The2000swas a great era for movies. Theaters were bustling with excited moviegoers, eager to check out the latest entry in theLord of the Ringsfranchise or to bust their gut laughing at the new Will Ferrell vehicle. Whether you like fantasy or comedy movies, it’s easy to understand why the period from 2000 to 2010 produced so many re-watchable, award-winning movies. Many of today’s best actors, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Renner, and Christoph Waltz broke through in the 2000s, and their hit films were nominated for various Academy Awards.
It was also a great time for filmmakers to explore different genres and subjects in their work. The turn of the millennium helped new ideas to flourish, and some of the best movies of the 2000s dealt with some heavy topics. Some of the darkest movies of the 2000s are also the best of that era, and these are the ones that were nominated for Oscars in miscellaneous categories.
Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 movieTrafficcan be difficult to watch. It focuses on the ongoing drug trade in America and the various departments that attempt to fight it. Traffic follows a few different storylines that come together in the end. Michael Douglas plays an Ohio judge who is tasked with leading the war on drugs but doesn’t realize that his own daughter (played by Erika Christensen) is a heroin addict. Meanwhile, Benicio Del Toro plays Mexican police officer Javier Rodriguez who is fighting against the drug cartels with his partner.
Trafficwon four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Del Toro. That’s not surprising, considering it’s one of hisbest performances.Trafficis a dark movie that deals with heavy subjects. Its look and feel match the mood of the movie, with the cinematography using different colors and hues to follow the different storylines.
19Requiem for a Dream
Similar toTraffic, 2000’sRequiem for a Dreamfeatures multiple storylines that eventually come together. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the movie centers on Harry, a drug addict and heroin dealer who is looking to score a big stash to sell. When the deal goes awry, Harry is forced to spend most of his savings to bail out his friend from jail. With no drugs to sell and few prospects, he pressures his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connolly) to get into the sex trade.
In a parallel storyline, Harry’s mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) is a loner who hallucinates and watches game shows all day. She imagines herself on the show, winning a big prize, and getting out of poverty with Harry. She accidentally increases her medications and begins to hallucinate more and more. The end of Requiem for a Dream is grotesque, bringing a fitting end to a very dark andintense movie. Burstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her outstanding performance.
Christopher Nolan’s 2001 neo-noir filmMementois a masterful piece of art that’s told uniquely. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man who suffers from short-term memory loss. He wakes up and realizes that he needs to find the man who killed his wife, but he has trouble piecing together his memories. Since Leonard cannot remember what happened 15 minutes ago, the movie is told backward, in conjunction with how Leonard’s memory works.
Mementolaunched Nolan’s career and earned a massive cult following in the process. The film took in $40 million ($64.3 million) at the box office despite being shot on a measly $9 million ($14.5 million today) budget. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.Mementois full of dark moments that keep the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end.
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17Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Driveis a murder mystery directed by one of the darkest filmmakers out there, David Lynch. Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) is an enthusiastic, fresh actress who arrives in Los Angeles to start her film career. She quickly becomes friends with a woman named Rita (Laura Herring) who is an amnesiac recovering from a bad car accident. Betty soon realizes that Rita may not be who she says she is, and her real identity makes her more dangerous than she originally leads on.
The movie is told in a dark, noir style that mimics the mystery movies of the late 1940s and 1950s. The film helped to make Watts a household name, and Lynch was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards for his efforts. Many critics citeMulholland Driveas one of the best movies ever made, and it’s one of thebest unconventional fantasy movies ever.
16Monster’s Ball
The 2001 movieMonster’s Balltakes on some difficult topics, like racism, suicide, and power dynamics between men and women. Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) is a prison guard who monitors the inmates on death row. After a convicted man is murdered, Hank fights with his son, which leads to the boy’s suicide. Hank ends up falling for the prisoner’s widow, Leticia (Halle Berry) and the two share a connection over their common losses.
Hank is a gruff man but ends up being the good guy in the end, standing up to his father for his prejudice towards Leticia, and eventually naming his gas station after her. Berry was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role and the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
15Gangs of New York
Martin Scorsese’sGangs of New Yorkis a dark historical drama that’s bloody, unnerving, and full of great moments. Despite all its accolades, some critics believeGangs of New Yorkwas one of the biggest Oscar snubsin history. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Amsterdam, a young Irish immigrant who is the son of one of a leader of one of New York’s infamous street gangs. Amsterdam wants revenge on the man who killed his father, William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) aka Bill the Butcher, but he knows the only way to get close to him is to pose as his apprentice.
Gangs of New Yorkcontains incredible performances by DiCaprio, Day-Lewis, and a cast of other oddball characters. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese, and Best Actor for Day-Lewis. Despite all its accolades, some critics believeGangs of New Yorkwas one of the biggest Oscar snubs in history. The film’s depictions of violence in the 1860s makes it dark and difficult to watch, but it’s worth it if you can stomach it.
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14Hotel Rwanda
Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina in 2004’sHotel Rwanda. The film is based on true events that occurred during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Paul is a Hutu man married to a Tutsi woman and he runs a successful hotel. When tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi come to a head, Paul is forced to do whatever he can to help refugees.
Hotel Rwanda tackles tough issues, like political corruption, civil war, and ruthless violence. It can be hard to watch at times. Cheadle delivered an excellent performance and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Sophie Okonedo was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Paul’s wife Tatiana as well.
Syrianais another politically charged war drama, and it features an all-star cast that includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, and the late William Hurt. The movie blends a few storylines that have to do with controlling oil in the Middle East. Clooney plays Bob Barnes, a CIA official charged with stopping illegal arms trafficking in Tehran.
Although it’s not one ofClooney’s best movies, Syriana is worth checking out for its solid acting, intense realism, and bleak cinematography. The movie has some dark scenes, like when the viewer is led to believe Barnes has been double-crossed and is about to be beheaded. Clooney ended up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
12Mystic River
Based on the bestselling Dennis Lehane novel, 2003’sMystic Riverstars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon as a trio of friends with a dark past. As boys, they used to play street hockey and have fun outside, until one day a man disguised as a cop kidnaps and tortures one of them. The friends grow apart and develop different personalities until they are brought back together by the brutal murder of a young woman.
Penn delivers one of hisbest performancesas Jimmy, one of the three friends, who grows up to be an ex-convict who can’t seem to shake his evil ways. Bacon stars as Sean, a police detective charged with investigating the murder. Robbins plays Dave, the boy who was abused by the stranger and now struggles to control his anxiety. Like many of Lehane’s novels,Mystic Rivergrabs you by the throat and enthralls you with its dark subject matter.Mystic Riverwas nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Penn, Best Supporting Actor for Robbins, and Best Director for Clint Eastwood.
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11Million Dollar Baby
Lakeshore Entertainment
Million Dollar Babyis another great Clint Eastwood film based on a very dark topic. Hilary Swank stars as Maggie Fitzgerald, a lowly woman who wants to be a boxer. Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn, an old-school, gruff trainer who refuses to help Maggie. She insists that she has the determination to be a great fighter and finally, Frankie agrees to take her on.
Throughout the film, the two form a special bond, with Maggie winning more and more matches with Frankie’s help. He helps her score a title fight in Las Vegas with a prize of $1 million, but the fight goes awry. When Maggie is sucker punched, she lands on a stool, breaking her neck and leaving her quadriplegic. The darkest part ofMillion Dollar Babyis the end when Frankie and the doctors are faced with an impossible choice. The movie was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four.
