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Movies · Top 10

Top 10 Foreign Language Films of All Time in 2027

By Kory White · Updated Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Seven Samurai (1954)
Direct answer

Seven Samurai (1954) is the top foreign language film of all time on critic scores, with a 100% Tomatometer from 104 reviews and the #1 spot in the BBC’s 2018 poll. Tokyo Story (100%) follows, then Parasite (99%) and 8½ (98%).

At a glance

#PickTomatometerBest for
1Seven Samurai (1954)100% (104 reviews)Anyone who wants the film critics voted the best foreign-language film ever
2Tokyo Story (1953)100% (49 reviews)Viewers who like quiet, slow family drama
3Parasite (2019)99% (484 reviews)Viewers who want a modern, widely seen thriller with dark humor
48½ (1963)98% (60 reviews)Film buffs who like surreal, self-reflective cinema
5Yi Yi (2000)97% (90 reviews)Patient viewers who enjoy a long, humane family story
6Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)96% (216 reviews)Fans of martial-arts spectacle with a love story
7Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)95% (238 reviews)Fans of dark fantasy set in Spain after the civil war
8The Lives of Others (2006)92% (158 reviews)Viewers who like tense, Cold War-era political drama
9Cinema Paradiso (1988)91% (82 reviews)Anyone who loves movies about loving movies
10Amélie (2001)90% (234 reviews)Anyone who wants a light, romantic French comedy

Pick by what you want

Best overall
Seven Samurai (1954)
Best modern
Parasite (2019)
Best fantasy
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Best action
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Best feel-good
Amélie (2001)

The ranking

1

Seven Samurai (1954)

Seven Samurai (1954)
Answrs VerdictA 100% Tomatometer and #1 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 100% (104 reviews)Director, year: Akira Kurosawa, 1954Country; language: Japan; JapaneseRuntime: 207 minutes (with intermission)BBC 2018 poll rank: #1 of 100

Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese epic holds a 100% Tomatometer from 104 reviews and was #1 in the BBC’s 2018 poll. It runs 207 minutes with its intermission.

Go ifAnyone who wants the film critics voted the best foreign-language film ever
Skip ifA 207-minute running time is too long
Why #1 over #2: It ties Tokyo Story at 100% but ranks higher in the BBC poll, #1 against #3.
2

Tokyo Story (1953)

Tokyo Story (1953)
Answrs VerdictA 100% Tomatometer and #3 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 100% (49 reviews)Director, year: Yasujirō Ozu, 1953Country; language: Japan; JapaneseRuntime: 136 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #3 of 100

Yasujirō Ozu’s 1953 Japanese drama holds a 100% Tomatometer from 49 reviews and ranked #3 in the BBC poll. It runs 136 minutes.

Go ifViewers who like quiet, slow family drama
Skip ifYou want fast-moving plots
Why #2 over #3: Its 100% Tomatometer beats the 99% of Parasite.
3

Parasite (2019)

Parasite (2019)
Answrs VerdictA 99% Tomatometer from 484 critics, the most reviewed here.
Tomatometer: 99% (484 reviews)Director, year: Bong Joon Ho, 2019Country; language: South Korea; KoreanRuntime: 132 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: Not in the poll

Bong Joon Ho’s 2019 South Korean film holds a 99% Tomatometer from 484 reviews, the most of the 10. It is not in the BBC poll, which was published in 2018. It runs 132 minutes.

Go ifViewers who want a modern, widely seen thriller with dark humor
Skip ifYou dislike social satire and violence
Why #3 over #4: Its 99% Tomatometer beats the 98% of 8½.
4

8½ (1963)

8½ (1963)
Answrs VerdictA 98% Tomatometer and #7 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 98% (60 reviews)Director, year: Federico Fellini, 1963Country; language: Italy and France; ItalianRuntime: 138 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #7 of 100

Federico Fellini’s 1963 Italian film holds a 98% Tomatometer from 60 reviews and ranked #7 in the BBC poll. It runs 138 minutes.

Go ifFilm buffs who like surreal, self-reflective cinema
Skip ifYou want a straightforward plot
Why #4 over #5: Its 98% Tomatometer beats the 97% of Yi Yi.
5

Yi Yi (2000)

Yi Yi (2000)
Answrs VerdictA 97% Tomatometer and #25 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 97% (90 reviews)Director, year: Edward Yang, 2000Country; language: Taiwan and Japan; Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Japanese and EnglishRuntime: 173 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #25 of 100

Edward Yang’s 2000 Taiwanese film holds a 97% Tomatometer from 90 reviews and ranked #25 in the BBC poll. It runs 173 minutes.

Go ifPatient viewers who enjoy a long, humane family story
Skip ifA 173-minute film is too long
Why #5 over #6: Its 97% Tomatometer beats the 96% of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
6

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Answrs VerdictA 96% Tomatometer from 216 critics.
Tomatometer: 96% (216 reviews)Director, year: Ang Lee, 2000Country; language: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States; MandarinRuntime: 120 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #78 of 100

Ang Lee’s 2000 Mandarin-language martial-arts film holds a 96% Tomatometer from 216 reviews and ranked #78 in the BBC poll. It runs 120 minutes.

Go ifFans of martial-arts spectacle with a love story
Skip ifYou dislike wire-fu action
Why #6 over #7: Its 96% Tomatometer beats the 95% of Pan’s Labyrinth.
7

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Answrs VerdictA 95% Tomatometer and #22 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 95% (238 reviews)Director, year: Guillermo del Toro, 2006Country; language: Spain and Mexico; SpanishRuntime: 120 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #22 of 100

Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 Spanish-language fantasy holds a 95% Tomatometer from 238 reviews and ranked #22 in the BBC poll. It runs 120 minutes.

Go ifFans of dark fantasy set in Spain after the civil war
Skip ifYou dislike graphic violence
Why #7 over #8: Its 95% Tomatometer beats the 92% of The Lives of Others.
8

The Lives of Others (2006)

The Lives of Others (2006)
Answrs VerdictA 92% Tomatometer and #31 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 92% (158 reviews)Director, year: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006Country; language: Germany; GermanRuntime: 137 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #31 of 100

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s 2006 German drama holds a 92% Tomatometer from 158 reviews and ranked #31 in the BBC poll. It runs 137 minutes.

Go ifViewers who like tense, Cold War-era political drama
Skip ifYou want fast action
Why #8 over #9: Its 92% Tomatometer beats the 91% of Cinema Paradiso.
9

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Answrs VerdictA 91% Tomatometer and #26 in the BBC poll.
Tomatometer: 91% (82 reviews)Director, year: Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988Country; language: Italy and France; ItalianRuntime: 155 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #26 of 100

Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1988 Italian film holds a 91% Tomatometer from 82 reviews and ranked #26 in the BBC poll. It runs 155 minutes.

Go ifAnyone who loves movies about loving movies
Skip ifYou dislike sentimental stories
Why #9 over #10: Its 91% Tomatometer beats the 90% of Amélie.
10

Amélie (2001)

Amélie (2001)
Answrs VerdictA 90% Tomatometer from 234 critics.
Tomatometer: 90% (234 reviews)Director, year: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001Country; language: France and Germany; FrenchRuntime: 123 minutesBBC 2018 poll rank: #82 of 100

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 French film holds a 90% Tomatometer from 234 reviews and ranked #82 in the BBC poll. It runs 123 minutes.

Go ifAnyone who wants a light, romantic French comedy
Skip ifYou dislike whimsy

How we ranked these

We ranked the 10 films by their Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (the critics’ score), as shown on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes page, and broke the tie between Seven Samurai and Tokyo Story with their rank in the BBC’s 2018 poll of the 100 greatest foreign-language films, as published by the BBC. Director, year, country, language and runtime come from each film’s Wikipedia article. Only non-English-language films are included. We did not use our own opinion scores. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.

Questions people ask

What is the best foreign language film of all time?

On critic scores, Seven Samurai (1954), which holds a 100% Tomatometer from 104 reviews. It also ranked #1 in the BBC’s 2018 poll of the 100 greatest foreign-language films.

Which foreign language film has the most Rotten Tomatoes reviews on this list?

Parasite (2019) has 484 reviews and a 99% Tomatometer, ahead of Pan’s Labyrinth with 238 reviews at 95%.

Why is Parasite not given a BBC poll rank?

The BBC poll was published in 2018 and Parasite premiered at Cannes in 2019, so it was not eligible.

Which is the longest of these films?

Seven Samurai runs 207 minutes with its intermission; Yi Yi runs 173 minutes.

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (critics) at a glance

Amélie (2001)90 %
Cinema Paradiso (1988)91 %
The Lives of Others (2006)92 %
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)95 %
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)96 %
Yi Yi (2000)97 %
8½ (1963)98 %
Parasite (2019)99 %
Seven Samurai (1954)100 %
Tokyo Story (1953)100 %
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (critics), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.

Official sites

Sources

Prices, specs and availability change; confirm on the official site before you buy.

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