No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men redefined the neo-Western thriller, winning 4 Oscars and earning $171 million worldwide on a $25 million budget—nearly 7 times its production costs and ahead of #5 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's budget-adjusted multiple. Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh became an iconic cinematic villain, driving a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score that ranks among the highest for Best Picture winners. The Coen Brothers' bleak, masterful storytelling proved that unsentimental violence can captivate major awards, setting a new standard for genre cinema.