Top Fifty Guy Movies of the 1990s
30. Rounders, 1998
Premise: A law student and former poker hot shot meets an old friend who took the fall for him and went to prison years earlier. The friend pulls him back into the poker world, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin.
Director: John Dahl
Stars: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro
What you’ll Remember: Teddy KGB.
Reasons it is on the List: It’s a great non-dumbed down poker movie, and what guy doesn’t love poker? Maybe a little before its time, as poker has really surged in popularity this decade. Plus it features roles for nice looking ladies Gretchen Mol and Famke Janssen. I’d bet three stacks of high society on this film.
29. Ronin, 1998
Premise: An Irish woman gathers five men and briefs them on a mission to steal a briefcase.
Director: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård
What you’ll Remember: An amazing car chase.
Reasons it is on the List: Beyond some great action sequences, it’s a compelling story of theft and who’s on whose side. It’s not a flashy action movie, but instead a gritty deadly serious flick. It’s really more of a throwback with its 70s style and European locations.
28. Trainspotting, 1996
Premise: A young British man decides to forego heroin and get beyond his life of mischief.
Director: Danny Boyle
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle
What you’ll Remember: An unfortunate bedroom accident by Ewen Bremner.
Reasons it is on the List: A great dark comedy, it juggles parallel character strands and juxtaposes image to fabulous music. Although brilliant in its execution, the movie can be both hilarious and uncomfortable at times, with some truly disturbing scenes.
27. Out of Sight, 1998
Premise: A long time bank thief breaks out of prison, only to befriend a federal agent.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle
What you’ll Remember: The trunk scene.
Reasons it is on the List: The impossibly cool George Clooney and the in her prime J-Lo combine for a cool, fun mix. It’s also a great heist story, although some of the criminals involved aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. The novel and movie later inspired the TV show, Karen Sisco.
26. Dazed and Confused, 1993
Premise: A group of students in the mid 70s have various adventures on the last day of school.
Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins
What you’ll Remember: That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.
Reasons it is on the List: The large ensemble cast is star-studded, and the movie is a great comedic look at high school and its various experiences. A pretty spot on recreation of 70s life, it has good looking women, drinking, drugs, partying, and hazing.
25. Léon: The Professional, 1994
Premise: A young girl befriends a hitman after her family is murdered by crooked cops.
Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman
What you’ll Remember: Natalie Portman
Reasons it is on the List: The extremely versatile Gary Oldman (he’ll play a pimp on the next movie in this list) is the bad guy here, wreaking havoc as a drug crazed crooked cop. You get to see Natalie Portman train to be a hitman, or cleaner, and you get to see Jean Reno blow things up and shoot people. It’s an action movie with heart.
24. True Romance, 1993
Premise: An unconventional love story, the plot revolves around drugs and violence and a man who meets a girl on his birthday.
Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper
What you’ll Remember: Elvis.
Reasons it is on the List: This is a Quentin Tarantino movie that is not a Quentin Tarantino film. Written by Tarantino but sold away, it’s a twisted romance where a guy falls in love with a hooker at a Sonny Chiba triple feature. It soon has pimps, cocaine, gun fights, and Brad Pitt with a honey bear bong. Is that not enough? Well it’s also got Elvis.
23. Dark City, 1998
Premise: A man wakes in a hotel room with no memory, and tries to figure out why the police think he is serial killer and what is wrong with the world at large.
Director: Alex Proyas
Stars: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly
What you’ll Remember: The Strangers
Reasons it is on the List: A visually stunning film and an under-appreciated gem, this sci-fi thriller is well written and features the beautiful Jennifer Connelly. It’s got the same basic concept as The Matrix, but done in a completely different manner. The atmosphere of the movie is fantastic with its dark scenery and creepy strangers.
22. Clerks, 1995
Premise: A convenience store clerk gets called in to work on his day off and bemoans his situation.
Director: Kevin Smith
Stars: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti
What you’ll Remember: Jay and Silent Bob.
Reasons it is on the List: 37! A movie that cost only $27,575 to make and used no name actors, it relies entirely on intensely clever dialogue. Fortunately it works. Kevin Smith built a career on this movie and its various characters, most importantly Jay and Silent Bob. This low budget flick would spawn a sequel, an animated series, and a number of spin-off movies.
21. Swingers, 1995
Premise: A story about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the East side of Hollywood.
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham
What you’ll Remember: Vegas baby! Vegas!
Reasons it is on the List: Relationships from the male point of view, it also has a young Vince Vaughn before he became mainstream, and on the female side Heather Graham. Plus, any movie that can make Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed is okay in my book. This comedy is so money, and it doesn’t even know it.
