1992 was a year of several significant films, including the triumphant returns of major filmmakers who released movies that are oftenconsidered their masterpiecesas well asthe debut of a directorwhose work would come to define the entire decade. Independent cinema was on the rise and Hollywood was still banging out a diverse range of blockbusters.
Comedy, horror, crime thrillers and biopics are all well represented among the most essential films of the year, and that’s not to mentionthe long-term impact some of these movies have had on popular culture. As always, any list of essential films will inspire debate, butno retrospective of 1992 could be considered completewithout including these ten movies.
10’A Few Good Men' (1992)
Directed by Rob Reiner
“you may’t handle the truth!” So saysJack Nicholsonas Col. Nathan Jessep inRob Reiner’smilitarycourtroom dramaA Few Good Men. The real truth is that many movie watchers who know this line haven’t actually seen this acclaimed film,written by Aaron Sorkinand based on his play, which features and all-star cast and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards.Tom Cruiseplays an inexperienced Navy lawyer assigned to the defense of two marines who have been court-martialed for the suspicious death of another.
The film permeated pop culturethanks to the memorable line delivered by Nicholson during the intense scene in which Cruise questions him on the stand, but the movie that surrounds it is a taut legal thriller that, even when it falls prey to the subgenre’s most basic tropes, is always compelling thanks toReiner’s expert direction of his talented castand Nicholson’s intimidating villain.
A Few Good Men
9’Wayne’s World' (1992)
Directed by Penelope Spheeris
Endlessly quotable and cleverly written,Wayne’s Worldbrought the iconicSaturday Night Livecharacters to the big screen with such success that it kicked off a succession of film adaptations based on characters from the sketch comedy series, none of which managed to live up to the high bar set byPenelope Spheeris’classic. The filmsaw the return ofMike MyersandDana Carveyas Wayne and Garth, two rock-obsessed friends whose basement-bound public access TV show gets plucked by a major network.
Spheeris was best known at the time for her music documentaries, particularly the first two installments ofThe Decline of Western Civilizationseries, which chronicled the rise of different rock music movements, but she had also worked withSNLcreatorLorne Michaelsin the early days of the program, which gave her an in to direct this music-based feature.Spheeris would clash withMyersduring production, as would co-starDana Carvey, but none of that tension made its way on screen, andWayne’s Worldrules as a racously original comedy.
Wayne’s World
8’Aladdin' (1992)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
With the Disney Renaissance officially in full swing after the massive success ofthe prior year’sBeauty and the Beast, the studio kept the hits coming with theArabian NightsadaptationAladdin. Pitched by the legendary lyricistHoward Ashman, who would pass away before the film finished production, the movie saw the return ofThe Little MermaiddirectorsJohn MuskerandRon Clements, as well as composerAlan Menken, withTim Ricetaking over for the late Ashman. The collaboration yielded yet another massive hit with an iconic soundtrack.
Being a very loose adaptation of the Middle Eastern folktale, with more than a little inspiration pulled fromThe Thief of Baghdad, the movie sees the titular character as a street rat in the city of Agrabah, whose chance encoutner with Princess Jasmine sets him on a course for adventure after he is recruited by the nefarious vizier Jafar to obtain a magical lamp from the Cave of Wonders. That lamp, of course, contains the scene-stealing Genie, played with boundless energy byRobin Williamsin one of his most essential roles. Between William’s performance, the beautiful animation and the earworm soundtrack,Aladdinkept Disney rolling right on into the 90s.
7’Bram Stoker’s Dracula' (1992)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola’sgothic camp classic adaptation ofBram Stoker’siconic novel isn’t as faithfulas the title would suggest, but that doesn’t stop it from beinga must-watch vampire movie. Every single technical department on the film, from the makeup and costuming to the set design and visual effects departments, is firing on all cylinders, deliveringthe most visually spectacular presentation of the character ever put on film.
The casting isn’t as perfect, however, withGary Oldmanleaving an indelible mark with his tortured take on the Count, butKeanu Reevesstruggles to maintain any semblance of a convincing English accent. Uneven though it may be,Coppola’s film is never dull and always entertaining, making it the last true essential film adaption of the material.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
6’Howards End' (1992)
Directed by James Ivory
Merchant Ivory Productions, the collaboration between producerIsmail Merchantand directorJames Ivory, experienced its greatest successes in the 80s and 90s, withthe film company’s name becoming synonymous with period dramas adapted from classic novels. The 1992 release ofHowards End, their third adaptation of anE.M. Forsternovel, was one of Merchant Ivory’s most critically acclaimed and it remainsthe preeminent filmed version.
With an outstanding cast,includingAnthony Hopkins,Vanessa Redgrave,Emma ThompsonandHelena Bonham Carter, the movie charts the collision of classes in turn-of-the-century England, as affairs, romances and financial burdens cause conflict among three families of varied degrees of wealth. Certainly not the kind of film that gets American viewers' blood pumping, it nonetheless isan immaculately performed and handsomely produced dramathat examines the cracks between economic statuses, which is an ever-relevant theme.
Howards End
5’The Crying Game' (1992)
Directed by Neil Jordan
Best remembered forthe shocking mid-movie plot twist, which was quickly turned into a lazy punchline by hack comedians,Neil Jordan’sThe CryingGameis far more than just its plot reveals, and offers a deep examination of race, sexuality and nationality set within a political thriller plot.
Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the film follows an IRA member, played byStephen Rea, whose involvement in the death of a British soldier, played byForrest Whitaker, brings him into contact with the soldier’s former lover. Rea’s relationship with the mercurial Dil, played byJaye Davidson, forms the heart of the film, and causes Rea’s character to question many of his loyalties. Tautly directed and well acted,The Crying Gamewas nominated for multiple Academy Awards and isone of the greatest movies of the decade.
The Crying Game
4’Reservoir Dogs'
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino’sdebut heist thrillershocked audiences with its violence when it was released, but announced him as a bold new filmmaker with a fresh voice. With its pop culture-infused dialogue and disjointed narrative, Tarantinoretold a familiar plot in an exciting new way with a post-modern perspective. Inspired by crime thrillers likeThe KillingandCity on Fire,Reservoir Dogsdetails a diamond heist gone wrong and the aftermath as those involved try to uncover which one of them is working for the cops.
The cast is all aces, with pros likeHarvey KeitelandLawrence Tierneymeshing well with up-and-comers likeSteve BuscemiandTim Roth, whileMichael Madsenis a particular stand out for his sadistic performance as the most unhinged member of the team, who takes pleasure in torturing an unfortunate police officer they’ve taken hostage, all while listening to classic rock.Reservoir Dogsestablished many of Tarantino’s trademarks that would continue throughout his directorial career, including his use of eclectic soundtracks, the aforementioned non-linear narrative, and his love ofremixing elements of the crime genre.
Reservoir Dogs
3’The Player' (1992)
Directed by Robert Altman
A major comeback for auteurRobert Altman, andone of his best films,The Playersatirizes Hollywood with a lethal efficiency as it wraps its mystery plotline around the life of its titular character, a studio executive who begins receiving death threats. Featuring a seemingly never-ending list ofcameos from Hollywood figures and Oscar-winners, Altman’s movie blurs the lines of meta humor without ever being overwhelmed by its cynical impulses.
In what Altman described as a mild satire,The Playertoys with studio conventions and self-gratifying filmmaking from the very start, withan opening long shot tracking across a studio backlot that calls attention to itselfin the dialogue. Altman was forever a maverick filmmaker whose movies often defied easy classification andThe Playeris no exception as a thriller that follows no set formula and plays by its own rules.
The Player
2’Malcolm X' (1992)
Directed by Spike Lee
Spike Lee’sessential biopicMalcolm Xis as political and incendiary a film as any the filmmaker has ever made. Featuring an Oscar-nominated performance byDenzel Washingtonin the lead role, the epic-sized movie charts large portions of the controversial activist’s life, including his childhood, incarceration, his conversion to Islam and much more. It’s a wide-ranging biopic, but more than just rote dramatization, Lee infuses the film with relevance by including public figures likeAl SharptonandNelson Mandela.
The film doesn’t shy away from the nuances of its subject either, letting the man’s inconsistencies and changing attitudes add dimension to the story, instead of trying to sugarcoat or dilute events.Washington is commanding in the lead, andshould rightly have won the Oscar that year, had the Academy not repeated their trend of giving a legacy award recognizing a body of work rather than an individual performance toAl PacinoforScent of a Woman. Even so, the legacy ofMalcolm Xhas endured as a masterpiece from a master filmmaker.
1’Unforgiven' (1992)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Unforgivenis as fine, and final, a statement that any filmmaker has ever made on a genre that has defined their career.Clint Eastwood’scareer is filled with must-watch Westerns, and by the time he had gotten to the 90s, it felt as though there wasn’t more for the actor-director to say on the subject. Enter the tale of William Munny, a past his prime gunslinger hired to avenge the women of a brothel in a town lorded over by an iron-fisted sheriff. The film isn’t as concerned with the killings as it is the weight they put on a man, andEastwood uses the weight of his entire career to inform his portrayal of Munny.
More than just an essential Eastwood film,Unforgivenis also required viewing in the career of the lateGene Hackman, who starred inseveral of his own Westernsas well. Hackman’s villainous performance as Little Bill Daggett is the perfect summation of the career of an actor who could communicate entire paragraphs within a single expression. One glare from Hackman inUnforgivencontains more nuances than many actors have managed in their entire careers. The movie world lost a true icon with the passing of Hackman, andUnforgivenis a perfect elegy.
