemnity was also a precursor to his classic noir Sunset Boulevard (1950), with both receiving nominations for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Double Indemnity is available to rent on Apple TV.
45 12 Years A Slave (2013)
- Metacritic: 96/100
- IMDb: 8.1/10
- Screen Rant: 93.95/100
The 2013 biographical drama is based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup, a free Black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1941. Northup is forced to work on Louisiana plantations with varying cruelties for 12 years before being released. The Steve McQueen-directed drama 12 Years a Slave isn't easy to watch, but it’s an important and crucial piece of filmmaking that tells the honest, painful stories that need to be told. It’s an upsetting portrait of the lows of humanity and a deeply emotional exploration of what it means to live, which is enhanced by the brilliant performances of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o in her Oscar-winning feature film debut. 12 Years a Slave is also a triumph in cinema for its cinematography, moving score, and McQueen’s direction.
12 Years a Slave is available to rent on Apple TV.
44 Goodfellas (1990)
- Metacritic: 91/100
- IMDb: 8.7/10
- Screen Rant: 93.99/100
Martin Scorsese’s crime drama tells the rise and fall of real-life mobster Henry Hill and his relationships with his friends and family over 25 years. The film stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco. Goodfellas is often considered to be Scorsese’s greatest achievement as well as an essential installment in the gangster genre. The thrilling style, gripping ensemble cast, clever use of freeze frames and fast cuts, and writing make it a violently energetic piece of classic entertainment. If not for its enduring cultural legacy, Goodfellas is essential for its achievements in filmmaking and perfecting a genre.
Goodfellas is available to stream on HBO Max.
43 Hoop Dreams (1994)
- Metacritic: 98/100
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Screen Rant: 94.09/100
The groundbreaking sports documentary depicts the stories of two aspiring inner-city Chicago basketball players, following them through high school as they work toward college scholarships and their dreams of playing professionally in the NBA. Proving the emotional power of documentary filmmaking, Hoop Dreams remains one of the most inspiring films of all time as a sobering portrait of social inequality with high school basketball as the backdrop. Hoop Dreams looks at the impacts that race, class, uncontrollable hurdles, and education inequality have on the players' experiences and goals. The teens’ heartbreaking adversity and well-earned victories yield rewarding results that will appeal to even the most cynical of viewers.
Hoop Dreams is available to stream on HBO Max and Peacock.
42 The Rules Of The Game (1939)
- Metacritic: 98/100
- IMDb: 7.9/10
- Screen Rant: 94.09/100
The 20th-century French movie directed by Jean Renoir surrounds members of upper-class French society and their servants as they gather in a château in the time leading up to World War II. The Rules of the Game was generally dismissed by critics and audiences upon release, but has gained a more positive and influential legacy over time. The social satire has since been lauded for its biting satire of the upper class and criticism of social pretenses, with the film also being important for its early use of deep focus cinematography and complex sound. Its influence can also be seen in films like The Big Chill and Gosford Park.
The Rules of the Game is available to stream on the Criterion Channel and Kanopy.
41 The Lady Vanishes (1938)
- Metacritic: 98/100
- IMDb: 7.8/10
- Screen Rant: 94.09/100
The Oscar-less Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes follows Iris, a young English tourist traveling through Europe by train, who awakens to discover that her elderly companion has inexplicably disappeared. After other passengers deny the lady’s existence, Iris works with another traveler to solve the mystery. The Lady Vanishes is early British Hitchcock at his finest, renowned as an unconventional and sophisticated comedy-thriller that stands as one of the director’s wittiest films. It arrived amid the popularity of train movies in the 1930s, though Hitchcock’s entertaining direction, the chemistry between the leads, and the clever construction of the mystery make it an unmissable example of its genre and certainly one of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies.
The Lady Vanishes is available to stream on HBO Max.
40 Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
- Metacritic: 98/100
- IMDb: 7.8/10
- Screen Rant: 94.09/100
Au hasard Balthazar is a 1966 French drama about a donkey and his mistreatment as he’s passed to different owners. The movie is primarily effective for its unique naturalistic aesthetic style, religious imagery, and spiritual allegories. The film is heartbreaking as the treatment of the donkey ranges from abuse from an angry man to a warm hug from a lonely woman, though what sets the film apart is that, without reactions from Balthazar, it leaves empathy up to the viewers. The result is a deeply emotional film about the suffering in human experience, told simply through the eyes of a donkey.
Au hasard Balthazar is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.
39 Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Metacritic: 94/100
- IMDb: 8.5/10
- Screen Rant: 94.20/100
The war epic Apocalypse Now follows a group of American soldiers traveling dangerous rivers in Vietnam as they embark on a secret mission to assassinate a renegade officer. It’s not an exaggeration to deem this one of the greatest war films ever created, with Francis Ford Coppola’s hallucinatory visuals, a modern soundtrack, and the haunting ways that war brings out of the horrors of humanity make it a unique, engrossing staple of the genre. In addition to the sobering performances of Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando, Apocalypse Now is a cinematic achievement in thematic paradoxes and visuals reflecting the darkness of humanity and war.
Apocalypse Now is available to rent on Apple TV.
38 The Dark Knight (2008)
- Metacritic: 84/100
- IMDb: 9/10
- Screen Rant: 94.23/100
Batman forms an alliance with James Gordon and Harvey Dent to dismantle organized crime in Gotham, though their endeavors are thwarted as anarchist The Joker strives to send the city into chaos. The Dark Knight’s gritty realism and Christopher Nolan’s visuals defy the typical superhero genre conventions to cement it as a masterpiece neo-noir crime thriller, with Heath Ledger’s haunting portrayal of The Joker earning him a posthumous Academy Award. The Dark Knight became the first comic-book film to win major industry awards, with its dark complexities, timely themes of ethics, and exciting action making it a winner among critics and audiences. Instead of a superhero movie with a neo-noir style, it’s a neo-noir with superhero characters at the center.
The Dark Knight is available to stream on HBO Max and Netflix.
37 Toy Story (1995)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
- Metacritic: 96/100
- IMDb: 8.3/10
- Screen Rant: 94.27/100
Pixar’s first adventure of wind-up cowboy doll Woody and space cadet action figure Buzz Lightyear, toys that come to life when humans aren’t around. The dynamic between Woody and Buzz, existential crises, and a hilarious look into the lives of toys and their association with childhood make Toy Story a timeless tale, not to mention a revolutionary feat in animation and the beginning of Pixar’s domination. Toy Story also appeals to adults as much as kids through the exploration of a toy’s psyche, prankish humor between the characters, and compelling voice acting by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The film set the stage for three sequels that would continue its critically-acclaimed writing, vivid storytelling, and sharp wit with Toy Story 5 in the works to continue the franchise.
Toy Story is available to stream on Disney+.
36 Ran (1985)
- Metacritic: 97/100
- IMDb: 8.2/10
- Screen Rant: 94.34/100
From Akira Kurosawa, Ran is based on Shakespeare’s King Lear and legends of the daimyo Mori Motonari. The movie follows an elderly warlord who abdicates and gives his empire to his three sons, with the power corrupting them before turning the family against one another. Ran is Kurosawa’s last samurai epic, having been a culmination of the director’s many achievements and influences on cinema. The movie is beloved by critics and audiences for its spectacle and brilliant demonstrations of the Western, war, and period film genres. It’s a completely immersive experience in which the visuals, sound, and music enhance the familiar tale of morality, with Kurosawa pulling out all the trademarks from his career.
Ran is available to rent on Apple TV.
35 The Third Man (1949)
- Metacritic: 97/100
- IMDb: 8.1/10
- Screen Rant: 94.41/100
The Third Man is a film noir about an American Holly Martins who accepts a job from his friend Harry Lime in Vienna, only to learn that his friend has died. Finding Lime’s fate mysterious, Martins remains in Europe and investigates the death. Praised for its film techniques with black-and-white expressionism, the “Dutch angle,” and harsh lighting, The Third Man is also known for its iconic film score and cast performances, particularly by Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. The movie is a landmark example of how to achieve a proper atmosphere in film noir for a thrilling cinematic experience, with the filmmaking techniques making the suspenseful story and exciting, sinister twists all the more entertaining.
The Third Man is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.
34 Gone With The Wind (1939)
- Metacritic: 97/100
- IMDb: 8.2/10
- Screen Rant: 94.41/100
Gone With the Wind follows Scarlett O’Hara, the daughter of a Southern plantation owner, throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction era, focusing on her romantic relationships with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler. Though Gone With the Wind's themes are problematic and criticized today for racist stereotypes, historical negationism, and whitewashing of the Civil War, the movie is regarded as a revolutionary achievement in historical epics, the romance genre, and ambition with its massive scale. The box office record-breaking film also features some of the most iconic performances in film history from Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniel, with McDaniel becoing the first Black person to win an Academy Award.
Gone With the Wind is available to stream on HBO Max.
33 Touch Of Evil (1958)
- Metacritic: 99/100
- IMDb: 8/10
- Screen Rant: 94.55/100
Orson Welles’ film noir centers on a murder mystery at the US/Mexico border. As a Mexican drug enforcement agent suspects an American police captain of planting evidence, the investigation places himself and his wife in danger. The twists and turns of Touch of Evil are a masterpiece in film noir and depicting the grayness of good and evil. Welles’ style, the performances of himself, Charlton Heston, and Janet Leigh, as well as the poignant music combine to form a vividly entertaining unorthodox pulp. As one of the best movies of all time, Touch of Evil is an essential viewing for film noir in the classic era and Welles’ filmography.
Touch of Evil is available to stream on The Criterion Channel.
32 Pinocchio (1940)
- Metacritic: 99/100
- IMDb: 7.5/10
- Screen Rant: 94.55/100
Adapted from an 1883 Italian children’s story, Disney’s Pinocchio is about a wooden puppet who must prove himself worthy to become a real boy. Following Snow White (1937), Pinocchio is the second animated feature made by Disney, which was an ambitious venture with an emotional core that has stood the test of time. Still culturally relevant today, the film was a brilliant technical achievement for Disney that set the tone for the enchanting nature, beautiful visuals, and storytelling power that became the golden standard for animation. Pinocchio was also the first animated feature to win a competitive award at the Oscars, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Pinocchio is available to stream on Disney+.
31 Intolerance (1916)
- Metacritic: 99/100
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Screen Rant: 94.55/100
A silent film telling the story of a poor young woman who is separated from her husband and baby due to prejudices, with instances of intolerance throughout history being interwoven. Intolerance is considered one of the most influential films of the silent film era, with its epic scale and unconventional editing style serving as inspiration for many European and Hollywood directors at the time. It’s arguably one of the very first art-house movies, with the gamble paying off as D.W. Griffith made one of the most ambitious experimental films in history. In addition to the visuals making Intolerance a great movie, the thrilling stories effectively explore how evil and exploitation transcend time.
Intolerance is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+.