2. Gladiator (2000)
Universal PicturesThe historical epic was one of the most popular genres in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s, but in the intervening decades interest cooled significantly. All of that changed in 2000 with the success of Ridley Scott's Gladiator, which would go on to earn over $450m at the box office and win five Academy Awards from twelve nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, and spawn a slew of imitators. While it isn't the director's greatest movie by any means, Gladiator is still up there with his best work. While the simple revenge-fueled narrative doesn't offer much in the way of complexity and plenty of the dialogue is a bit on the clunky side, the sheer spectacle on display makes up for it. From the thrilling opening battle to the intense clashes in the amphitheater, Gladiator delivers stylish and kinetic action backed by spectacular visuals, along with two great performances from Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.