Best American Movies
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best American Movies" contains films with the following parameters. Style: entertaining, inspirational, interesting, weird, epic and serious. Plot: storytelling, suspense, dialogue, blood, death, mentor, mission, brutality, vengeance and cult. Genre: Drama, Crime and Action. Country: USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Best American Movies
TOP Movies: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Schindler's List (1993), Rain Man (1988), The Green Mile (1999), Forrest Gump (1994), Up (2009), Goodfellas (1990), The Godfather Part II (1974), Django Unchained (2012), The Matrix (1999), The Truman Show (1998), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Se7en (1995), The Departed (2006), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Dark Knight (2008), Gone Girl (2014), Braveheart (1995).
List of Best Movies
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
Framed in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, ...
Style:
clever, touching, inspirational, sentimental, philosophical ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, kids
Plot:
prison, prison escape, freedom, existentialism, plot twist, life, friendship between men, life sentence, life philosophy, hopes, adaptation, powerful ending ...
Time:
1940s, year 1963, year 1965, year 1966, year 1954 ...
Place:
usa, maine, pacific ocean, mexico
Is relevant ?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 195 min.
Story:
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Style:
touching, emotional, thought provoking, realistic, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, jewish, genocide, nazi, war, concentration camp, anti semitism, brutality, against humanity, wartime, racism ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 1930s, 90s
Place:
poland, germany, vatican, europe, israel ...
Is relevant ?
522K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
Style:
road movie, sincere, uplifting, touching, inspirational ...
Plot:
autism, road trip, redemption, mentally challenged, runaway, disability, brother brother relationship, siblings relations, family relations, mental illness, self discovery, psychology ...
Time:
20th century, 80s
Place:
california, los angeles, las vegas, texas, missouri ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 189 min.
Story:
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cellblock's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, ...
Style:
touching, emotional, sentimental, sad, dramatic ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
prison, death row, supernatural, convict, magic realism, suspense, false accusation, electric chair, life philosophy, death sentence, life & death, justice ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, 90s, year 1999, year 1935
Place:
usa, southern usa, louisiana
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
2.1M
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events - in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. Yet, despite all the things he has attained, his one true love eludes ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, dramatic ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night, kids, chick flick, family outing ...
Plot:
mentally challenged, love, life & death, life philosophy, philosophy, life, vietnam war, destiny, human spirit, rise to the top, journey, selflessness ...
Time:
50s, 60s, 70s, 20th century, 80s
Place:
usa, washington d.c., vietnam, alabama, los angeles ...
Is relevant ?
1.1M
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives ...
Style:
feel good, touching, sweet, inspirational, exciting ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, preschoolers, pre-teens, teens ...
Plot:
unlikely friendships, dog, loneliness, friendship, hopes, follow your dream, talking animals, friends, journey, animal life, obsessive quest, aging ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
south america, venezuela, latin america, mount everest
Is relevant ?
1.2M
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 145 min.
Story:
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
Style:
rough, realistic, epic, brutal, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
mafia, organized crime, gangsters, rise and fall, criminal heroes, mentor, drugs, suspense, friends, cosa nostra, drug traffic, gang ...
Time:
70s, 50s, year 1970, 80s, year 1963 ...
Place:
new york, brooklyn new york city, italy, florida, usa ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 202 min.
Story:
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
Style:
epic, captivating, serious, visually appealing, dramatic ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly
Plot:
mafia, gangsters, organized crime, revenge, ambition, melancholy, cosa nostra, immigrants, corruption, corrupt politician, murder, crime boss ...
Time:
50s, 1940s, 20th century, 1920s, 60s ...
Place:
new york, cuba, italy, las vegas, sicily ...
Is relevant ?
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Genre: Drama, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 165 min.
Story:
With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Style:
talky, captivating, brutal, rough, epic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
racism, revenge, slavery, violent, vengeance, bounty hunter, african american, gunfight, dark humor, suspense, society, old west ...
Time:
19th century, 1850s
Place:
usa, tennessee, austin texas, texas, mississippi
Is relevant ?
1.9M
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 136 min.
Story:
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
Style:
thought provoking, philosophical, surreal, intense, cerebral ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, boys' night, teens
Plot:
distopia, artificial intelligence, martial arts, existentialism, philosophy, cyberpunk, alternate reality, virtual reality, fight, gunfight, post apocalypse, hacker ...
Time:
future, near future, 20th century, 90s, 22nd century ...
Place:
los angeles
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Truman Burbank is the star of "The Truman Show", a 24-hour-a-day "reality" TV show that broadcasts every aspect of his life -- live and in color -- without his knowledge. His entire life has been an unending soap opera for ...
Style:
thought provoking, philosophical, psychological, surreal, touching ...
Audience:
teens, family outing
Plot:
freedom, self discovery, video surveillance, small town, fictional reality show, hidden camera, alternate reality, loneliness, morality, fictional reality, god complex, utopia ...
Time:
future, 20th century, 90s
Place:
florida, usa
Is relevant ?
2.1M
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min.
Story:
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
Style:
neo noir, witty, exciting, clever, bloody ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
drugs, dark humor, gunfight, organized crime, violent, violence, overdose, hitman, gangsters, killings, multiple storylines, cocaine ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
Style:
clever, captivating, motivational, cynical, biting ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
corruption, money, business, wall street, wealth, greed, stock market, rise and fall, stock broker, rags to riches, addiction, american dream ...
Time:
80s, 90s, 20th century, year 1987, year 1983
Place:
new york, geneva switzerland, usa, manhattan new york city, italy ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 169 min.
Story:
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
Style:
epic, realistic, breathtaking, captivating, rough ...
Audience:
kids, chick flick
Plot:
war, world war two, military, courage, battles, nazi, sniper, army, self sacrifice, d day, friendship, tank ...
Time:
1940s, year 1944, middle ages, 20th century
Place:
normandy, poland, germany, france, europe ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: New Zealand, USA
Duration: 201 min.
Story:
Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam bring the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark ...
Style:
epic, atmospheric, breathtaking, stylized, exciting ...
Audience:
teens, kids, family outing, chick flick
Plot:
sword fight, magic, battles, friendship, courage, good versus evil, magical, monster, army, sword and sorcery, warrior, wizards ...
Time:
prehistory, prehistoric times
Place:
new zealand
Is relevant ?
1.7M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. ...
Style:
suspenseful, surprise ending, disturbing, scary, neo noir ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
serial killer, investigation, twists and turns, psychopath, police, psychology, insanity, police investigation, murder, suspense, killings, sin ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
los angeles, usa, new york
Is relevant ?
1.3M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 151 min.
Story:
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises ...
Style:
twist ending, surprise ending, tense, captivating, clever ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
mafia, gangsters, police, suspense, mole, organized crime, undercover cop, gunfight, violence, corruption, undercover, twists and turns ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
boston, massachusetts, usa, china, taiwan ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
FBI trainee, Clarice Starling ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer. But her Faustian relationship ...
Style:
psychological, suspenseful, scary, tense, dark ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
serial killer, psychopath, investigation, murder, suspense, psychology, cannibalism, kidnapping, murder investigation, mind game, brutality, fbi ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
usa, maryland, chicago illinois, memphis, baltimore ...
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 152 min.
Story:
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but ...
Style:
epic, intense, exciting, atmospheric, neo noir ...
Audience:
manly, chick flick, kids, boys' night, teens
Plot:
superhero, batman, heroes, secret identity, moral dilemma, corruption, psychopath, organized crime, tragic hero, double life, good versus evil, villain ...
Time:
future, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, hong kong
Is relevant ?
998K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min.
Story:
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, clever, twist ending, suspenseful ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, girls' night, date night, boys' night
Plot:
twists and turns, suspense, missing person, investigation, infidelity, murder mystery, marriage, manipulation, psychology, adultery, missing wife, disappearance ...
Time:
2000s, 2010s, year 2012, 21st century
Place:
usa, manhattan new york city, new york, missouri, st. louis missouri
Is relevant ?
1.0M
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 178 min.
Story:
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against ...
Style:
epic, breathtaking, emotional, scenic, factual ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, chick flick
Plot:
medieval, courage, war, freedom, sword fight, battles, vengeance, idealism, tragic hero, warrior, love story, beautiful scenery ...
Time:
middle ages, 14th century, 13th century, 19th century
Place:
scotland, england, scottish highlands, europe, united kingdom ...
Is relevant ?
1.9M
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min.
Story:
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the ...
Style:
serious, epic, atmospheric, dramatic, captivating ...
Audience:
boys' night, chick flick
Plot:
mafia, organized crime, gangsters, greed, revenge, betrayal, crime family, pride and honor, corruption, murder, wedding, gang war ...
Time:
1940s, 50s, 20th century, post world war two
Place:
italy, new york, bronx new york city, europe, sicily ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
Nearly 10 years have passed since Sarah Connor was targeted for termination by a cyborg from the future. Now her son, John, the future leader of the resistance, is the target for a newer, more deadly terminator. Once again, the resistance has ...
Style:
exciting, futuristic, tense, suspenseful, apocalyptic ...
Audience:
boys' night, kids, adult
Plot:
time travel, artificial intelligence, man versus machine, robot, terminator, apocalypse, cyborgs, androids and robots, technology, violence, end of the world, child in peril ...
Time:
future, 90s, 80s, 20th century, year 1997 ...
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, north america
Is relevant ?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he ...
Style:
psychological, touching, emotional, cerebral, motivational ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, date night
Plot:
mathematics, mental illness, paranoia, schizophrenia, genius, insanity, scientist, obsession, mathematician, prodigy, nobel prize, imaginary friend ...
Time:
60s, 1940s, 20th century, 80s, 90s ...
Place:
new jersey, boston, massachusetts, usa, stockholm sweden ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview moves to oil-rich California. Using his adopted son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. ...
Style:
serious, disturbing, gloomy, epic, atmospheric ...
Plot:
greed, oil, character study, ambition, money, suspense, rivalry, rise to the top, religion, father son relationship, visceral, evil ...
Time:
20th century, 1910s, 1920s, 19th century, middle ages ...
Place:
california, los angeles, pacific ocean, usa, san francisco
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Adventure
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.
Style:
exciting, breathtaking, epic, atmospheric, semi serious ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, date night, boys' night, teens
Plot:
treasure hunt, archaeologist, archaeology, treasure, artifact, nazi, chase, escapades, villain, adventurer, desert, journey ...
Time:
1930s, year 1936, 20th century
Place:
egypt, south america, nepal, africa, himalaya ...
Is relevant ?
589K
Genre: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa, an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with ...
Style:
inspirational, uplifting, touching, motivational, captivating ...
Audience:
boys' night, kids, manly, family outing, teens
Plot:
boxing, fight, underdog, self esteem, character study, sport, training, boxer, love story, violence, fistfight, fight scenes ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1975
Place:
philadelphia, pennsylvania, usa
Is relevant ?
445K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
Style:
neo noir, realistic, tense, harsh, cerebral ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
police corruption, gang, gunfight, drug dealer, police, african american, rookie, mentor, ghetto, corrupt cop, gang member, drugs ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
John Wick is on the run for two reasons… he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The victim was a member of the High Table who ...
Style:
brutal, exciting, tense, harsh, entertaining ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
one man army, vengeance, gunfight, criminal's revenge, tough guy, murder, revenge, martial arts, rescue, hitman, brutality, dark hero ...
Time:
future, 2010s
Place:
sahara, new york, grand central station manhattan new york city, usa, north africa ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
Set in the world of drone technology and fifth generation fighters, this sequel will explore the end of the era of dogfighting.
Style:
realistic, entertaining, epic, inspirational, sad ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
fighter pilot, warplane, fighter plane, u.s. navy, sniper, aircraft carrier, fighter jet, leadership, u.s. military, aviation, aviator, friends ...
Time:
2020s, year 1969, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, mojave desert, usa, san diego california
Is relevant ?
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