Best screenplays every written
This list is based on the movie and not the screenplay. Because you can't actually make a list of screenplays on this site. So I selected the best written movies even though hypothetically a movie could be filmed without any screenplay. That's just not possible in reality.
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- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.Entertaining from beginning to end and not a scene or prop is used without advancing the plot. Perfect.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.So many characters whose storylines are all intertwined. Must have taken ages to write.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.W...T...F... I don't understand this screenplay. No one does. You need the layout of the building in front of you to understand the basics. Which means this deserves a top 3 easily as the screenplay looks like a huge awful mess but the movie is amazing. Clearly they knew what they were doing. I just don't know how.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHugh JackmanScarlett JohanssonAfter a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.So damn many elements to one single story that it's amazing. Usually I see 3-5 elements or characters make up a story. Here you have so many things going on that the twists don't stop coming.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.Took about 10 years to write. I would have guessed it would take even longer to write down. Think about it this way. There are many movies from the 60's and before that that are considered some of the best movies ever made. But none of them look even remotely like Inception. Had Inception been released in 1965 is would have been considered 10 times better that the best movie ever made.
- DirectorSimon WincerStarsTom BurlinsonJudy MorrisMartin VaughanThe true story of a New Zealand racehorse that became a champion, with the help of a local stable-boy.A super horse wins all its races. Impossible to write a screenplay about this story without the races becoming boring and predictable? Well, let's see if this can be done. Wow! But how? How?
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsYul BrynnerSteve McQueenCharles BronsonSeven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.Wow, just wow. Deserves to stand on the shelf among greats such as Plato and Socrates.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartWalter HustonTim HoltTwo down-on-their-luck Americans searching for work in 1920s Mexico convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.To the point and ruthless. Very ruthless. Many here are greedy and evil and the protagonist turns evil himself. This kind of character change has never been done as well as here. Usually we just see the good guy point the pistol at the other good guy. As to mean "syke, I was evil all along". It's easier to write.
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsDaniel KaluuyaAllison WilliamsBradley WhitfordA young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.Damn... what a smash hit this year. So many interesting things in this story that it just requires a rewatch. Which under 1% of all movies do. Also, the final script is not online... double *beep*. Another thing. I have seen maybe 7 long video reviews and analysis of this movie online. All popular videos and all pointing out specific cool things in the script. Combined they probably explained about 20 really cool small details in the movie. But I myself have found 5 more. And I have only watched it one time. This probably means that there could be 30-40 small hints and details in the movie that are somehow illuminating the idea in the movie. That's 1 cool small extra detail every third minute. That's just crazy.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonJodie FosterJames GarnerBret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.Hmmmm... does this belong here? I guess it does. But why? Possibly because it's a great example of how to write an adventure without loosing a beat. This one not only has great action, but a great love story and exiting card plays. I have seen romance movies becoming hugely popular on romance alone. Or action movies becoming cult classics just based on the action alone. This one has everything. And everything is well written.
- DirectorJim AbrahamsDavid ZuckerJerry ZuckerStarsVal KilmerOmar SharifJeremy KempAn American rock and roll singer is invited to a cultural festival in East Germany in order to distract from a plot to destroy NATO submarines, but he accidentally becomes involved in a resistance plot to rescue an imprisoned scientist.This blows my mind. Not only does is surpass all other comedies as a screenplay, but it joins the best written movies of all time. Is that possible for a silly comedy? Well, go ahead and watch it. Tell me how many scenes are clever and not just funny.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerSharon StoneMichael IronsideWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?This is just a magnificent script. Some stuff that's hard to write is time travel, explanatory flashbacks, multiple personalities, multiple worlds and many characters. This movies has most of these things. That's pretty incredible. You try and include most of these things in your script and it will probably become an incoherent mess. At best it will be understandable.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsDustin HoffmanRobert RedfordJack Warden"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.Intellectual script that does not force-feed you the plot and details. Amazingly well written. The story unfolds slowly. You are just allowed to follow the detectives around. They are not there for you. They are there to unfold the story. You are just a fly on their wall.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.Such a great and big story that it's one of the best scripts ever written. Amazingly epic.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsBill MurrayAndie MacDowellChris ElliottA narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.Repeating the same day. My god, I tried to write a script based on this concept. It's hard as hell. Making a good movie on this concept is something only a handful of people in the world can do. That's why you don't see a ton of them.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.Everything fits together. All scenes progress the plot and we want to join the next scene. Very few movies use this many locations this well as part of the natural plot.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.Wow. Amazing screenplay. A detective story that does not really require action to be exiting. This is really hard to do.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRussell CrowePaul BettanyBilly BoydDuring the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.Yes! Yes! Every time this movie is mentioned everyone just need to tell everyone else how much they loved the movie. It mixes science, history and war. Even doing one of these topics well is extremely hard. Doing all 3 well is close to impossible.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin TimberlakeAs Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.Another script that's exiting because of the dialogue. Usually the dialogue needs a ton of action to remain exiting. To be fair, they do speak the lines fairly fast in the movie. Which does put it higher on this list. The Social Network without the producers pushing David Fincher to make it shorter would not be The Social Network. They clearly knew how to make a good movie.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.Real events are really hard to write about. You need to follow most of the movie rules and tropes as always but you also need to tell the true story. It's really hard not to "adapt" the story into a movie format where the protagonist needs to fight evil and then win. But this script remains well grounded in all the different areas it needs to be grounded in.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsTommy Lee JonesWill SmithLinda FiorentinoJames, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.A bit like Terminator 2 in that all the locations could as well have been one room. That's how much they belong together in the plot. When the actors move from their office to a shop, or a shop to an apartment you just kinda feel like it's all in the same building.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroSharon StoneJoe PesciIn Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.Another epic. Really hard to write. I couldn't write this kind of movie.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad PittIn a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.Time travel done well and with multiple twists. That's so hard to do that if you do this your movie will gain a top 50 spot among the best scripts of all time.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisJeremy IronsSamuel L. JacksonJohn McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.The guessing game mixed with the action makes this an intellectual movie as well as an action packed and exiting movie. No movie has done this the same way since then. And more than 20 years have passed. Maybe Inception? But it's more serious and philosophical. You ask yourself why no movie looks like Back to the Future or Die Hard 1 and 3? It's because these movies are extremely hard to write. Movies are more expensive than ever. And we are making movies with this kind of budget many times a year. Most of them are forgotten after 5 years. Because their plot sucks.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.Great and simple script. Again they take the real story and adapt it into a movie. The gist remains but we all know this is not really what happened. His illusions in real life were voices not visions. But this is a movie. Visions work better as illusions. And the story needed to be changed around. We need to understand and feel his suffering. Not just hear it.
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Ruthless movie. It imitates Treasure of Sierra Madre but we don't see anyone becoming evil. He just is evil. So yes, we still can make these kind of movies without having the good protagonist as the main character in the story. Hollywood is not doomed.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.Epic. The movie people think about when the word epic is mentioned. It's so good that Avatar is said to be a remake of it. But it's not. The story is just so basic that it's like a myth.
- DirectorMartyn BurkeStarsAnthony Michael HallNoah WyleJoey SlotnickHistory of Apple and Microsoft.So many real characters all combined into one storyline. No one has ever replicated this kind of narration or storyline. But someday it will be done. The new Steve Jobs movie only included a few days in his life. Which is how 99% of all good scripts about his life would look like. Doing something like PoSV is very, very hard. It's a TV movie? No way.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack NicholsonFaye DunawayJohn HustonA private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.One of the best scripts ever written. The movie completely *beep* up the ending and ruins the plot. It feels mashed on because it is. It's not part of the story or the plot and clearly something the director just randomly filmed. This one needs to be remade because the script is one of the best ever written. Just change the ending. It really deserves a top 10 spot. But we are talking about the filmed script here, not the written script.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsEd HarrisJulianne MooreWoody HarrelsonGovernor Sarah Palin of Alaska becomes Senator John McCain's running mate in the 2008 Presidential election.How well could you tell a political election story? I would guess that after 10 minutes your narration would bore me a lot. So how do you make a full movie based on one political figure in some months of her life? You don't, unless you are a genius at writing a story.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy PearceAs corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.A detective story is hard to write because you always need to keep in mind who knows what. A woman might know 2 details, the detective might know 4 details but assume 3 other details. The detective partner might assume 9 details. The bad guy might know 7 details but assume 4 details about the detective. And you always need to keep in mind who has seen what and where.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.Not really the real story. But it does have elements of the real story in it. And that's how a movie should be. It's not a documentary. It's supposed to be great and entertaining. This one is.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.A classic along with the first one.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsJames WoodsJohn HeardWilliam HurtChronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.They are just talking about economy and laws. Also a lot of bank talk between old white men. Why don't we just rate this one a 2/10 and get on with our lives? Boring as hell! Right guys?
- DirectorJay RoachStarsKevin SpaceyBob BalabanDenis LearyA chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, and the subsequent recounts in Florida.People counting papers. And a lot of politicians you have never heard about before are mentioned. 3/10 stars right? Even without seeing it you would predict it to be such a boring movie that it's perfect to fall asleep too. But it makes paper counting exiting. How is this possible? The magic of professional writing.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsMichael FassbenderKate WinsletSeth RogenSteve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.A few days in Steve Jobs' life combined into one coherent plot. Has this ever been done before? I can't remember actually. But here you have it. And the dialogue is the only thing in this movie. It has no action scenes. How is this even possible to make even a little bit interesting? Teater writing shows its good side here, yet again. Yes, I have noticed I have a ton of teater written screenplays on this list. That's for a good reason.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.Business movie gone extreme. Another Scorsese movie. This one is great and exiting yet again. If you write a coherent plot that doesn't bore me I will consider your screenplay fantastic. Try to do that.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.Great screenplay. A bit too much relying and emotional scenes makes this a top 40 instead of a top 10. No, patiens don't just hug their therapists. And no, therapists and not "changing" lives. But this is a movie. And I'm mostly judging these things as too heavy movie tropes.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Great and simple script. But this one is critical of a lot of things. And it combines a lot of topics. USA the movie.
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.Basic storyline yet again. These basis storyline movies are included on my list because they are different. And because not many movies are ever this simple but good at the same time. Disney tries to make all basic myths into movies. This is one of them. All societies have discovered these myths but not all countries have made movies based on every single important myth. Why not? Because they don't have amazing script writers growing on trees. Pay a few milions and you can get something a bit similar to The Lion King screenplay, just worse.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim CarreyEd HarrisLaura LinneyAn insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.A man in a fake world. Hard to write. But his one is written in a way where every single scene pushes the plot forward 100 km/h. All scenes are not only showing us a new part of the world but a new part of the characters personality and a new part of the plot.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.This is not a perfect screenplay. It actually is very much imperfect. But no one has even tried to do this kind of mixed time narration. How any other screenplays like this have been written? Even unproduced ones? If they exists then they are written by Einsteins of the screenwriting world. On this list it's in top 5 of the hardest screenplays to write. But the end product could still have had a better and more interesting plot.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsMatt DamonEdward NortonGretchen MolA young, reformed gambler must return to playing high stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks, while balancing his relationship with his girlfriend and his commitments to law school.Card play made exiting. I have seen this tried before but it mostly fails horribly. Rounders is basic movie making and it works well. 99% of all movies can't even do basic and simple well. And 99,9% of all scripts can't even be decent.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.Adventure that never lets up. This is really hard to do and combine. A ton of different scenes made into a coherent plot. It reminds me of Star Wars. Just better.
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsMiles TellerJ.K. SimmonsMelissa BenoistA promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.Exiting from start to finish. And guess what. You could film this script for $10k. No problem. You could write and make this movie in the Greenlandic movie industry. So why haven't they made a movie this well told on Greenland? Because even finding $10m to make your movie is easier than to write this caliber of screenplay. Don't believe me? Try to write a screenplay this good. Even your idiot uncle can win the lottery. But you won't write this kind of movie even if you spend 10 years on it.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJohn CusackCameron DiazCatherine KeenerA puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.Another philosophical movie. This one is about death. It's very scary. And that's only because of the ideas in it.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.A detective story where the detective is feed all the clues. Or is he? Man, maybe I should write a detective story as my next script? I seem to like these kind of movies.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsJohn CandyLeonDoug E. DougWhen a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.Simple and fun. Looks like a movie that any screenwriter fool could write. Especially because the real story is only weakly seen here. But it's just not simple to do. Otherwise we would have 50 Cool Runnings coming out every single year. It's fairly cheap to make compared to Blockbusters.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsThomas JaneMarcia Gay HardenLaurie HoldenA freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.Very basic and simple storytelling. And it works. Just illustrates that you can abuse movie tropes all the way through the movie as long as the story is good. Then these tropes will fit right in and become exiting. And the movie can still be amazing even while staying a basic horror/survivor movie. Done 1000 times before. But usually horror movies have lazy writing and focus on the monster killing random people.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsDaniel BrühlChris HemsworthOlivia WildeThe merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.Another simple story I included. But this one is more because it's also a true story. And in this one there are actually quite a few elements from real life. This is how you show instead of tell. Clearly Ron Howard knows how to pick good stories. At least he once did I guess.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HanksChristopher WalkenBarely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.A real story made into a detective story. In reality the protagonist hated his life. And he has loved his life after he started working for the FBI and could settle down. His story was very tragic and he had no friends and family. In the movie he seems to live one of the most interesting lives ever. And the FBI job he is offered sounds terribly boring. But we are judging scripts here, not documentaries. A chameleon being chased by an FBI agent could be made into an exiting movie. And it is here.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksBill PaxtonKevin BaconNASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.Ron Howard knows simple. As he has learned simple storytelling from his own acting days. I think this is a classic as it tells a true and simple story but never becomes boring. No aliens, no imaginary technology, no guns. Clearly a great space movie can be set in a little space ship with 3 men in it. Aliens sell. But this is better than most movies with aliens or huge CGI in them.
- DirectorMark WatersStarsLindsay LohanJonathan BennettRachel McAdamsCady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.One of the best scripts written by a woman. One of the best comedies ever made. In such a story you need to present the teenage girls and their behavior and at the same time make it funny and interesting. You can't just write mean girls and think your job is done. There is a reason this movie is considered a classic that is not old enough to be a classic. It's a critical look at real life.
- DirectorJudd ApatowStarsSteve CarellCatherine KeenerPaul RuddGoaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.Another example of a movie that should have been some random silly comedy. But it's not. It's a great movie about a guy trying to become a father. Simple but great.