Best Non-English Movies Ever Made
by monith234 | created - 13 Feb 2011 | updated - 25 Jul 2012 | PublicNon-Hollywood Movies carefully handpicked
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1. Amélie (2001)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance
Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta
Votes: 649,756 | Gross: $33.23M
2. The Tunnel (2001)
150 min | Drama, History, Thriller
Based on a true story a group of East Berliners escaping to the West. Harry Melchior was a champion East German swimmer at odds with the system under which he has already been imprisoned. ... See full summary »
Director: Roland Suso Richter | Stars: Heino Ferch, Nicolette Krebitz, Sebastian Koch, Alexandra Maria Lara
Votes: 5,761 | Gross: $0.01M
3. The Counterfeiters (2007)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, War
The story of the Operation Bernhard, the largest counterfeiting operation in history, carried out by Germany during WWII.
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky | Stars: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach
Votes: 40,920 | Gross: $5.48M
4. Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The true story about one of the most brilliant saboteurs during World War II and his battle to overcome his inner demons.
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg | Stars: Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken
Votes: 24,855
5. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ohmori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 48,518 | Gross: $0.02M
6. Lady Vengeance (2005)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Director: Chan-wook Park | Stars: Yeong-ae Lee, Min-sik Choi, Shi-hoo Kim, Yea-young Kwon
Votes: 64,293 | Gross: $0.21M
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
R | 129 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' friend's daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant.
Director: Chan-wook Park | Stars: Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin, Doona Bae, Ji-Eun Lim
Votes: 55,946 | Gross: $0.05M
8. Nine Queens (2000)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps (the "nine queens").
Director: Fabián Bielinsky | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, María Mercedes Villagra
Votes: 45,700 | Gross: $1.22M
9. Memories of Murder (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In a small Korean province in 1986, three detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.
Director: Joon-ho Bong | Stars: Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim, Jae-ho Song
Votes: 100,028 | Gross: $0.01M
10. Europa Europa (1990)
R | 112 min | Drama, History, War
A boy in Nazi Germany, trying to conceal that he is Jewish, joins the Hitler Youth.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Solomon Perel, Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider, André Wilms
Votes: 13,582 | Gross: $5.58M
11. The Chaser (2008)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
Director: Hong-jin Na | Stars: Yoon-Seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo, Yoo-Jeong Kim
Votes: 49,401
12. Le Dîner de Cons (1998)
PG-13 | 80 min | Comedy
A rich publisher meets a stupid but very kind person. Publisher planned to laugh at him, but it so happened that this person was the only one who stay with him when publisher's life began to crumble.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Francis Huster, Daniel Prévost
Votes: 34,392 | Gross: $4.07M
13. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
Not Rated | 120 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.
Director: Marc Rothemund | Stars: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf
Votes: 24,951 | Gross: $0.68M
14. The Closet (2001)
R | 84 min | Comedy
A man spreads the rumor of his fake homosexuality with the aid of his neighbor, to prevent his imminent firing at his work.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Michèle Laroque
Votes: 15,638 | Gross: $6.67M
15. The Experiment (2001)
R | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel | Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Möhring
Votes: 86,977 | Gross: $0.14M
16. Downfall (2004)
R | 156 min | Biography, Drama, History
Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel | Stars: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler
Votes: 304,301 | Gross: $5.51M
17. The Crimson Rivers (2000)
R | 106 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A murder detective must follow the footsteps of a brutal killer within the secrets of a classist college.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda
Votes: 54,233 | Gross: $0.63M
18. Z (1969)
M/PG | 127 min | Crime, Drama, History
Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.
Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, François Périer
Votes: 21,241 | Gross: $0.08M
19. High and Low (1963)
Not Rated | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 23,629
20. Le Samouraï (1967)
GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier
Votes: 39,075 | Gross: $0.04M
21. La Cérémonie (1995)
Not Rated | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A newly hired maid for a rich countryside family befriends a post-office clerk who encourages her to rebel against her employers.
Director: Claude Chabrol | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Bonnaire, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel
Votes: 8,770 | Gross: $0.08M
22. Black Book (2006)
R | 145 min | Drama, Thriller, War
In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn
Votes: 68,309 | Gross: $4.40M
23. Three Colors: Red (1994)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A model discovers her neighbor is keen on invading people's privacy.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder, Jean-Pierre Lorit
Votes: 79,862 | Gross: $4.04M
24. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
R | 98 min | Drama, Music, Mystery
A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Benoît Régent
Votes: 77,914 | Gross: $1.32M
25. Three Colors: White (1994)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After his wife divorces him, a Polish immigrant plots to get even with her.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr
Votes: 55,509 | Gross: $1.46M
26. Ruby & Quentin (2003)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy, Crime
One prisoner tell to another that he hid a very large amount of money before the arrest. Together they manage to escape, but this is where their adventures are just beginning.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jean Reno, Richard Berry, André Dussollier
Votes: 25,023
27. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Adventure, History
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 165,681 | Gross: $53.71M
28. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang
Votes: 239,633 | Gross: $128.08M
29. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Dandan Song
Votes: 102,112 | Gross: $11.05M
31. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 570,726 | Gross: $37.63M
32. City of God (2002)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen
Votes: 642,369 | Gross: $7.56M
33. Che: Part Two (2008)
Not Rated | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1967, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara leads a small partisan army to fight an ill-fated revolutionary guerrilla war in Bolivia, South America.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Demián Bichir, Rodrigo Santoro, Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno
Votes: 30,529
34. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
R | 126 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The dramatization of a motorcycle road trip Che Guevara went on in his youth that showed him his life's calling.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo De la Serna, Mía Maestro, Mercedes Morán
Votes: 91,525 | Gross: $16.76M
35. Elite Squad (2007)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
1997, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his occupation while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope comes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 92,288 | Gross: $0.01M
36. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a prison riot, former-Captain Nascimento, now a high ranking security officer in Rio de Janeiro, is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 74,963 | Gross: $0.10M
37. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 58,350
38. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 37,170 | Gross: $0.33M
39. Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)
R | 92 min | Drama, Horror
As their curse spreads on all around, the ghosts find their chance to live once again through the pregnancy of a cursed woman.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 7,855
40. [Rec] (2007)
R | 78 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.
Directors: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza | Stars: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso
Votes: 152,987
41. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Drama
Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't proceed by his boss's orders.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Byung-Hun Lee, Min-a Shin, Yeong-cheol Kim, Jung-min Hwang
Votes: 31,616
42. No Man's Land (I) (2001)
R | 98 min | Drama, War
Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1993 at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides. Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict, Nino and Ciki, become trapped in no man's land, whilst a third soldier becomes a living booby trap.
Director: Danis Tanovic | Stars: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis
Votes: 41,986 | Gross: $1.06M
43. Das Boot (1981)
R | 149 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth and sheer terror.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
Votes: 208,830 | Gross: $11.49M
44. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
G | 144 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1941, following months of economic embargo, Japan prepares to open its war against the United States with a preventive strike on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.
Directors: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda | Stars: Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotten
Votes: 29,148 | Gross: $29.55M
45. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
R | 141 min | Drama, History, War
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase
Votes: 146,203 | Gross: $13.76M
46. Days of Glory (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
During WWII, four North African men enlist in the French army to liberate that country from Nazi oppression, and to fight French discrimination.
Director: Rachid Bouchareb | Stars: Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Jamel Debbouze
Votes: 13,298 | Gross: $0.32M
47. One Missed Call (2003)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ko Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Votes: 15,765
48. Shutter (II) (2004)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
Votes: 37,321
49. Thirst (2009)
R | 135 min | Drama, Horror, Romance