Every Best Picture Winner of the 2000s, Ranked (2024)

The changes in the Academy Awards throughout the 21st century have been fascinating to observe. As the time of New Hollywood ended and cinema entered the modern age, the Academy tried to evolve along with the changing times, with decidedly uneven results. While many of the greatest Best Picture winners ever come from the 1990s, including Schindler's List, Unforgiven, and The Silence of the Lambs, the legacy of the next decade of winners is less prestigious.

The Oscars certainly awarded some masterpieces in the 2000s—from searing crime dramas to epic tales of fantasy and awe—and many great directors were given overdue trophies. However, some of the Academy's choices remain highly controversial, with a few of the winners often ranking among the all-time worst in the organization's history.

10 'Crash' (2005)

Director: Paul Haggis

Paul Haggis' Crash isn't just the worst film of the 2000s to win Best Picture; it ranks among the worst Best Picture winners of all time. In retrospect, it feels like an embarrassing mistake on the Oscars' part. While the film itself is trying to criticize racism and discrimination, it does nothing but stereotype its characters and tell its interconnected story in the most convoluted way possible.

Crash's win felt particularly egregious, especially since its fellow nominees are considered modern masterpieces. The heartbreaking LGBT Western romance Brokeback Mountain, the revelatory biopic Capote, the captivating journalism film Good Night, and Good Luck, and the spy thriller Munich would have been much more worthy winners. Indeed, 2005 might be the first year where every single one of the nominees is objectively worthier of the win than the actual winner, an infamous legacy Crash still deals with today.

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9 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008)

Director: Danny Boyle

Slumdog Millionaire finally earned Danny Boyle the Best Director trophy that had long eluded him. Sadly, it wasn't for a film as groundbreaking or nuanced as Trainspotting, Sunshine, or 28 Days Later. Slumdog Millionaire has some truly inspirational moments and sequences, but the film tells its story in a by-the-numbers way that feels designed to inspire heartwarming moments.

It's unfortunate that Boyle only received his accolades for a film that is decidedly less daring than the rest of his work. It's not all bad, though; Slumdog Millionaire succeeds as a genuine crowd-pleaser, feeling like a throwback to the films the Academy loved to recognize in previous decades. The film also raised the profile of Dev Patel, who has become one of the best actors of his generation.

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8 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Million Dollar Baby is the second Clint Eastwood film to win Best Picture, and it pales in comparison to Unforgiven, widely considered a masterpiece of modern cinema. However, it's still a worthy and powerful tragedy, largely thanks to the stellar performances at its center, especially from Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, who both took Oscars for their efforts.

An emotional sports drama was new territory for Eastwood, and the director valiantly navigates tough waters, handling delicate subjects without succumbing to emotional manipulation—even if he comes dangerously close to it. Million Dollar Baby is a difficult film that doesn't fall into the cliches of the genre due to its very dark conclusion, but like many of Eastwood's later films, it drags on for an overlong third act.

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7 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001)

Director: Ron Howard

Ron Howard's John Nash biopic A Beautiful Mind may seem like the typical "Oscar bait" the Academy Awards tend to award most frequently, but it falls into fewer cliches than one would expect. Howard does a great job at portraying Nash's schizophrenia, stress, and utter genius, greatly supported by an unusually tender performance from the typically gruff Russell Crowe.

The romantic chemistry between Crowe and Jennifer Connelly is electrifying and adds a level of intimacy to the film that makes the expositional chunks more palatable. It beat some impressive contenders that year, some of which might be worthier of the prize—they have certainly aged better. Although highly fictionalized, A Beautiful Mind remains an inspiring and reflexive movie, providing a look into one of the 20th century's most fascinating yet incomprehensible figures.

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6 'Gladiator' (2000)

Director: Ridley Scott

It's odd that the Academy Awards ever considered introducing a "Best Popular Film" award, considering that so many of the Best Picture winners were actually tremendous hits. Take the Best Picture winner in 2000: Gladiator represents a return to the classic "sword and sandals" historical epic genre that the Oscars hadn't honored since Ben-Hur.

Ridley Scott knows the historical epic genre better than any other filmmaker and did incredible work creating the massive spectacle of the Roman Empire. Hans Zimmer's Oscar-nominated score also contributed to making Gladiator as exciting as it needed to be. As a result, Gladiator is a sweeping and exhilarating epic that is as satisfying and entertaining as it's emotional and rewarding. Powered by an instantly iconic turn from Russell Crowe, Gladiator is the rare kind of film that effortlessly blends sheer spectacle with emotionally resonant storytelling.

Gladiator

R

Release Date

May 5, 2000

Cast

Russell Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix , Connie Nielsen , Oliver Reed , Richard Harris , Derek Jacobi , Djimon Hounsou , David Schofield , John Shrapnel , Tomas Arana , Ralf Moeller , Spencer Treat Clark , David Hemmings , Tommy Flanagan , Sven-Ole Thorsen , Omid Djalili , Nicholas McGaughey , Chris Kell , Tony Curran , Mark Lewis , John Quinn , Alun Raglan , David Bailie , Chick Allan , David J. Nicholls , Al Hunter Ashton , Billy Dowd , Giannina Facio , Giorgio Cantarini

Runtime

155 minutes

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5 'The Hurt Locker' (2009)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker represented a major breakthrough on the Oscars' part, as it was the first film directed by a woman to win Best Picture. The acclaimed Kathryn Bigelow couldn't have been more deserving of the Best Director trophy that she earned, as The Hurt Locker is one of the best depictions of modern warfare and post-traumatic stress disorder in recent memory.

Rather than dig into the spectacle of massive action, Bigelow chooses a subtle approach to the combat sequences, focusing on prolonged tension and the decisive solutions needed to defuse bombs. The Hurt Locker is an enthralling and visceral war drama that accurately portrays the realities of war while showcasing the men that inhabit these hellish landscapes.

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4 'Chicago' (2002)

Director: Rob Marshall

It's always a challenge to adapt a beloved musical onto the big screen. Despite all the technical wizardry that cinema can pour into production, the best movie musicals still lack the authenticity of seeing a work of live theater. However, Rob Marshall defied the odds with his mesmerizing 2002 musical Chicago, partially based on two crimes that took place in 1920s Chicago.

Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere are electrifying, accompanied by one of musical theater's best scores. However, the film packs a deeper meaning, with an impactful commentary on fame, ambition, and society's obsession with crime and the commodification of violence. Sleek, humorous, vibrant, and seductive, Chicago is an explosion of energy, sheer spectacle, and all that jazz.

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3 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)

Director: Peter Jackson

While it may be the least nuanced of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King is still a masterpiece. The film had the nearly indescribable responsibility of concluding the story that Peter Jackson had begun, closing out the character arcs of each of the major characters while still delivering the epic spectacle that its predecessors promised.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the rare film that earns the right to run over 3 hours long. It doesn't waste any minute, as Jackson showcases the incredible Battle of Gondor and the crucial fight atop of Mount Doom with technical brilliance. Although it sometimes gets called out for its multiple endings, The Return of the King packs a true emotional punch, delivering in nearly every aspect that makes a movie succeed. The emotional impact of seeing all four Hobbits reunited for the first time since the beginning of their journey is one of the trilogy's highlights.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

pg-13

Release Date

December 17, 2003

Cast

Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Bernard Hill , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Hugo Weaving , Miranda Otto , David Wenham , Karl Urban , John Noble , Andy Serkis , Ian Holm , Sean Bean

Runtime

201 Minutes

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2 'The Departed' (2006)

Director: Martin Scorsese

The Departed is simply one of the most entertaining Best Picture winners ever. Martin Scorsese took inspiration from the Infernal Affairs trilogy to create a tough version of modern-day Boston where the police force is determined to take down the notoriously vile gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The cat-and-mouse game between Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon that ensues is a sordid, darkly hilarious tale of consequences and how cops and criminals may not be that different.

Sordid, violent, endlessly rewatchable, and featuring a stellar collection of performers, The Departed is a riveting crime drama that packs a punch without forsaking the gravitas. While it's widely regarded as a "make-up trophy" for Scorsese, The Departed earned its place among Scorsese's best films. The director would continue delivering cinematic triumphs, but The Departed remains among his most accomplished features.

The Departed

R

Release Date

October 5, 2006

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon , Jack Nicholson , Mark Wahlberg , Martin Sheen , Ray Winstone

Runtime

150 mins

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1 'No Country For Old Men' (2007)

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen

The Coen Brothers are among the greatest American filmmakers ever, and it was only a matter of time before they ended up winning the Oscar trophy that had long eluded them. Thankfully, it was for one of their best films ever: No Country For Old Men, a terrifying contemplation of the effects that greed, violence, and dishonesty had on the development of the American West.

No Country for Old Men is an inventive new spin on the neo-noir genre. Ruthless, gritty, and near-unbearably tense, the film takes no prisoners, driving the audience down a path of violence, deceit, and mystery, delivering a neo-noir masterpiece that is as poignant as it's unsettling. As if that wasn't enough, Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance as the assassin Anton Chigurh created one of the most terrifying villains in cinema history.

No Country for Old Men

R

Release Date

November 8, 2007

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones , Javier Bardem , Josh Brolin , Woody Harrelson , Kelly Macdonald , Garret Dillahunt

Runtime

122 Minutes

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