Drama
JFK
(1991)
Oliver Stone (screenplay), Zachary Sklar (screenplay), Jim Garrison (book), Jim Marrs (book)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 43 nominations.
On November 22, 1963, president John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald is arrested for the crime and subsequently shot by Jack Ruby, supposedly avenging the president's death. An investigation concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby acted alone in their respective crimes, but Louisiana district attorney Jim Garrison is skeptical. Assembling a trusted group of people, Garrison conducts his own investigation, bringing about backlash from powerful government and political figures.
John Q
(2002)
James Kearns
2 wins & 8 nominations.
John Quincy Archibald's son Michael collapses while playing baseball as a result of heart failure. John rushes Michael to a hospital emergency room where he is informed that Michael's only hope is a transplant. Unfortunately, John's insurance won't cover his son's transplant. Out of options, John Q. takes the emergency room staff and patients hostage until hospital doctors agree to do the transplant.
Joker
(2019)
Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Bob Kane (based on characters created by), Bill Finger (based on characters created by), Jerry Robinson (based on characters created by)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 109 wins & 222 nominations.
In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.
Kagemusha
(1980)
Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 3 nominations.
When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.
Kalifornia
(1993)
Stephen Levy (story), Tim Metcalfe (story), Tim Metcalfe (screenplay)
4 wins & 4 nominations.
Brian Kessler, a journalist researching serial killers, and his photographer girlfriend Carrie set out on a cross-country tour of the sites of the killings. Sharing the ride and their expenses are Early Grayce, a paroled white trash criminal, and his girlfriend Adele. As the trip progresses, Early begins to appear more and more unstable, and Brian and Carrie begin to fear that they may have a real-life killer in the back seat of their car.
Kes
(1969)
Barry Hines (book), Barry Hines (adaptation), Ken Loach (adaptation), Tony Garnett (adaptation)
Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.
A young, English working-class boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet falcon.
Kill the Messenger
(2014)
Peter Landesman, Gary Webb (book), Nick Schou (book)
2 wins & 4 nominations.
Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb. The film takes place in the mid-1990s, when Webb uncovered the CIA's past role in importing huge amounts of cocaine into the U.S. that was aggressively sold in ghettos across the country to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras' rebel army. Despite enormous pressure not to, Webb chose to pursue the story and went public with his evidence, publishing the series "Dark Alliance". As a result he experienced a vicious smear campaign fueled by the CIA. At that point Webb found himself defending his integrity, his family, and his life.
Killing Zoe
(1993)
Roger Avary
2 wins & 1 nomination.
Zed has only just arrived in the beautiful Paris and already he's up to no good. Having just slept with a call girl, he spends a night on the town with his dangerous friends. They all decide to rob a bank the following day. There's only one problem: Zed's call-girl, Zoe, just happens to work at the bank which is to be robbed!
King Arthur
(2004)
David Franzoni
4 wins & 8 nominations
In 400 AD, the Roman Empire extends to Britain and the Romans become impressed with the fight skills of the warrior Sarmatian people, which are spared, but have to send their sons to serve Rome in the cavalry for fifteen years. Only after these services, these knights are free to return home. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have their last mission before achieving their freedom.
Kingdom of Heaven
(2005)
William Monahan
4 wins & 13 nominations.
It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment--between the Second and Third Crusades--a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin. But Baldwin's days are numbered, and strains of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter the truce. King Baldwin's vision of peace--a kingdom of heaven--is shared by a handful of knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives and honor. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. Balian takes the sword and steps into history.
L.A. Confidential
(1997)
James Ellroy (novel), Brian Helgeland (screenplay), Curtis Hanson (screenplay)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 81 wins & 77 nominations.
As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
La Haine
(1995)
Mathieu Kassovitz
8 wins & 13 nominations.
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Lakeview Terrace
(2008)
David Loughery (screenplay), Howard Korder (screenplay), David Loughery (story)
1 nomination.
A LAPD officer will stop at nothing to force out the interracial couple who just moved in next door.
Last Man Standing
(1996)
Ryûzô Kikushima (story), Akira Kurosawa (story), Walter Hill (screenplay)
N/A
A drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town.
Law Abiding Citizen
(2009)
Kurt Wimmer
2 wins & 5 nominations.
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.
Lawless
(2012)
Nick Cave (screenplay), Matt Bondurant (novel)
1 win & 8 nominations.
In 1931, in Franklin County, Virginia, Forrest Bondurant is a legend as immortal after surviving the war. Together with his brothers Howard and the coward Jack, the Bondurant family has a distillery and bootlegging business. When the corrupt District Attorney Mason Wardell arrives in Franklin with the unscrupulous Special Deputy Charles Rakes, the Bondurant family refuses to pay the required bribe to the authorities. Rakes pursues the brothers and unsuccessfully tries to find their distillery. Meanwhile Forrest hires the waitress Maggie, a woman with a hidden past in Chicago, and they fall in love with each other. Jack courts the preacher's daughter Bertha Minnix and deals a great load of alcoholic liquor with the powerful gangster Floyd Banner. Jack shows off in Franklin attracting the attention of Rakes that finds the location of their distillery. When he kills the crippled Cricket Pete, the locals join forces to face the corrupt authorities.
Layer Cake
(2004)
J.J. Connolly (screenplay), J.J. Connolly (novel)
2 wins & 9 nominations.
A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.
Legend
(2015)
Brian Helgeland, John Pearson (book)
5 wins & 10 nominations.
The true story of London's most notorious gangsters, twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray. As the brothers rise through the criminal underworld, Ronnie advances the family business with violence and intimidation while Reggie struggles to go legitimate for local girl Frances Shea. In and out of prison, Ronnie's unpredictable tendencies and the slow disintegration of Reggie's marriage threaten to bring the brothers' empire tumbling to the ground.
Leon: The Professional
(1994)
Luc Besson
3 wins & 8 nominations.
Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Let Me In
(2010)
Matt Reeves (screenplay), John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay), John Ajvide Lindqvist (novel)
14 wins & 28 nominations.
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.