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Edition · 2017
The Year in Film · 2017

Best of 2017

The films that defined 2017 — ranked by IMDb score.


These films defined 2017 — 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.
    Sachin: A Billion Dreams

    Sachin: A Billion Dreams

    2017·Dir. James Erskine·139 min·8.4

    Sachin Tendulkar plays himself in this sports-docudrama that traces the life and times of one of the world’s biggest cricket phenomenas.​

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  2. 02.
    Coco

    Coco

    2017·Dir. Lee Unkrich·105 min·8.4

    Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

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  3. 03.
    Aruvi

    Aruvi

    2017·Dir. Arun Prabu Purushothaman·122 min·8.3

    A gentle girl born and brought up amidst the ever growing eco-social-consumeristic environment finds it difficult to fit in the society. She decides to take it hard on the people.

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  4. 04.
    Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time

    Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time

    2017·Dir. Rachel Talalay·60 min·8.3

    As the Twelfth Doctor nears regeneration, he stumbles on his first incarnation, also refusing to change. It takes a captain, a glass avatar and a familiar face to convince the Doctors the universe still needs them.

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  5. 05.
    Cuba and the Cameraman

    Cuba and the Cameraman

    2017·Dir. Jon Alpert·113 min·8.2

    This revealing portrait of Cuba follows the lives of Fidel Castro and three Cuban families affected by his policies over the last four decades.

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  6. 06.
    Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King

    Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King

    2017·Dir. Christopher Storer·72 min·8.2

    Comic Hasan Minhaj of "The Daily Show" shares personal stories about racism, immigrant parents, prom night horrors and more in this stand-up special.

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  7. 07.
    Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion

    Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion

    2017·Dir. S. S. Rajamouli·167 min·8.2

    When Mahendra, the son of Bāhubali, learns about his heritage, he begins to look for answers. His story is juxtaposed with past events that unfolded in the Mahishmati Kingdom.

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  8. 08.
    Vikram Vedha

    Vikram Vedha

    2017·Dir. Pushkar·147 min·8.2

    A notorious gangster Vedha surrenders himself to encounter specialist Vikram whom he challenges every step of the way by narrating his life events in the form of riddles that needs to be solved in order to capture him.

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  9. 09.
    LA 92

    LA 92

    2017·Dir. T.J. Martin·114 min·8.2

    Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.

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  10. 10.
    Ayla: The Daughter of War

    Ayla: The Daughter of War

    2017·Dir. Can Ulkay·124 min·8.2

    In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.

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  11. 11.
    Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

    Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

    2017·Dir. H. Vinoth·157 min·8.2

    A hardnosed cop goes after a gang of ruthless dacoits who have been terrorising residents along the highway for a decade.

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  12. 12.
    Five Came Back

    Five Came Back

    2017·Dir. Laurent Bouzereau·195 min·8.2

    The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five legendary filmmakers who went to war to serve their country and bring the truth to the American people: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Based on Mark Harris’ best-selling book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War.”

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  13. 13.
    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    2017·Dir. Martin McDonagh·115 min·8.1

    After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

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  14. 14.
    Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin

    Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin

    2017·Dir. Stan Lathan·67 min·8.1

    Comedy icon Dave Chappelle makes his triumphant return to the screen with a pair of blistering, fresh stand-up specials. Filmed at The Palladium in Los Angeles, California, in March 2016.

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  15. 15.
    The Dawn Wall

    The Dawn Wall

    2017·Dir. Josh Lowell·101 min·8.1

    The definitive film on the climb that captured headlines and ignited imaginations worldwide. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson ascend the hardest big wall of all time: a 19 day ascent of The Dawn Wall, on the 3,000 foot vertical face of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park. The film travels deeper than the climb, digging into the history of the climbers and painting an intimate portrait of Caldwell's harrowing life experiences that culminated in a single-minded drive to complete this impossible climb. The Dawn Wall is a heart-warming and inspiring movie that celebrates perseverance, camaraderie, and the universal spirit of dreaming big, and never giving up.

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  16. 16.
    Logan

    Logan

    2017·Dir. James Mangold·137 min·8.1

    In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.

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  17. 17.
    Maanagaram

    Maanagaram

    2017·Dir. Lokesh Kanagaraj·137 min·8.1

    Upon moving to Chennai, four lives get intertwined as they strive to achieve success in the city. However, when a vicious gangster threatens them, the group must work together to defeat him.

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  18. 18.
    Dave Chappelle: Equanimity

    Dave Chappelle: Equanimity

    2017·Dir. Stan Lathan·64 min·8.1

    Comedy legend Dave Chappelle returns to his roots with an all-new stand-up special filmed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

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  19. 19.
    Take Off

    Take Off

    2017·Dir. Mahesh Narayanan·139 min·8.0

    A group of Malayali nurses stranded in Iraq, must survive their capture by the extremists and reach out to the rescue team headed by the Indian government.

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  20. 20.
    Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

    Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

    2017·Dir. Dileesh Pothan·136 min·8.0

    Prasad and Sreeja are a couple planning to set up a new life in Kasargod. On a bus journey they end up being robbed by a thief also named Prasad and this lands them up in a police station.

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  21. 21.
    Blade Runner 2049

    Blade Runner 2049

    2017·Dir. Denis Villeneuve·164 min·8.0

    Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

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  22. 22.
    The Invisible Guest

    The Invisible Guest

    2017·Dir. Oriol Paulo·107 min·8.0

    Barcelona, Spain. Adrián Doria, a young and successful businessman accused of murder, meets one night with Virginia Goodman, an expert interrogation lawyer, in order to devise a defense strategy.

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  23. 23.
    Chasing Coral

    Chasing Coral

    2017·Dir. Jeff Orlowski·93 min·8.0

    Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called “coral bleaching”—a sign of mass coral death—has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.

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  24. 24.
    Parava

    Parava

    2017·Dir. Soubin Shahir·146 min·8.0

    Irshad and Haseeb, two teenage boys from Mattanchery, share a passion for pigeon flying, a local game. Later, Irshad opens up about a tragic incident that ruined many friendships in the neighbourhood.

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  25. 25.
    Angamaly Diaries

    Angamaly Diaries

    2017·Dir. Lijo Jose Pellissery·132 min·7.9

    Six young friends in the small town of Angamaly tries their luck by starting a pork business lead by Vincent Pepe. They initially strike a business deal with Rajan and Ravi despite the duo having killed a close friend of theirs in a gang fight. Vincent is in love with Sakhi and plan to immigrate abroad with her. But their plans hit a road bump as the deal with the gangsters hits some road bumps.

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  26. 26.
    Hindi Medium

    Hindi Medium

    2017·Dir. Saket Chaudhary·132 min·7.9

    Mita and Raj Batra, an affluent couple from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, are grappling with getting their daughter admission into an English medium school. But there is one big problem. Their zubaan is Hindi, and the elitist snobs won’t let the Hindi speaking hoi-polloi fit in.

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  27. 27.
    I Am Not Your Negro

    I Am Not Your Negro

    2017·Dir. Raoul Peck·93 min·7.9

    Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

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  28. 28.
    Thor: Ragnarok

    Thor: Ragnarok

    2017·Dir. Taika Waititi·131 min·7.9

    Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

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  29. 29.
    The Other Me

    The Other Me

    2017·Dir. Sotiris Tsafoulias·101 min·7.9

    A lonely criminology professor attempts to solve the mystery behind five murders by decoding the puzzle of five Pythagorean theorems, in a crime story that features renowned French actor François Cluzet in a key-role.

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  30. 30.
    A Taxi Driver

    A Taxi Driver

    2017·Dir. Jang Hoon·138 min·7.9

    May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.

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  31. 31.
    Bingo: The King of the Mornings

    Bingo: The King of the Mornings

    2017·Dir. Daniel Rezende·113 min·7.9

    1980s. Brazilian television exploding in color and auditorium programs not so politically correct. In the middle of this fervor, Augusto Mendes, a young rising actor, seeks his place in the sun. From porn studios to soap operas, he finally finds success and fame when he becomes "Bingo", a TV host clown from one of the audience leader TV shows for children. It turns out that behind the rice powder and red nose, nobody knows who he is.

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  32. 32.
    Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas

    Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas

    2017·Dir. Stan Lathan·66 min·7.9

    Comedy icon Dave Chappelle makes his triumphant return to the screen with a pair of blistering, fresh stand-up specials. Filmed at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, in April 2015.

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  33. 33.
    Icarus

    Icarus

    2017·Dir. Bryan Fogel·121 min·7.9

    While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

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  34. 34.
    Oasis

    Oasis

    2017·Dir. Kevin Macdonald·60 min·7.9

    A Scottish chaplain embarks on an epic journey through space. Based on Michel Faber's 'The Book Of Strange New Things'.

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  35. 35.
    Wonder

    Wonder

    2017·Dir. Stephen Chbosky·113 min·7.9

    The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

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  36. 36.
    Arjun Reddy

    Arjun Reddy

    2017·Dir. Sandeep Reddy Vanga·187 min·7.9

    A brilliant but impulsive young surgeon spirals into self-destruction after a painful breakup, struggling to cope with love, loss, and the consequences of his own temper.

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  37. 37.
    Deadpool: No Good Deed

    Deadpool: No Good Deed

    2017·Dir. David Leitch·4 min·7.9

    Deadpool sees an opportunity to save the day, but it doesn't go entirely as planned.

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  38. 38.
    Jane

    Jane

    2017·Dir. Brett Morgen·90 min·7.8

    Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.

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  39. 39.
    Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation

    Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation

    2017·Dir. Stan Lathan·49 min·7.8

    Comedy juggernaut Dave Chappelle's fourth Netflix Special, taped on November 20th, 2017 at Los Angeles' Comedy Store.

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  40. 40.
    AlphaGo

    AlphaGo

    2017·Dir. Greg Kohs·90 min·7.8

    The ancient Chinese game of Go has long been considered a grand challenge for artificial intelligence. Yet in 2016, Google's DeepMind team announced that they would be taking on Lee Sedol, the world's most elite Go champion. AlphaGo chronicles the team as it prepares to test the limits of its rapidly-evolving AI technology. The film pits man against machine, and reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does the future of AI.

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— End of Chapter —