Last updated March 2024
Want to watch extraordinarily awesome Best Movies 2002? Check out our compilation of 30 marvelous, critic- and user-adored Best Movies 2002 ready for your viewing pleasure. Hailed as sensationally great by IMDB reviewers and our own legion of discerning users, these world-class titles represent the absolute best of the best. Help fellow fans uncover buried treasures by voting for your top picks. We value members who contribute stellar recommendations!
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Plot Summary:
Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard
Duration: 179 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 17000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: New Zealand, USA
Plot tags: sword fight, wizard, magic, fantasy world, creature, friendship, magical, monster, mission, sword and sorcery, mythology, good versus evil, middle earth, elf, siege, hobbit, imaginary kingdom, army, lord of the rings, warrior, imaginary, heroic mission, swords and armor, medieval, save the world
City of God (2002)
Plot Summary:
Cidade de Deus is a shantytown that started during the 1960s and became one of Rio de Janeiro’s most dangerous places in the beginning of the 1980s. To tell the story of this place, the movie describes the life of various characters, all seen by the point of view of the narrator, Buscapé. Buscapé was raised in a very violent environment. Despite the feeling that all odds were against him, he finds out that life can be seen with other eyes
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 788000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Brazil, France, Germany
Plot tags: gang, coming of age, organized crime, society, gang war, juvenile delinquency, storytelling, life is a bitch, photographer, journalism, favela, police corruption, street gang, urban ghetto life, drug dealing, ghetto, violence, photography, gangster, revenge, poverty, urban ghetto, drug, children, social decay
The Pianist (2002)
Plot Summary:
The true story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city
Duration: 150 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 890000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: France, Poland, Germany, UK, USA
Plot tags: holocaust, world war two, survival, genocide, nazi, classical music, wartime, war, nazism, pianist, nazi occupation, hunger, anti semitism, concentration camp, against humanity, ghetto, biopic, atrocity, music, starvation, world war, life & death, judaism, ss, secret hideout
Philanthropy (2002)
Plot Summary:
In the 21st century Bucharest to get out in the city on Saturday evening at the arm of a beautiful woman is a financial investment risky. Ovidiu, unassuming high school teacher, never could afford. Looking for a source of income to something more substantial than a teacher salary, Ovidiu plunge into a fabulous world - beggars mob
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Romania, France
Plot tags: dishonesty, cons and scams, teachers and students, couples, teacher, alternate reality, compassion, false identity, scam, middle aged man, alienation, artist, professor, employment, european, secretary, money, dating, loser, high school teacher, alcohol abuse, love and romance, fall in love, double life, pretense
Frozen Stiff (2002)
Plot Summary:
The basic plot revolves around drug dealer Limeni (Tin Man) who is said to have no heart, and two men, Lemi and Kiza, who are trying to transport their dead grandfather for burial, until their car breaks down and they end up struggling to get him home onboard a train. This is when these two plots intersect and all hell breaks loose
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Plot tags: smuggling, comedy of errors, brothers, mysterious disappearance, corpse, satire, train travel, brother brother relationship, conspiracy, stoned, dead body, feeling, brother, sex, female nudity, train, truck, female full frontal nudity, refrigerator, crimes
Day of the Wacko (2002)
Plot Summary:
It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man, who hates his life and other people, including himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 44 year-old teacher, who reads poetry during school lessons and later goes home swearing and calling his neighbours' names. The worst pain for him is the next 5 minutes of living. He doesn't accept himself and even everyday contacts with others cause his aggression. Though constantly dreaming of a romantic love, he is not bold enough to make his dreams come true. The desperate Miauczynski personalizes our own fears and obsessions, which have become so visible recently
Duration: 93 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Poland
Plot tags: midlife crisis, alienation, nothing goes right, social satire, loner, teacher, obsession, polish, burnout, self loathing, dark humor, mental illness, paranoia, nervousness, rage, human nature, erotic fantasy, father son relationship, obsessive compulsive disorder, neurosis, sexual fantasy, satire, ex husband ex wife relationship, anti hero, masturbation
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Plot Summary:
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit
Duration: 141 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: con artists, adaptation, race against time, master criminal, prodigy, creativity, fbi, con men, deception, biopic, chase, entrepreneur, rise and fall, justice, impostor, parents separation, fraud, heist, obsessive quest, secret service, runaway, entrepreneurship, father son relationship, business, law enforcement
The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Plot Summary:
The Legend of Bhagat Singh is a 2002 Indian historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh, a freedom fighter who fought for Indian independence.It shows in detail how Singh came to develop his views on the British Raj and his struggle for Indian independence
Duration: 155 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History
Country: India
Plot tags: revolution, freedom fighter, sikh, patriotism, police brutality, patriot, fighting the system, social decay, indian history, life is a bitch, injustice, society, danger, rebelliousness, idealism, atrocity, politics, independence, freedom, terrorism, biopic, police officer killed, indians, resistance, struggle
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Plot Summary:
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Plot tags: samurai, sword fight, feudal japan, poverty, love, friendship, medieval, tragedy, character study, love story, assassination, visceral, samurai era, love and romance, social differences, selflessness, struggle, martial arts, fall in love, pride and honor, melancholy, katana, society, bittersweet, childhood sweetheart
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Plot Summary:
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst
Duration: 101 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 130000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Plot tags: mole, police, triad, organized crime, gangster, undercover, betrayal, mob boss, mafia, double life, mind game, spy, cop, corruption, surveillance, psychologist, character study, tragic event, working undercover, drug dealing, asian gangster, heroic bloodshed, vengeance, moral ambiguity, violent
Company (2002)
Plot Summary:
Mallik is a henchman of Aslam Bhai, a Mumbai underworld kingpin. He inducts local hothead Chandu into the gang, and the two of them soon form a formidable faction within the gang, eventually displacing Aslam. As the empire grows, however, the two of them start drifting apart
Duration: 142 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: gangster, organized crime, gang war, criminal underworld, crime boss, gang, criminal syndicate, love and romance, rivalry, friendship, vengeance, underworld, police, sociopath, mob violence, dishonesty, revenge, death of protagonist, hindu, violent, based on real people, innovation, indian mafia, betrayal, mafia
Talk to Her (2002)
Plot Summary:
Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas
Duration: 112 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Spain
Plot tags: rape, tragic love, friendship, suicide, loneliness, obsession, impossible love, tragic event, hospital, sex, love, relationships, women, character study, ballet, european, pregnancy, life is a bitch, self destructing, starting over, power of love, voyeur, male nurse, love and romance, nursing
Hero (2002)
Plot Summary:
One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 186000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Plot tags: martial arts, sword fight, kung fu, twists and turns, swords and armor, master warrior, wuxia, betrayal, female warrior, vengeance, desert, wu shu, medieval, violence, battles, ancient history, assassin, heroes, patriot, lovers, reward, execution, hopes, ancient, power of love
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Plot Summary:
Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy – but who does he work for?
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 569000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Czech Republic
Plot tags: spy, amnesia, cia, secret service, secret agent, tough heroes, one against many, on the run, escape, black ops, hitman, assassin, secret past, undercover, espionage, uncover truth, government agency, memory loss, bodyguard, gunfight, car chase, one man army, tough guy, u.s. embassy, conspiracy
Oasis (2002)
Plot Summary:
Oasis is a love story of two young people abandoned by families. A young man released from prison visits the widow of the man he killed drunk-driving. There he meets her daughter, wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy. Will these two lost people find a way to make their relationship work?
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: disability, hit and run, love affair, friendship, starting over, haunted by the past, unlikely couple, parents and children, love and romance, life is a bitch, couples, vengeance, society, family problems, handicapped, bittersweet, love, lonely, loneliness, mental disorder, illness, lovers, tragedy, autism, dialogue
Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
Plot Summary:
Lilya lives in poverty and dreams of a better life. Her mother moves to the United States and abandons her to her aunt, who neglects her. Lilya hangs out with her friends, Natasha and Volodya, who is suicidal. Desperate for money, she starts working as a prostitute, and later meets Andrei. He offers her a good job in Sweden, but when Lilya arrives her life quickly enters a downward spiral
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Plot tags: human trafficking, poverty, prostitution, sexual abuse, prostitute, suicide, life is a bitch, teenage prostitution, teenage life, youth, rape, slavery, social decay, friendship, sex scene, child prostitution, coming of age, downfall, exploitation, misery, bad mother, female protagonist, sex slavery, sex with a minor, children
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Plot Summary:
Edmond Dantés's life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes are shattered when his best friend, Fernand, deceives him. After spending 13 miserable years in prison, Dantés escapes with the help of a fellow inmate and plots his revenge, cleverly insinuating himself into the French nobility
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 146000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland, Switzerland, UK, USA
Plot tags: vengeance, sword fight, treason, treasure, corruption, lone hero, betrayal, prison, greed, revenge, twists and turns, confined, swashbuckler, prison escape, escape, false accusation, mentor, conspiracy, napoleonic era, aristocracy, arrest, frame up, mythology, prison break, secret
Road to Perdition (2002)
Plot Summary:
Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 281000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: mafia, vengeance, organized crime, criminal's revenge, hitman, violence, bank robbery, road trip, murder, revenge, on the road, on the run, assassin, coming of age, betrayal, great depression, mob boss, manhunt, rain, catholic, gangster, great ending, photographer, heist, mob hit
In America (2002)
Plot Summary:
An Irish immigrant family adjusts to life in the United States, a chance to get over the lost son. They have no money and the apartment is in bad condition
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Plot tags: childhood, redemption, immigrant, immigration, artist, loss of son, starting over, dying, children, parents and children, family life, overcoming, society, family problems, acceptance, migration, heartwarming, bittersweet, aids, refugee, grief, death, hospital, girl, catholic
Bang Bang You're Dead (2002)
Plot Summary:
Trevor is a troubled high school student, thanks to the effects of bullying. This is the story of his fight to break free
Duration: 93 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: bullying, school shooting, depression, teacher, bully, school, social misfits, high school, teenage life, violence, childhood, fighting the system, bomb, death threat, social problems, juvenile delinquency, teachers and students, rivalry, society, lifestyle, sport team, suicide, adolescence, teenager, troubled teen
Adaptation. (2002)
Plot Summary:
A love-lorn script writer grows increasingly desperate in his quest to adapt the book 'The Orchid Thief'
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: twins, filmmaking, twists and turns, depression, writer's block, writers, imagination, mentally unstable, loser, existentialism, obsession, siblings relations, eccentricity, relationships, life philosophy, drug, plot twist, loneliness, character study, hollywood, marriage crisis, magic realism, family relations, lookalikes, creative block
The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Plot Summary:
Four women are given into the custody of the Magdalene sisterhood asylum to correct their sinful behavior: Crispina and Rose have given birth to a premarital child, Margaret got raped by her cousin and the orphan Bernadette had been repeatedly caught flirting with the boys. All have to work in a laundry under the strict supervision of the nuns, who break their wills through sadistic punishment
Duration: 114 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Ireland
Plot tags: nun, convent, life is a bitch, human spirit, corporal punishment, mistreatment, religion, punishment, humiliation, sexual harassment, catholic, catholic orphanage, evil nun, human rights, sin, violence against women, prison, slavery, catholic church, sexual abuse, society, women, brutality, brainwashing, public humiliation
Interstate 60 (2002)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring painter meets various characters and learns valuable lessons while traveling across America
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Canada, USA
Plot tags: road trip, self discovery, on the road, life philosophy, alternate reality, dream girl, choice, self fulfillment, wish come true, surrealism, twists and turns, imaginary, highway, motel, hopes, existentialism, small town, changing the past or future, courtroom, alternate dimension, mentor, genie, father son relationship, supernatural power, satire
25th Hour (2002)
Plot Summary:
The filmed adaptation from David Benioff's novel of the same name. Set in New York, a convicted drug dealer named Monty has one day left of freedom before he is sent to prison. Anger, blame, frustration, betrayal, guilt and loneliness are themes on this last day of friends, family, parties, saying goodbye, and setting things straight. A Spike Lee joint
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 183000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: friendship, organized crime, drug, drug dealer, drug lord, race against time, 9/11, betrayal, freedom, redemption, mistrust, great ending, prison, rage, introspection, regret, surrealism, paranoia, melancholy, american dream, one day, friends, chases and races, partner, buddies
The Man Without a Past (2002)
Plot Summary:
The second part of Aki Kaurismäki's "Finland" trilogy, the film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki and gets beaten up so severely he develops amnesia. Unable to remember his name or anything from his past life, he cannot get a job or an apartment, so he starts living on the outskirts of the city and slowly starts putting his life back on track
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Finland, Germany, France
Plot tags: poverty, memory loss, amnesia, generosity, friendship, robbery, eccentricity, starting over, couple relations, family relations, financial problem, haunted by the past, human nature, hopes, homeless, humanity, existentialism, disability, husband wife relationship, love and romance, bank robbery, society, european, nordic, bully
Minority Report (2002)
Plot Summary:
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge
Duration: 145 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 576000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: cyberpunk, murder, foreknowledge, precognition, time loop, distopia, psychic, dystopia, law enforcer, frame up, consciousness, twists and turns, dystopian future, time travel, police investigation, conspiracy, investigation, murder mystery, virtual reality, graphic violence, seeing the future, perfect crime, corruption, police, fugitives
Bloody Sunday (2002)
Plot Summary:
The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Plot tags: ira, rebellion, civil rights, conflict, protest, politics, terrorism, injustice, civil war, ethnic conflict, fighting the system, political unrest, state affairs, life is a bitch, society, social problems, social decay, riot, political rally, murder, conspiracy, irish history, trouble, medieval, british army
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of Ryu, a deaf man, and his sister, who requires a kidney transplant. Ryu's boss, Park, has just laid him off, and in order to afford the transplant, Ryu and his girlfriend develop a plan to kidnap Park's daughter. Things go horribly wrong, and the situation spirals rapidly into a cycle of violence and revenge
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: kidnapping, revenge, organ donation, gory, crime gone awry, violent, suicide, transplant, vigilante, mute or deaf, macabre, rape and revenge, vengeance, black market, ransom, layoff, factory worker, violence, danger, loss of loved one, terrorist, dying, serial killer, tragedy, brutality
Distant (2002)
Plot Summary:
Uzak/Distant chronicles the numbing loneliness, longing, and isolation in the lives of two men who are consumed by their own problems. Istanbul photographer Mahmut reluctantly receives his relative Yusuf, but the mingling of their lives does little to alleviate their detachment
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: unemployment, loneliness, midlife crisis, isolation, art, complex characters, family relations, culture clash, photography, love and romance, introspection, existentialism, solitude, society, looking for love, down on your luck, human nature, photograph, male female relationship, ex husband ex wife relationship, winter, muslim, photographer, depression, guilt
Open Hearts (2002)
Plot Summary:
Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Denmark
Plot tags: dogme 95, infidelity, love story, love triangle, hospital, relationships, adultery, extramarital affair, destructive relationship, crumbling marriage, paraplegic, life philosophy, dogma, fall in love, love affair, love and romance, family problems, doctor, car accident, coitus, nurse, cheating fiancee, couple relations, love, age difference