From the underdog action thriller to the classic gangster film, we explore which movies have won the Academy Award for Best Picture and why they stand the test of time.

A career win for Paul Thomas Anderson is going to age like milk. For some of us, it already has. The hype machine behind One Battle After Another promised a generational event film from an arthouse god, with no less than Steven Spielberg comparing it to Dr.

Strangelove and saying he watched it three times before its release. Critics tripped all over themselves trying to out-hyperbole each other. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

The Most Underrated Best Picture Winner: One Battle After Another

On top of being a riveting and messy study of a fascinating lead character, The French Connection still holds up as a landmark of action filmmaking , from realistically brutal shootouts with disturbing collateral damage to what might be the most famous car chase in film history.

This is one of the most exciting movies ever made , still.

Anyone who's followed the Academy Awards for an extended period of time can tell you the A.M.P.A.S. has a long-standing bias against genre films , even though these are, largely, at their best, the kinds of movies that truly stand the test of time.

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Some of the most infamous and lamented Oscars snubs and sleights over the past near-century are along these lines: Star Wars losing Best Picture to Annie Hall , Mad Max: Fury Road losing to Spotlight ... The Matrix and The Dark Knight not even receiving nominations in top categories.

Every Action Thriller Details and Timeline

This genre bias, however, has proven malleable and is far from an absolute. Combining the twists and suspense of a thriller with the explosiveness of a pure action blockbuster, the action thriller is hardly the type of film that comes to mind when you hear "Best Picture," but movies from this audience-favorite, time-proven and durable subgenre have won top honors on the biggest night of the movies.

The following ranks all four action thrillers that won the Academy Award for Best Picture, from worst to best.

This career win for Paul Thomas Anderson is going to age like milk. For some of us, it already has. The hype machine behind One Battle After Another promised a generational event film from an arthouse god, with no less than Steven Spielberg comparing it to Dr.

Strangelove and saying he watched it three times before its release. Critics tripped all over themselves trying to out-hyperbole each other. If you can think of a cliché, it was stated in the lead-up to the picture's fall 2025 release.

One Battle After Another landed with a whimper with many audiences and on purely financial terms, but it rode the buzz and reviews all the way to a semi-sweep at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony.