Best Films of 2002
by sleepingbag | created - 28 Jun 2022 | updated - 28 Jun 2022 | PublicHonorable mentions: Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, Death Factory, Funny Ha Ha, Zero Day, About Schmidt, The Good Girl, Solaris, Gerry, Red Dragon, Dahmer, Death to Smoochy, The Ring, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Personal Velocity, Hey Arnold! The Movie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Demonlover, A Midsummer Night's Rave.
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1. Irreversible (2002)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon
Votes: 147,638 | Gross: $0.75M
2. Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama
Sixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.
Director: Lukas Moodysson | Stars: Oksana Akinshina, Artyom Bogucharskiy, Pavel Ponomaryov, Lyubov Agapova
Votes: 49,386 | Gross: $0.18M
3. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Socially frustrated Barry Egan calls a phone-sex line to curb his loneliness. Little does he know it will land him in deep trouble and will jeopardize his burgeoning romance with the mysterious Lena.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Andrews
Votes: 177,416 | Gross: $17.84M
4. Open Hearts (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Romance
A Dogme film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen
Votes: 10,944 | Gross: $0.12M
5. The Son (2002)
103 min | Drama, Mystery
A joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.
Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne | Stars: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart, Nassim Hassaïni
Votes: 10,092 | Gross: $0.07M
6. All or Nothing (2002)
R | 128 min | Drama
In a poor working class London home, Penny's love for her partner, taxi driver Phil, has run dry. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, they and their local community are brought back together.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Alison Garland
Votes: 11,455 | Gross: $0.12M
7. Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)
97 min | Comedy, Romance
In Ming Dynasty China, two pairs of siblings are destined for each other. But fate throws countless obstacles in the path of their happiness. One pair is high-born: the young Emperor and ... See full summary »
Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong, Wei Zhao, Chang Chen
Votes: 2,589
8. Frida (2002)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Mía Maestro
Votes: 95,318 | Gross: $25.89M
9. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2002)
PG-13 | 92 min | Romance, Thriller
A young woman who is in love with a married doctor becomes dangerous when her attempts to persuade him to leave his wife are unsuccessful. However, when things are seen from his point of view, the real situation becomes clear.
Director: Laetitia Colombani | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Samuel Le Bihan, Isabelle Carré, Sophie Guillemin
Votes: 19,529 | Gross: $1.01M
10. 28 Days Later (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Votes: 445,630 | Gross: $45.06M
11. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
R | 129 min | Crime, 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: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona, Lim Ji-eun
Votes: 75,129 | Gross: $0.05M
12. Talk to Her (2002)
R | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar | Stars: Rosario Flores, Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling
Votes: 117,486 | Gross: $9.36M
13. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Votes: 1,095,415 | Gross: $164.62M
14. Cube²: Hypercube (2002)
R | 94 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Eight strangers awaken with no memory, in a puzzling cube-shaped room where the laws of physics do not always apply.
Director: Andrzej Sekula | Stars: Kari Matchett, Geraint Wyn Davies, Grace Lynn Kung, Matthew Ferguson
Votes: 70,390
15. The Rules of Attraction (2002)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.
Director: Roger Avary | Stars: James Van Der Beek, Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel
Votes: 53,324 | Gross: $6.53M
16. One Hour Photo (2002)
R | 96 min | Drama, Thriller
A mentally unstable photo developer targets an upper middle-class family after his obsession with them becomes more sick and disturbing than any of them could imagine.
Director: Mark Romanek | Stars: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Dylan Smith
Votes: 131,712 | Gross: $31.60M
17. Spun (2002)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A drug dealer introduces one of his customers, a 'speed freak', to the man who runs the meth lab. A crazy three-day adventure ensues.
Director: Jonas Åkerlund | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 40,740 | Gross: $0.41M
18. Secretary (2002)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.
Director: Steven Shainberg | Stars: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren
Votes: 98,581 | Gross: $4.06M
19. Japan (2002)
R | 122 min | Drama
A painter from the big city goes to a remote canyon to commit suicide. To reach some calmness, he stays at the farmstead of Ascen, an old, religious woman. Although but a few words are spoken, love grows.
Director: Carlos Reygadas | Stars: Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalena Flores, Yolanda Villa, Martín Serrano
Votes: 3,990
20. 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: 800,970 | Gross: $7.56M
21. 8 Mile (2002)
R | 110 min | Drama, Music
Follows a young rapper in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of his life; he wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 320,848 | Gross: $116.72M
22. Ben & Arthur (2002)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A pair of recently married gay men are threatened by the brother of one of the partners, a religious fanatic who plots to murder them after being ostracized by his church.
Director: Sam Mraovich | Stars: Sam Mraovich, Jamie Brett Gabel, Michael Haboush, Bill Hindley
Votes: 8,257
23. State Property (2002)
R | 88 min | Drama, Crime, Action
Beans decides that the only way to grasp the American Dream is to take it. State Property follows Beans and his crew, as they take over the city creating mayhem as their empire builds.
Director: Abdul Malik Abbott | Stars: Beanie Sigel, Omillio Sparks, Memphis Bleek, Damon Dash
Votes: 2,245 | Gross: $2.10M
24. 25th Hour (2002)
R | 135 min | Drama
Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson
Votes: 184,655 | Gross: $13.06M
25. May (2002)
R | 93 min | Drama, Horror
A socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.
Director: Lucky McKee | Stars: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, James Duval
Votes: 40,494 | Gross: $0.15M
26. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
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 Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,630 | Gross: $53.71M
27. Terror Toons (2002 Video)
R | 75 min | Horror, Comedy
In a quiet suburban neighborhood, two sisters are about to experience the dark and sinister world of Terror Toons. Candy and Cindy's parents have traveled out of town for the weekend ... See full summary »
Director: Joe Castro | Stars: Beverly Lynne, Lizzy Borden, Brandon Ellison, Kaycee
Votes: 1,218
28. In Our Garden (2002)
86 min | Comedy, Drama
60 year old widow and cystic fibrosis sufferer Daisy (Gayle Wells) hooks up with crack addicted lonely ex-cop Rick (Walt Dongo) in a trailer park romance.
Director: Giuseppe Andrews | Stars: Gayle Wells, Walt Dongo, Bill Nowlin, Walter Patterson
Votes: 52
29. Pumpkin (2002)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A sorority girl finds her life falling apart after she develops romantic feelings for a mentally-challenged man.
Directors: Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder | Stars: Christina Ricci, Hank Harris, Brenda Blethyn, Dominique Swain
Votes: 9,543 | Gross: $0.31M
30. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
PG-13 | 81 min | Action, Comedy
A rough-around-the-edges martial arts master seeks revenge for his parents' death.
Director: Steve Oedekerk | Stars: Steve Oedekerk, Fei Lung, Leo Lee, Ling-Ling Hsieh
Votes: 48,518 | Gross: $16.03M
31. Full Frontal (2002)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Romance
A day in the life of a group of men and women in Hollywood, in the hours leading up to a friend's birthday party.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Julia Roberts, David Hyde Pierce, David Duchovny, Nicky Katt
Votes: 11,307 | Gross: $2.51M
32. Insomnia (2002)
R | 118 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan
Votes: 319,101 | Gross: $67.36M
33. Sex Is Comedy (2002)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A director struggles to film a difficult, intimate sex scene between two actors who happen to hate each other.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Anne Parillaud, Grégoire Colin, Roxane Mesquida, Ashley Wanninger
Votes: 3,011 | Gross: $0.04M
34. Ken Park (2002)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama
Ken Park is about several Californian skateboarders' lives and relationships with and without their parents.
Directors: Larry Clark, Edward Lachman | Stars: Adam Chubbuck, James Bullard, Seth Gray, Eddie Daniels
Votes: 30,806
35. Infernal Affairs (2002)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.
Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang
Votes: 131,418 | Gross: $0.17M
36. In My Skin (2002)
Unrated | 93 min | Drama, Horror
A woman grows increasingly fascinated with her body after suffering a disfiguring accident.
Director: Marina de Van | Stars: Marina de Van, Laurent Lucas, Léa Drucker, Thibault de Montalembert
Votes: 5,729 | Gross: $0.03M
37. Russian Ark (2002)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov | Stars: Sergey Dreyden, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail Piotrovsky
Votes: 21,815 | Gross: $0.04M
38. Hollywood Ending (2002)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Romance
A director is forced to work with his ex-wife, who left him for the boss of the studio bankrolling his new film. But the night before the first day of shooting, he develops a case of psychosomatic blindness.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Téa Leoni, Bob Dorian, Ivan Martin
Votes: 28,138 | Gross: $4.84M
39. Love Liza (2002)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, a web designer turns to gasoline fumes and remote-control airplanes while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.
Director: Todd Louiso | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Annie Morgan, Kathy Bates, J.D. Walsh
Votes: 8,603 | Gross: $0.21M
40. The Bourne Identity (2002)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Franka Potente, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen
Votes: 576,217 | Gross: $121.66M
41. Hell's Highway (2002 Video)
R | 70 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A sexy homicidal hitchhicker, calling herself Lucinda, commits acts of gory mayhem against unsuspecting people who pick her up off the road to help her out.
Director: Jeff Leroy | Stars: Phoebe Dollar, Kiren David, Hank Horner, Beverly Lynne
Votes: 786
42. Auto Focus (2002)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The life of TV star Bob Crane and his strange friendship with electronics expert John Henry Carpenter.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Maria Bello, Rita Wilson
Votes: 14,919 | Gross: $2.06M
43. Dead or Alive: Final (2002)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The ace cop of a totalitarian police force and a drifting android play their parts in a post-apocalyptic society. They are destined to fight. Their encounter will change them forever.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô Aikawa, Maria Chen, Richard Chen, Jason Chu
Votes: 2,791
44. Igby Goes Down (2002)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama
A young man's peculiar upbringing renders him unable to competently cope with the struggle of growing up.
Director: Burr Steers | Stars: Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Claire Danes
Votes: 35,223 | Gross: $4.68M
45. Spider-Man (2002)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight injustice as a masked superhero and face a vengeful enemy.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
Votes: 879,628 | Gross: $403.71M
46. Morvern Callar (2002)
R | 97 min | Drama
After her beloved boyfriend's suicide, a mourning supermarket worker and her best friend hit the road in Scotland, but find that grief is something that you can't run away from forever.
Director: Lynne Ramsay | Stars: Samantha Morton, Kathleen McDermott, Linda McGuire, Paul Popplewell
Votes: 11,043 | Gross: $0.27M
47. Secret Things (2002)
Unrated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Nathalie teaches Sandrine that sexual transgression can cause violent pleasure and give those who use it a powerful weapon to climb the social hierarchy. They decide to get a job in a bank, a place where victims abound.
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau | Stars: Coralie Revel, Sabrina Seyvecou, Roger Miremont, Fabrice Deville
Votes: 5,397 | Gross: $0.10M
48. Adaptation. (2002)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton
Votes: 203,027 | Gross: $22.25M
49. Gangs of New York (2002)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 472,870 | Gross: $77.81M
50. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
R | 117 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.
Director: Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Steve Coogan, Lennie James, John Thomson, Paul Popplewell
Votes: 39,694 | Gross: $1.13M
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