The 2000s were a formative decade for movies, but there are some true masterpieces of the era that have been overlooked for too long. Starting off the new millennium, 2000s movies took audiences to some bold, thrilling, and unexpected places across all genres. It also saw the rise of some key franchises, like the Harry Potter movies and the MCU.

Looking back on the decade, there are those movies that have defined the 2000s that everyone will remember. Of course, there are also those 2000s movies that have aged poorly already. However, where we should be looking is to those movies that didn’t get much attention at the time but are quietly some of the best of the 2000s.

10

The Lookout (2007)

Directed By Scott Frank

Heist movies of the 2000s saw acclaimed filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh and Spike Lee step into the genre and deliver slick entries like Ocean’s Eleven and Inside Man. The Lookout was a much smaller movie that went for a grittier, character-driven take. Writer Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty) makes his impressive directorial debut with this throwback thriller.

Gordon-Levitt makes for a heartbreaking protagonist, looking for acceptance after losing his future filled with potential.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a young man whose life is changed by an accident. Given a chance to escape his bleak life, he is roped into a criminal gang planning to rob the bank where he works as a janitor.

Gordon-Levitt makes for a heartbreaking protagonist, looking for acceptance after losing his future filled with potential. The movie is a slow-burn crime story that makes its characters layered instead of resorting to the clichés of the genre.

9

Once (2006)

Directed By John Carney

The low-budget Once provided the 2000s with one of its best romance stories as well as one of the best musicals. Real-life musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová star as two strangers who happen to meet and collaborate on music together. As they use their music and bond to get over their respective heartbreaks, they find themselves falling in love.

The music in Once is the big thing that people paid attention to, with the beautiful song “Falling Slowly” even winning an Oscar. The natural approach to the musical, actually watching two people create these songs together, is unique and elevated by the fact that the songs are excellent.

However, Once isn’t given enough credit as a romance movie. Despite not being professional actors, Hansard and Irglová have wonderful chemistry and make this relationship feel real. It is a romance movie with a bittersweet ending, but it doesn’t take away from its beauty.

8

Mysterious Skin (2005)

Directed By Gregg Araki

After finding fame on 3rd Rock from the Sun and teen movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, the 2000s proved to be a decade of change for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He started to step away from those light teen roles and take on more challenging projects, with Mysterious Skin being one that deserves more attention.

The movie follows Gordon-Levitt as Neil, a young man who experiences traumatic abuse as a child and has dealt with the suppressed feelings by becoming a Sєx worker. Gordon-Levitt is outstanding in the lead role, with a raw and powerful performance that shapes the movie.

Mysterious Skin co-star Brady Corbet went on to direct the Oscar-winning movie The Brutalist.

Of course, it is a movie with some heavy subject matter that many viewers will not be comfortable experiencing. However, Mysterious Skin is a thought-provoking and honest look at the long-term effects of such trauma.

7

Sєxy Beast (2000)

Directed By Jonathan Glazer

The 2000s saw an increase in British crime movies reaching a wider audience. In the same year that Guy Ritchie earned acclaim and fame with Snatch, an even better British gangster movie arrived with Sєxy Beast. It is a reminder that crime movies do not have to be filled with shootouts and mob hits to be intense.

Kingsley’s performance is the highlight of the movie, making for one of the most underrated movie villains of all time.

Ray Winstone stars as Gal, a retired criminal who lives in Greece. His peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of his old ᴀssociate, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley). The movie is a simmering pot of tension as Logan makes for the world’s worst house guest. He is a violent, raging, and unpredictable man who doesn’t take “no” lightly.

Kingsley’s performance is the highlight of the movie, making for one of the most underrated movie villains of all time. However, the entire movie is a terrific subversion of the genre, with Winstone’s reserved performance showing a human side to a gangster.

6

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Directed By Mark Dindal

By the time the 2000s arrived, the Disney Renaissance had ended, and the iconic animation studio was set on a path of rediscovery. This resulted in a number of disappointing movies, like Dinosaur and Treasure Planet. However, one animated comedy from this decade gets overlooked, despite being worthy of being called a Disney classic.

The Emperor’s New Groove is a hilarious adventure that follows a spoiled prince who is accidentally turned into a llama. It is a classic tale of finding humility and learning to use your position of power for good. Of course, it is also one of the funniest Disney movies ever.

David Spade gives a terrific lead performance and has great chemistry with John Goodman, selling the buddy story at the movie’s center. However, it is Patrick Warburton’s Kronk who steals the show and provides the movie with its biggest laughs.

5

Gosford Park (2001)

Directed By Robert Altman

Knives Out has made the murder mystery genre more popular than ever, but there is one brilliant murder mystery from 2001 that is somehow overlooked by fans of these movies. In Gosford Park, Robert Altman tells a period story set on a wealthy estate in England in the 1930s, as a group of wealthy guests gather for a weekend party.

When one of the wealthy figures is killed, the movie begins to explore the many suspects within the household. However, this is all just a setup for the movie to explore the dynamic between the wealthy and enтιтled partygoers and their ever-present staff.

Maggie Smith played a very similar character in both Gosford Park and Downton Abbey.

Gosford Park was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, but has been forgotten over the years. It even served to inspire Downton Abbey before the show eclipsed it with great success. However, the mix of brilliant characters and an intriguing mystery makes Gosford Park a must-watch.

4

The Host (2006)

Directed By Bong Joon-ho

Bong Joon-ho emerged as one of the most exciting new filmmaking voices in the 2000s. His brilliant true-crime movie Memories of Murder has been hailed as one of the best movies of the 21st century, but it is Joon-ho’s monster movie, The Host, that remains his true masterpiece.

Joon-ho delivers the thrills that fans will be looking for, while also showing his ability to balance tones like few other storytellers.

The movie follows a dysfunctional family that comes together following an attack by a grotesque and dangerous monster. When the young daughter of the family is taken by the beast, they face their issues and faults to save her.

Similar to what Steven Spielberg delivered with Jaws, The Host elevates the monster movie genre with a complex story with a worthwhile message. Joon-ho delivers the thrills that fans will be looking for, while also showing his ability to balance tones like few other storytellers.

3

Zodiac (2007)

Directed By David Fincher

Director David Fincher gave us one of the most impactful serial killer movies with Se7en. In 2007, he went on to tackle one of the most infamous real-life serial killers with Zodiac. Spanning many years and focusing on various characters, Zodiac explores the crimes of the Zodiac Killer and the police, journalists, and amateur sleuths who hunted him.

Fincher’s meticulous approach makes for an engrossing thriller that keeps getting better with age. Though it was largely ignored when it was released, Zodiac stands alongside No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood as one of the great bleak thrillers of the 2000s.

The tone Fincher is able to achieve is also fascinating as he injects the grim real-life depictions of the crime with a sense of humor that comes from the colorful characters populating the story.

2

In Bruges (2008)

Directed By Martin McDonagh

Martin McDonagh made a stunning feature film debut with his black comedy In Bruges. The movie offered the first pairing of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, cementing them as a cinematic duo we didn’t know we needed. The two play Irish hitmen sent to the city of Bruges to hide out after a job went wrong.

McDonagh’s distinct style of dialogue makes In Bruges incredibly entertaining for the first two-thirds as it follows these mismatched characters on their forced holiday. It is hilarious with their constant bickering, but also profound with deeper discussions.

The final act of the movie becomes a gripping thriller with the stakes raised. However, it is still hilarious, especially with Ralph Fiennes suddenly introduced as their principled yet short-tempered boss. By the time it is over, you’ll realize that, even with all the laughter, In Bruges struck a more emotional chord than it seemed.

1

Children Of Men (2007)

Directed By Alfonso Cuarón

The 2000s saw a number of big and bold sci-fi movies, like Avatar and Minority Report, but the best movie in the genre is sadly underrated. Children of Men is a dystopian movie that gives a grounded and bleak look at the future while also telling a story about the goodness of humanity in the worst of situations.

The movie is set in a future in which the human race faces extinction when they simply stop producing babies. Clive Owen stars as a mild-mannered citizen who is tasked with transporting a refugee girl to safety, only to realize that she is the first pregnant human in years.

Director Alfonso Cuarón immerses the audience into this world with some incredible long-take sequences that leave you on the edge of your seat. The world-building of the story is incredible, making it feel that the world really has fallen apart with the end of humanity on the horizon, only for this glimmer of hope to appear.