Dreamworks Pictures (USA): 60

Catch Me If You Can (2002) is an American biographical crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg. In 1969, FBI agent Carl Hanratty travels to Marseille, France to retrieve a prisoner named Frank Abagnale Jr., who has become ill due to the prison’s poor conditions. Six years prior, Frank lived with his parents Frank Sr. and Paula in New Rochelle, New York. Growing up, he learned various cons from his father but their family eventually had to downsize due to his father’s tax issues with the IRS. During this time, Frank discovers that his mother is having an affair with Jack Barnes, a ...

The American science fiction action film, Minority Report (2002), directed by Steven Spielberg, is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novella The Minority Report. The federal government plans to nationally implement the ‘Precrime’ police program in 2054. This prototype has been operating in Washington, D.C. for six years. In this program, three clairvoyant humans (‘precogs’) receive psychic impressions of future homicides, allowing officers to prevent them before they happen. Perpetrators are put in a panopticon-like prison ...

Road to Perdition (2002) is an American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by David Self. It is based on the first volume of the graphic novel series, also titled Road to Perdition, by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner. The story takes place in 1931 during the Great Depression. The main character, Michael Sullivan Sr., was taken in and raised by Irish Mob leader John Rooney in Rock Island, Illinois. Despite being feared as an enforcer for ...

The Mexican (2001), an American dark comedy adventure crime film by Gore Verbinski, takes place in Los Angeles. You hear a car accident off-screen as a traffic light turns red. Five years pass and Jerry Welbach has been paying off his debt to Arnold Margolese, a mob boss now behind bars. But when Jerry messes up his last task, Bernie Nayman, Margolese’s right-hand man, assigns him a new final mission: retrieve an antique pistol named ‘the Mexican’ from a man called Beck in Mexico. This job pushes Jerry’s girlfriend Sam over the edge and she leaves for Las Vegas. Upon arriving in Mexico, Jerry ...

The crime comedy film, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), was written and directed by Woody Allen and starred him as well. In 1940 New York City, efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald had a hidden relationship with her boss, Chris Magruder. He assured her that once his divorce from his wife was finalized, they could be together publicly. During a dinner at the Rainbow Room, magician Voltan enlisted Betty Ann and her co-worker C.W. Briggs to participate in his hypnotism act. By using the trigger words ‘Madagascar’ and ‘Constantinople’, they were put into a trance before being awakened. Later ...

The American animated fantasy comedy film, Shrek (2001), is loosely based on the 1990 children’s picture book by William Steig of the same name. The main character, an anti-social and territorial ogre, thrives in the isolation of his swamp and takes pleasure in warding off trespassers. However, his peaceful existence is disrupted when the short-tempered ruler of Duloc, Lord Farquaad, banishes a multitude of fairy-tale creatures who mistakenly end up in Shrek’s territory. Seeking retribution for the invasion, Shrek sets out to confront Farquaad and demand that the creatures be relocated elsewhere. Although he ...

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) is an American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. Set in the 22nd century, rising sea levels caused by global warming have decimated cities and drastically reduced the world’s population. To fill the void left by human loss, Mecha humanoid robots have been created to take their place. In Madison, New Jersey, David – a prototype Mecha child programmed to feel love – is given to Henry Swinton and his wife Monica. They had lost their son Martin to a rare disease and he remains in suspended animation. While initially distant towards David, Monica ...

The American sports film, The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), tells the story of Hardy Greaves, a senior who has experienced his fair share of health issues while playing golf. His late wife used to question why he continued to play ‘a game that seems destined to kill’ him. Despite this, Greaves shares his love for the sport by recounting his childhood hero: Rannulph Junuh. Junuh is the beloved son of Savannah, Georgia, known as a talented golfer from a privileged background. Alongside his stunning girlfriend Adele Invergordon, they appear to have the perfect life. However, after experiencing the horrors of World War I and losing his entire company in ...

Gladiator (2000) is a film set in ancient Rome, directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. In 180 AD, Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius returns home after leading the army to victory against Germanic tribes near Vindobona on the Limes Germanicus. Emperor Marcus Aurelius informs Maximus that his son, Commodus, is not fit to take over as emperor. Instead, he offers Maximus the role of regent in hopes of restoring the Roman ...

Road Trip (2000), an American sex comedy directed by Todd Phillips and written by Scot Armstrong and Phillips, follows the story of college student Barry as he guides prospective students and their families around his campus. Along the way, he shares anecdotes about his friends. Childhood pals Josh Parker and Tiffany Henderson enter into a long-distance relationship as they attend different universities – Josh at the University of Ithaca and Tiffany at the University of Austin. However, their once passionate romance ...

Cast Away (2000), an American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis, follows the story of Chuck Noland. Chuck is a FedEx systems analyst who travels the world fixing productivity issues. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his girlfriend, Kelly Frears. The couple discusses marriage but their plans are repeatedly interrupted due to Chuck’s work demands. This begins to strain their relationship. During a Christmas dinner, Chuck receives an urgent call to resolve a problem in Malaysia. Before leaving, Kelly gives him her grandfather’s pocket watch containing a photo of her and he gives ...

Small Time Crooks (2000), an American crime-comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, follows the story of career criminal Ray and his cohorts as they hatch a plan to lease a defunct pizzeria. Their goal? To dig a tunnel from the basement of the restaurant to a nearby bank. In order to cover their tracks, Ray’s wife Frenchy cleverly disguises their activities, selling cookies out of the front of the establishment. However, their robbery scheme proves to be unsuccessful, while their cookie business becomes wildly popular. As they expand their enterprise through franchising, the once down-and-out duo become ...

In Dreams (1999), a psychological thriller directed by Neil Jordan, is an adaptation of the novel Doll’s Eyes (1993) by Bari Wood. As a suburban housewife and mother, Claire Cooper spends her free time illustrating children’s stories while her husband Paul, an airline pilot, is often away for work (and possibly having an affair with his Australian co-worker). This leaves Claire to care for their daughter Rebecca, who is eight years old. Strange and hazy dreams ensue for Claire involving an underwater city and the murder of a young girl. Tragedy ...

Forces of Nature (1999) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Bronwen Hughes. Ben Holmes, a talented ‘blurb’ writer, is on his way from New York City to Savannah, Georgia for his wedding to Bridget. However, the flight is causing him some anxiety due to his fear of flying. His nerves become even more frayed when he meets Sarah, a carefree wanderer who strikes up a conversation with him immediately. Unfortunately, their flight is met with a scary incident as a bird collides with one of the engines, resulting in an emergency landing. Like many others on the plane, Ben is now apprehensive to fly again ...

American Beauty (1999), a dark comedy-drama film, was written by Alan Ball and marked Sam Mendes’ debut as a feature director. The movie centers on Lester Burnham, an unsatisfied middle-aged executive living in suburbia and married to the high-strung real estate agent Carolyn. Their daughter Jane, who is 16 years old, has low self-esteem and harbors resentment towards her parents. Next door, retired Marine colonel Frank Fitts moves in with his wife Barbara and their teenage son Ricky. Ricky has a passion for capturing everyday moments on videotape with his camcorder ...

Antz (1998) is an American animated adventure comedy film from DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images. The story follows Z, an anxious worker ant who struggles with feelings of insignificance in the colony. Even his therapist reminds him of his supposed meaningless existence. One night at the local bar, Z meets Bala, the princess of the colony who also seeks refuge from her stifling royal life. As the ant colony prepares for war against a termite invasion, Z sees this as an opportunity to see Bala again and switches places with his friend Weaver to join the army. There, he befriends staff sergeant Barbatus while remaining unaware of General Mandible’s ...

Directed by Mimi Leder, Deep Impact (1998) is an American science fiction disaster film. During a star party in Virginia, teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman notices an unidentified object in the night sky and sends a picture to astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf. Upon realizing it is a comet headed for Earth, Wolf rushes to warn others but tragically dies in a car accident. One year later, MSNBC journalist Jenny Lerner begins investigating Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse for his connection with ‘Ellie’, whom she assumes to be his mistress. However, she becomes confused when she sees Rittenhouse and ...

The director Steven Spielberg and writer Robert Rodat collaborated on Saving Private Ryan (1998), an epic American war film. During the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, the U.S. Army faced heavy losses at Omaha Beach from German artillery and machine gun fire. Amidst the chaos, Captain John H. Miller of the 2nd Ranger Battalion takes charge of a surviving group and strategically infiltrates behind enemy lines for a successful victory. Unfortunately, word reaches the United States Department of War that three out of four Ryan brothers have been killed in action, with ...

The Peacemaker (1997), an American political action thriller directed by Mimi Leder, marks DreamWorks Pictures’ first film. During an Eastern Orthodox baptism celebration in Pale, Bosnia, the moderate Bosnian Finance Minister, who had been advocating for peace in the Yugoslav Wars, is assassinated. At a missile base located in Kartaly (Chelyabinsk Oblast), Russia, ten nuclear warheads from a SS-18 Satan ICBM are being loaded onto a train headed for a dismantling facility. However, Russian Army General Aleksandr Kodoroff and his rogue Spetznaz unit take control of the train and transfer nine of the warheads to ...

Based on the events in 1839, Amistad (1997) is an American historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. It depicts the story of Mende tribesmen who were abducted for the slave trade aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad. The men managed to overpower their captors and take control of the ship off the coast of Cuba. This led to an international legal battle after their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter named Washington. Eventually, the case was resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841. The film follows Cinqué, a captive who leads an uprising against the crew, resulting in most of them being killed. Pedro Montes and ...