10 Greatest Movie Masterpieces of the 2000s, Ranked

The 2000s were an illustrious time for film. Any weekend in theaters offered new, exciting options for moviegoers, delivering anything from epic adventures to grounded character studies with phenomenal acting. The decade served as the sweet spot of a transitional passing of the torch between the old guard of established directors like Martin Scorsese and the new up-and-comers like Christopher Nolan with fresh, bold ideas.

All the elements were there for a renaissance of filmmaking, and the audience reaped the benefits with one fantastic movie after another. It’s difficult to narrow down the very best of the decade, but it’s hard to argue that the following ten movies are the greatest masterpieces of the 2000s. Each is a near-flawless feature, but they’ve been ranked by their originality, influence, and the escapism they offered audiences.

10 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)

Gladiator kicked off the millennium with a crowd-pleasing tale of revenge and honor. The film tells the story of Maximus (Russell Crowe), a Roman General who is sold into slavery after his family is murdered by the devious new Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Thrown into the gladiator ring, Maximus’ prowess in battle earns him recognition and eventually, a chance to face the corrupt Emperor and make him pay for his crimes.

Gladiator wowed audiences with a timeless swords-and-sandals masterpiece that recreated ancient Rome in stunning detail. At the heart of the movie is Crowe’s stoic but determined performance, making him a global star after developing a notable resume with films like Romper Stomper and L.A. Confidential. Gladiator would be one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, winning five Academy Awards, including top honors for Best Picture.

9 ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

One of the greatest movie trilogies of the 21st century started with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The beloved fantasy story follows a hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) who leaves the comfort of his shire to embark on a great quest. Joining him in his journey is a fellowship of brave allies sworn to protect him and each other to prevent a great evil from reclaiming power.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring silenced any skepticism that the Lord of the Rings novels by J. R. R. Tolkien could be successfully adapted to the big screen. The first step in Frodo’s epic journey balanced large-scale, impressive visuals with strong character work to make a film that was accessible to long-time fans and newcomers alike. Its overwhelming success reaffirmed that when approached thoughtfully and earnestly, fantasy could draw large audiences to theaters.

8 ‘Children of Men’ (2006)

Simultaneously bleak, frightening, and hopeful, Children of Men is one of the most significant films of the 2000s. Clive Owen stars as Theo Faron, a broken and solitary man getting by in a world where global infertility could spell the end of humanity as a species. When Theo becomes the unlikely guardian of a pregnant woman, he will face opposition and danger from every corner as he escorts her to safety.

A technical marvel that explored complex moral themes with ease, Children of Men is a standout sci-fi film of the 2000s. It grounds its sci-fi premise in a world that feels not so far out of reach, and the gritty presentation earned the film rave reviews and strong word of mouth from audiences. Director Alfonso Cuarón immersed moviegoers in the story with incredible long shots that made each moment of violence feel like it was happening a foot away and not on screen.

7 ‘The Departed’ (2006)

The Departed, a remake of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, is the ultimate cat-and-mouse game between an organized crime syndicate and the officers sworn to take it down. The film follows the dual lives of Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a decorated officer who is also a mole for the mob, and Billy Costigan Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop posing as a gangster. As each man tries to learn the identity of the other, they hurtle towards a bloody climax that will leave few standing.

Martin Scorsese creates brilliant movies no matter what genre he tackles, but he’s proven repeatedly that he’s a master of crime stories. Every moment of The Departed feels like a carefully orchestrated next step in a plot that never disappoints and keeps the audience guessing with unexpected plot twists. The movie keeps the dramatic stakes high while also utilizing enough levity to keep it constantly entertaining until the final body is claimed in the war for the city.

6 ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

After redefining what a superhero movie could look like with Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan outdid himself with The Dark Knight. The story focused on the arrival of the mysterious Joker (Heath Ledger) to Gotham City, where the anarchic villain seizes an opportunity to throw the metropolis into chaos. Faced with a villain he can’t intimidate, Batman (Christian Bale) must determine how far he’s willing to go in order to defeat the Joker.

By stripping away some of the more theatrical conceits in comic-book-inspired movies, Nolan created one of the most universally loved superhero movies. The Dark Knight ambitiously took a familiar character like Batman and made him question his actions and impact on the day-to-day fight for order in Gotham City. As for his villain, Ledger’s performance as the Joker is the definition of scene-stealing, leading the Academy to award him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

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5 ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)

In Pan’s Labyrinth, a young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) becomes immersed in a fantasy world that allows her to escape a grim reality. Although the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and a cruel stepfather wait for her in the real world, she can pursue a royal destiny in a land filled with strange and mythical creatures.

After an unsatisfactory experience making the sci-fi horror movie Mimic, director Guillermo del Toro found success with his gothic superhero adventure Hellboy before creating his career-defining film in Pan’s Labyrinth. The R-rated fantasy movie perfectly captures the director's voice, combining fairy-tale sensibilities with a horror-tinged exploration into the cruelty of man. Pan’s Labyrinth is probably best remembered for its beautiful and menacing creatures, such as the Pale Man (Doug Jones), snagging the film an Academy Award for Best Makeup, along with awards for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.

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4 ‘Spirited Away’ (2001)

Studio Ghibli is known for its outstanding work in animation, but if one film had to be singled out as a masterpiece, most would agree the honor goes to Spirited Away. The movie tells the story of ten-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi), a young girl who becomes trapped in a world of spirits and mystical creatures after her parents are turned into pigs. Chihiro must quickly learn to rely on herself to face new, unbelievable challenges if she hopes to save her parents and return to the real world.

Spirited Away was instrumental in exposing Western audiences to Japanese animation, with the movie quickly gaining a reputation for its jaw-dropping detail and elaborate character designs. Thanks to Spirited Away, more audiences discovered fantastic productions like the epic Princess Mononoke and the heartbreaking Grave of the Fireflies. Lifelong fans of Studio Ghibli were created after connecting to the story of Chihiro, and her transformation into a stronger, more confident person who overcame her obstacles with compassion and intelligence.

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3 ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)

Mulholland Drive tells the story of Betty (Naomi Watts), an aspiring actress who helps a woman suffering from amnesia (Laura Harring) find out who she really is. As they follow a trail of clues to discover her identity, the two form a bond that builds into a mutual passion. However, the closer they come to solving the mystery, the sooner the world around them will revert to a colder reality.

Director David Lynch was well known for creating darkly surreal movies, and while Mulholland Drive was no exception, it was also one of the auteur’s more commercially successful films. The neo-noir elements of the mystery, combined with the unsettling, dreamlike tone Lynch excelled at, resulted in a fascinating and highly rewatchable story about identity and broken dreams. It's good that the movie invites so many revisits, because it will require watching it a few times to fully understand what’s actually happening.

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2 ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)

An ambitious oilman single-mindedly drives toward riches at the cost of his soul in There Will Be Blood. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed the story of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), a ruthless oil prospector who will use any method at his disposal to amass wealth. In his rise to becoming an oil baron, Plainview’s path will continually cross with Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a zealous preacher who will impede his progress while grasping for power in his own way.

No one will describe the movie as the feel-good picture of the year, but There Will Be Blood is a character study that makes a strong argument against money being able to buy happiness. Day-Lewis gives a reliably intense performance as the increasingly erratic Plainview, slowly shedding layers of the character’s humanity until there’s not much left by the end. There Will Be Blood was frequently cited by critics as one of the best films of the decade and garnered Day-Lewis an Oscar for Best Actor.

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1 ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

Haunting, nihilistic, and riveting, No Country for Old Men is an undisputed masterpiece of the 2000s. When Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon the aftermath of a bloody shootout, he takes off with a briefcase full of cash he found at the scene. Although it seems like a turn of good fortune, Llewelyn’s actions make him the target for Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a soulless hitman who will kill anyone to retrieve the money.

Few movies resist any semblance of a happy ending or a neat explanation in the way No Country for Old Men does. The story is tense, perfectly paced, and there’s always a feeling of impending doom after the audience is introduced to one of cinema’s greatest villains in Bardem's Anton Chigurh. No Country for Old Men is storytelling at its finest, establishing classic tropes from movies we’ve seen before, and then subverting our expectations in pivotal moments.