The 30 best movies of 2003

Ranked by weighted audience rating: among 207 movies with at least 300 votes on TMDb, the formula balances the score with the vote count, so a barely-rated title cannot leap past a classic. O Senhor dos Anéis: O Retorno do Rei leads, rated 8.5 (2003). The average release year on the list is 2003. The list is recalculated weekly; each title links to its full page, including where to watch in Brazil.

Page updated on 09/20/2026.

1

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

directed by Peter Jackson · 202 min · 8.5 27,275 votes
2

Oldboy (2003)

directed by Park Chan-wook · 120 min · 8.2 10,165 votes
3

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

directed by Quentin Tarantino · 111 min · 8.0 19,366 votes
4

Memories of Murder (2003)

directed by Bong Joon-ho · 131 min · 8.1 4,787 votes
5

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

directed by Gore Verbinski · 143 min · 7.8 22,719 votes
6

Finding Nemo (2003)

directed by Andrew Stanton · 100 min · 7.8 20,933 votes
7

Big Fish (2003)

directed by Tim Burton · 125 min · 7.7 7,926 votes
8

Mystic River (2003)

directed by Clint Eastwood · 138 min · 7.7 7,657 votes
9

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

directed by Satoshi Kon · 93 min · 7.9 1,559 votes
10

The Last Samurai (2003)

directed by Edward Zwick · 154 min · 7.6 7,749 votes
11

Dogville (2003)

directed by Lars von Trier · 171 min · 7.7 2,763 votes
12

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

directed by Kim Ki-duk · 103 min · 7.8 1,236 votes
13

Lost in Translation (2003)

directed by Sofia Coppola · 102 min · 7.4 8,291 votes
14

Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)

directed by Wolfgang Becker · 121 min · 7.5 2,691 votes
15

The Best of Youth (2003)

directed by Marco Tullio Giordana · 367 min · 8.0 619 votes
16

The Life of David Gale (2003)

directed by Alan Parker · 130 min · 7.4 2,250 votes
17

Brother Bear (2003)

directed by Aaron Blaise · 85 min · 7.3 5,857 votes
18

Love Don't Co$t a Thing (2003)

directed by Troy Byer · 100 min · 7.7 730 votes
19

21 Grams (2003)

directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu · 124 min · 7.3 3,477 votes
20

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)

directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi · 65 min · 7.8 542 votes
21

Identity (2003)

directed by James Mangold · 90 min · 7.2 4,520 votes
22

Carandiru (2003)

directed by Héctor Babenco · 146 min · 7.6 629 votes
23

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

directed by Sylvain Chomet · 80 min · 7.4 1,067 votes
24

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

directed by Peter Weir · 138 min · 7.2 3,647 votes
25

The Dreamers (2003)

directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · 116 min · 7.2 3,158 votes
26

Lisbela and the Prisoner (2003)

directed by Guel Arraes · 104 min · 7.8 409 votes
27

Radio (2003)

directed by Michael Tollin · 109 min · 7.4 908 votes
28

Monster (2003)

directed by Patty Jenkins · 108 min · 7.2 2,618 votes
29

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

directed by Lana Wachowski · 138 min · 7.1 12,270 votes
30

Ong-Bak (2003)

directed by Prachya Pinkaew · 108 min · 7.2 1,961 votes