To honor some of the most intelligent and clever movies that left us impressed and engaged, we have compiled a list of movies that stayed with us long after they were released.
The Most Intelligent & Clever Movies List
1. Inception
A skilled thief steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology. He gets a chance at redemption when he is offered a seemingly impossible task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O. But his tragic past may doom the project and lead his team to disaster. We bet the spinning top at the end of the film will leave your head spinning as well.
2. Jai Bhim
One of the finest movies, Jai Bhim touches on the social issues related to caste-based atrocities, corruption, and power abuse – in the most captivating way!
3. American Psycho
This satirical horror masterpiece is about an investment banker who turns into a serial killer. The movie is about a wealthy investment banker, who hides his psychopathic ego. But, as the movie progresses, he submits to his illogical fantasies of uncontrollable bloodlust.
4. Kahaani
A pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in Kolkata. A killer on the loose. A thrill like never before. But all is not as it seems.
5. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
This is a smart and imaginative movie. But you’ve to watch it with full attention – else you might be completely confused by what’s happening on screen. The movie captures the feeling of love and loss perfectly. After forgetting they’ve been together before, Joel and Clementine get into a relationship and the magic begins.
6. Being Cyrus
One of the most unique movies, this 2005 psychological drama is about a twisted murderer and we bet you will love it!
7. The Ship of Theseus
Ship of Theseus is definitely one of the most significant movies created by Indian cinema. This movie attempts the psychological exploration of the famous ‘Ship of Theseus paradox’. The movie brings a photographer, a monk and a young stockbroker together by something unexpected as they explore the meaning of life and death.
8. Momento
This movie is the original Gajini, which revolves around an insurance investigator who uses notes and tattoos to find the man he believes is behind the murder of his wife.
9. A Wednesday
A retired police commissioner recounts the tale of a bomb scare investigation that was planned by a ‘common man’. The crisp storyline is what keeps you hooked till the very last second of the movie.
10. The Prestige
Another Christopher Nolan movie is about two rival magicians, played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Though the movie plot may sound very simple, it is full of sci-fi touches that drive this fantastic tale of obsession and revenge.
11. Black Friday
This amazing movie, by Anurag Kashyap, is based on the investigations following the 1993 serial bomb blasts. With brilliant performances and direction, this movie is a must-watch.
12. The Skin I Live In
This is probably the most terrifying film ever made. Death, betrayal, rape, murder, lies, mystery – you name it, the movie has it. It’s a very dark thriller drama that explores the lengths people will go through in order to sustain love. this film follows the story of a plastic surgeon who designs a skin that can survive burns and tests it on a woman, who is held prisoner against her will in the doctor’s mansion.
13. Drishyam
Though there are various versions of the movie, it basically revolves around a father who will do anything to protect his daughter from a cop and her son.
14. Fight Club
Everything about Fight Club is simply amazing. The acting, the direction, and the story are simply superb. As the movie relies heavily on twists, knowing them will detract you from the experience significantly.
15. Ankhon Dekhi
Don’t believe what you haven’t seen it with your eyes. But what if you apply this to everything around you? Sanjay Mishra has given us a gem with his acting in this critically acclaimed film.
16. Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction was released in 1994 and gained cult status. An American black comedy crime movie, the movie traverses the underworld and stitches a series of incidents from the lives of two Los Angeles mobsters, a gangster’s wife, a boxer and two small-time criminals.
17. Andhadhun
This dark comedy is an unconventional movie. Ayushmann entertains us in the role of a piano player pretending to be visually impaired. But things go wild when he witnesses a murder which he couldn’t have seen!
18. Dune
Dune is set over 8,000 years in the future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control celestial estates and tells the story of young Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto, ruler of House Atreides. The movie won 6 Oscars for its excellence in different aspects of film-making
19. Haider
Haider, set in Kashmir, is a beautiful adaptation of Hamlet. Haider, a young man, returns to Jammu and Kashmir when the state is hit by a violent insurgency. He seeks closure regarding his father’s disappearance, but the state’s politics overpower him.
20. Black Swan
This psychological thriller film revolves around a ballerina, who finds herself slipping into madness when she finds out that the role she has been waiting for may never come to her.
21. Rang De Basanti
A very inspiring movie that is a modern-day take on what freedom and nationalism mean to the young generation of India.
22. The Lobster
The movie is set in a dystopian society, where single people are given 45 days to find another partner. And, in case they fail, they will be turned into animals.
23. Gone Girl
After his wife disappears, a young man is blamed for it. But no one is innocent, including the wife herself.
24. Life Of Pi
A young boy, who is in the company of a hyena and a male Bengal tiger, must find ways to survive on a lifeboat in the middle of nowhere.
25. Girl On The Train
While on a train, a young woman watches a couple every day from the window. But one day she witnesses something disturbing. Has her imagination gone wild or did a crime actually take place?
26. Trapped
Showing the struggles, fears, and helplessness of a man stuck in a house without food and water, this movie is haunting.
27. Ex Machina
This amazing movie is about a programmer, who has been chosen to assess an AI, but what he doesn’t know is that the AI is testing him as well. A terrifying tale of what could go wrong in an AI-driven world!
28. Tenet
Nolan’s movies are not easy to understand. But Tenet might just be the most difficult one. While it seems like a movie where the protagonist is trying to prevent the end of the world, with all-time travelling and reversing, the movie is anything but simple.
29. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan’s films are all really smart. However, Interstellar is probably the film that requires the most from viewers. All the talk about space, scientific theories and philosophies about time, require more than just your average mind. Many, who have seen this film don’t truly understand it. The story revolves around Professor Brand, a brilliant NASA physicist, who is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth’s population to a new home via a wormhole.
30. Shutter Island
The same year Inception was released, DiCaprio starred in another movie with an ending that had everyone talking. This atmospheric film finds Teddy (played by DiCaprio) trying to solve a mystery at an isolated asylum during a terrible storm. As the storm intensifies and the people who run the asylum become more and more reluctant to answer questions, Teddy begins to realize he may be in danger.
Are you ready for binge-watching these movies?
*All images are the screengrabs from the respective movies
