Strictly as a work of historical fiction, however, “JFK” has lost none of its potency and urgency.

Kennedy’s murder investigation manages to check all three boxes. Ever since earning 8 Academy Award nominations, “JFK” has raised heated debate and discussions regarding its questionable assertions and conspiracy theories, many of which have been properly debunked in the following years.

Oliver Stone’s sprawling epic centered around John F. Some movies speak to their moment, reflect on the past, or gain prescience as time passes on. Much like its witty protagonist, you will find yourself wondering whom to trust at every turn in this intricate web of mystery, murder, and deceit. But even if you were to remove its politically-pointed commentary, it’s easy to fall in love with “Devil” for its whip-smart screenplay, stacked cast, and lived-in world. The list below represents an attempt to gauge the essence of the thriller in the 1990s, from critics’ darlings to underseen gems that fell by the wayside but are worthy of your time.Ĭooler-than-cool Denzel Washington uncorks a career-best performance in “Devil in a Blue Dress” as Ezekiel ‘Easy’ Rawlins, a jobless man turned self-taught sleuth who’s hired to find a missing woman in late 1940s Los Angeles.Īmerican director Carl Franklin, who might have just as well been tapped in the present list for his 1992 gem “One False Move”, borrowed discarded noir tropes and archetypes only to turn them in their head, peel back the curtain and expose the racial injustices in post-war America. Likewise, genre-blending masterpieces like “Jackie Brown”, “Pulp Fiction”, or “Barton Fink” each deserve a big shout out but seem to belong to another subgenre altogether.

This in turn encouraged big studios to pour money into bold stories and risky releases that could pay off by recouping their budget on the home video.Ĭombing through likely titles for this round-up of thrillers, strong cases can be made for a plethora of missing films, from cultural touchstones like “The Sixth Sense”, “Misery” or “Face/Off” to subversive neo-noirs like “The Player”, “Carlito’s Way” and “The Game”. The emergence of a new wave of indie American cinema, spearheaded by the likes of Richard Linklater, Quentin Tarantino, and Paul Thomas Anderson, busted open Hollywood and produced a bounty of stone-cold classics that are still revered to this day. If there’s something that every movie buff can agree on, it’s that the 1990s were a pretty fun decade for film.

Panic by sharon m draper