Best Movies of 1990 by Rank
26
1
Martin Scorsese
Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Crime / Drama / Biography / Gangster
USA
English
281
2
Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet
Drama / Romance / Period Film
France
French
322
3
Abbas Kiarostami
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Hossain Sabzian, Abolfazl Ahankhah
Documentary / Drama
Iran
Persian
525
4
Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Adventure / Drama / Western / Epic / Family
USA
English
723
5
Stephen Frears
Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Post-Noir
USA
English
727
6
Agnieszka Holland
Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider
Drama / War / Comedy
Germany / France / Poland
German
857
7
Barbet Schroeder
Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra
Drama
USA / Japan / UK
English
926
8
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden, Albert Finney
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Gangster / Period Film / Cult
USA
English
983
9
Michael Verhoeven
Lena Stolze, Hans-Reinhard Müller
Comedy / Drama
West Germany
German
1081
10
Whit Stillman
Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
1125
11
Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang
Li Gong, Wei Li, Baotian Li, Zhang Yi, Ji-an Zheng
Drama / Period Film / Romance
Japan / China
Mandarin
1263
12
Garry Marshall
Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
1377
13
Jane Campion
Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, Iris Churn
Drama / Biography
UK / Australia / New Zealand
English
1383
14
Francis Ford Coppola
Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia
Crime / Drama / Gangster
USA
English
1522
15
Paul Verhoeven
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller / Tech-Noir
USA
English
1611
16
Tim Burton
Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker
Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Romance / Family
USA
English
1612
17
Luc Besson
Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana
Thriller / Action
France / Italy
French
1664
18
Patrice Leconte
Jean Rochefort, Anna Galiena, Henry Hocking, Roland Bertin
Comedy / Drama / Romance
France
French
1669
19
Penny Marshall
Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson
Drama
USA
English
1681
20
Mike Leigh
Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks
Comedy / Drama
UK
English
1789
21
Jerry Zucker
Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
Romance / Thriller / Drama / Fantasy
USA
English
1821
22
Xavier Koller
Necmettin Çobanoglu, Emin Sivas, Yaman Okay
Drama / Adventure
Switzerland / Turkey / UK
Turkish
1859
23
Hal Hartley
Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan, Merritt Nelson, John MacKay
Comedy / Drama / Romance / Cult
UK / USA
English
1873
24
Jennie Livingston
Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Danny Xtravaganza, Sol Pendavis
Documentary
USA
English
1932
25
Yves Robert
Philippe Caubère, Nathalie Roussel, Didier Pain
Drama / Family / Comedy / Biography
France
French
1952
26
Abel Ferrara
Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Victor Argo, Wesley Snipes
Action / Drama / Crime / Thriller / Gangster
Italy / USA / UK
English
1998
27
Louis Malle
Miou-Miou, Michel Piccoli, Michel Duchaussoy, Bruno Carette, Paulette Dubost
Comedy / Period Film
France / Italy
French
2053
28
Charles Burnett
Danny Glover, Richard Brooks, Paul Butler, Mary Alice
Drama
USA
English
2079
29
James Ivory
Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner, Simon Callow
Drama
UK / USA
English
2091
30
Aki Kaurismäki
Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari, Vesa Vierikko
Drama / Comedy
Finland / Sweden
Finnish
2101
31
Guy Maddin
Kyle McCulloch, Kathy Marykuca, Sarah Neville, Michael Gottli
Comedy / Drama / War / Romance
Canada
English
2104
32
Adrian Lyne
Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven
Horror / Mystery / Thriller / Drama
USA
English
2220
33
Bob Rafelson
Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen, Richard E. Grant, Fiona Shaw
Adventure / Drama
USA
English
2231
34
Robert Altman
Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Adrian Brine, Jean-François Perrier, Yves Dangerfield
Biography / Drama
Netherlands / UK / France
English
2251
35
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, Glenne Headly, Madonna
Action / Crime / Comedy / Thriller / Gangster / Family / Comic
USA
English
2253
36
Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan, Thomas Haneke, Lawrence Silk
Jesse Jackson, Ray Rogers
Documentary / Biography
USA / UK
English
2299
37
Claire Denis
Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-Claude Brialy, Solveig Dommartin
Drama / Crime
France / West Germany
French
2357
38
Eric Rochant
Yvan Attal, Kristin Scott Thomas, Marc Berman, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Drama / Comedy
France
French
2357
38
Barry Levinson
Elizabeth Perkins, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Drama / Period Film
USA
English
2365
39
Yves Robert
Philippe Caubère, Nathalie Roussel, Didier Pain
Comedy / Drama / Biography
France
French
2379
40
Ken Loach
Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Richard Belgrave, Jim R. Coleman
Comedy / Drama
UK
English
2391
41
Pavel Lungin
Pyotr Mamonov, Pyotr Zajchenko, Vladimir Kashpur
Drama
Soviet Union / France
Russian
2407
42
Carlos Saura
Carmen Maura, Andrés Pajares, Gabino Diego, Maurizio De Razza
Drama / War
Spain / Italy
Spanish
2411
43
John McTiernan
Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones
Action / Adventure / Thriller
USA
English
2442
44
David Lynch
Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman
Crime / Drama / Romance / Thriller / Comedy
USA
English
2485
45
Gianni Amelio
Gian Maria Volonté, Ennio Fantastichini, Renato Carpentieri
Drama / Crime
Italy
Italian
2553
46
Bernardo Bertolucci
Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott, Jill Bennett, Timothy Spall
Drama / Adventure / Romance
UK / Italy
English
2570
47
Franco Zeffirelli
Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm
Drama
USA / UK / France
English
2575
48
Chris Columbus
Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
Family / Comedy
USA
English
2578
49
Mike Figgis
Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, Nancy Travis, Laurie Metcalf
Crime / Thriller / Drama
USA
English
2602
50
Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda
Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baisho, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Fantasy / Drama / Adventure
Japan / USA
Japanese
2605
51
James Foley
Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern, George Dickerson
Crime / Drama / Mystery / Post-Noir / Thriller
USA
English
2605
51
Robert Zemeckis
Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi / Western / Romance
USA
English
2605
51
Philip Kaufman
Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant, Kevin Spacey
Biography / Drama / Romance
USA
English
2605
51
Mike Nichols
Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
2633
52
Larry Cohen
Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Megan Gallagher, Red Buttons, Janine Turner
Horror / Thriller
USA
English
2633
52
Diane Kurys
Nathalie Baye, Richard Berry, Zabou, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Vincent Lindon
Drama / Comedy
France
French
2659
53
Peter Bogdanovich
Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Annie Potts
Drama
USA
English
2688
54
Jirí Menzel
Rudolf Hrusínský, Vlastimil Brodský
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Czechoslovakia
Czech
2689
55
Rob Reiner
James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall
Drama / Thriller / Horror
USA
English
2691
56
Joe Dante
Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Robert Picardo
Comedy / Horror / Fantasy / Sci-Fi
USA
English
2717
57
Jean-Luc Godard
Alain Delon, Domiziana Giordano, Roland Amstutz
Drama / Experimental / Fantasy / Romance
Switzerland / France
French
2740
58
Pedro Almodóvar
Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles León
Drama / Crime / Romance / Comedy
Spain
Spanish
2756
59
Reginald Hudlin
Christopher Reid, Robin Harris, Christopher Martin, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell
Comedy / Music / Romance
USA
English
2763
60
Renny Harlin
Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, William Sadler
Action / Adventure / Thriller
USA
English
2763
60
Eric Rohmer
Anne Teyssèdre, Hugues Quester, Florence Darel, Eloïse Bennett
Comedy / Romance / Drama
France
French
2771
61
Tom Stoppard
Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, Livio Badurina
Comedy / Drama
UK / USA
English
2773
62
Peter Weir
Gérard Depardieu, Andie MacDowell, Bebe Neuwirth
Comedy / Romance / Drama
Australia / France / USA
English
2775
63
Sydney Pollack
Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Alan Arkin, Tomas Milian, Daniel Davis, Tony Plana
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2779
64
Idrissa Ouedraogo
Rasmane Ouedraogo, Ina Cissé, Roukietou Barry
Drama
Switzerland / UK / France / Burkina Faso / Germany
Mòoré
2789
65
Robert Dornhelm
Felix Mitterer, Viktoria Schubert, August Schmolzer
Drama
Austria / France / Romania
German
2792
66
Sergei Parajanov
Sofiko Chiaureli, Yuri Mgoyan
Documentary / Biography
Soviet Union
Georgian
2792
66
Katherine Gilday
Rebecca Jenkins, Marion Woodman, Susan Griffin, Chris Alt
Documentary
Canada
English
2792
66
Harun Farocki
Documentary / History
West Germany
German
2792
66
Manoel de Oliveira
Luis Miguel Cintra, Diogo Doria, Miguel Guilherme, Luis Lucas
Drama / History
Portugal / Spain / France
Portuguese
2792
66
Robert Frank
Mika Moses, Peter Orlovsky, Kevin O'Connor, Taylor Mead
Experimental / Documentary
France
English
2792
66
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, Charlotte Cornwell, Norman Lumsden
Adventure / Drama / Action
USA
English
2800
67
Ken Loach
Frances McDormand, Brian Cox, Brad Dourif, Mai Zetterling
Drama / Thriller
UK
English
2801
68
Bertrand Tavernier
Dirk Bogarde, Jane Birkin, Odette Laure, Emmanuelle Bataille, Charlotte Kady
Drama
France
French
2801
68
Andrew Bergman
Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, Bruno Kirby, Penelope Ann Miller, Frank Whaley
Comedy / Crime / Gangster / Romance
USA
English
2801
68
John Patrick Shanley
Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya
Comedy / Romance / Drama / Fantasy / Cult
USA
English
2801
68
Peter Medak
Billie Whitelaw, Tom Bell, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Susan Fleetwood
Biography / Crime / Drama / Thriller / Gangster
UK
English
2801
68
Ellen Weissbrod
Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock
Documentary / Music / Biography
USA
English
2801
68
Richard Pearce
Sissy Spacek, Whoopi Goldberg, Dwight Schultz, Ving Rhames, Dylan Baker
Drama / History
USA
English
2801
68
Norman René
Campbell Scott, Patrick Cassidy, John Dossett, Mary-Louise Parker
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2801
68
Alan J. Pakula
Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Mystery
USA
English
2801
68
John Erman
Bette Midler, John Goodman, Trini Alvarado, Stephen Collins, Marsha Mason
Drama
USA
English
2801
68
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Eli Wallach
Crime / Drama / Mystery / Post-Noir / Detective
USA
English
2801
68
Luis Mandoki
Susan Sarandon, James Spader, Jason Alexander, Kathy Bates, Eileen Brennan
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2807
69
Darrell Wasyk
Martin Neufeld, Pascale Montpetit, Ingrid Veninger, Bruce Beaton
Drama
Canada
English
2807
69
Aribam Syam Sharma
Kiranmala, Kangabam, Tomba, Manbi, D. Hiren, Baby Molly, Baby Premita, Tara
Drama
India
Manipuri
2807
69
Mark Lamberti
Leonard Maltin, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard
Comedy / Documentary
USA
English
2807
69
Bill Plympton
Ruth Maleczech, Valeria Vasilevski, Maureen McElheron, Chris Hoffman
Animation / Comedy / Short
USA
English
2807
69
Howard Franklin, Bill Murray
Bill Murray, Dale Grand, Bob Elliott, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid
Comedy / Crime / Caper
USA
English
2817
70
Sam Raimi
Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake, Nelson Mashita
Action / Crime / Sci-Fi / Thriller
USA
English
2852
72
Allan Moyle
Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Ellen Greene, Scott Paulin, Cheryl Pollak
Drama / Comedy
Canada / USA
English
2860
73
Ann Hui
Maggie Cheung, Tan Lang Jachi Tian, Waise Lee, Zi Xiong Li
Drama
Hong Kong / Taiwan
Cantonese
