1995 was a pivotal year for filmmaking. It marked a time when traditional Hollywood craftsmanship, serious ’70s-style cinema, and a newly assertive independent film movement converged. Studios continued to finance ambitious mid-budget films targeted at adult audiences, while unique auteur voices began to integrate into the mainstream rather than being sidelined.
The outcome was a diverse array of remarkable films. Philosophical science fiction coexisted with romantic minimalism, violent crime dramas shared space with family movies that respected children’s intelligence. Here are some of the most memorable films from that year.
10
‘Crimson Tide’ (1995)
“We’re here to preserve democracy, not to practice it.” Crimson Tide is a tightly wound thriller set almost entirely aboard a U.S. nuclear submarine. The crux of the story is a confrontation between the commanding officer (Gene Hackman) and his executive officer (Denzel Washington) after an incomplete message raises the question of whether to launch nuclear missiles. The plot is deceptively simple, but the stakes are apocalyptic.
This could easily have been mid-tier genre fare, but Crimson Tide stands out because it refuses to frame the conflict as good versus evil. Both men are intelligent, principled, and terrifyingly convinced they are right. Through them, the movie asks some genuinely thoughtful questions around bureaucracy and duty. It helps that both stars are great in their roles. On the directing side, Tony Scott keeps the film claustrophobic and relentless throughout, using the submarine setting to amplify every raised voice and pause. The action is largely verbal, but the tension never slackens.
9
‘Dead Man’ (1995)
Image via Miramax Films
“Do you have any tobacco?” Dead Man is an acid Western by the great Jim Jarmusch, and it plays like a funeral dirge for the genre itself. The movie strips the Western of heroism, replacing it with fatalism, surreal encounters, and quiet existential dread. At its heart is William Blake (Johnny Depp), an accountant who travels west for work and instead finds himself wounded, drifting through the frontier toward death. His story unfolds like a dream (or a death vision) where cause and effect matter less than atmosphere and spiritual reckoning. Here, the American frontier is not a place of opportunity, but of exploitation and annihilation.
Not everyone will get on board with the movie’s slow pace, monochrome cinematography, and psychedelic vibe, but those who do will find it rewarding. Fundamentally, Dead Man engages with deep themes, particularly around the scars left by industrial progress and the nation’s inheritance of brutality and intolerance. One of the most unique Westerns in the canon.
8
‘Babe’ (1995)
“That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.” Whereas Dead Man took years to be embraced, Babe was a significant hit back in 1995 both critically and commercially, even receiving a Best Picture nomination. It’s not hard to see why. It’s both entertaining and touching, boasting fantastic special effects that still hold up today. The plot follows the titular pig (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) as he navigates life on a farm where animals are assigned rigid roles: some valued, some disposable.
On the surface, it’s a gentle, quirky story about a pig who learns to herd sheep. Yet beneath that simplicity lies a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on kindness, identity, and chosen purpose. The movie treats compassion as strength and curiosity as virtue while never mocking or talking down to its audience. Essentially, this is family entertainment done right, with an important message tucked inside an engaging plot.
7
‘Heat’ (1995)
