One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Forman's 1975 mental hospital drama. Nicholson as McMurphy, Fletcher as Nurse Ratched.
Tag: Social Realism (Page 5)
1920sMan with a Movie Camera (1929)
Vertov's 1929 Soviet city-symphony documentary. The film that invented half the techniques modern documentary takes for granted.
1940sThe Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Ford's 1940 Steinbeck adaptation. The film that established American social-realist cinema.
1990s
2000sLord of War (2005)
Andrew Niccol's 2005 Nicolas Cage international arms trade drama. Among the most accomplished commercial cinema examinations of the industry.
American DecayDirty Harry Pentalogy (1971-1988)
The original and Magnum Force are essential. Foundational American police thriller cinema.
1990sAmerican History X (1998)
Tony Kaye's 1998 Edward Norton vehicle on neo-Nazi violence. The bathroom scene with Avery Brooks remains the most powerful in the film.
2010sDeath Wish (2018)
Eli Roth's 2018 Death Wish remake with Bruce Willis. Updates the original to Chicago.
1990sOffice Space (1999)
Mike Judge's 1999 cubicle satire. Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root as Milton.
1990sFalling Down (1993)
Schumacher's 1993 urban thriller. Michael Douglas walks across LA leaving violence behind, Robert Duvall follows.
1990sIn the Name of the Father (1993)
Jim Sheridan's 1993 film on the Guildford Four miscarriage of justice. Day-Lewis and Postlethwaite turn courtroom rage into pure craft.
2000sThe Babysitters (2007) Review
The pacing is genuinely good. Some critics and marketing materials have positioned it as dark comedy, which is the wrong genre frame.