Best movies of 1995
by tinnes-04102 | created - 07 Mar 2017 | updated - 5 days ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,807 | Gross: $42.44M
I adore this movie, I think it's on par with goodfellas. De Niro and Pesci should have been nominated. And stone and james wood are also great here.
Grade: A+
2. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,221 | Gross: $67.44M
One of the best heist/ crime films. Pacino and Deniro at the height of their powers. Val Kilmer is also great here, as is john voight, even Danny trejo shows up. A great crime film, some of the best shoot out's ever.
Grade: A
3. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,383 | Gross: $0.31M
One of the best coming of age film and foreign film's I have ever seen. A timeless film that can speak to the young genration anywhere.
Grade: A
4. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,068,340 | Gross: $191.80M
One of Pixar's best, it's a classic.
Grade: A
5. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
R | 111 min | Drama, Romance
Ben Sanderson, a Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcoholism, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
Director: Mike Figgis | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis
Votes: 134,637 | Gross: $32.03M
Cage and Shue are magnetic, their chemistry is off the tops. In this beautiful tragic film.
Grade: A
6. GoldenEye (1995)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Votes: 270,196 | Gross: $106.60M
Great lead, great villains, excited car chases, shoot out's, one of the best bond films, and one of the best action movies of the 90s.
Grade: A
7. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle
Votes: 24,199 | Gross: $16.03M
One of the most underrated movies of the 90s and box office bomb. This movie has a great look and feel of a classic noir. A very interesting social commentary twist and an amazing lead performance From Denzel and chedal steals the show. Carl Franklin with one false move and this made two of the best noir films of the 90s.
Grade: A
8. 12 Monkeys (1995)
R | 129 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Joseph Melito
Votes: 646,610 | Gross: $57.14M
Bruce Willis and Pitt give two of their best performances ever. The film has great twists, a great ending, it's of the best scfi films I have ever seen, one of the best time travel movie's, makes you think.
Grade: A-
9. Dead Man (1995)
R | 121 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Native American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Crispin Glover, Lance Henriksen
Votes: 103,077 | Gross: $1.04M
Some people hate this movie, others love it. I love this movie, even though it's the pace that is frustrating. I think it's very underrated and Jim Jarmusch does a great job directing it. And Depp gives one of his best performances.
Grade: A-
10. Friday (1995)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
It's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr.
Votes: 124,557 | Gross: $27.47M
One of the best hood movie's ice cube and Chris tucker both shine. A iconic very funny quotable movie.
Grade: A-
11. Shanghai Triad (1995)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, History
A provincial boy related to a Shanghai crime family is recruited by his uncle into cosmopolitan Shanghai in the 1930s to be a servant to a ganglord's mistress.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Baotian Li, Xiaoxiao Wang, Xuejian Li
Votes: 6,024 | Gross: $2.30M
Although one might wish there were more shootouts. A detailed mob film told through the eyes of a chilid excellent production design of 1930s Shanghai and a gutsy performance from Gong Li. What an ending
Grade: A-
12. Clockers (1995)
R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Young drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 23,528 | Gross: $13.04M
One of Spike Lee's best and most underrated films. Great performance from Harvey Kitel who always play a great cop, Delroy Lindo is an amazing villain, Keith David is always sturdy and Mekhi Phifer is amazing in his acting debt. Strong direction, soundtrack, a precursor to the wire. Was supposed to be directed by Scorcese instead he produced it (his influence is felt)
Grade: A-
13. Nixon (1995)
R | 192 min | Biography, Drama, History
A biographical story of former U.S. President Richard Nixon, from his days as a young boy, to his eventual Presidency, which ended in shame.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris
Votes: 32,723 | Gross: $13.56M
This movie bombed at the time of it's release and received mixed reviews. I think part's of it are a masterpiece, other's do not work. Anthony Hopkins look's nothing like Nixon, but his performance here is special. It's very well acted and directed.
Grade: A-
14. Clueless (1995)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd
Votes: 245,772 | Gross: $56.63M
One of the best teen films of the 90s, great performances, great sense of fashion, and it's EMMA.
Grade: A-
15. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 408,118 | Gross: $100.01M
The second best die hard movie, extremely tense, great action and chemistry between the two leads, the only problem I have with is the last 10 minutes are really choppy and feel rushed. I wish they stuck with the alternate ending, which is amazing and a much darker finale.
Grade: B+
16. Strange Days (1995)
R | 145 min | Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore
Votes: 78,420 | Gross: $7.92M
One of the most of the underrated Scfi movies of the 90s and all of time. Ralph Fiennes, Angela Basset, and the rest of the supporting cast are great. Written by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Clearly influenced by OJ Simpson and Rodney King, came out before Matrix. Great effects, mood, and music.
Grade: B+
17. Richard III (1995)
R | 110 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, War
The classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen, Edward Jewesbury
Votes: 15,566 | Gross: $2.60M
Amazing lead performance by Ian, interesting modern setting for Shakespeare, great production. Can feel more like a play than movie at times which is part of its charm.
Grade: B+
18. Get Shorty (1995)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A mobster travels to Hollywood to collect a debt, and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, John Travolta
Votes: 89,092 | Gross: $72.08M
Travolta is great here, a smart satire of gangster's and holywood.
Grade: B+
19. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,620 | Gross: $100.13M
One of the best cop films ever with four strong performances. The film is defined by its ending which is one of the best of all time. Although maybe not as good as it’s current reputation it’s still a great cop film
Grade: B+
20. Fallen Angels (1995)
Not Rated | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
This Hong Kong-set crime drama follows the lives of a hitman, hoping to get out of the business, and his elusive female partner.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Leon Lai, Michelle Reis, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Charlie Yeung
Votes: 50,828
Lack of narative structure can be frustrating. I was more invested in Killer plot than mute but visually one of the best movies ever
Grade: B+
21. The American President (1995)
PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A widowed U.S. President running for reelection and an environmental lobbyist fall in love. It's all above-board, but "politics is perception," and sparks fly anyway.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox
Votes: 60,631 | Gross: $65.00M
Michael Douglas, Michael J Fox, Annette Benning are all great. Great screenplay from Sorkin. With Sheen and screenplay helped lay ground for the west wing. Ahead of its time on environmental and gun issues. A smart realistic political film with great speeches.
Grade: B+
22. Dead Man Walking (1995)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama
A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.
Director: Tim Robbins | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry
Votes: 101,764 | Gross: $39.39M
Great two powerful lead performances, young jack black is also good in his brief time, strong direction by Tim Robbins, interesting message on death and faith, and solid soundtrack.
Grade: B+
23. Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
PG | 51 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
The universe is thrown into dimensional chaos as the dead come back to life. Now Goku and Vegeta must track down the cause of this uproar.
Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Stars: Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa, Takeshi Kusao, Daisuke Gôri
Votes: 12,085
Arguably, the best Dragon Ball z film, had a cool fusion, a sick new character in Pikon, and as a fan of the show is just a blast to watch. At only 45 mintues it's why its not higher but one of the best dragonabll films.
Grade: B+
24. Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995)
TV-PG | 52 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
The Z-fighters find themselves in the middle of another extraterrestrial conflict, which includes a sword-wielding warrior named Tapion, a wizard and an enormous monster named Hirudegarn.
Director: Mitsuo Hashimoto | Stars: Masako Nozawa, Takeshi Kusao, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru
Votes: 9,675
One of the best dragon ball z films, and a fun mythos/ twist on how trunk's got his sword.
Grade: B+
25. Anne Frank Remembered (1995)
PG | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, War
Tells the story of the Frank family and paints a portrait of their brash and free-spirited daughter Anne, perhaps the world's most famous victim of the Holocaust.
Director: Jon Blair | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Glenn Close, Isa Baschwitz, Mary Bos
Votes: 1,349 | Gross: $1.31M
A great haunting documentary, that I would never watch again.
Grade: B+
26. A Goofy Movie (1995)
G | 78 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When Max makes a preposterous promise to a girl he has a crush on, his chances to fulfilling it seem hopeless when he is dragged onto a cross-country trip with his embarrassing father, Goofy.
Director: Kevin Lima | Stars: Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, Kellie Martin
Votes: 62,713 | Gross: $35.35M
An underrated animated film, the sequel is also good. Maybe Pauly Shore's best film? Happy goofy get's some shine.
Grade: B+
27. Restoration (1995)
R | 117 min | Biography, Drama, History
The exiled royal doctor to King Charles II devotes himself to helping Londoners suffering from the plague, and in the process falls in love with an equally poor woman.
Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker
Votes: 9,924 | Gross: $4.10M
RDJ shines, won two oscars for a reason amazing production design, shows the flaws of medicine at the time, captures the period very well, Sam Neal is also delightful and crass.
Grade: B+
28. Bad Boys (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two hip detectives protect a witness to a murder while investigating a case of stolen heroin from the evidence storage room from their police precinct.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Boyle, Michael Taliferro
Votes: 286,317 | Gross: $65.81M
Yes, this film is dumb and cheesy. But this is one of Bay's best films. The action is well done, it's fun, fast-paced, and the leads have great chemistry.
Grade: B
29. New Jersey Drive (1995)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama
Jason and Midget are two young, black teenagers living in Newark,New Jersey, the unofficial car theft capital of the world. Their favourite pastime is that of everybody in their ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Gomez | Stars: Shar-Ron Corley, Gabriel Casseus, Saul Stein, Gwen McGee
Votes: 3,452 | Gross: $3.57M
One of the most underrated and realistic hood films of all time. Great performances and car chases
Grade: B
30. Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
R | 87 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills.
Director: Stanley Tong | Stars: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Françoise Yip, Bill Tung
Votes: 45,984 | Gross: $32.39M
This is the film that made Jackie Chan a star in the US- and it was redubbed to reach a wider audience. The characters and plot are silly or one dimensional. But, this film is super entertaining, the stunts are amazing, and have some of the best action sequences of any film in the 90s.
Grade: B
31. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
R | 102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Director: Scott Kalvert | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, James Madio
Votes: 121,015 | Gross: $2.42M
Not nearly as good as the book and way different. However, Leo gives an amazing performance. Young Marky Mark is also good here. The film feels raw, at times silly, but is a solid coming of age film. That I think is somewhat underrated.
Grade: B
32. Pocahontas (I) (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg | Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Joe Baker
Votes: 202,967 | Gross: $141.60M
A solid kid animated film, but compared to what disney was releasing in the 90s it's lackluster. Also, super historically inaccurate. However, there's good animation and a solid voice-cast.
Grade: B-
33. Batman Forever (1995)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure
Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Votes: 266,539 | Gross: $184.03M
Not as bad as people think. Yes, it's cheesy and a huge departure from Batman and a drop in quality after two good burton films. But, it's still a fun superhero movie with some wacky weird performances.
Grade: C+
34. Billy Madison (1995)
PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy
In order to inherit his fed up father's hotel empire, an immature and lazy man must repeat grades 1-12 all over again.
Director: Tamra Davis | Stars: Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Bradley Whitford
Votes: 156,544 | Gross: $25.59M
One of Adam Sandler's better comedies- I know a lot of people love this movie, has somewhat of a cult following, it's funny and stupid, you can turn your brain off and watch it. However, like Tommy boy I think it's overrated, but I see the appeal.
Grade: C+
35. Jumanji (1995)
PG | 104 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde
Votes: 376,751 | Gross: $100.48M
Another decent, but family-friendly overrated film from 1995- (side note: this year had a lot of those Casper etc). The effect's have not aged well, but robin Williams gives a good performance.
Grade: C+
36. Dead Presidents (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodríguez
Votes: 24,482 | Gross: $24.20M
A different hood film unlike other Vietnam films. great cast strong performances offset a rushed but ambitious story.
grade: C+
37. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995)
PG | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A giant egg is unearthed at a construction site and soon opened, releasing the terrible Ivan Ooze, who wreaks vengeance on Zordon for imprisoning him millennia ago. With Zordon dying and their powers lost, the Rangers head to a distant planet to find the mystic warrior Dulcea.
Director: Bryan Spicer | Stars: Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Cardenas, Jason David Frank
Votes: 29,990 | Gross: $38.19M
This film has a memorable villain and is just purer nostalgia for me. It's super cheesy, but I was a fan of the show as a kid, and a fan of this movie.
Grade: C+
38. Tommy Boy (1995)
PG-13 | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy
After his auto-parts tycoon father dies, the overweight, underachieving son teams up with a snide accountant to try and save the family business.
Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Chris Farley, David Spade, Brian Dennehy, Bo Derek
Votes: 97,258 | Gross: $32.70M
I know this film has a cult following and it's easily one of Chris Farley and David Spade's best movies, there are some funny moments, but this film is overatted I think.
Grade: C+
39. Balto (1995)
G | 78 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
An outcast Husky risks his life with other sled dogs to prevent a deadly epidemic from ravaging Nome, Alaska.
Director: Simon Wells | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda, Jim Cummings
Votes: 48,119 | Gross: $11.35M
40. Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
George Banks must deal not only with his daughter's pregnancy, but also with his wife's.
Director: Charles Shyer | Stars: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Votes: 41,665 | Gross: $76.59M
I enjoy the first Father of the Bride, this sequel is not the worse comedy sequel I have ever seen, but it does not do anything new or fun or different from the first.
Grade: C+
41. Casper (1995)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.
Director: Brad Silberling | Stars: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
Votes: 146,829 | Gross: $100.33M
Not the worse adaption of Casper, would love to see a new version of this film, a sappy decent family movie.
Grade: C
42. The Crossing Guard (1995)
R | 111 min | Drama, Thriller
Freddy Gale is a seedy jeweller who has sworn to kill the drunk driver who killed his little girl.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Jack Nicholson, David Morse, Anjelica Huston, Robin Wright
Votes: 14,450 | Gross: $0.83M
A slow burning drama that looses steam towards the end but jack and David Morse are both great
Grade: C
43. The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving (1995 Video)
G | 71 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a sudden shortage of water threatens all life in the great valley, The gang of young dinosaur must cooperate with a group of bullies to make a risky journey outside the valley and find the cause.
Director: Roy Allen Smith | Stars: Scott McAfee, Candace Hutson, Heather Hogan, Jeff Bennett
Votes: 6,573
The Land Before Time is a good animated film, this direct to DVD sequel not so much.
Grade: 60
Tell Your Friends