Powerful movies
It’s been a quarter of a century since the last big cluster of films that were made for men, around 1999. The last decade of woke Hollywood has been an expansive desert, with strong female leads and diversity-washing that has crowded out any space for healthy masculinity…
Analysis of popular films for males and release dates shows that there have been two epic periods for movies that appeal to males (the biggest one during the 1980s, and another just before the turn of the century), along with three important periods for depiction of masculinity (the end of WWII, early 1960s, and the early 2010s):
Winning the war effort during the early to mid-1940s. Positive depictions of Allied masculinity were important to drive motivation. Examples such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Baby Boomers coming of age during the early 1960s. Passing on Western culture, during the post-war boom. This era saw the first three James Bond films, Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird, Zulu, and The Great Escape.
The greatest period of movies for males, from the early to late-1980s. From adventure to inspiration to romance, this golden era of men’s films had everything. Featuring Top Gun, Die Hard, Blade Runner, Terminator, Platoon, Indiana Jones, Rain Man, and Dead Poets Society.
Masculinity and collaboration during the late-1990s, an optimistic period of balanced perspectives. Epic movies such as The Matrix, Fight Club, Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Life is Beautiful, Good Will Hunting, and The Castle.
Darkening themes in the early 2010s, with a small peak in 2015 prior to the ascendancy of woke Hollywood. Featuring Avengers, Hunger Games, The Hobbit, Wolf of Wall Street, John Wick, Dark Knight Rises, and Mad Max Fury Road.
Here are some of the most powerful films for men and boys, during the last nine decades:
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Casablanca (1942)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Seven Samurai (1954) directed by Akira Kurosawa
Spartacus (1960)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Dr. No (1962) was the first of the James Bond film series
From Russia with Love (1963) was the second James Bond film
The Great Escape (1963)
Captain Sindbad (1963)
Goldfinger (1964) was the third James Bond film
Zulu (1964)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Easy Rider (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Star Wars (1977)
Superman (1978) starring Christopher Reeve
Mad Max (1979)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Caddyshack (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was the first Indiana Jones film
Gallipoli (1981)
Blade Runner (1982)
First Blood (1982) kicked off the Rambo series with Sylvester Stallone
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Scarface (1983)
Terminator (1984)
The Karate Kid (1984) and the subsequent film series
Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990)
Platoon (1986)
Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise
Spaceballs (1987)
Withnail and I (1987)
Rain Man (1988)
The Naked Gun (1988)
Die Hard (1988)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Goodfellas (1990)
Strictly Ballroom (1992) directed by Baz Luhrmann
Dave (1993)
Robin Hood Men in Tights (1993)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Romeo + Juliet (1996) directed by Baz Luhrmann
The Castle (1997) a low-budget film that captured the heart of Australian viewers
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Patch Adams (1998)
Saving Private Ryan (1998) directed by Steven Spielberg
The Matrix (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
Gladiator (2000)
Moulin Rouge! (2001) directed by Baz Luhrmann
Zoolander (2001)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Departed (2006)
Romulus, My Father (2007)
Tropic Thunder (2008) directed by Ben Stiller
The Dark Knight (2008)
Inception (2010)
The Avengers (2012)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
John Wick (2014)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Creed (2015)
Moonlight (2016)
The Greatest Showman (2017) starring Hugh Jackman
Black Panther (2018)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
The Way Back (2020)
The Tender Bar (2021)
I’m Your Man (2021)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
The Holdovers (2023)
Sound of Freedom (2023) released and distributed by Angel Studios
Bonhoeffer (2024) also from Angel Studios
The King of Kings (2025) released and distributed by Angel Studios
SEEN The Film (2025)
Superman (2025)
F1 (2025)
Homebound (2025)
Add your favourite movies for males here…