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Best Complicated Movies

Ranked by how strongly each film carries the visual signature of complicated cinema — measured across 2,397 indexed frames from 31 films, against a 404,689-frame catalogue baseline. Not by box office, and not by vote.

Complicated films over-index on rock, tunic and sand — the objects that make the genre recognisable before a line is spoken.

  1. 1

    The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

    Peter JacksonDP Andrew LesnieIMDb 9.0TMDB 8.5See in full on FrameThrower →

    As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

  2. 2

    Dune (2021)

    Denis VilleneuveDP Greig FraserIMDb 8.0TMDB 7.8See in full on FrameThrower →

    A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, "Dune" tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

  3. 3

    The Dark Crystal (1982)

    Jim Henson, Frank OzDP Oswald MorrisIMDb 7.1TMDB 7.1See in full on FrameThrower →

    Another planet, another time. One thousand years ago, the mysterious Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos has began. The evil race of grotesque birdlike lizards, the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. Meanwhile, orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of the peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal which gives the Skeksis their power and restore the balance of the universe.

  4. 4

    Cold Mountain (2003)

    Anthony MinghellaDP John SealeIMDb 7.2TMDB 6.9See in full on FrameThrower →

    In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.

  5. 5

    Silence (2016)

    Martin ScorseseDP Rodrigo PrietoIMDb 7.2TMDB 7.1See in full on FrameThrower →

    Intent on investigating the truth behind Father Cristovão Ferreira's abrupt end of correspondence, the devout Portuguese Catholic priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garupe, set off to Japan, in 1633. In great disbelief, as the rumours of Ferreira's apostasy still echo in their minds, the zealous Jesuit missionaries try to locate their mentor, amid the bloodshed of the violent anti-Christian purges. Under those circumstances, the two men and the Japanese guide, Kichijiro, arrive in Japan, only to witness firsthand the unbearable burden of those who have a different belief in a land founded on tradition. Now--as the powerful Grand Inquisitor, Inoue, performs hideous tortures on the brave Japanese Christians--Father Rodrigues will soon have to put his faith to the ultimate test: renounce it in exchange for the prisoners' lives. There, in the ends of the world, a subtle change has begun; however, why is God's silence so deafening?

  6. 6

    Beach Rats (2017)

    Eliza HittmanDP Hélène LouvartIMDb 6.4TMDB 6.0See in full on FrameThrower →

    An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online.

  7. 7

    The Little Hours (2017)

    Jeff BaenaDP Quyen TranIMDb 5.8TMDB 5.9See in full on FrameThrower →

    On the run from the battle-seasoned Lord Bruno for sleeping with his wife, the handsome and willing servant, Massetto, flees to the safety of the woods during the warm and peaceful summer of 1347. There, after a chance encounter with the always boozy but merciful Father Tommasso, the young charmer will find refuge into his convent's sanctuary, on one condition: to pretend he is a deaf-mute. However, Massetto's tempting presence will unavoidably upset the already frail balance of things within the sexually-repressed female realm, as nun after nun desperately seeks an escape from their tedious way of life and an extra reason to molest the charming handyman. In the end, will those cloistered Sisters finally find out what they had been missing out on all these years?

  8. 8

    Inception (2010)

    Christopher NolanDP Wally PfisterIMDb 8.8TMDB 8.4See in full on FrameThrower →

    Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible, inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea, but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

  9. 9

    American Honey (2016)

    Andrea ArnoldDP Robbie RyanIMDb 7.0TMDB 6.8See in full on FrameThrower →

    A restless teenager escapes her troubled home and joins a traveling crew of young drifters selling magazines across the American Midwest. Immersed in a world of reckless partying, risky hustles, and fleeting romances, she searches for freedom and belonging on the open road.

  10. 10

    Ammonite (2020)

    Francis LeeDP Stéphane FontaineIMDb 6.5TMDB 6.9See in full on FrameThrower →

    In 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.

What complicated films are made of

How much more often each element appears in a complicated frame than in an average frame from the catalogue. A ratio, not a share — rock is not in most frames, it is simply far more common here than anywhere else.

  • rock3.3×
  • tunic3.3×
  • sand2.8×
  • mountain2.7×
  • skin2.0×
  • smoke1.9×
  • eyes1.7×
  • clouds1.7×

How complicated films are shot

Weaker signals than the objects above, and worth saying so: most dramatic genres skew dark and night-heavy, so these numbers separate complicated from the catalogue far more than they separate it from its neighbours.

  • 36%mediumvs 48% baseline
  • 25%widevs 20% baseline
  • 26%closeupvs 21% baseline

What breaks the pattern

American Fiction (2023) is the least typical film here — it carries the least of what the rest of this list is made of. Which is either a failure of the genre label, or the most interesting film on the page.

Method

Every frame in the FrameThrower catalogue is tagged for shot size, lighting, time of day, camera angle, colour and the objects visible in it. This page aggregates those tags across 2,397 frames from 31 films carrying the complicated label, and compares each figure to the same measurement across the whole catalogue (404,689 frames). Films are ranked by how closely they match the theme’s over-indexed elements, weighted by how distinctive each element is; one film per series. Only films with at least 20 indexed frames and 500 TMDB votes are listed.

Machine-readable: /api/list/complicated

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These are real movie frames, shown at reduced resolution. All rights remain with their respective owners; they appear here for study, commentary and education under fair-use principles. How these are meant to be used