Top Ten Movies of the 1990s

10. A FEW GOOD MEN (1992)
(Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon; directed by Rob Reiner)

A Few Good Men is an excellent courtroom drama with Tom Cruise and Demi Moore defending two marines accused of killing a fellow member of their platoon stationed in Cuba. The final confrontation between Cruise and Jack Nicholson is one of the more memorable scenes in movie history, giving birth to several oft-repeated quotes. Nicholson deservedly won an Academy Award, but Cruise more than holds his own, as does the rest of the all-star cast.

9. THE LION KING (1994)
(Voices of Mathew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane; directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff)

Arguably the best animated film of all-time, The Lion King tells the tale of a young lion who comes to terms with his destiny. Great music and state-of-the-art animation, along with a mystical, dramatic plot that makes the viewer forget he or she is watching a cartoon about animals. Its plot and humor are as entertaining for adults as they are for children.

8. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
(Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns; directed by Steven Spielberg)

Director Steven Spielberg's version of D-Day has been praised by historian Stephen Ambrose and others for its amazing realism. A great tribute to the men who fought and died on the day that some consider to be the turning point of this century. What is most impressive to me is the way in which Spielberg manages to capture the ultimate contradiction: the horror and waste of war and the courage and decency of the men who fight in it.

7. AMISTAD (1997)
(Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Mathew McConaughey; directed by Steven Spielberg)

An excellent movie which for some reason did not get the critical attention it deserved, this Steven Spielberg epic retells the tale of the slave mutiny aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad. The courtroom scenes-in particular, Anthony Hopkins' rendition of ex-president John Quincy Adams' oral argument before the US Supreme Court-are dramatic and intelligently done. The depictions of the slave trade are horrific. Djimon Hounsou is impressive in his debut.

6. CLERKS (1994)
(Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer; directed by Kevin Smith)

A very funny look at a day in the life of two Gen-X slackers. Made for $27,000, this black-and-white film puts most big budget Hollywood productions to shame.

5. GOODFELLAS (1990)
(Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco; directed by Martin Scorsese)

A retelling of one man's (Henry Hill's) real-life experience in the mob. A true masterpiece, it deserves to be on any list of best films. Martin Scorsese's direction is amazing, as are the performances of the all-star cast.

4. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)
(Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pierce, Kim Bassinger; directed by Curtis Hanson)

I am still upset that this movie lost the Academy Award to Titanic! A great retelling of James Ellroy's dark novel about three cops in 1950s L.A. Director Curtis Hanson captures the seedy underbelly of L.A. as well as its glitzy facade. Great cast.

3. ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993)
(Bruce Campell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercombie; directed by Sam Raimi)

The third edition of the Evil Dead series has our hero Ash sent back in time with a shotgun, a chainsaw, and a '72 Oldsmobile. How could a film with that as its premise not make my top three?

2. STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)
(Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd; directed by George Lucas)

This film set a record for hype and guess what: it deserved it! Amazing special effects and an underrated plot make this a very special movie. Oh yeah, and the fact it is a Star Wars movie does not hurt either.

1. BRAVEHEART (1995)
(Mel Gibson, Sophie Mareau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack; directed by Mel Gibson)

Mel Gibson stars and directs in this tale of Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace. Huge in scale, it nevertheless never loses focus of the individual who is at the heart of the story. Braveheart is an epic the likes of which Hollywood has not made in decades. The best film in a decade filled with great films.

Submitted 2/8/00 by list guru & Notre Dame law student Brad Sobolewski.