The 1990s were an incredible decade for movies. From big-budget blockbusters like Titanic (1997) and Jurassic Park (1994), to exciting indie films like Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Blair Witch Project (1999), there were memorable films from all genres. Now it’s time to dig deeper into 1990s cinema with my list of twenty favorite films you probably haven’t seen, or if you have, might be worth another watch.
1. Kalifornia
Released: 1993
Rating: R
Any fans of Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, or Juliette Lewis should check out this little-seen psychological thriller. Duchovny stars as writer Brian Kessler, who, along with his photographer girlfriend Carrie (Michelle Forbes), decides to take a cross-country tour of famous murder sites for a book he is writing. When he advertises for another couple to share the driving and costs of the road trip, Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele (Juliette Lewis), are the only ones who answer his ad. On the trip, Brian ends up learning more about murder and serial killers than he bargained for.
Watch the trailer here.
Kalifornia; Image credit: Gramercy Pictures
2. Circle of Friends
Released: 1995
Rating: PG-13
This coming-of-age romantic drama is based on Maeve Binchy’s novel of the same name. Set in 1957 Ireland, it tells the story of Bernadette (Benny) Hogan (Minnie Driver), a young girl who has lived a sheltered life in the small village of Knockglen. When Benny is allowed to attend university in Dublin with her friends Eve Malone (Geraldine O’Rawe) and Nan Mahon (Saffron Burrows), she meets handsome rugby player Jack Foley (Chris O’Donnell) and immediately falls in love with him.
Watch the trailer here.
Circle of Friends; Image credit: Savoy Pictures
3. Bugsy
Released: 1991
Rating: R
Excellent biopic of famous mobster Bugsy Siegel (Warren Beatty) and his intense roller coaster relationship with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening). Beatty and Bening’s chemistry on-screen sizzles, which is not surprising considering that they fell in love and married a year after meeting on the set. Bugsy was nominated for ten Oscars and won two, but never seemed as popular as other 1990s mob films, Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995). It has a stellar supporting cast, including Harvey Keitel as L.A. mob boss Mickey Cohen and Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky.
Watch the trailer here.
Bugsy; Image credit: TriStar Pictures
4. State of Grace
Released: 1990
Rating: R
State of Grace is a neo-noir crime drama about the Irish mob in New York City. Sean Penn stars as Terry Noonan, an undercover cop who grew up in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, and is chosen to infiltrate the Flannery crime organization led by his former friends Frankie (Ed Harris) and Jackie (Gary Oldman). Terry also rekindles his relationship with their sister, Kathleen Flannery (Robin Wright), and struggles between loyalty to his friends and his duty as an undercover cop.
Watch the trailer here.
State of Grace; Image credit: Orion Pictures
5. Judgment Night
Released: 1993
Rating: R
Emilio Estevez stars as Frank Wyatt, a guy who just wants a fun night out at a boxing match with his younger brother John (Stephen Dorff), and his two friends Mike Peterson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven). When a traffic jam forces them to take a detour into a dangerous part of Chicago, they witness a murder and are forced to run for their lives from a vicious crime boss named Fallon (Denis Leary). The soundtrack features some groundbreaking tracks that pair hip-hop and alternative rock artists.
Watch the trailer here.
Judgment Night; Image credit: Universal Pictures
6. Stir of Echoes
Released: 1999
Rating: R
This scary supernatural thriller stars Kevin Bacon as Tom Witzky, a man who starts having terrifying psychic visions after he is hypnotized at a party by his sister-in-law Lisa Weil (Illeana Douglas). As his visions intensify, Tom becomes obsessed with them and withdraws from his wife Maggie (Kathryn Erbe). Only his young son Jake (Zachary David Cope), who has his own psychic abilities, can connect with him. Tom eventually unravels the meaning behind his visions and discovers a conspiracy that puts his life in danger.
Watch the trailer here.
Stir of Echoes; Image credit: Artisan Entertainment
7. The Player
Released: 1992
Rating: R
Tim Robbins won a Golden Globe for his role as hotshot studio exec Griffin Mill in this Hollywood satire from director Robert Altman. Griffin has been receiving threatening postcards from a rejected writer, whom he assumes is David Kahane (Vincent D’Onofrio). When Kahane is found murdered in a parking lot, Griffin becomes the prime suspect. The Player is full of Hollywood in-jokes and features 65 cameos of famous actors playing themselves. The strong supporting cast includes Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, and Peter Gallagher.
Watch the trailer here.
The Player; Image credit: Fine Line Features
8. Backdraft
Released: 1991
Rating: R
Kurt Russell stars as Chicago firefighter Stephen “Bull” McCaffrey, who has to mentor his younger brother Brian (William Baldwin) when he becomes a rookie firefighter. Brian has a history of career failures and Stephen doesn’t think he has what it takes to become a fireman. They are forced to work together to solve the mystery of a serial arsonist who targets his victims with a specific type of fire called a backdraft. The ensemble cast includes Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Donald Sutherland, Robert De Niro, and Rebecca De Mornay.
Watch the trailer here.
Backdraft; Image credit: Universal Pictures
9. Strange Days
Released: 1995
Rating: R
Strange Days is a science fiction thriller starring Ralph Fiennes set in Los Angeles just before New Year’s Eve 1999. Fiennes plays Lenny Nero, an ex-cop who now makes a living selling illegal virtual reality-type videos, which allow users to see, hear, and feel the experiences of the person who recorded them. When Lenny is given a tape that shows the murder of an influential social activist and rapper named Jeriko One, he enlists the help of his friend Mace Mason (Angela Bassett) to help him solve the conspiracy surrounding the murder. Juliette Lewis and Tom Sizemore co-star.
Watch the trailer here.
Strange Days; Image credit: 20th Century Fox
10. U Turn
Released: 1997
Rating: R
Another great neo-noir starring Sean Penn, U Turn is a tale of double-crosses, betrayal, and escalating violence. Bobby Cooper (Penn) is driving to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt when his car breaks down in the remote town of Superior, Arizona. The town is full of strange characters, and Bobby gets mixed up with Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez) and her husband Jake (Nick Nolte), who both try to convince him to kill the other. Co-starring Billy Bob Thornton, Powers Boothe, Jon Voight, Claire Danes, and Joaquin Phoenix.
Watch the trailer here.
U Turn; Image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment
11. Breakdown
Released: 1997
Rating: R
This high-action thriller stars Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, and J.T. Walsh. Jeff (Russell) and Amy (Quinlan) Taylor are driving on a remote highway in the Arizona desert when their car breaks down. A seemingly helpful truck driver named Red Barr (Walsh) offers to take Amy to a nearby diner to call for a tow truck while Jeff waits with the car. When Jeff is able to get the car started on his own, he drives to the diner where Amy is supposed to be. She’s nowhere in sight, and Jeff realizes she has been taken by a kidnapping ring led by Barr.
Watch the trailer here.
Breakdown; Image credit: Paramount Pictures
12. Thunderheart
Released: 1992
Rating: R
Val Kilmer stars as FBI agent Ray Levoi in this crime thriller set in the late ’70s on the Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Due to his Sioux heritage, Ray is assigned to aid veteran FBI Agent Frank Coutelle (Sam Shepard) in the murder investigation of a tribal leader. Graham Greene co-stars as Walter Crow Horse, a member of the tribal police, who helps Ray uncover a conspiracy surrounding the murder and understand his Sioux heritage.
Watch the trailer here.
Thunderheart; Image credit: TriStar Pictures
13. The Quick and the Dead
Released: 1995
Rating: R
Sam Raimi directed this western starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. A mysterious woman, known only as The Lady (Stone), arrives in the town of Redemption to enter a quick draw competition. Her sights are set on John Herod (Hackman), a ruthless gunfighter who runs the town. Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio co-star as fellow gunfighters in the quick draw competition.
Watch the trailer here.
The Quick and the Dead; Image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment
14. Mobsters
Released: 1991
Rating: R
Crime drama that follows the rise of young mobsters Lucky Luciano (Christian Slater), Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey), Bugsy Siegel (Richard Greico), and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor). Before they can assume control of organized crime in New York, they must first eliminate the current warring bosses, Don Masseria (Anthony Quinn) and Don Faranzano (Michael Gambon).
Watch the trailer here.
Mobsters; Image credit: Universal Pictures
15. Pleasantville
Released: 1998
Rating: PG-13
Pleasantville is a visually stunning fantasy comedy-drama starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, and William H. Macy. It’s one of those feel-good films that Hollywood can’t seem to make anymore. A brother and sister (Maguire, Witherspoon) from 1998 are accidentally transported into a black-and-white ’50s TV sitcom called Pleasantville. Their influence slowly turns the town and its inhabitants from black and white to color.
Watch the trailer here.
Pleasantville; Image credit: New Line Cinema
16. That Thing You Do!
Released: 1996
Rating: PG
Another feel-good film about a fictional rock band in the early ‘60s who rise to fame with their one hit song “That Thing You Do.” Tom Hanks wrote and directed this comedy-drama and also co-stars as the band’s manager. The band, called The Wonders, are Guy (Tom Everett Scott), Lenny (Steve Zahn), Jimmy (Johnathan Schaech), and T.B. (Ethan Embry). Liv Tyler co-stars as Faye, Jimmy’s girlfriend, who travels with the band.
Watch the trailer here.
That Thing You Do!; Image credit: 20th Century Fox
17. Arlington Road
Released: 1999
Rating: R
This top-notch suspense thriller stars Jeff Bridges as history professor Michael Faraday, who suspects his new neighbors, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (played by Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack), are not what they seem. Michael’s expertise in domestic terrorism (the subject of the course he currently teaches) leads him to question Oliver’s suspicious behavior and anti-government political views. As his paranoia grows, Michael becomes convinced that the Langs are involved in plotting a terrorist attack. Definitely worth a watch for the great performances and its shocking ending.
Watch the trailer here.
Arlington Road; Image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment
18. The Net
Released: 1995
Rating: PG-13
Thriller starring Sandra Bullock as Angela Bennett, a computer analyst who lives a solitary life. When she accidentally discovers a hidden back door into a popular computer security system, her life is threatened and her identity is stolen. Angela goes on the run to evade the hackers and regain her identity. Co-stars include Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller.
Watch the trailer here.
The Net; Image credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment
19. Stigmata
Released: 1999
Rating: R
Patricia Arquette stars in this supernatural thriller about a non-religious woman who suddenly begins to experience terrifying visions and signs of the stigmata (the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion). When Frankie Paige (Arquette) receives a rosary from her mother vacationing in Mexico, the violent stigmatic episodes begin and grow increasingly brutal. Gabriel Byrne co-stars as Father Andrew Kiernan, a priest assigned by the Vatican to investigate and determine the cause of Frankie’s stigmata.
Watch the trailer here.
Stigmata; Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
20. Grosse Pointe Blank
Released: 1997
Rating: R
Action-comedy about a hit man who goes back to his hometown for his 10-year high school reunion. John Cusack stars as Martin Blank, a successful hit man who has been feeling conflicted about his work. His therapist, Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin), suggests he attend the reunion and reconnect with his high school girlfriend Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), whom he ditched on prom night. Co-stars are Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack, and Jeremy Piven.
Watch the trailer here.
Grosse Pointe Blank; Image credit: Hollywood Pictures
That’s my list of overlooked ’90s standout films. Which ones have you seen? And what hidden gems would you add to the list? I’d love to read your picks in the comments!
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Featured image photo credit: Gramercy Pictures
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