Top 90 Ranked

Best Movies of the Year 2000 Ranked

Modern Classics and Cinematic Masterpieces Rediscovered

Explore the definitive ranking of global cinema highlights. From epic dramas to cult thrillers, discover the must-watch films that defined an era.

Draft Best 2000 Movies with friends and our judges will crown a winner!

About Movies in 2000

If you want to understand the exact moment the cinematic landscape shifted into its modern skin, you have to look at the class of 2000. This was the year that effectively killed the nineties and birthed a new kind of obsession, one defined by a restless, hungry versatility that refused to be pinned down to a single genre or aesthetic. It was a twelve month stretch where grit met grace and the blockbuster finally learned how to think.

The year possessed a chameleon like ability to jump from the blood soaked sand of the Roman Colosseum in Gladiator to the rain slicked, neon paranoia of a memory stripped detective in Memento. There was a sense of fearlessness in the choices made during this era. It was an actor who could play the vengeful general just as easily as the terrifyingly polished corporate monster in American Psycho, finding the humanity in a serial killer and the heartbreak in a warrior. Audiences connected because they felt they were witnessing a genuine evolution. We were moving away from the untouchable icons of the eighties and toward something far more visceral and complicated.

In this period, the screen vibrated with a raw, often uncomfortable honesty. Think of the harrowing, wide eyed descent into addiction found in Requiem for a Dream or the sprawling, multi layered tension of the drug trade in Traffic. These weren't just roles; they were sociological statements. Even when the work veered into the fantastical, it remained grounded in flesh and bone. When X-Men launched the modern superhero era or Unbreakable deconstructed the very myth of the caper, the performances prioritized internal struggle over external spectacle.

There was also a distinct musicality to the year, a rhythmic pulse that bridged the gap between high art and counterculture. One moment we were chasing the dream of rock and roll stardom in Almost Famous, and the next we were digging through record bins with the cynical, lovable geeks of High Fidelity. This performer understood the needle drop and the power of a soundtrack, whether it was the bluegrass soul of O Brother, Where Art Thou? or the frantic, kinetic energy of a heist gone wrong in Snatch.

The cultural impact of this run is impossible to overstate because it proved that subverting expectations was the fastest way to become legendary. You see it in the gravity defying beauty of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the desperate, isolated survival of Cast Away. These films demanded an actor who could communicate everything through a silent gaze or a sudden burst of movement. From the gritty urban crossroads of Amores Perros to the working class aspirations of a boy who just wanted to dance in Billy Elliot, the year 2000 stood as a masterclass in range. It was the year we stopped asking performers to just be stars and started asking them to be everything at once. This was the birth of the modern leading man, a figure who remains just as elusive and magnetic today as they were at the turn of the millennium.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
90
2000 in The Skulls (2000)
The Skulls
2000

A senior at an Ivy League college, who depends on scholarships and working on the side, gets accepted into the secret society The Skulls. He hopes it betters chances at Harvard but The Skulls is not what he thought and comes at a price.

Crime
Drama
1h 46m
Rob Cohen
Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, Hill Harper, Leslie Bibb
89
2000 in Bait (2000)
Bait
2000

Landing in jail for a petty theft crime, Alvin finds himself sharing a cell with John Jaster, the incarcerated half of the pair of high-tech thieves responsible for the missing gold. His partner, Bristol, is still at large. Alvin wants only to get out of prison and start fresh with his girlfriend, Lisa, and when the Feds, led by U.S. Treasury investigator Clenteen, set him loose on a sketchy deal, he thinks his luck has changed. Alvin has his freedom and the Feds have found their bait.

Action
Thriller
Jamie Foxx, David Morse, Robert Pastorelli, Doug Hutchison
88
2000 in Vertical Limit (2000)
Vertical Limit
2000

Trapped near the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, Annie Garrett radios to base camp for help. Brother Peter hears Annie's message and assembles a team to save her and her group before they succumb to K2's unforgiving elements. But, as Annie lays injured in an icy cavern, the rescuers face several terrifying events that could end the rescue attempt -- and their lives.

Adventure
Action
2h 4m
Martin Campbell
Chris O'Donnell, Robin Tunney, Bill Paxton, Scott Glenn

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87
2000 in Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
Crime + Punishment in Suburbia
2000

Roseanne looks forward to her high school graduation and leaving her dysfunctional home life behind -- until a brutal act brings doom to all involved.

Drama
Crime
1h 40m
Rob Schmidt
Monica Keena, Ellen Barkin, Michael Ironside, Vincent Kartheiser
86
2000 in Timecode (2000)
Timecode
2000

A production company begins casting for its next feature, and an up-and-coming actress named Rose tries to manipulate her filmmaker boyfriend, Alex, into giving her a screen test. Alex's wife, Emma, knows about the affair and is considering divorce, while Rose's girlfriend secretly spies on her and attempts to sabotage the relationship. The four storylines in the film were each shot in one take and are shown simultaneously, each taking up a quarter of the screen.

Drama
Romance
1h 37m
Mike Figgis
Xander Berkeley, Golden Brooks, Saffron Burrows, Viveka Davis
85
2000 in The House of Mirth (2000)
The House of Mirth
2000

In early 20th century New York City, an impoverished socialite desperately seeks a suitable husband as she gradually finds herself betrayed by her friends and exiled from high society.

Drama
Romance
2h 15m
Terence Davies
Gillian Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, Eleanor Bron, Terry Kinney
84
2000 in Whipped (2000)
Whipped
2000

Three to one may sound like fairly good odds, but it depends on the game. When the "one" is one very irresistible woman and the "three" are three hopelessly smitten guys, the deck is pretty stacked. In the battle of the sexes, the first rule is to never underestimate the power of a woman.

Comedy
Romance
1h 22m
Peter M. Cohen
Amanda Peet, Brian Van Holt, Jonathan Abrahams, Zorie Barber
83

Advertising executive Nick Marshall is as cocky as they come, but what happens to a chauvinistic guy when he can suddenly hear what women are thinking? Nick gets passed over for a promotion, but after an accident enables him to hear women's thoughts, he puts his newfound talent to work against Darcy, his new boss, who seems to be infatuated with him.

Comedy
Romance
2h 7m
Nancy Meyers
82
2000 in Scream 3 (2000)
Scream 3
2000

As bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of STAB 3, the third film based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings, Sidney and other survivors are once again terrorized by another Ghostface killer.

Horror
Mystery
81
2000 in Boys and Girls (2000)
Boys and Girls
2000

Ryan and Jennifer are opposites who definitely do not attract. At least that's what they always believed. When they met as twelve-year-olds, they disliked one another. When they met again as teenagers, they loathed each other. But when they meet in college, the uptight Ryan and the free-spirited Jennifer find that their differences bind them together and a rare friendship develops.

Comedy
Drama
1h 34m
Robert Iscove
Freddie Prinze Jr., Claire Forlani, Jason Biggs, Amanda Detmer
80
2000 in The Crimson Rivers (2000)
The Crimson Rivers
2000

Two French policemen, one investigating a grisly murder at a remote mountain college, the other working on the desecration of a young girl's grave by skinheads, are brought together by the clues from their respective cases. Soon after they start working together, more murders are committed, and the pair begin to discover just what dark secrets are behind the killings.

Crime
Mystery
1h 46m
Mathieu Kassovitz
Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda
79
2000 in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
2000

The hilarity begins when professor Sherman Klump finds romance with fellow DNA specialist, Denise Gaines, and discovers a brilliant formula that reverses aging. But Sherman's thin and obnoxious alter ego, Buddy Love, wants out...and a big piece of the action. And when Buddy gets loose, things get seriously nutty.

Fantasy
Comedy
1h 47m
Peter Segal
Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller, John Ales
78
2000 in Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Dude, Where's My Car?
2000

Two stoners wake up after a night of partying and cannot remember where they parked their car.

Comedy
Romance
1h 23m
Danny Leiner
Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff
77

After a mobster agrees to cooperate with an FBI investigation in order to stay out of prison, he's relocated by the authorities to a life of suburban anonymity as part of a witness protection program. It's not long before a couple of his new neighbours figure out his true identity and come knocking to see if he'd be up for one more hit—suburban style.

Comedy
Crime
1h 38m
Jonathan Lynn
76
2000 in The Kid (2000)
The Kid
2000

Powerful businessman Russ Duritz is self-absorbed and immersed in his work. But by the magic of the moon, he meets Rusty, a chubby, charming 8-year-old version of himself who can't believe he could turn out so badly – with no life and no dog. With Rusty's help, Russ is able to reconcile the person he used to dream of being with the man he's actually become.

Fantasy
Comedy
1h 44m
Jon Turteltaub
Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin
75
2000 in Titan A.E. (2000)
Titan A.E.
2000

A young man finds out that he holds the key to restoring hope and ensuring survival for the human race, while an alien species called the Drej are bent on mankind's destruction.

Animation
Science Fiction
1h 35m
Don Bluth
74
2000 in The Contender (2000)
The Contender
2000

The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power.

Drama
Thriller
2h 6m
Rod Lurie
73
2000 in Lucky Numbers (2000)
Lucky Numbers
2000

Russ Richards is a TV weatherman and local celebrity on the verge of losing his shirt. Desperate to escape financial ruin, he schemes with Crystal the TV station's lotto ball girl to rig the state lottery drawing. The numbers come up right, but everything else goes wrong as the plan starts to unravel and the game turns rough.

Comedy
Crime
1h 45m
Nora Ephron
John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth, Ed O'Neill
72
2000 in The Watcher (2000)
The Watcher
2000

FBI agent Joel Campbell, burnt-out and shell-shocked after years spent chasing serial killers, flees L.A. to begin a new life for himself in Chicago. But five months later, Joel's best laid plans are abruptly cut short when his new hometown becomes the setting for some particularly gruesome murders--murders that could only have been committed by one man: David Allen Griffin. One of Joel's most elusive and cunning nemeses, Griffin has followed his former pursuer to Chicago in order to play a sadistic game of cat and mouse. Taunting Joel with photographs of his intended victims and leaving his crime scenes meticulously free of clues in order to keep the police at bay, Griffin derives as much pleasure out of watching Joel react to every movement as watching his victims die. But when Griffin moves into Joel's inner circle, Joel must quickly find some way to stop him before someone close to him becomes the next one to die.

Mystery
Thriller
1h 36m
Joe Charbanic
71
2000 in U-571 (2000)
U-571
2000

In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. However, after a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'.

War
Action
1h 56m
Jonathan Mostow
70
2000 in Mission to Mars (2000)
Mission to Mars
2000

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

Science Fiction
Adventure
69
2000 in The Way of the Gun (2000)
The Way of the Gun
2000

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

Action
Crime
1h 59m
Christopher McQuarrie
Ryan Phillippe, Benicio del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs
68
2000 in Bamboozled (2000)
Bamboozled
2000

Frustrated when network brass reject his sitcom idea, producer Pierre Delacroix pitches the worst idea he can think of in an attempt to get fired: a 21st century minstrel show. The network not only airs it, but it becomes a smash hit.

Comedy
Drama
2h 16m
Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson
67
2000 in Finding Forrester (2000)
Finding Forrester
2000

Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.

Drama
History
2h 16m
Gus Van Sant
66
2000 in The Little Vampire (2000)
The Little Vampire
2000

Based on the popular books, the story tells of Tony who wants a friend to add some adventure to his life. What he gets is Rudolph, a vampire kid with a good appetite. The two end up inseparable, but their fun is cut short when all the hopes of the vampire race could be gone forever in single night. With Tony's access to the daytime world, he helps them to find what they've always wanted.

Family
Adventure
1h 35m
Uli Edel
Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter, Alice Krige
65
2000 in Love & Basketball (2000)
Love & Basketball
2000

Monica Wright and Quincy McCall grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball.

Comedy
Drama
2h 5m
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Chris Warren, Kyla Pratt
64
2000 in State and Main (2000)
State and Main
2000

The residents of a small Vermont town don't know what hit them when a beleaguered Hollywood film crew brings a chaotic shoot to their quaint village.

Comedy
Drama
1h 46m
David Mamet
Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charles Durning, Clark Gregg
63
2000 in Shaft (2000)
Shaft
2000

New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.

Action
Adventure
1h 39m
John Singleton
62
2000 in Space Cowboys (2000)
Space Cowboys
2000

Frank Corvin, ‘Hawk’ Hawkins, Jerry O'Neill and ‘Tank’ Sullivan were hotdog members of Project Daedalus, the Air Force's test program for space travel, but their hopes were dashed in 1958 with the formation of NASA and the use of trained chimps. They blackmail their way into orbit when Russia's mysterious ‘Ikon’ communications satellite's orbit begins to degrade and threatens to crash to Earth.

61
2000 in Shanghai Noon (2000)
Shanghai Noon
2000

Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.

Adventure
Action
1h 50m
Tom Dey
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu, Xander Berkeley
60
2000 in Chopper (2000)
Chopper
2000

The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.

Crime
Drama
1h 34m
Andrew Dominik
Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo, Simon Lyndon, David Field
59
2000 in Malena (2000)
Malena
2000

During WWII, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.

Drama
Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
58
2000 in Ring 0 (2000)
Ring 0
2000

Taking place thirty years before the events of Ringu, Ringu 0 provides the shocking background story of how the girl on the video became a deadly, vengeful spirit.

Horror
Thriller
1h 39m
Norio Tsuruta
Yukie Nakama, Seiichi Tanabe, Kumiko Aso, Yoshiko Tanaka
57
2000 in The Tigger Movie (2000)
The Tigger Movie
2000

Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Rabbit are preparing a suitable winter home for Eeyore, the perennially dejected donkey, but Tigger's continual bouncing interrupts their efforts. Rabbit suggests that Tigger go find others of his kind to bounce with, but Tigger thinks "the most wonderful thing about tiggers is" he's "the only one!" Just in case though, the joyously jouncy feline sets out to see if he can find relatives.

Animation
Family
1h 17m
Jun Falkenstein
Jim Cummings, Nikita Hopkins, Ken Sansom, John Fiedler
56
2000 in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
2000

Rocky and Bullwinkle have been living off the finances made from the reruns of their cartoon show. Boris and Natasha somehow manage to crossover into reality and team up with Fearless Leader, an evil criminal turned media mogul with some evil plans up his sleeve. Rocky and Bullwinkle must stop the three of them before they wreak havoc.

Family
Adventure
1h 32m
Des McAnuff
June Foray, Keith Scott, Rene Russo, Jason Alexander
55
2000 in The Gift (2000)
The Gift
2000

Annie Wilson, young widow and mother of three, makes her living foretelling others' futures⁠—though her own has become cloudier than even she can see. Threatened by a client's violent husband and plagued by visions of a missing local woman, Annie finds herself pulled into a thicket of lies and deception in which her extraordinary gift may ultimately get her killed.

Horror
Drama
1h 52m
54
2000 in Wonder Boys (2000)
Wonder Boys
2000

Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.

53
2000 in Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
Me, Myself & Irene
2000

Rhode Island State Trooper Charlie Baileygates has a multiple personality disorder. One personality is crazy and aggressive, while the other is more friendly and laid back. Both of these personalities fall in love with the same woman named Irene after Charlie loses his medication.

Comedy
1h 57m
Peter Farrelly
Jim Carrey, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee
52

In the rail yards of Queens, contractors repair and rebuild the city's subway cars. These contracts are lucrative, so graft and corruption are rife. When Leo Handler gets out of prison, he finds his aunt married to Frank Olchin, one of the big contractors; he's battling with a minority-owned firm for contracts.

51
2000 in Small Time Crooks (2000)
Small Time Crooks
2000

A loser of a crook and his wife strike it rich when a botched bank job's cover business becomes a spectacular success.

Comedy
Crime
Woody Allen, Tracey Ullman, Michael Rapaport, Tony Darrow
50
2000 in Proof of Life (2000)
Proof of Life
2000

When American engineer Peter Bowman is kidnapped while working in South America, his wife Alice enlists special agent Terry Thorne to help free him. However, complications arise when Thorne falls in love with her. Their lives are on the line, their hearts out on a limb.

Thriller
Action
2h 15m
Taylor Hackford
Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed
49
2000 in The Family Man (2000)
The Family Man
2000

Jack's lavish, fast-paced lifestyle changes one Christmas night when he stumbles into a grocery store holdup and disarms the gunman. The next morning he wakes up in bed lying next to Kate, his college sweetheart he left in order to pursue his career, and to the horrifying discovery that his former life no longer exists. As he stumbles through this alternate suburban universe, Jack finds himself at a crossroad where he must choose between his high-power career and the woman he loves.

Comedy
Drama
2h 5m
Brett Ratner
48
2000 in 28 Days (2000)
28 Days
2000

After getting into a car accident while drunk on the day of her sister's wedding, Gwen Cummings is given a choice between prison or a rehab center. She chooses rehab, but is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she has an alcohol addiction.

Comedy
Drama
1h 43m
Betty Thomas
47
2000 in Nurse Betty (2000)
Nurse Betty
2000

What happens when a person decides that life is merely a state of mind? If you're Betty, a small-town waitress and soap opera fan from Fair Oaks, Kansas, you refuse to believe that you can't be with the love of your life just because he doesn't really exist. After all, life is no excuse for not living. Traumatized by a savage event, Betty enters into a fugue state that allows -- even encourages -- her to keep functioning... in a kind of alternate reality.

46
2000 in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000

The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...

Family
Comedy
Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski
45
2000 in Little Nicky (2000)
Little Nicky
2000

After the lord of darkness decides he will not cede his throne to any of his three sons, the two most powerful of them escape to Earth to create a kingdom for themselves. This action closes the portal filtering sinful souls to Hell and causes Satan to wither away. He must send his most weak but beloved son, Little Nicky, to Earth to return his brothers to Hell.

Comedy
Fantasy
1h 30m
Steven Brill
44

After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one.

Horror
1h 38m
James Wong
Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke
43
2000 in Charlie's Angels (2000)
Charlie's Angels
2000

The captivating crime-fighting trio who are masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts are back! When a devious mastermind embroils them in a plot to destroy individual privacy, the Angels, aided by their loyal sidekick Bosley, set out to bring down the bad guys. But when a terrible secret is revealed, it makes the Angels targets for assassination.

42

Ex-car thief Randall Raines is forced out of retirement to save his brother Kip after a boost gone wrong. With the help of allies old and new, they race to meet the demands of notorious crime boss Raymond Calitri as the police are in hot pursuit.

Action
Crime
1h 58m
Dominic Sena
41
2000 in Coyote Ugly (2000)
Coyote Ugly
2000

Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sidelined by the accolades and notoriety she receives at her "day" job as a barmaid at Coyote Ugly. The "Coyotes" as they are affectionately called tantalize customers and the media alike with their outrageous antics, making Coyote Ugly the watering hole for guys on the prowl.

Comedy
Drama
1h 40m
David McNally
Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Bridget Moynahan, Tyra Banks
40

The Toro cheerleading squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got spirit, spunk, sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance, the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly-choreographed routines were in fact stolen.

Comedy
1h 39m
Peyton Reed
Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union
39

Greg Focker is ready to marry his girlfriend, Pam, but before he pops the question, he must win over her formidable father, humorless former CIA agent Jack Byrnes, at the wedding of Pam's sister. As Greg bends over backward to make a good impression, his visit to the Byrnes home turns into a hilarious series of disasters, and everything that can go wrong does, all under Jack's critical, hawklike gaze.

Comedy
Romance
1h 48m
Jay Roach
38
2000 in Scary Movie (2000)
Scary Movie
2000

A familiar-looking group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by a more-than-vaguely recognizable masked killer! As the victims begin to pile up and the laughs pile on, none of your favorite scary movies escape the razor-sharp satire of this outrageously funny parody!

Comedy
1h 28m
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans
37

After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.

Drama
1h 53m
Boaz Yakin
Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst
36
2000 in The Perfect Storm (2000)
The Perfect Storm
2000

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail.

Drama
Adventure
2h 10m
Wolfgang Petersen
35
2000 in Road Trip (2000)
Road Trip
2000

After an Ithaca College student films his one-night stand with a beautiful sorority girl, he discovers one of his friends has accidentally mailed the homemade sex tape to his girlfriend in Austin. In a frenzy, he must borrow a car and hit the road in a desperate bid to intercept the tape.

Comedy
Adventure
Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, Amy Smart, Paulo Costanzo
34

When the local FBI office receives a letter from a terrorist known only as 'The Citizen', it's quickly determined that he's planning his next act at the Miss America beauty pageant. Because tough-as-nails Gracie Hart is the only female Agent at the office, she's chosen to go undercover as the contestant from New Jersey.

Comedy
Crime
1h 50m
Donald Petrie
Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Heather Burns, Michael Caine
33
2000 in Frequency (2000)
Frequency
2000

When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise to a series of brutal murders he and his father must find a way to fix the consequences of altering time.

Science Fiction
Thriller
1h 58m
Gregory Hoblit
Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Shawn Doyle, Elizabeth Mitchell
32

When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the dark, and the planet is rapidly plunging into the utter blackness of a total eclipse. With the body count rising, the doomed survivors are forced to turn to Riddick with his eerie eyes to guide them through the darkness to safety. With time running out, there's only one rule: Stay in the light.

Thriller
Science Fiction
1h 48m
David Twohy
Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Lewis Fitz-Gerald
31

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Drama
Thriller
1h 53m
Kinji Fukasaku
Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Takeshi Kitano, Taro Yamamoto
30
2000 in Ginger Snaps (2000)
Ginger Snaps
2000

The story of two outcast sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger's wounds miraculously heal but something is not quite right. Now Brigitte must save her sister and save herself.

Fantasy
Horror
1h 48m
John Fawcett
Katharine Isabelle, Emily Perkins, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers
29
2000 in What Lies Beneath (2000)
What Lies Beneath
2000

Norman and Claire Spencer are a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret… a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.

Drama
Horror
Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, Diana Scarwid, James Remar
28
2000 in Pay It Forward (2000)
Pay It Forward
2000

Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.

27

The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.

Animation
Comedy
1h 24m
Peter Lord
Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Imelda Staunton, Jane Horrocks
26
2000 in The Patriot (2000)
The Patriot
2000

After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.

Drama
History
2h 45m
Roland Emmerich
Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs
25

A psychotherapist journeys inside a comatose serial killer in the hopes of saving his latest victim.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 47m
Tarsem Singh
24

Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne and his human form with the help of Pacha, a gentle llama herder.

Adventure
Animation
1h 18m
Mark Dindal
David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton
23
2000 in Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Dancer in the Dark
2000

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

Drama
Crime
Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare
22
2000 in Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Shadow of the Vampire
2000

Director F.W. Murnau makes a Faustian pact with a vampire to get him to star in his 1922 film "Nosferatu."

Drama
Horror
1h 35m
E. Elias Merhige
John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes
21
2000 in You Can Count on Me (2000)
You Can Count on Me
2000

A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.

Drama
1h 51m
Kenneth Lonergan
20

The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

Comedy
1h 30m
Christopher Guest
Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins
19
2000 in The Beach (2000)
The Beach
2000

Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss - excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

Drama
Adventure
1h 59m
Danny Boyle
Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Tilda Swinton
18
2000 in Chocolat (2000)
Chocolat
2000

In the winter of 1959, a single mother and her young daughter arrive in a rural French town, where they open an unusual chocolate shop that disrupts the moral fiber of the strictly Catholic townsfolk and mayor.

Comedy
Drama
2h 1m
Lasse Hallström
Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin
17

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

Drama
Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger
16
2000 in In the Mood for Love (2000)
In the Mood for Love
2000

Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.

Drama
Romance
1h 39m
Wong Kar-Wai
Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Siu Ping-Lam, Rebecca Pan
15
2000 in X-Men (2000)
2000

Two mutants, Rogue and Wolverine, come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.

14

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

Drama
Comedy
1h 51m
Stephen Daldry
Jamie Bell, Gary Lewis, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood
13
2000 in Snatch (2000)
2000

Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookies, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

Crime
Comedy
Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt
12

An ordinary man makes an extraordinary discovery when a train accident leaves his fellow passengers dead — and him unscathed. The answer to this mystery could lie with the mysterious Elijah Price, a man who suffers from a disease that renders his bones as fragile as glass.

Thriller
Drama
11
2000 in High Fidelity (2000)
High Fidelity
2000

After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".

Drama
Comedy
1h 53m
Stephen Frears
John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black
10
2000 in Amores Perros (2000)
Amores Perros
2000

A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man.

Drama
Thriller
Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Vanessa Bauche, Goya Toledo
Why it ranks

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s debut explodes onto the screen with a jagged, kinetic energy that redefines the possibilities of the multi-narrative structure. By intertwining the fates of disparate classes in Mexico City, the film captures a raw, canine street-level vitality that feels both intimate and universal.

9

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.

Thriller
Drama
1h 42m
Mary Harron
Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage
Why it ranks

This razor-sharp adaptation skewers the moral vacuum of the eighties via a performance of manic, meticulously groomed brilliance. Mary Harron balances blood-soaked horror with a biting satirical wit, exposing the grotesque overlap between corporate ambition and sociopathic vanity.

8

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

Crime
Drama
1h 42m
Darren Aronofsky
Why it ranks

Darren Aronofsky delivers a sensory assault of harrowing intensity, utilizing frantic, rhythmic editing to mirror the terrifying velocity of systemic collapse. It is a visually audacious descent into modern addiction that replaces typical cinematic escapism with an unflinching, kaleidoscopic nightmare.

7

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Adventure
Comedy
1h 47m
Joel Coen
Why it ranks

The Coen brothers filter Homeric myth through a sepia-toned, bluegrass-soaked lens, creating a bizarre and whimsical odyssey through the American South. This folk-inflected caper stands as a testament to their idiosyncratic mastery of language, local color, and high-stakes absurdity.

6

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Mystery
Thriller
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Why it ranks

A dizzying, reverse-engineered neo-noir that weaponizes its structural gimmick to place the audience in a state of perpetual psychological vertigo. Christopher Nolan’s clinical precision creates an intellectual puzzle box that demands repeated viewings while remaining anchored by a tragic, visceral desperation.

5

An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.

Why it ranks

Steven Soderbergh employs a sophisticated, color-coded visual palette to deconstruct the multi-layered futility of the global narcotics trade. By bridging the gap between high-level policy and domestic tragedy, he creates a sprawling, urgent tapestry of corruption that offers no easy moral resolutions.

4

Chuck Noland, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck must find ways to survive in his new home.

Adventure
Drama
Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Chris Noth, Paul Sanchez
Why it ranks

Robert Zemeckis strips away the artifice of the modern survival epic, relying on an astonishingly committed physical performance and the haunting weight of silence. It is a bold experiment in minimalist storytelling that explores the profound psychological toll of isolation within the vast, indifferent beauty of the Pacific.

3

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Adventure
Drama
2h 0m
Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen
Why it ranks

Ang Lee transcends the boundaries of the wuxia genre, harmonizing breathtaking, gravity-defying choreography with a profound, lyrical melancholia. This masterpiece elevates martial arts to the realm of high poetry, proving that the most spectacular battles are often those waged within the human heart.

2

In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller's unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview and tour with the up-and-coming band, Stillwater.

Drama
Music
2h 4m
Cameron Crowe
Why it ranks

Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical valentine to the twilight of rock and roll achieves a rare, luminous sincerity without succumbing to cheap nostalgia. It is a beautifully textured coming-of-age story that understands the sacred, transformative power of a perfect record and a long bus ride.

1
2000 in Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator
2000

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Action
Drama
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Why it ranks

Ridley Scott resurrects the long-dormant sword-and-sandal epic with a gritty, sun-drenched ferocity that marries digital grandeur to raw, operatic emotion. It is a monumental achievement in populist filmmaking, fueled by a transformative lead performance that recaptures the tactile weight of ancient history.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

'Gladiator,' directed by Ridley Scott, tops the list because it masterfully combines action, drama, and adventure to redefine the epic genre. Its critical acclaim and box office success marked a significant cinematic milestone of 2000, influencing blockbuster filmmaking in the new millennium.

'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is celebrated for its breathtaking blend of martial arts action and exquisite romance, directed by Ang Lee. This film's global success and Oscar wins helped popularize international cinema, showcasing the year's versatility and genre-crossing storytelling.

The listicle highlights 2000's cinematic versatility by featuring a range of genres, from the thrilling crime drama 'Traffic' to the psychological mystery 'Memento' and the musical comedy 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'. This diversity illustrates the year's blend of grit, grace, and innovative storytelling techniques.

One surprise is the inclusion of cult classics like 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'American Psycho', which may not have been mainstream hits but gained strong critical followings. Conversely, some commercial blockbusters from 2000, such as 'Mission: Impossible 2', are omitted, emphasizing quality and lasting impact over just box office success.

A recurring theme in the top films is complex character studies set against larger societal issues—seen in 'Traffic' and 'American Psycho'. Additionally, many movies blend genres, such as 'Snatch’s' crime-comedy mix, illustrating a year committed to pushing narrative boundaries and audience expectations.

'Almost Famous' earned its high placement due to its heartfelt exploration of youth, music, and personal growth. Directed by Cameron Crowe, its nostalgic yet fresh look at the rock and roll lifestyle resonated with both critics and audiences, capturing the emotional spirit of 2000 cinema.

Christopher Nolan’s 'Memento' is pivotal for its innovative, non-linear storytelling and psychological depth, which influenced future thriller and mystery films. Its inclusion underscores 2000’s shift towards more intellectually engaging and experimental cinema.

The listicle suggests that 2000 was a year where blockbuster films like 'Gladiator' evolved to incorporate deeper narratives and complex characters. This shift indicates a maturation in mainstream cinema, where spectacle was matched by thoughtful storytelling and artistic ambition.
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