Best Movies of 2001

These are the 48 best-rated movies released in 2001, led by Spirited Away, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Ranked by audience score, with cast, trailers and legal places to watch on every page.

1. Spirited Away (2001)

★ 8.5/10

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

★ 8.4/10

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to…
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

★ 7.9/10

Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and…
4. Amélie (2001)

★ 7.9/10

At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she…
5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

★ 7.9/10

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on…
6. Shrek (2001)

★ 7.8/10

It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely…
7. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

★ 7.8/10

Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the…
8. Mulholland Drive (2001)

★ 7.8/10

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher…
9. Donnie Darko (2001)

★ 7.8/10

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
10. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within (2001)

★ 7.8/10

When Dr. Mike and Sully travel to Boston for Colleen's graduation from medical school, they find Dr. Mike's mother terminally ill. Sully finds himself a target for assassination by a corrupt politician.
11. I Am Sam (2001)

★ 7.6/10

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become…
12. The Others (2001)

★ 7.6/10

Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to…
13. Training Day (2001)

★ 7.5/10

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
14. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

★ 7.5/10

A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him…
15. Ocean's Eleven (2001)

★ 7.5/10

Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny's hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las…
16. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

★ 7.5/10

A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge…
17. My Sassy Girl (2001)

★ 7.5/10

A dweeby, mild-mannered man comes to the aid of a drunk young woman on a subway platform. Little does he know how much trouble he’s in for.
18. Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

★ 7.4/10

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
19. Black Hawk Down (2001)

★ 7.4/10

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from…
20. Blow (2001)

★ 7.4/10

A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950's. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George's father cannot make a living…
21. The Experiment (2001)

★ 7.4/10

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind…
22. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

★ 7.4/10

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.
23. The Devil's Backbone (2001)

★ 7.3/10

Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for…
24. The Piano Teacher (2001)

★ 7.3/10

Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.
25. K-PAX (2001)

★ 7.2/10

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
26. The Last Castle (2001)

★ 7.2/10

A court-martialed general rallies together 1200 inmates to rise against the system that put him away.
27. Shaolin Soccer (2001)

★ 7.1/10

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.
28. Baby Boy (2001)

★ 7.1/10

The story of Jody, a misguided, 20-year-old African-American who is really just a baby boy finally forced-kicking and screaming to face the commitments of real life. Streetwise and jobless, he has not only fathered two…
29. Big Man, Little Love (2001)

★ 7.1/10

An orphaned Kurdish child (Hêjar) and a Turkish pensioner (Rıfat) are thrown together by circumstance. Rıfat, a widowed retired judge, refuses to get involved in politics. He is forced out of his solitude, when Hêjar…
30. The Fast and the Furious (2001)

★ 7.0/10

Dominic Toretto is a Los Angeles street racer suspected of masterminding a series of big-rig hijackings. When undercover cop Brian O'Conner infiltrates Toretto's iconoclastic crew, he falls for Toretto's sister and…
31. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

★ 7.0/10

A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
32. You Shoot, I Shoot (2001)

★ 7.0/10

A hired killer pairs up with an amateur filmmaker to provide clients with satisfying footage of enemies getting whacked.
33. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

★ 7.0/10

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this…
34. The Princess Diaries (2001)

★ 7.0/10

A socially awkward but very bright 15-year-old girl being raised by a single mom discovers that she is the princess of a small European country because of the recent death of her long-absent father, who, unknown to…
35. The Warrior (2001)

★ 7.0/10

In 1375, China was in chaos between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Coryo (an ancient kingdom of Korea then) sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave to make peace with the new Chinese…
36. Millennium Mambo (2001)

★ 7.0/10

Vicky recalls her romances with her exes Hao Hao and Jack in the neon-lit clubs of Taipei.
37. Ichi the Killer (2001)

★ 7.0/10

As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
38. Askari (2001)

★ 7.0/10

Set on a game reserve in Africa. Askari is an angry old elephant, the only survivor of the "A' family group which has been anhilitated in a government cull and he has turned rogue. Involved in the culling are Patrick…
39. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert (2001)

★ 7.0/10

In 1846, Anthony Hope sails into London with the mysterious Sweeney Todd, a once-naive barber whose life and marriage was uprooted by a corrupt justice system. Todd confides in Nellie Lovett, the owner of a local meat…
40. Ginger Snaps (2001)

★ 6.9/10

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…
41. A Knight's Tale (2001)

★ 6.9/10

William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champion—assuming…
42. Serendipity (2001)

★ 6.9/10

Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part company soon after. Years later, they each yearn to reunite, despite…
43. Spy Game (2001)

★ 6.9/10

On the day of his retirement, a veteran CIA agent learns that his former protégé has been arrested in China, is sentenced to die the next morning in Beijing, and that the CIA is considering letting that happen to avoid…
44. Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001)

★ 6.9/10

"Barbie" stars as Clara in this animated retelling of the classic Christmas ballet, complete with Tchaikovsky soundtrack and ballet choreography.
45. Sweet November (2001)

★ 6.9/10

Nelson is a man devoted to his advertising career in San Francisco. One day, while taking a driving test at the DMV, he meets Sara. She is very different from the other women in his life. Nelson causes her to miss out…
46. Pearl Harbor (2001)

★ 6.9/10

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry…
47. Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

★ 6.9/10

Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.
48. Rush Hour 2 (2001)

★ 6.8/10

It's vacation time for Carter as he finds himself alongside Lee in Hong Kong wishing for more excitement. While Carter wants to party and meet the ladies, Lee is out to track down a Triad gang lord who may be…