Best 1990s Drama Movies

Looking for the best 1990s Drama movies? These are the 48 highest-rated 1990s Drama titles in our catalogue, led by Little Dreams, The Shawshank Redemption and Schindler's List. The list is ranked by audience score; open any title for its cast, trailer and legal places to watch.

1. Little Dreams (1993)

★ 10.0/10

Gharib recalls his life’s journey, which intersects with what the city of Suez experienced over two centuries through the Triple aggression and the Defeat of 1967. Gharib meets Mahmoud, who had been with his father in…
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

★ 8.7/10

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden…
3. Schindler's List (1993)

★ 8.6/10

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

★ 8.5/10

A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip…
5. Forrest Gump (1994)

★ 8.5/10

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one…
6. The Green Mile (1999)

★ 8.5/10

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's…
7. GoodFellas (1990)

★ 8.5/10

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
8. Summer of the Colt (1991)

★ 8.5/10

This award-winning film by André Melançon -- set on a ranch on the pampas of Argentina -- tells the story of three children spending a summer with their grandfather. The youngest, Felipe, makes friends with a puppy…
9. Fight Club (1999)

★ 8.4/10

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an…
10. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

★ 8.4/10

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp…
11. Léon: The Professional (1994)

★ 8.3/10

Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda…
12. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

★ 8.3/10

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for…
13. American History X (1998)

★ 8.3/10

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader…
14. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

★ 8.3/10

SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide…
15. Three Below Zero (1998)

★ 8.3/10

People are trapped in the basement of a New York apartment building on the hottest day of the summer.
16. Good Will Hunting (1997)

★ 8.2/10

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald…
17. The Usual Suspects (1995)

★ 8.2/10

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million…
18. Joseph (1995)

★ 8.2/10

Joseph, favored son of Jacob and great-grandson of Abraham, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Rising to become prime minister of Egypt. Joseph governed the country during a seven year famine, during which…
19. The Legend of 1900 (1998)

★ 8.2/10

The story of a virtuoso piano player who lives his entire life aboard an ocean liner. Born and raised on the ship, 1900 learned about the outside world through interactions with passengers, never setting foot on land…
20. Krantiveer (1994)

★ 8.2/10

Lack-lustred and alcoholic Pratap Narayan Tilak is given a rude awakening when he meets with journalist Megha Dixit, and decides to instill some sense of justice and fair play within his community, and get them to…
21. Bound by Honor (1993)

★ 8.1/10

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known…
22. The Truman Show (1998)

★ 8.1/10

An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.
23. Asunder (1998)

★ 8.1/10

When a freak accident destroys everything in a man's life, he invades the troubled marriage of his best friends.
24. Central Station (1998)

★ 8.1/10

An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.
25. La Haine (1995)

★ 8.1/10

After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously…
26. Casino (1995)

★ 8.0/10

In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro…
27. Before Sunrise (1995)

★ 8.0/10

An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet…
28. Trainspotting (1996)

★ 8.0/10

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning…
29. American Beauty (1999)

★ 8.0/10

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
30. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

★ 8.0/10

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: 'Seiji Amasawa'.
31. Face to Face (1999)

★ 8.0/10

A protest writer, the glory of dissidence, learns that her husband was a Securitate informer for 20 years. Press and TV make the story the headline of the day. In 24 hellish hours, the couple re-evaluate their lives to…
32. Braveheart (1995)

★ 7.9/10

Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire…
33. A Bronx Tale (1993)

★ 7.9/10

Set in the Bronx during the tumultuous 1960s, an adolescent boy is torn between his honest, working-class father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss. Complicating matters is the youngster's growing attraction…
34. The Sixth Sense (1999)

★ 7.9/10

Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
35. Heat (1995)

★ 7.9/10

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the…
36. Titanic (1997)

★ 7.9/10

101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class…
37. The Postman (1994)

★ 7.9/10

Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.
38. Three Colors: Red (1994)

★ 7.9/10

Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it. But the two form a bond when she…
39. L.A. Confidential (1997)

★ 7.8/10

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
40. Dances with Wolves (1990)

★ 7.8/10

Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with…
41. Awakenings (1990)

★ 7.8/10

Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled…
42. Scent of a Woman (1992)

★ 7.8/10

Charlie Simms is a student at a private preparatory school who comes from a poor family. To earn the money for his flight home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas, Charlie takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after…
43. Carlito's Way (1993)

★ 7.8/10

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito…
44. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

★ 7.7/10

A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.
45. Magnolia (1999)

★ 7.7/10

On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will…
46. Fireworks (1997)

★ 7.7/10

Beleaguered police detective Nishi takes desperate measures to try and set things right in a world gone wrong. With his wife suffering from leukemia and his business partner paralyzed from a brutal gangster attack…
47. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

★ 7.7/10

Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who…
48. Primal Fear (1996)

★ 7.7/10

An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused…