Generally speaking, if you’ve seen one “greatest films of all time” list, you’ve seen them all, with the top choices usually containing some configuration of “Citizen Kane,” “The Godfather,” and “Vertigo.” History tends to solidify critical consensus which makes a list of more contemporary movies all the more interesting. With less time and perspective to weigh in, one could argue that a list of the 100 Greatest Films Of The 21st Century, as recently put together by BBC Culture, rides a bit more on gut instinct and personal favorites. Certainly, it’s going to generate quite the discussion.
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Polling 177 film critics from around the world, the 100 Greatest Films Of The 21st Century list obviously contains plenty of contemporary auteurs, but it’s interesting which of their films made the cut. For example, Paul Thomas Anderson appears three times, but his 2002 effort “Punch-Drunk Love” didn’t make the grade. Christopher Nolan appears three times, but “Interstellar” and “The Prestige” weren’t among the selections. Meanwhile, one movie from 2016 made the list — the Cannes hit “Toni Erdmann.”
Below, check out the top 25 and see the full 100 right here. Are your favorites missing? Let us know in the comments section.
25. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
24. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
23. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
22. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
21. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
20. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)
19. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)
18. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
17. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
16. Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012)
15. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)
14. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012)
13. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
12. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
11. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013)
10. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)
9. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)
8. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000)
7. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
5. Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
4. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
1. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)