Best Movies of 2002

These are the 48 best-rated movies released in 2002, led by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, City of God and The Pianist. Ranked by audience score, with cast, trailers and legal places to watch on every page.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

★ 8.4/10

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt…
2. City of God (2002)

★ 8.4/10

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José…
3. The Pianist (2002)

★ 8.4/10

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his…
4. Love Hurts (2002)

★ 8.0/10

Family and friends try to sabotage the budding romance between a young upper class girl and a humble student.
5. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

★ 8.0/10

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him…
6. The Way Home (2002)

★ 8.0/10

This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
7. A Walk to Remember (2002)

★ 7.8/10

When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production, he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life, as…
8. Infernal Affairs (2002)

★ 7.8/10

Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and…
9. Millennium Actress (2002)

★ 7.8/10

Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone…
10. The Twilight Samurai (2002)

★ 7.8/10

Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects…
11. Oasis (2002)

★ 7.8/10

A young man released from prison visits the widow of the man he killed drunk-driving and becomes infatuated with his cerebral palsy-stricken daughter.
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

★ 7.7/10

Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets…
13. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

★ 7.7/10

A captured mustang remains determined to return to his herd no matter what.
14. Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)

★ 7.7/10

Noah's Ark, the latest innovation in VR technology, is set for a showcase to Japan's privileged children. However, their carefree fun is cut short when a company employee is found murdered, with his dying message…
15. Shottas (2002)

★ 7.7/10

A raw urban drama about two friends raised on the dangerous streets of Kingston, Jamaica. Biggs and Wayne take on the "Shotta" way of life to survive. As young boys, they begin a life of crime, eventually moving to the…
16. Day of the Wacko (2002)

★ 7.7/10

It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man, who hates his life and other people, including himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 44 year-old teacher, who…
17. Incubus: The Morning View Sessions (2002)

★ 7.7/10

Funky hard rock upstarts Incubus recorded their album Morning View at a house in Malibu, CA, and in a special event to celebrate the album's release, the group played a special radio concert at the Sony studios in New…
18. Lilo & Stitch (2002)

★ 7.6/10

As Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien "puppy" of an independent little girl named Lilo and learns about loyalty…
19. Treasure Planet (2002)

★ 7.6/10

When space galleon cabin boy Jim Hawkins discovers a map to an intergalactic "loot of a thousand worlds," a cyborg cook named John Silver teaches him to battle supernovas and space storms on their journey to find…
20. Talk to Her (2002)

★ 7.6/10

Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.
21. Dolls (2002)

★ 7.6/10

Dolls takes puppeteering as its overriding motif, which relates thematically to the action provided by the live characters. Chief among those tales is the story of Matsumoto and Sawako, a young couple whose…
22. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

★ 7.5/10

This is not a film about gun control. It is a film about the fearful heart and soul of the United States, and the 280 million Americans lucky enough to have the right to a constitutionally protected Uzi. From a look at…
23. The Bourne Identity (2002)

★ 7.5/10

Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many…
24. Devdas (2002)

★ 7.5/10

In 1900s India, Calcuttan zamindar Devdas Mukherjee — unable to marry his lover — takes up alcohol and the company of a courtesan to alleviate the pain.
25. Hero (2002)

★ 7.5/10

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.
26. Adaptation. (2002)

★ 7.4/10

Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to…
27. Ice Age (2002)

★ 7.4/10

With the impending ice age almost upon them, a mismatched trio of prehistoric critters – Manny the woolly mammoth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger and Sid the giant sloth – find an orphaned infant and decide to return it…
28. Minority Report (2002)

★ 7.4/10

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
29. Frida (2002)

★ 7.4/10

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
30. Road to Perdition (2002)

★ 7.4/10

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life…
31. Interstate 60 (2002)

★ 7.4/10

An aspiring painter meets various characters and learns valuable lessons while traveling across America.
32. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)

★ 7.4/10

History's favorite Gauls assist Queen Cleopatra when she wagers that the Egyptian people can build a palace for Julius Caesar in just three months.
33. Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002)

★ 7.4/10

JSDF pilot Akane has a fateful encounter when a new Godzilla emerges in Tateyama. As a countermeasure, a cyborg named Kiryu is constructed from the remains of the original. The machine is discovered to harbor the…
34. Song of the Miraculous Hind (2002)

★ 7.4/10

Divided into four sections, "Song" is inspired by the Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends about Creation, in which the world begins with characters who are only half-human, one being half-bird, the other half-bear. The…
35. The Hours (2002)

★ 7.3/10

The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together…
36. Gangs of New York (2002)

★ 7.3/10

In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He…
37. 25th Hour (2002)

★ 7.3/10

In New York City in the days following the events of 9/11, Monty Brogan is a convicted drug dealer about to start a seven-year prison sentence, and his final hours of freedom are devoted to hanging out with his closest…
38. Spider-Man (2002)

★ 7.3/10

After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.
39. Bloody Sunday (2002)

★ 7.3/10

The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.
40. Mondays in the Sun (2002)

★ 7.3/10

After the closure of their shipyard in Northern Spain, a few former workers: Santa, José, Lino, Amador, Sergei and Reina keep in touch. They meet mainly at a bar owned by their former colleague Rico. Santa is the most…
41. The Rite, a Passion (2002)

★ 7.3/10

A subtle interplay between clashing ideologies: that of traditional religious values versus modern youth drawn towards extremism. Events overtake Subbaiah Sastry, a highly respected vedic and scholar in his prime now…
42. 28 Days Later (2002)

★ 7.2/10

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried…
43. Irreversible (2002)

★ 7.2/10

A woman’s lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can’t be undone. Because man is an animal. Because the desire for vengeance is a…
44. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

★ 7.2/10

Born in British India, Bhagat Singh witnesses numerous atrocities during his childhood and grows up to become one of the most fearless freedom fighters in the country.
45. The Embalmer (2002)

★ 7.2/10

Peppino is an aging taxidermist mocked for being short and sleazy who meets Valerio, a handsome if artless young man fascinated by his work. Euphoric, Peppino offers him a large salary to come work as his assistant…
46. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

★ 7.1/10

A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
47. 8 Mile (2002)

★ 7.1/10

For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a…
48. We Were Soldiers (2002)

★ 7.1/10

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.