18 Classic Genius Movies

1. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

This film is based on a true story, about mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. The handsome and extremely eccentric Nash made astonishing mathematical discoveries early in his career and began to enjoy international acclaim. However, Nash's brilliant intuition was troubled by schizophrenia, which dramatically altered his journey towards the highest levels of academia. Faced with this challenge that has destroyed many, Nash courageously fought back with the help of his loving wife Alicia. After decades of difficult efforts, he finally overcame this misfortune and won the Nobel Prize in 1994.

This film won four Oscars at the 74th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

2. Rain Man (1988)

Car salesman Charlie Babbitt finds himself in financial trouble and receives only an old car from his recently deceased father's estate, while his unknown brother inherits $3 million. Angry and resentful, Charlie sets out to find his brother. Raymond, who lives long-term in a mental institution, suffers from severe autism and is immersed in his own fantasy world, behaving abnormally and considered a fool. He particularly fears rain and pronounces his name as "Rain Man." Charlie kidnaps Raymond, intending to change the will. They endure hardships and finally return to Los Angeles. Raymond remains unchanged, but for Charlie, this trip brings significant changes as he learns there are more precious things in life: human emotions and sibling bonds.

Starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. This film won four Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.

3. Pollock (2000)

Pollock, a leader in Western art at the time, created numerous abstract oil paintings with extraordinary talent and audacity, laying the groundwork for the establishment of performance art. He became an artistic star in the hearts of the American people, but Pollock did not consider himself a success. His anti-traditional creative spirit inspired his primitive, wild inspiration, expressed through his oil paintings, revealing his inner world. However, his self-isolating personality created strong conflicts, compounded by dissatisfaction with society and culture, pushing him repeatedly into the depths of pain. Thus, he indulged in alcoholism and decadence but never stopped creating. A resentful life gradually consumed his marriage, career, and faith... until a summer night in 1956 when 44-year-old Pollock ended his brief, painful yet legendary life.

A self-directed and acted work by Hollywood actor Ed Harris, it realistically portrays the painful and self-destructive life of American abstract expressionist painter Pollock, with all the paintings in the film completed by Harris himself.

4. Dark Matter (2007)

The film is based on a real story, inspired by the notorious case in 1991 where Chinese-American student Gang Lu shot his professor. Liu Ye plays the role of Gang Lu, while Meryl Streep plays Ann Clemens, the vice president of the University of Iowa who was killed by Lu.

We should pay more attention to the dark matter within people's hearts.

5. Vitus (2006)

This movie tells the story of a young prodigy named Vitus, who possesses incredible talent. His parents hope he will become a great pianist, but young Vitus refuses to follow their wishes and just wants to be an ordinary boy. The young actor Teo Gheorghiu, who plays 12-year-old Vitus, is also a talented young pianist in real life, while veteran actor Bruno Ganz plays the grandfather.

Geniuses have their own troubles, and ordinary people have their own miracles.

6. Suspect X

Once-in-a-century math genius Takumi Ishigami finds his daily joy in visiting a fixed lunch shop to see his neighbor Masako Yasuda working there. Living alone with her daughter, Masako accidentally kills her ex-husband who had been harassing her. Ishigami offers to take care of the aftermath. Ishigami devises an unfathomable plan, leaving the police stuck on the periphery, unable to touch the case. What method did Ishigami use?

In Keigo Higashino's works, I most admire "White Night Parade" and "Suspect X."

7. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Ripley is an ordinary young man with nothing remarkable about his life. Commissioned by a wealthy businessman, he travels to Italy to persuade the businessman’s unruly son Dickie to return home to America. Once in Italy, Ripley becomes deeply fascinated by Dickie’s lifestyle—beautiful villas, luxurious resorts, extravagant spending, and his beautiful gentle girlfriend—all of which leave Ripley envious.

Driven by his desire to live like Dickie, Ripley eventually develops a plan to replace him entirely. His meticulous thoughts astonish, and his calm criminal methods catch everyone off guard. As he revels in the dream he crafted, an unexpected coincidence exposes Ripley, drawing the attention of the authorities who begin an investigation...

8. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

From 1964 to 1966, Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio), a runaway 17-year-old wanderer, successfully impersonated prestigious figures such as doctors, professors, and chief prosecutor assistants using his exceptional forgery skills and silver tongue. He lived extravagantly, forging checks and scamming over $2.5 million from banks and flying free around the world as a fake airline pilot. Consequently, he was listed as the FBI's top fugitive—the youngest one ever. To capture him, FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) engaged in a game of cat and mouse with Frank, always narrowly missing him each time.

9. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Grenouille grew up in an orphanage, completely odorless, but incredibly, he was a scent genius. At the age of 15, he became an apprentice to a Parisian perfumer. To create the world's unique perfume, he doesn't hesitate to kill adolescent girls, extracting fresh corpse scents to make superior perfumes. After killing 13 young women, an inevitable tragic fate awaited him...

10. Primal Fear (1996)

The bishop of Chicago's St. Michael Church is murdered, stabbed 17 times with numbers carved into his body. The police arrive and arrest a blood-stained young man named Aaron. Lawyer Martin visits the prison and becomes Aaron's defense attorney. He doesn’t care about right or wrong but aims to win this shocking citywide trial. In court, Aaron claims he often suffers from “losing time.” On the day of the murder, he delivered a book to the bishop and saw the bloody body, triggering his condition. Prosecutor Janet is determined to convict Aaron, uncovering the bishop's sexual abuse of Aaron and others, establishing a motive. Martin shifts strategy, emphasizing Aaron's mental illness to avoid punishment. Finally, when Martin hears a statement from Aaron, who is about to receive treatment, he is shocked.

Edward Norton's film debut.

11. Good Will Hunting (1997)

A mathematics professor at MIT writes a very difficult problem on the bulletin board hoping his brilliant students can solve it, but no one can. A young janitor named Will solves the problem effortlessly while cleaning up after class. Despite being exceptionally intelligent, Will is rebellious, even getting into fights, leading to juvenile detention. The professor takes interest in mentoring this unruly genius, requiring him to study mathematics regularly and attend psychological counseling. Though mathematical challenges don't phase him, Will resists therapy until meeting a psychology counselor, Dr. Sean Maguire, whose career isn’t flourishing. Through Sean's efforts, their initial confrontation turns into a mutually inspiring friendship, helping Will open up, overcome loneliness, and achieve self-realization.

12. Amadeus (1984)

This film recounts the life of the great musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Told in flashback by Antonio Salieri, a court musician, Mozart's talent both awes and shocks him, causing psychological distortion leading him to decide to eliminate Mozart. Music plays a narrative and thematic role throughout the film, connecting Mozart's music with his life events, depicting the conflict between Mozart and Salieri in music.

13. Proof (2005)

To care for her father suffering from schizophrenia, young Catherine sacrifices her education and begins a different life: devoting herself fully to caring for this extremely talented mathematician father while quietly exploring mathematics herself. After her father's death, a grieving Catherine falls into chaos. Her sister Claire returns from New York, determined to take her away from Chicago to New York for a "normal life." Her father's student Harold arrives at Catherine's home, falling in love with her during the process of sorting through his teacher's over 100 notebooks. This could have been a turning point for Catherine to heal her pain and face the future, but a notebook containing mathematical proofs stands in the way of their romance as Harold cannot believe these groundbreaking proofs are her casual scribblings… Catherine strives to "prove" her talent and ultimately bravely confronts deep sincere father-daughter affection, genuine sisterly bonds, and unexpected love.

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

14. The Legend of 1900 (1998)

The entire life of the protagonist 1900 (his name) is already a tragedy. Found abandoned on a steamship as an orphan, he was adopted by a kind boiler operator, but tragically, the good man dies in an accident, leaving young 1900 an orphan again. His extraordinary talent makes him a self-taught piano master, but fate causes him to harbor deep reservations about worldly affairs, never daring to disembark, only feeling secure aboard the ship. Even upon encountering a girl he instantly falls in love with, he decides against going ashore to find his first love. He stays on the ship forever, refusing to leave even when his only good friend warns him the ship is about to be blown up. Born and never leaving the Virginia, 1900 meets his end with the ship at the bottom of the sea.

This is an extreme romantic epic masterpiece, with the stormy piano performances enchanting.

15. Saw (2004)

Saw series 1-7: Thrilling, terrifying—cowards beware.

16. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Newly trained FBI agent Clarice accepts a challenging mission to track down and capture a serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill." To understand the killer's psychology, she visits Hannibal Lecter, a once-renowned psychiatrist imprisoned in a high-security facility. Hannibal is a highly intelligent, quick-thinking, somewhat mentally disturbed middle-aged man with a horrifying penchant for eating human flesh. Calm, knowledgeable, and cunning, he demands Clarice reveal her personal history in exchange for assistance. Impressed by his intellect, Clarice develops a complex mixture of sympathy and hatred. During multiple encounters, he provides fragmented clues.

Starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

17. The Usual Suspects (1995)

An explosion on a cargo ship in San Pedro Harbor, California, results in 27 deaths and nearly $100 million missing. Customs officer Cukor and FBI agent Bell investigate separately. Survivor Kint confesses that he, along with Keaton, McManus, Fenster, and Hockney, were detained overnight as suspects in a truck robbery. Later, lawyer Verbal informs them that crime boss Keyser Soze is furious about their intrusion into his territory and orders them to attack a drug ship to redeem themselves. Fenster refuses and is immediately killed. The remaining four reluctantly proceed; three are killed for failing to find drugs, the ship explodes, and Kint survives because he stayed ashore. Bound by prior agreement, Kint's testimony releases him. Meanwhile, a fax sent by Bell chills Cukor...

The role of Verbal Kint was tailored for Kevin Spacey.

18. Finding Forrester (2000)

James Wallace is a young African-American man who earned a college scholarship through basketball. In the university campus, James, through the internet, befriends a university professor who is also a writer. As they get to know each other, a deep friendship forms. The professor discovers James' writing potential and talent. This intergenerational friendship changes both their lives, posing James a tough choice between writing and basketball.

Starring Sean Connery, Anna Paquin, and Rob Brown.