A Reel Opinion: The Top 20 Best Films of the Millennium - 2000-2019, Part 2

Over the last month, Reel Speak has been exploring the past 40 years of film history, building rankings of the Best of the Eighties (HERE), the Nineties (HERE), and of 2019 (HERE). This saga now concludes with the Best of the Millennium; 2000-2019. The bottom-half of Reel Speak’s Top 20 of the Millennium can be found HERE.

And now for the Top 10 Best Films released from 2000 through 2019. 

10. HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016)

After spending time in front of the camera for TV’s SONS OF ANARCHY, Taylor Sheridan turned his attention to screenwriting, and has penned some of the best films of the millennium; including SICARIO (2015), and WIND RIVER (2017). His best work turned the old genre of cops-and-robbers upside down, with two brothers (wonderfully played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster), turning to a bank robbing-scheme not for greed but for family survival. It was a simple move set in today’s tough financial world that worked, and gave the cast, which included an always-great Jeff Bridges, plenty of meat to work with.  A modern Western that is timeless. 

9. GLADIATOR (2000)

Sir Ridley Scott’s epic about a Roman general (Russell Crowe), who is betrayed by his king and sentenced to a life as a slave and gladiator. A thrilling spectacle with some iconic moments, GLADIATOR has everything that a Best Picture winner should have; top-notch directing and acting, strong characters, and a balance of intimacy and a grand scale. Classical in nature with the feel of a bygone Hollywood era, it is timeless and hasn’t aged a day. 

8. THE KING’S SPEECH (2010)

Director Tom Hooper’s Oscar-winning story about an obscure, yet important moment in history. Colin Firth plays King George VI, who has to overcome his stammer, helped by his therapist and eventual friend (Geoffrey Rush). An intimate character drama with excellent performances, THE KING’S SPEECH has an elegance to it that makes it feel like a well-composed piece of music; flowing, dipping and rising with the swells arriving in perfect harmony. It is one of those rare films where the personal struggles of the main character has massive ramifications for more than one person…or country. 

7. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013)

After dabbling in so many different genres, the directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen turned to the arthouse world with their little drama about a down-and-out folk singer in the 1960’s. Oscar Isaac proves his talent with a guitar and microphone, and the laughs come not with slapstick but with simple, subtle dialogue. It’s a journey that resembles a Greek poem…giving it a personality that works for any generation that watches it. 

6. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007)

Andrew Dominik’s introspective look at the final years of famed outlaw Jesse James, as played by Brad Pitt. A unique Western where no more than a dozen shots are fired, Dominik’s character-piece is a wonderful slow burn, patiently revealing plot and character in a style that is just like going somewhere on horseback; a journey that takes a long time to get through but with a fine reward at the end. Pitt and co-star Casey Affleck are excellent, and master cinematographer Roger Deakins films one of the most stunning films of the last 20 years. 

5. WARRIOR (2011)

Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play estranged brothers with complicated histories, who battle each other at a MMA tournament with eyes on a better life. Sports films always give us someone to cheer for, and WARRIOR changed the game by making us care about both opponents; each with their genuine reasons for competing. Far from cliché, WARRIOR ended with the most powerful wallop of emotion sports films have ever seen. 

4. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013)

In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST pulled the curtain back on the Holocaust. In 2013, director Steve McQueen did the same with slavery in America. Displaying a unique style of disciplined directing, McQueen takes us on a harrowing journey as seen through one man (Solomon Northup, as brilliantly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). It is so brutal and honest that it is not an easy film to watch…and similar to SCHINDLER’S LIST, not the type of film to be often pulled off the shelf for casual viewing. This is a movie for hardened fans of film, and historically, one of the most important ones. This film had to made.

3. THE LORD OF THE RINGS – THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)

One of the greatest moments in Geek History is when Steven Spielberg announced at the 78th Oscars, “it’s a clean sweep”, as Peter Jackson’s grand finale to his THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy won Best Picture while nabbing every Oscar it was nominated for. Besides the awards and box office success, THE RETURN OF THE KING was an emotional finale which had people weeping in a way not seen since BAMBI. It had the type of epic, large-scale filmmaking reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was the most significant entry into pop-culture since STAR WARS. And the topper: it brought the fantasy genre into the world of legitimate film.

2. BLACK SWAN (2010)

There is an idea in filmmaking that a director is better off confusing the audience for five minutes than to let them get ahead…and that seems to be the approach Darren Aronofsky took with his psychological mind-bender, BLACK SWAN. Brilliantly filmed and edited with plenty of twists, turns, and WTF moments, Aronofsky takes us through the seldom-explored world of professional ballet while examining a fragile mind…wrapping it up with one of the most perfect endings in cinema.

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s reputation as a master-filmmaker was solidified with his epic tale of greed in THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Loosely based on the novel by Upton Sinclair, this late-19th century piece about an oil-man and his adopted son explores greed and the lengths men take, along with diving into family, faith, and even hints at the early foundations of America. Daniel Day-Lewis, arguably the best actor of our time, stunningly transforms himself, and his battle with a young preacher (Paul Dano) over the souls of a small town is equal to that of the clashing of large armies. It is as Biblical as it is down-and-gritty. Just as the oil-men of old dove deep into the Earth, Anderson and his characters dive deep into their own souls. The result is a multi-layered picture that reveals more on each viewing…as all great films should. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 20 BEST FILMS OF THE MILLENNIUM

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD
2. BLACK SWAN
3. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
4. 12 YEARS A SLAVE
5. WARRIOR
6. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
7. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
8. THE KING'S SPEECH
9. GLADIATOR
10. HELL OR HIGH WATER
11. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
12. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY
13. GANGS OF NEW YORK
14. THE MASTER
15. THE DEPARTED
16. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
17. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
18. AVENGERS: ENDGAME
19. GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
20. THE DARK KNIGHT

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See you in 2025 for the Top 25 Best of the Millennium.