Stephen King Names Top 10 Films of the 21st Century

Stephen King, whose stories have inspired more than 50 feature films, joined other celebrities in voting for the New York Times’ 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. He submitted a personal top 10 list that ranged across genres. Six of his selections later appeared on the Times’ final list.

The ten films King picked

• Black Hawk Down (2001). Ridley Scott directed this war film about the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. The movie stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore. Rotten Tomatoes: 77%. Letterboxd: 3.7/5.
• Brokeback Mountain (2005). Ang Lee directed this romance starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. It earned eight Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Director. Rotten Tomatoes: 88%. Letterboxd: 4.2/5. The New York Times placed it at #17.
• Children of Men (2006). Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It received three Oscar nominations. Rotten Tomatoes: 92%. Letterboxd: 4.3/5. The Times ranked it #13.
• Million Dollar Baby (2004). Clint Eastwood directed and starred in this sports drama with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. It won Best Picture, Lead Actress and Supporting Actor at the 2005 Oscars. Rotten Tomatoes: 90%. Letterboxd: 4.0/5.
• No Country For Old Men (2007). The Coen brothers directed this film starring Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Rotten Tomatoes: 93%. Letterboxd: 4.3/5. The Times placed it at #6.
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Another Coen brothers entry, starring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson. The film mixes comedy and drama. Rotten Tomatoes: 78%. Letterboxd: 4.0/5. It ranked #76 on the Times list.
• Oppenheimer (2023). Christopher Nolan’s biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film dramatizes the scientist’s role in developing the atomic bomb. Rotten Tomatoes: 93%. Letterboxd: 4.2/5. The Times placed it at #65.
• The Departed (2006). Martin Scorsese directed this crime thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Rotten Tomatoes: 91%. Letterboxd: 4.3/5. The Times ranked it #31.
• The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024). Directed by James Ashcroft, this recent horror film stars John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush. Nikki MacDonnell and Maaka Pohatu also appear. Rotten Tomatoes: 72%. Letterboxd: 3.1/5.
• Train to Busan (2016). This South Korean action-horror was directed by Yeon Sang-ho. It features Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi and Ma Dong-seok. Rotten Tomatoes: 95%. Letterboxd: 4.0/5.

Takeaways from King’s ballot

King’s list blended mainstream awards winners and genre pictures. The selections included war films, dramas, sci-fi, comedies and horror. Notably, none of the picks were adaptations of his own stories.

He was one of many contributors to the New York Times’ 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century poll. Filmogaz.com originally published this report on Apr 12, 2026.