1. The Lower Depths (どん底)
Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.
It has an average vote of 7.102 on TMDB.
2. Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城)
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
It has an average vote of 7.939 on TMDB.
3. High and Low (天国と地獄)
A shoe company executive who has mortgaged everything he has becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and is conflicted over whether he should pay the ransom.
It has an average vote of 8.313 on TMDB.
4. Dersu Uzala (Дерсу Узала)
A military explorer meets and befriends a Goldi man in Russia’s unmapped forests. A deep and abiding bond evolves between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other at home in the glacial Siberian woods.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
5. Drunken Angel (酔いどれ天使)
Doctor Sanada treats gangster Matsunaga after he is wounded in a gunfight, and discovers that he is suffering from tuberculosis. Sanada tries to convince Matsunaga to stay for treatment, which would drastically change his lifestyle. They form an uneasy friendship until Matsunaga's old boss Okada returns from prison.
It has an average vote of 7.6 on TMDB.
6. The Idiot (白痴)
Kameda, who has been in an asylum on Okinawa, travels to Hokkaido. There he becomes involved with two women, Taeko and Ayako. Taeko comes to love Kameda, but is loved in turn by Akama. When Akama realizes that he will never have Taeko, his thoughts turn to murder, and great tragedy ensues.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
7. The Old Lady and the Pigeons (La vieille dame et les pigeons)
A starving gendarme, wasting away from hunger, is reduced to grabbing castoff snacks from fat American tourists. When he sees as old woman feeding pigeons, in desperation he hits on the bizarre idea of dressing up as one...
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
8. After the Rain (雨あがる)
A group of travelers is stranded in a small country inn when the river floods during heavy rains. As the bad weather continues, tensions rise amongst the trapped travelers.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
9. My Dad, the Socialist Kulak (Moj ata, socialistični kulak)
Year 1945. The second World War is over and the soldiers from the disbanded army are returning home. Yet there is still no sign of Joze Malek.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
10. His New Profession
Charlie takes care of a man in a wheelchair.
It has an average vote of 5.8 on TMDB.
11. Dangerous Liaisons (Les Liaisons dangereuses)
Juliette Merteuil and Valmont is a sophisticated couple, always looking for fun and excitement. Both have sexual affairs with others and share their experiences with one another. But there is one rule: never fall in love. But this time Valmont falls madly in love with a girl he meets at a ski resort, Marianne.
It has an average vote of 6.4 on TMDB.
12. The Misunderstanding
Some college students who study cinema take a rich girl as a hostage hoping to become actors but little by little things gets more complicated making difficult for them to distinguish the real from the unreal.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
13. Prophecies of Nostradamus (ノストラダムスの大予言)
Professor Nishiyama, after studying and interpreting the prophecies of Nostradamus, realizes that the end of the world is at hand. Unfortunately, nobody listens to him until it is too late. As the effects of mankind's tampering of the earth - radioactive smog clouds, hideously mutated animals, destruction of the ozone layer - rage out of control, the world leaders hurtle blindly toward the final confrontation. The film sparked controversy in Japan and was subsequently pulled out of circulation, with no official video release of the uncut film.
It has an average vote of 5.7 on TMDB.
14. ZVP (ZVP)
In feudal Japan, blind Swordsman Zatoichi comes to the aid of a noblewoman carrying a secret treasure, and must fight cyborg ninjas and a powerful and mysterious Samurai.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
15. Miffo (Miffo)
Tobias is the new, idealistic priest in a suburb but he soon learns that his flock is quite uninterested in Christianity. However, he befriends Carolina, a chain smoking woman his age, wheelchair-bound since birth. It is opposites attract although their backgrounds are different.
It has an average vote of 4.9 on TMDB.
16. Ten (Тень)
The good-natured scholar Christian-Theodore arrives in a small country where miracles occur. He falls in love with the beautiful Princess, whose marriage is a matter of national importance, because her husband will become the new king. But unlike many “suitors”, selfish thoughts are alien to Christian-Theodore. He is sincerely fascinated by her beauty and releases his Shadow, hoping to get a faithful helper in his quest to marry the Princess. But the Shadow is the embodiment of egoism, greed and meanness. Quickly betraying the scholar, he marries the Princess himself and takes the royal throne.
It has an average vote of 6.2 on TMDB.
17. The Exiles
The story of one night in the lives of a group of young Native American men and women who have left their reservations and are now living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles.
It has an average vote of 6.181 on TMDB.
18. The Demons of St. Petersburg (I Demoni di San Pietroburgo)
St. Petersburg, 1860. A member of the imperial family is assassinated. A few days later, the writer Fëdor Michajlovic Dostoevskij meets with Gusiev, a young man committed to a psychiatric hospital. Gusiev confesses that he took part in the terrorist plot and reveals that his fellow conspirators are planning to kill another of the Tsar’s relatives. The young man also gives Dostoevsky the address of Alexandra, their leader. The writer must find her and convince her to call off the new assassination attempt.
It has an average vote of 5.8 on TMDB.
19. Raggedy Man
Nita, a divorced mother of two boys, is stuck working as a telephone operator in a small Texas town in World War II. Her friendship with a sailor on leave causes tongues to wag in town.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
20. Ran (乱)
With Ran, legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in scope, the film is Kurosawa's late-life masterpiece, a profound examination of the folly of war and the crumbling of one family under the weight of betrayal, greed, and the insatiable thirst for power.
It has an average vote of 8.075 on TMDB.
