Best English Drama Movies of 1995

David Fincher · 127 min · Arnold Kopelson Productions

Taking place in a nameless city, Se7en follows the story of two homicide detectives tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt stars as Detective David Mills, a hopeful but naive rookie who finds himself partnered with veteran Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman). Together they trace the killer's every step, witnessing the aftermath of his horrific crimes one by one as the victims pile up in rapid succession, all the while moving closer to a gruesome fate neither of them could have predicted.

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.6/10 on IMDb (2,017,106 votes), 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 65/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Bryan Singer · 106 min

Following a truck hijack in New York, five criminals are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them are guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.5/10 on IMDb (1,236,455 votes), 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Michael Mann · 170 min · Warner Bros. / Regency Enterprises / Forward Pass

Hunters and their prey--Neil and his professional criminal crew hunt to score big money targets (banks, vaults, armored cars) and are, in turn, hunted by Lt. Vincent Hanna and his team of cops in the Robbery/Homicide police division. A botched job puts Hanna onto their trail while they regroup and try to put together one last big 'retirement' score. Neil and Vincent are similar in many ways, including their troubled personal lives. At a crucial moment in his life, Neil disobeys the dictum taught to him long ago by his criminal mentor--'Never have anything in your life that you can't walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner'--as he falls in love. Thus the stage is set for the suspenseful ending....

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.3/10 on IMDb (800,903 votes), 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Mel Gibson · 178 min · Icon Productions / The Ladd Company

William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.

Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.3/10 on IMDb (1,155,463 votes), 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, 68/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Martin Scorsese · 178 min · Universal Pictures{{cite web / title=AFI Catalog - Casino / url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/59846 / website=American Film Institute / access-date=29 December 2024}}{{cite web / url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/casino/ / title=Casino Reviews - Metacritic / publisher=Metacritic / access-date=7 January 2025 / Syalis D.A. / Légende Entreprises / De Fina/Cappa

This Martin Scorsese film depicts the Janus-like quality of Las Vegas--it has a glittering, glamorous face, as well as a brutal, cruel one. Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, mobsters who move to Las Vegas to make their mark, live and work in this paradoxical world. Seen through their eyes, each as a foil to the other, the details of mob involvement in the casinos of the 1970s and '80s are revealed. Ace is the smooth operator of the Tangiers casino, while Nicky is his boyhood friend and tough strongman, robbing and shaking down the locals. However, they each have a tragic flaw--Ace falls in love with a hustler, Ginger, and Nicky falls into an ever-deepening spiral of drugs and violence.

Cast: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (613,907 votes), 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Richard Linklater · 101 min · Castle Rock Entertainment / Detour Filmproduction / Filmhaus Films

American tourist Jesse and French student Celine meet by chance on the train from Budapest to Vienna. Sensing that they are developing a connection, Jesse asks Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna, and she agrees. So they pass the time before his scheduled flight the next morning together. How do two perfect strangers connect so intimately over the course of a single day? What is that special thing that bonds two people so strongly? As their bond turns to love, what will happen to them the next morning when Jesse flies away?

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert

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AI verdict: Based on aggregated scores (8.1/10 on IMDb (373,558 votes), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 79/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.