Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Every best picture Oscar winner this century, ranked
Every best picture Oscar winner this century, ranked
Jason GuerrasioMar 13, 2023, 00:16 IST
Russell Crowe in "Gladiator."IMDB / Dreamworks
We ranked all the best picture Oscar winners since 2000.
See where your favorites ended up.
Note: The year next to the title is when the Academy Awards were held.
Advertisement
23. "Crash" (2006)
Thandiwe Newton and Matt Dillon in "Crash."Bob Yari Productions
22. "The King's Speech" (2011)
Colin Firth in "The King's Speech."Momentum Pictures
Advertisement
21. "Green Book" (2019)
(L-R) Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen in "Green Book."Universal
20. "Million Dollar Baby" (2005)
Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby."Warner Bros.
Advertisement
19. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2004)
Viggo Mortensen in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."New Line Cinema
18. "The Shape of Water" (2018)
Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in "The Shape of Water."Fox Searchlight Pictures
Advertisement
17. "Chicago" (2003)
Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Chicago."Miramax
16. "Slumdog Millionaire" (2009)
Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in "Slumdog Millionaire."Fox Searchlight
Advertisement
15. "Argo" (2013)
Ben Affleck in "Argo."Warner Brothers
14. "The Hurt Locker" (2010)
Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker."VISO Trailers / YouTube
Advertisement
13. "The Artist" (2012)
Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist."Warner Bros
12. "A Beautiful Mind" (2002)
Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly in "A Beautiful Mind."Universal Pictures
Advertisement
11. "CODA" (2022)
Sian Heder's "CODA."Sundance Institute
10. "12 Years a Slave" (2014)
Chiwetel Ejiofor in "12 Years a Slave."Fox Searchlight Pictures/Entertainment One Films/Summit Entertainment
Advertisement
9. "The Departed" (2007)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in "The Departed."Warner Bros. Pictures/Netflix
8. "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" (2015)
Michael Keaton in "Birdman."Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Advertisement
7. "Nomadland" (2021)
Frances McDormand in "Nomadland."Searchlight Pictures
6. "Spotlight" (2016)
(L-R) Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Brian d'Arcy James, Michael Keaton, and John Slattery in "Spotlight."Open Road
Advertisement
5. "Moonlight" (2017)
Mahershala Ali in "Moonlight."A24
4. "Gladiator" (2001)
Russell Crowe in "Gladiator."DreamWorks Pictures
Advertisement
3. "Parasite" (2020)
Cho Yeo-jeong in "Parasite."Neon
2. "American Beauty" (2000)
Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari in "American Beauty."Dreamworks
Advertisement
1. "No Country for Old Men" (2008)
Total Oscars won: 4 — Best picture, best director, best supporting actor (Javier Bardem), best adapted screenplay.
Should it have won?
In a year that also had "There Will Be Blood" and "Michael Clayton" nominated for best picture, you better believe the Coen brothers' modern-day Western crime thriller had to be great to beat out those classics.
From Joel and Ethan's tight script (an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel) to the beautiful cinematography of Roger Deakins, and, finally, the acting from Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones, this is an unforgiving movie that takes no short cuts and never gives the audience a break. That's why it's perfect.
Bardem's psychotic Anton Chigurh is one of the most twisted villains in movie history, and though we never get that showdown between him and Brolin's character Llewelyn Moss, it's kind of the point of the movie in some ways. The Coens are telling us life is unfair. Life is harsh. So this movie has to be that way, too.