Now Showing — Films, Shows, and the Tools to Pick Them
MOVIESPACK.
← Index
BEST.
Edition · 2005
The Year in Film · 2005

Best of 2005

The films that defined 2005 — ranked by IMDb score.


These films defined 2005 — the year's highest-rated releases, ranked by IMDb score. Some are awards bait, some are popcorn fare, some quietly snuck in under the radar. All earned their place on the list.

  1. 01.
    Earthlings

    Earthlings

    2005·Dir. Shaun Monson·95 min·8.6

    Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.

    Find similar
  2. 02.
    Thanmathra

    Thanmathra

    2005·Dir. Blessy·160 min·8.4

    A man leading a happy life with his loving wife and two children suddenly starts getting forgetful and lost. Then, he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease leaving his family devastated.

    Find similar
  3. 03.
    No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

    No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

    2005·Dir. Martin Scorsese·208 min·8.4

    A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.

    Find similar
  4. 04.
    Anniyan

    Anniyan

    2005·Dir. Shankar·181 min·8.4

    Unable to bear the growing corruption in society and rejection from his love interest, a meek lawyer becomes diagnosed with multiple personality disorder due to which the personalities of a vigilante killer and a metrosexual start existing within him.

    Find similar
  5. 05.
    Graves End

    Graves End

    2005·Dir. James Marlowe·90 min·8.3

    When society turns their back on reformed felons, the town of Graves End welcomes them but when the ex-cons disappear, FBI agent Paul Rickman comes looking for them and discovers more than he expected.

    Find similar
  6. 06.
    George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing

    George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing

    2005·Dir. Rocco Urbisci·74 min·8.2

    Carlin returns to the stage in his 13th live comedy stand-up special, performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for HBO®. His spot-on observations on the deterioration of human behavior include Americans’ obsession with their two favorite addictions - shopping and eating; his creative idea for The All-Suicide Channel, a new reality TV network; and the glorious rebirth of the planet to its original pristine condition - once the fires and floods destroy life as we know it.

    Find similar
  7. 07.
    Batman Begins

    Batman Begins

    2005·Dir. Christopher Nolan·140 min·8.2

    Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

    Find similar
  8. 08.
    My Father and My Son

    My Father and My Son

    2005·Dir. Çağan Irmak·112 min·8.2

    A left-wing journalist whose wife died while giving birth to his son during a military coup returns to his family's farm. Estranged from his father for turning his back on the family and wasting his life with political activism instead, he tries to reconnect with him so that his son will have a place to live as his health is deteriorating due to the extensive torture he had to endure.

    Find similar
  9. 09.
    Athadu

    Athadu

    2005·Dir. Trivikram Srinivas·175 min·8.2

    A hitman, Nandu, is hired to stage the assassination of a politician. However, when the politician is actually killed and Nandu is framed for the murder, he assumes a dead man's identity to evade the law.

    Find similar
  10. 10.
    Iqbal

    Iqbal

    2005·Dir. Nagesh Kukunoor·150 min·8.1

    This is all about chasing your dreams, no matter what the obstacles. The story involves a young deaf and dumb boy who is crazy about cricket.

    Find similar
  11. 11.
    Black

    Black

    2005·Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali·124 min·8.1

    Unable to see, hear, or speak after a childhood illness, a young woman grows up prone to violent outbursts until an eccentric tutor changes her life.

    Find similar
  12. 12.
    Pardon

    Pardon

    2005·Dir. Mert Baykal·94 min·8.1

    Based on a true event, Pardon tells the tragicomic story of three friends who end up in prison when they are mistaken as members of a terrorist organization. Ibrahim's fear of uniforms makes him runaway whenever he sees one. Because of this, police mistakes him with a terrorist and takes him and his friend Muzo into custody. Fooled by the police during the interrogation they name another friend, Aydin, in hope of saving themselves. As they all end up in prison, they remember the families and lovers they left behind.

    Find similar
  13. 13.
    Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

    Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

    2005·Dir. Sam Dunn·91 min·8.0

    The film discusses the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, power metal, Nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, black metal, and death metal. Dunn uses a family-tree-type flowchart to document some of the most popular metal subgenres. The film also explores various aspects of heavy metal culture.

    Find similar
  14. 14.
    Cinderella Man

    Cinderella Man

    2005·Dir. Ron Howard·144 min·8.0

    The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.

    Find similar
  15. 15.
    Sin City

    Sin City

    2005·Dir. Robert Rodriguez·124 min·8.0

    Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark… Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home — Crooked cops, sexy dames, desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge, others lust after redemption, and then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care.

    Find similar
  16. 16.
    Why We Fight

    Why We Fight

    2005·Dir. Eugene Jarecki·98 min·8.0

    Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

    Find similar
  17. 17.
    C.R.A.Z.Y.

    C.R.A.Z.Y.

    2005·Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée·126 min·7.8

    A young French Canadian, one of five boys in a conservative family in the 1960s and 1970s, struggles to reconcile his emerging identity with his father's values.

    Find similar
  18. 18.
    Walk the Line

    Walk the Line

    2005·Dir. James Mangold·136 min·7.8

    A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

    Find similar
  19. 19.
    Innocent Voices

    Innocent Voices

    2005·Dir. Luis Mandoki·120 min·7.8

    A young boy, attempting to have a normal childhood in 1980s El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life when he desperately tries to avoid the war that is raging all around him.

    Find similar
  20. 20.
    The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

    The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

    2005·Dir. Cristi Puiu·154 min·7.8

    After suffering terrible headaches and stomach cramps, Mr. Lăzărescu, a lonely 63 year-old man, calls for an ambulance, beginning one man’s hellish journey through Bucharest hospitals in search of proper medical care. As the night unfolds, his health starts to deteriorate fast.

    Find similar
  21. 21.
    Live and Become

    Live and Become

    2005·Dir. Radu Mihăileanu·140 min·7.8

    In 1980, the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews and are secretly carried to Israel. The day before the transport the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9-year-old boy.

    Find similar
  22. 22.
    Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul

    Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul

    2005·Dir. Fatih Akin·90 min·7.8

    German musician Alexander Hacke explores Istanbul's rich music culture and attempts to create a portrait of Turkey through music genres. On this journey, he encounters a mosaic that covers countless genres from rock to arabesque, electronic to hip-hop.

    Find similar
  23. 23.
    Serenity

    Serenity

    2005·Dir. Joss Whedon·119 min·7.8

    When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything – or anyone – to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But... the greatest danger of all may be on their ship.

    Find similar
  24. 24.
    Pride & Prejudice

    Pride & Prejudice

    2005·Dir. Joe Wright·128 min·7.8

    A story of love and life among the landed English gentry during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.

    Find similar
  25. 25.
    Lovelorn

    Lovelorn

    2005·Dir. Yavuz Turgul·142 min·7.7

    A retired teacher who returns to Istanbul after years away, Nazim tries to reacquaint himself with his hometown, which has changed significantly. While waiting for his pension to begin, Nazim takes a temporary job as a taxi driver and frequently ends up in the seedier parts of the city. …

    Find similar
  26. 26.
    Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

    Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

    2005·Dir. George Lucas·140 min·7.7

    When the sinister Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker must choose a side.

    Find similar
  27. 27.
    Sometimes in April

    Sometimes in April

    2005·Dir. Raoul Peck·140 min·7.7

    Two brothers are divided by marriage and fate during the 100 horrifying days of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

    Find similar
  28. 28.
    9

    9

    2005·Dir. Shane Acker·11 min·7.7

    A rag doll fights a monster that has been stealing the souls of his people.

    Find similar
  29. 29.
    Crash

    Crash

    2005·Dir. Paul Haggis·112 min·7.7

    In post-Sept. 11 Los Angeles, tensions erupt when the lives of a Brentwood housewife, her district attorney husband, a Persian shopkeeper, two cops, a pair of carjackers and a Korean couple converge during a 36-hour period.

    Find similar
  30. 30.
    The World's Fastest Indian

    The World's Fastest Indian

    2005·Dir. Roger Donaldson·127 min·7.7

    The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle—a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

    Find similar
  31. 31.
    Water

    Water

    2005·Dir. Deepa Mehta·115 min·7.7

    The year is 1938, and Mahatma Gandhi's groundbreaking philosophies are sweeping across India, but 8-year-old Chuyia, newly widowed, must go to live with other outcast widows on an ashram. Her presence transforms the ashram as she befriends two of her compatriots.

    Find similar
  32. 32.
    Brokeback Mountain

    Brokeback Mountain

    2005·Dir. Ang Lee·134 min·7.7

    In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

    Find similar
  33. 33.
    Adam's Apples

    Adam's Apples

    2005·Dir. Anders Thomas Jensen·95 min·7.7

    A neo-nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devotional priest.

    Find similar
  34. 34.
    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

    2005·Dir. Mike Newell·157 min·7.7

    When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools—the Triwizard Tournament. But since Harry never submitted his name for the Tournament, who did? Now Harry must confront a deadly dragon, fierce water demons, and an enchanted maze only to find himself in the cruel grasp of He Who Must Not Be Named.

    Find similar
  35. 35.
    Grizzly Man

    Grizzly Man

    2005·Dir. Werner Herzog·103 min·7.7

    Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

    Find similar
  36. 36.
    Murderball

    Murderball

    2005·Dir. Dana Adam Shapiro·88 min·7.7

    Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

    Find similar
  37. 37.
    Match Point

    Match Point

    2005·Dir. Woody Allen·124 min·7.6

    Chris, a former tennis pro, takes a job as an instructor and befriends his wealthy young student, Tom. After being introduced to his family, Chris is soon engaged to Tom's sister, Chloe. Despite the professional and financial advantages that this relationship affords him, Chris becomes obsessed with Tom's fiancee, American actress Nola.

    Find similar
  38. 38.
    Ghajini

    Ghajini

    2005·Dir. A. R. Murugadoss·182 min·7.6

    After being hit by an iron rod, Sanjay Ramaswamy, a business tycoon, suffers from anterograde amnesia. He is unable to remember anything beyond fifteen minutes. Under such circumstances, he sets out on a quest to find the people who were responsible for his lover Kalpana's murder.

    Find similar
  39. 39.
    Sarkar

    Sarkar

    2005·Dir. Ram Gopal Varma·123 min·7.6

    Subhash Nagre runs a parallel government in the city where he has a cult following. When his enemies plot to murder him, his son takes charge and stands up against them.

    Find similar
  40. 40.
    Joyeux Noel

    Joyeux Noel

    2005·Dir. Christian Carion·116 min·7.6

    France, 1914, during World War I. On Christmas Eve, an extraordinary event takes place in the bloody no man's land that the French and the Scots dispute with the Germans…

    Find similar
— End of Chapter —