The 10 Best Movies Of The 10 Best Years

The 2010’s has started, ended, and given new life to some of the greatest movies and movie franchises in all of cinema. So with the decade coming to a close, it’s time for a proper send off with the 10 best movies from the past 10 years.

10. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Kicking off the list is the long-awaited conclusion to AMC’s Breaking Bad. With several cliff hangers by the end of the show’s run, fans were left wondering what had happened to Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) after the death of his partner-in-crime and former teacher, Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston). While El Camino Breaking Bad could be a stand-alone movie in its own right because it focuses more on the pre-established characters rather than creating new scenarios and conflicts. 

El Camino is a well-deserved conclusion to one of the most critically-acclaimed TV shows ever, and is a nice send off as we head into the new decade.

9. Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

Bringing home the blood at #9 is Rambo: Last Blood, the final movie in the 40-year-spanning franchise about Vietnam veteran John Rambo. After his niece is captured by a Mexican cartel, the formerly-retired Rambo is forced to go save her, with less than predictable results. What the movie lacks in plot is heavily over compensated for with extreme violence and an explosive third act in the underground trap-ridden tunnels Rambo dug underneath a farm.

While the plot is standard and full of cliches, the Rambo movies have always been more about the fight rather than the reason. And based off of that logic, Rambo: Last Blood is one of the best movies the series has to offer.    

John Rambo has been a staple character of old school action movies since 1985, yet he finally finds the peaceful conclusion he’s spent so long looking for…or does he? Watch to find out if Rambo rides off into the sunset with the carnage of the cartel behind him.   

8. Doctor Sleep (2019)

You definitely aren’t going to sleep after #8 on the list. Doctor Sleep is the sequel to the Steven King cult classic The Shining, which is regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made. While not quite as good as its predecessor, Doctor Sleep expands on the supernatural elements and further explains the powers of Danny Torrance (the little kid from The Shining, now an adult played by Ewan McGregor). 

Danny is still traumatized by the events of The Shining in which his drunken father tried to kill him and his mother with an axe. He now uses heavy amounts of alcohol to repress those memories. His hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when he meets Abra, a teenager who also has the ability to shine, the same mysterious power that Danny has. The duo is soon targeted by The True Knot, a cult that feeds off of people with the shining power, and is lead to the hotel where Danny must overcome the past he’s buried for so long. 

Doctor Sleep is an excellent sequel. Rather than following what came before, it decides to walk its own path as a paranormal and slow-paced horror movie.

7. 21 Jump Street (2012) 

Settling in at #7 is one of the funniest movies of the decade. When rookie cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) fall to a biker gang of drug dealers in the park, they’re assigned to a program that’s been reopened from the 80’s. This involves them going undercover in a high school to stop the spread of a drug that’s been killing teenagers.

The movie is pure comedic relief and isn’t supposed to be taken seriously. In fact, the unrealistic premise is why the movie is hilarious. 21 Jump Street has a lot of slapstick comedy, which is basically people getting hurt or injured for laughs, something that makes it more appealing to younger audiences and probably foolish to older audiences. The best way to enjoy this movie is to shut your brain off and prepare to laugh as two grown men relive high school.

6. Django Unchained (2012) 

Unleashed at #6 is Django Unchained. Set two years before the Civil War, a slave named Django (played by Jamie Foxx) is picked up by a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Cristopher Waltz). The two then embark on a journey to find Django’s lost wife while killing off some of the most notorious criminals in America. 

This movie has some amazing action for its time period. With their arsenal limited to classic revolvers and muskets, the two improvise unique traps and strategies to kill off their enemies. One example of this is the scene where they rig a horse carriage with dynamite to explode some KKK members. Overall, Django Unchained is a well-represented action movie set in a time period often left unexplored by other movies.

5. Logan (2017)

Coming in at #5 is the legendary Logan. Hugh Jackman reprises his role for the last time in this third, and final, solo Wolverine film set in the near future when all of his fellow X-men are dead. While trying to care for previous X-men leader Charles Xavier, Logan runs into a problem in the form of a little girl with a mysterious link to him. The three are soon targeted by a shadowy and violent organization.

Logan is one of my favorite superhero movies because of its ambition to show the bloodshed and destruction of which Wolverine is capable. In previous movies, it always seemed like Logan was holding back because the studio wanted to stay PG-13. Because of the movie’s R rating, the mutant killing machine is now able to do what he does best in a tragic, but iconic last stand.

4. Ip Man 2 (2011)

Enter The Invincible Ip Man at #4. The second in a series of four movies, Ip Man is martial arts master in the school of Wing-Chun and has trained some of the best martial artists including Bruce Lee. After freeing Foshan from the control of the Japanese, Ip Man, his wife, and his son move to Hong Kong where he faces several martial arts masters to open his own martial arts school. But when a fellow martial arts master dies in an eastern versus western style boxing match, Ip Man rises to the challenge of facing the British boxer.

While lacking a lot of the emotional aspects seen in the first movie, it’s made up by the confrontation of Ip Man and The Twister. The two are equally skilled in their fighting styles with their own relative advantages. While The Twister has the size advantage, Ip Man is faster and is able to land multiple hits at a time. Will Ip Man be able to overpower the boxer’s brute force through his sheer will and ethics? It’s worth your time to find out.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Breaking through the ice at #3 is the best movie in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). After discovering the leader of SHIELD, Nick Fury, is apparently murdered by a mysterious antagonist who goes by name of the Winter Soldier, Cap realizes he too is in the cross hairs of the assassin. But he’s not the only one. Accompanied by fellow Avengers Black Widow and The Falcon, the three set out to stop the Winter Soldier.

One of the worst feelings ever is being hunted by someone you can’t see. Because Cap doesn’t know who he’s fighting, the plot creates a gripping feeling of dread for the unknown. However the truth is much worse. The Winter Soldier holds a special connection to Cap but doesn’t realize it, a fact which forces Cap into a rock and a hard spot.

The jaw-dropping detective story has some of the best fight scenes and plot twists the MCU has to offer.   

2. Joker (2019) 

Clowning around at #2 is the backstory of DC Comics most iconic super villain, the Joker.

Though portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Joaquin Phoenix brings his own unique performance to the character, relying on misery rather than insanity. Joker shows a man’s descent into madness through personal tragedy and suffering.

Although the movie was not as well-received among all audiences due to its controversial themes such as gun violence and the justification of murder, personally, I admire the filmmakers for making a dark comic book movie that’s willing to explore these controversial topics, regardless of some resentment from the public.

1. John Wick (2014)

 Coming in at #1 is the methodical and malicious John Wick. When his old boss’ son kills his dog and steals his car, a former assassin comes out of early retirement to get revenge by doing what he does best: killing him and everyone that stands between them. 

John Wick is an ex-hitman for the Russian mafia who made a name for himself through his relentless and merciless killings, but left that life behind for his wife. After she dies, Wick is left broken and emotionally-unhinged by her absence, which leads him down the path of vengeance. He lacks empathy for others and has no problem with continuing the onslaught he fought so hard to leave it in the past. While he is morally corrupt, his personal tragedy makes him a sympathetic protagonist with his own code of ethics.

While Wick’s skills of destruction are unmatched, he is only human and tires after fighting wave after wave of Russian gangsters. Another one of his limited flaws is his brute force tactic. Wick finds himself in less than desirable situations because of his decisions to barrel through his enemies rather than taking a moment to devise a plan. 

Overall, John Wick is easily my favorite action movie and one of my favorite movies in general. With two excellent sequels, its spot at #1 is well-deserved.

Want to know more? See my in-depth reviews of these movies:

El Camino (2019)

Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

Logan (2017)

Ip Man 2 (2011)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Joker (2019)

John Wick (2014)