150 EROTIC MOVIES RANKED WORST TO BEST
150-101 | 100-51 | 50-1
QUILLS (2000)
75%
#50
Critics Consensus: Though hard to watch, this film's disturbing exploration of freedom of expression is both seductive and thought-provoking.
Synopsis: The Marquis de Sade was a man who liked to stir up trouble, at a time when his native France... [More]
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine
Directed By: Philip Kaufman
NYMPHOMANIAC: VOLUME I (2014)
75%
#49
Critics Consensus: Darkly funny, fearlessly bold, and thoroughly indulgent, Nymphomaniac finds Lars von Trier provoking viewers with customary abandon.
Synopsis: NYMPHOMANIAC: VOLUME I is the story of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who is discovered badly beaten in an... [More]
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf, Stacy Martin
Directed By: Lars von Trier
POLA X (2000)
76%
#48
Critics Consensus: Boldly transgressive, ambitious, and undeniably flawed, Pola X overcomes its stumbles with palpable passion.
Synopsis: Eight years after Les Amants du Pont Neuf (1991), which failed at the box office, Léos Carax returned with Pola... [More]
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Guillaume Depardieu, Yekaterina Golubeva, Katerina Golubeva
Directed By: Leos Carax
372 LE MATIN (BETTY BLUE) (37.2 DEGREES IN THE MORNING) (1986)
76%
#47
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue stars Béatrice Dalle as the title character, a mentally unbalanced and sexually aggressive free spirit who...[More]
Starring: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Beatrice Dalle, Gérard Darmon, Consuelo De Haviland
Directed By: Jean-Jacques Beineix
SECRETARY (2002)
76%
#46
Critics Consensus: Maggie Gyllenhaal impresses in this romantic comedy with a kinky twist.
Synopsis: Sadomasochism provides the backdrop for a very unusual employer/employee relationship in this very offbeat romantic drama from filmmaker Steven Shainberg.... [More]
Starring: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren
Directed By: Steven Shainberg
COME UNDONE (2000)
77%
#45
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The third collaboration between screenwriter Stephane Bouquet and writer/director Sebastien Lifshitz, Presque Rien is the story of a young French... [More]
Starring: Jérémie Elkaïm, Stephane Rideau, Dominique Reymond, Marie Matheron
Directed By: Sébastien Lifshitz
UNE VIEILLE MAÎTRESSE (THE LAST MISTRESS) (AN OLD MISTRESS) (2007)
77%
#44
Critics Consensus: More complicated than your average bodice ripper, Catherine Breillat's Last Mistress features beautiful costumes, wrought romances, and a feral performance from Argento.
Synopsis: Catherine Breillat's adaptation of An Old Mistress stars Fu'ad Ait Aatou as Ryno de Marigny, and Asia Argento as Vellini,... [More]
Starring: Asia Argento, Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Claude Sarraute
Directed By: Catherine Breillat
THE WAYWARD CLOUD (2005)
78%
#43
Critics Consensus: The Wayward Cloud may baffle more literally minded viewers, but its surreal pleasures will resonate with fans of thoroughly unique cinema.
Synopsis: The subjects of love, sex, and lust in modern-day Taiwan are given a surreal, kaleidoscopic treatment in Tsai Ming-Liang's experimental... [More]
Starring: Kang-sheng Lee, Lin Huixun, Hsiao Huan-wen, Yi-Ching Lu
Directed By: Ming-liang Tsai
BLUEBEARD (2010)
78%
#42
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Controversial filmmaker Catherine Breillat puts a new spin on an ancient story in this multileveled drama. In France in the... [More]
Starring: Dominique Thomas, Lola Creton, Daphné Baiwir, Marilou Lopes-Benites
Directed By: Catherine Breillat
DAMAGE (1992)
78%
#41
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Adapted from Josephine Hart's spare novel by British screenwriter David Hare and French director Louis Malle, this brooding erotic drama...[More]
Starring: Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves
Directed By: Louis Malle
SEA OF LOVE (1989)
78%
#40
Critics Consensus: Moody and steadily alluring, Sea of Love benefits immeasurably from the window-fogging chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino.
Synopsis: In this thriller, Al Pacino stars as Frank Keller, an alcoholic policeman in the depths of middle-age crisis. Frank begins... [More]
Starring: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Michael Rooker
Directed By: Harold Becker
THE MOTHER (2004)
78%
#39
Critics Consensus: Reid gives a fearless, realistic performance in depicting an older woman's sexual blossoming.
Synopsis: May is an ordinary grandmother from the North of England. When her husband dies on a family visit to London,... [More]
Starring: Anne Reid, Daniel Craig, Cathryn Bradshaw, Steven Mackintosh
Directed By: Roger Michell
BODY DOUBLE (1984)
78%
#38
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In Body Double, director Brian DePalma pays homage to the Alfred Hitchcock movies Vertigo and Rear Window, adding a few... [More]
Starring: Craig Wasson, Ty Randolph, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith
Directed By: Brian DePalma
FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)
77%
#37
Critics Consensus: A potboiler in the finest sense, Fatal Attraction is a sultry, juicy thriller that's hard to look away from once it gets going.
Synopsis: "Fatal attraction" has become a household term for love turned to murderous obsession, thanks to the success of Adrian Lyne's... [More]
Starring: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Ellen Hamilton Latzen
Directed By: Adrian Lyne
WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (AKAI HASHI NO SHITA NOO NURUI MIZU) (2002)
79%
#36
Critics Consensus: A whimsically engaging sex comedy.
Synopsis: Koji Yakusho -- who starred in Shoshi Imamura's Unagi, along with virtually every Japanese indie film of note in the... [More]
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Mitsuko Baisho, Mansaku Fuwa
Directed By: Shohei Imamura
SHAME (2011)
79%
#35
Critics Consensus: Boasting stellar performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, Shame is a powerful plunge into the mania of addiction affliction.
Synopsis: Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction... [More]
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Directed By: Steve McQueen (III)
RED WHITE & BLUE (2010)
80%
#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Red, White and Blue is a powerful, visceral and oddly touching thriller/slash movie. It's also very sophisticated storytelling with temporal...[More]
Starring: Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter, Noah Taylor, Nick Ashy Holden
Directed By: Simon Rumley
ANGEL HEART (1987)
77%
#33
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The time is the 1950s: seedy Brooklyn private eye Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by shady Louis Cyphre (Robert... [More]
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
Directed By: Alan Parker
LIVE FLESH (CARNE TRÉMULA) (1998)
80%
#32
Critics Consensus: Live Flesh surveys the fallout from an act of violence with a mature melodrama that sees Pedro Almodóvar working in surprisingly restrained form.
Synopsis: Pedro Almodovar's most mature and restrained film is a superbly structured melodrama about five people whose lives in modern Madrid...[More]
Starring: Liberto Rabal, Francesca Neri, Javier Bardem, Ángela Molina
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
BAKJWI (THIRST) (2009)
81%
#31
Critics Consensus: The stylish Thirst packs plenty of bloody thrills to satisfy fans of both vampire films and director Chan Wook Park.
Synopsis: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, and Kim Ok-bin star in Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's frightener concerning a priest whose life takes... [More]
Starring: Ok-bin Kim, Shin Ha-Gyun, Kim Hae-suk, Oh Dal-su
Directed By: Chan-wook Park
I AM LOVE (2010)
82%
#30
Critics Consensus: It stumbles into melodrama, but I Am Love backs up its flamboyance with tremendous visual style and a marvelous central performance from Tilda Swinton.
Synopsis: This lavish, sprawling drama from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has drawn numerous comparisons to the films of Luchino Visconti for the... [More]
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
SWIMMING POOL (2003)
83%
#29
Critics Consensus: A sensual thriller with two engaging performers demanding our undivided attention.
Synopsis: Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts... [More]
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Marc Fayolle
Directed By: François Ozon
LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972)
83%
#28
Critics Consensus: Naturalistic but evocative, Last Tango in Paris is a vivid exploration of pain, love, and sex featuring a typically towering Marlon Brando performance.
Synopsis: In Bernardo Bertolucci's art-house classic, Marlon Brando delivers one of his characteristically idiosyncratic performances as Paul, a middle-aged American in... [More]
Starring: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Darling Legitimus
Directed By: Bernardo Bertolucci
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)
83%
#27
Critics Consensus: David Lynch's dreamlike and mysterious Mulholland Drive is a twisty neo-noir with an unconventional structure that features a mesmirizing performance from Naomi Watts as a woman on the dark fringes of Hollywood.
Synopsis: Along Mulholland Drive nothing is what it seems. In the unreal universe of Los Angeles, the city bares its schizophrenic... [More]
Starring: Laura Harring, Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller
Directed By: David Lynch
DRESSED TO KILL (1980)
84%
#26
Critics Consensus: With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma's signature strengths.
Synopsis: In this stylish, violent thriller,an unhappy wife, Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), meets a handsome man in a museum and goes... [More]
Starring: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon
Directed By: Brian DePalma
IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (1976)
85%
#25
Critics Consensus: Sexual taboos are broken and boundaries crossed In the Realm of the Senses, a fearlessly provocative psychosexual tale.
Synopsis: Based upon a true incident in 1930s Japan, Nagisa Oshima's controversial film effectively skirts the borderline between pornography and art... [More]
Starring: Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui
Directed By: Nagisa Oshima
THE UNTAMED (LA REGIÓN SALVAJE) (2017)
86%
#24
Critics Consensus: The Untamed attempts some ambitious tonal juggling between fantastical and disturbing -- and draws viewers in with its slippery, inexorable pull.
Synopsis: Alejandra is a young mother and housewife who raises her children with her husband Angel in a small town. His... [More]
Starring: Ruth Ramos, Simone Bucio, Jesús Meza, Edén Villavicencio
Directed By: Amat Escalante
BLUE VALENTINE (2010)
87%
#23
Critics Consensus: This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power.
Synopsis: A complex portrait of a contemporary American marriage, "Blue Valentine" tells the story of David and Cindy, a couple who... [More]
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman
Directed By: Andrij Parekh, Derek Cianfrance
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988)
88%
#22
Critics Consensus: Exploring sexual mores against the backdrop of real-life social upheaval, The Unbearable Lightness of Being artfully blends the political and the erotic.
Synopsis: In Philip Kaufman's surprisingly successful film adaptation of Czech author Milan Kundera's demanding 1984 best-seller, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Tomas,... [More]
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Derek de Lint
Directed By: Philip Kaufman
BOUND (1996)
88%
#21
Critics Consensus: Bound's more titillating elements attracted attention, but it's the stylish direction, solid performances, and entertaining neo-noir caper plot that make it worth a watch.
Synopsis: Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly nearly set the screen on fire in this clever, female-powered twist on the standard Mob... [More]
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan
Directed By: Lilly Wachowski, Larry and Andy Wachowski, Wachowski Brothers, Lana Wachowski
VENUS IN FUR (2014)
88%
#20
Critics Consensus: Provocative, funny, and brilliantly acted, Venus in Fur finds Roman Polanski in top late-period form.
Synopsis: Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives, which itself was based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's groundbreaking novella,... [More]
Starring: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric
Directed By: Roman Polanski
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER (1989)
87%
#19
Critics Consensus: This romantic crime drama may not be to everyone's taste, but The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover is an audacious, powerful film.
Synopsis: This is probably Peter Greenaway's most famous (or infamous) film, which first shocked audiences at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival... [More]
Starring: Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard
Directed By: Peter Greenaway
A BIGGER SPLASH (2016)
90%
#18
Critics Consensus: Absorbing, visually arresting, and powerfully acted by an immensely talented cast, A Bigger Splash offers sumptuously soapy delights for fans of psychological adult drama.
Synopsis: In A BIGGER SPLASH, rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her... [More]
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson , Matthias Schoenaerts, Tilda Swinton
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (2013)
89%
#17
Critics Consensus: Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama.
Synopsis: BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR centers on a 15-year-old girl named Adèle (Exarchopoulos) who is climbing to adulthood and dreams... [More]
Starring: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Jérémie Laheurte
Directed By: Abdel Kechiche
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (2001)
92%
#16
Critics Consensus: A road movie that's not only sexy, but intelligent as well.
Synopsis: Alfonso Cuarón directed and co-wrote this sexy art-house hit from Mexico. The funny and moving coming-of-age story centers on two... [More]
Starring: Maribel Verdu, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, María Aura
Directed By: Alfonso Cuarón
THE PIANO (1993)
92%
#15
Critics Consensus: Powered by Holly Hunter's main performance, The Piano is a truth-seeking romance played in the key of erotic passion.
Synopsis: Writer/director Jane Campion's third feature unearthed emotional undercurrents and churning intensity in the story of a mute woman's rebellion in... [More]
Starring: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Sam Neill
Directed By: Jane Campion
DANGEROUS LIAISONS (1988)
93%
#14
Critics Consensus: Stylish, seductive, and clever, Stephen Frears' adaptation is a wickedly entertaining exploration of sexual politics.
Synopsis: Adapted for stage and screen several times over the past century, French author Francois Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les... [More]
Starring: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman
Directed By: Stephen Frears
STRANGER BY THE LAKE (2014)
94%
#13
Critics Consensus: Sexy, smart, and darkly humorous, Stranger by the Lake offers rewarding viewing for adult filmgoers in search of thought-provoking drama.
Synopsis: Frank (Pierre Deladonchamps) spends his summer days hopelessly searching for companionship at a popular cruising spot on the shores of...[More]
Starring: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, Patrick d'Assumçao, Jérôme Chappatte
Directed By: Alain Guiraudie
THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994)
94%
#12
Critics Consensus: Like Body Heat, The Last Seduction updates film noir techniques for a modern era, imbuing this erotic film with '90s snark.
Synopsis: Bridget Gregory seems to have it all: beauty, intelligence and a marriage to Clay, a wealthy physician. But everything isn't... [More]
Starring: Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman, J.T. Walsh
Directed By: John Dahl
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (2015)
94%
#11
Critics Consensus: Stylish, sensual, and smart, The Duke of Burgundy proves that erotic cinema can have genuine substance.
Synopsis: Day after day, Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) act out a simple yet provocative ritual that ends... [More]
Starring: Chiara D'Anna, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Eugenia Caruso, Fatma Mohamed
Directed By: Peter Strickland
BLUE VELVET (1986)
94%
#10
Critics Consensus: If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.
Synopsis: Director David Lynch crafted this hallucinogenic mystery-thriller that probes beneath the cheerful surface of suburban America to discover sadomasochistic violence,... [More]
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern
Directed By: David Lynch
WEEKEND (2011)
95%
#9
Critics Consensus: It may be a chamber piece but Weekend's revelations on modern sexuality expand far beyond the modest setting.
Synopsis: Weekend follows Russell (newcomer Tom Cullen, Best Actor winner at Nashville), who, after randomly picking up artist Glen (Chris New)... [More]
Starring: Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race, Laura Freeman
Directed By: Andrew Haigh
THE HANDMAIDEN (AH-GA-SSI) (2016)
95%
#8
Critics Consensus: The Handmaiden uses a Victorian crime novel as the loose inspiration for another visually sumptuous and absorbingly idiosyncratic outing from director Park Chan-wook.
Synopsis: From PARK Chan-wook, the celebrated director of OLDBOY, LADY VENGEANCE, THIRST and STOKER, comes a ravishing new crime drama inspired... [More]
Starring: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Hae-suk
Directed By: Chan-wook Park
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2018)
95%
#7
Critics Consensus: Call Me by Your Name offers a melancholy, powerfully affecting portrait of first love, empathetically acted by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.
Synopsis: CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love,... [More]
Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989)
96%
#6
Critics Consensus: In his feature directorial debut, Steven Soderbergh demonstrates a mastery of his craft well beyond his years, pulling together an outstanding cast and an intelligent script for a nuanced, mature film about neurosis and human sexuality.
Synopsis: Steven Soderbergh kickstarted the independent film movement of the 1990s with this landmark drama about the tangled relationships among four... [More]
Starring: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo
Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
BELLE DE JOUR (1968)
96%
#5
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Belle de Jour dramatizes the collision between depravity and elegance, one of the favorite themes of director Luis Buñuel. Catherine... [More]
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page
Directed By: Luis Buñuel
EXOTICA (1994)
97%
#4
Critics Consensus: Exotica simmers with sex and obsession, while successfully doubling as an extreme character study.
Synopsis: The action in this film revolves largely around the Exotica strip club, a faux-tropical hothouse where young female dancers cater... [More]
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mia Kirshner, Don McKellar, Arsinée Khanjian
Directed By: Atom Egoyan
BODY HEAT (1981)
97%
#3
Critics Consensus: Classic film noir gets a steamy, '80s update with Body Heat
Synopsis: Lawrence Kasdan's first directorial effort is a throwback to the early days of film noir. The scene is a beastly... [More]
Starring: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson
Directed By: Lawrence Kasdan
THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT (1982)
100%
#2
Critics Consensus: Smart and utterly original, The Draughtsman's Contract is a period piece that marks the further maturation of a writer-director with a thrillingly unique vision.
Synopsis: According to this story of a woman not so much scorned as ignored, life in late 17th-century England among the... [More]
Starring: Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Anne Louise Lambert, Neil Cunningham
Directed By: Peter Greenaway
LA BELLE NOISEUSE (1991)
100%
#1
Critics Consensus: A sensual and hypnotic masterpiece, La Belle Noiseuse luxuriates in its four-hour run time while holding audience attention.
Synopsis: In 1991, the master French director Jacques Rivette released one of his most acclaimed works- the four-hour La Belle noiseuse.... [More]
Starring: Michel Piccoli, Jane Birkin, Emmanuelle Béart, Marianne Denicourt
Directed By: Jacques Rivette
