Ranking What Was Really The Best Film Of Every Year 1990-2021

Actually won: Braveheart.

Looking back, Braveheart was probably the weakest of 1995's nominees. Vulgar and violent, the historical epic is entertaining enough, but it's as subtle as a brick thanks to Mel Gibson's cheesy directorial style and love for extravagance over substance.

Any of the other nominees could (and should) have taken it - especially Apollo 13 and Sense & Sensibility - but the Best Picture of the year was actually David Fincher's Se7en, a psychological thriller that bafflingly wasn't even nominated.

The finest of its genre since actual Best Picture winner Silence of the Lambs, Se7en's clever narrative structure and gloomy aesthetic make it enrapturing from the get-go, and one of those rare gems that actually finds a way to one-up itself at every turn. Its final act alone makes its snub all the more glaring.