1. "Schindler's List"(1993)
Steven Spielberg stunned audiences worldwide with a grim, compelling and vivid account of the Holocaust that was miles apart from the upbeat blockbusters that defined the first half of his career. It's his most personal film. It may also be his best. His decision to film in black-and-white gave "List" a documentary-like feel, it's all so startlingly real. Liam Neeson(landing his breakout role) leads a fine cast as German businessman Oskar Schindler who saved the lives of a thousand Jews by employing them in his factory. The ever-reliable Ben Kingsley is his Jewish accountant, and last-but-not-least is Ralph Fiennes, as a sadistic SS officer frighteningly loyal to Hitler's cause. The most moving cinematic experience you're likely to ever have, those Oscars for Best Picture and Director were a foregone conclusion. This is mandatory viewing.
2. "True Romance"(1993)
What do you get when you combine the voracious talents of a young Quentin Tarantino and the late great Tony Scott? The answer is one of the most quotable and ridiculously entertaining films of the '90s. Hell, this movie IS the '90s, before everything became PC and watered down. To see "TR" is to love it. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette are enormously likable as reckless young newlyweds, and they head up a cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, James Gandolfini, Samuel L Jackson, Chris Penn, and Tom Sizemore. This is one of the coolest groups of actors ever assembled, and they ALL have a moment, but it's the playful, uncomplicated relationship of our two protagonists that really sent Cupid's arrow through viewers' hearts. It's true romance, after all.
At first glance it was just another Bill Murray comedy. Not that there would've been anything wrong with that, but "GD" became something much more. This was NOT some unofficial sequel to "Scrooged". A modest hit at the time of it's release, the respect and appreciation for this film has grown over the years to where it's now considered a modern classic. You already know the set-up, and Murray is at his best as the obnoxious TV weatherman stuck in Punxsutawney. A lesser movie would have went for cheap laughs and a contrived explanation for his predicament, but director Harold Ramis turned a tricky premise into sublime brilliance and built the bridge between the ghost-busting Bill and the understated Oscar-nominated Murray of "Lost in Translation".
4. "Jurassic Park"(1993)
The highest grossing film of the year BY FAR and the third highest grossing film of the '90s, Steven Spielberg's franchise-starting mega hit set new standards for special effects and the summer blockbuster. The bearded movie maestro instantly recognized the cinematic potential of Michael Crichton's intelligent sci-fi novel and employed Stan Winston's creature shop and some astounding CGI to bring the scaly beasts to life. Sequels were inevitable(a fourth is slated for 2015) but nothing compares to seeing those dinosaurs for the first time. The visceral thrill of the T-Rex attacking that jeep in the rain(pictured above) is one of the many reasons that this film is better than the majority of today's big budget offerings and that isn't nostalgia talking.
5. "The Fugitive"(1993)
The best movie ever based on an old TV show was the perfect vehicle for laconic leading man Harrison Ford(still riding the high of his incredible 1980s success) as the wrongly convicted Dr. Richard Kimble. But as great as Ford is in his prime, this film belongs to the ever-magnetic Tommy Lee Jones as his doggedly determined pursuer Samuel Gerard. This character was so strong that he eventually got his own spin-off movie(1998's "U.S Marshalls") while Tommy Lee parlayed his Best Supporting Actor Oscar into a ton of film work over the next few years. Director Andrew Davis("Under Seige") condensed Kimble's adventures into two tense, breathless hours and made one of the most solid crowd-pleasers of the decade.
7. "In the Line of Fire"(1993)
A reinvigorated Clint Eastwood followed up his Oscar-winning "Unforgiven" with Wolfgang Petersen's first-rate suspense thriller. Hollywood just doesn't make movies like this and "The Fugitive" anymore. You know, smart entertainment for grown-ups. You have to go back to 1993 for stuff like that. Clint is terrific as an aging Secret Service agent still haunted by his failure to prevent the 1963 JFK assassination. He gets the chance to redeem himself when the current chief exec's life is threatened by a chameleon-like killer, played by an excellent John Malkovich. An electrifying game of cat and mouse ensues that gradually builds to a finale sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
8. "Mrs. Doubtfire"(1993)
The late, great Robin Williams reached his cinematic peak in the second-biggest hit of 1993. This instantly iconic Chris Columbus comedy was compared unfavorably to "Tootsie" by some critics, but the star's hilarious and heartfelt performance arguably made it even more popular with Clinton-era audiences. Daniel Hillard is a struggling San Francisco father that takes drastic action to be near his three kids when his workaholic wife(the super-talented Sally Field) files for divorce. The elderly, British Euphegenia Doubtfire is an indelible comedic creation that won the Oscar for Best Makeup(Yolanda Toussieng). Powered by Howard Shore's score, the film makes a strong case for modern parenthood and old-fashioned family values.
9. "Menace II Society"(1993)
This grim, unflinching portrait of life on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles is brimming with senseless violence and profanity that clearly stresses the hopelessness and tragic nature of this environment. Twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes, then 21 years old, made a very impressive directorial debut, and coax convincing performances from a talented young cast that includes Tyrenz Turner, Larenz Tate, Jada Pinkett and Sam Jackson. It's pretty powerful stuff and in my opinion, better than it's similarly themed forerunner "Boyz 'N The Hood".
10(tie). "The Piano"(1993)
Writer-director Jane Campion's haunting, poetic period piece set in bleak 19th Century New Zealand was the most acclaimed film of 1993. Yes, more acclaimed than "Schindler's List". Like many critical faves, the passage of time hasn't held it in the same regard, but this film should be remembered for more than just Harvey Keitel's decision to appear fully nude. Holly Hunter is one of those great actresses that never gets talked about, and her Best Actress Oscar win as a piano-playing mute is certainly her finest two hours onscreen. The Academy rarely rewards two performers in one movie, yet 11 year old Anna Paquin took Supporting Actress honors as her precocious daughter. The surprisingly robust box office for this erotic journey was a significant step forward for the bourgeoning indie film movement.
10(tie). "Carlito's Way"(1993)
Ten years after their insanely popular collaboration known as "Scarface", Al Pacino and director Brian De Palma reunited to tell the tale of another doomed drug lord. If Tony Montana had gone to jail at the end of that 1983 epic, he might have come out looking like Carlito Brigante. This sensitive ex-con just wants to go straight in 1970s Spanish Harlem, but his old friends and associates are constantly trying to pull him back into a life of crime. That includes a dynamite Sean Penn as a coked-up mob lawyer. "CW" doesn't break any new ground, but anytime you've got Pacino, drugs, guns, and gangsters, you're guaranteed a good time.
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