The movies rated 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes you've probably never seen

Less than wowed by the current offerings in the cinema? Let us humbly suggest some classic movies for you to track down.

We’ve scoured high and wide on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes for some of their highest-rated films that you might not have seen yet – lessen-known gems that have gone down a storm with fans and critics alike.

You won’t find the likes of The Godfather or Shawshank here, everyone knows about those, but we’ve made you an all killer, no filler list of must-see movies to slowly plough your way through. Let’s get started...

Cool Hand Luke

Year of release: 1967

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Luke Jackson is a cool, gutsy prisoner in a Southern chain gang, who, while refusing to buckle under to authority, keeps escaping and being recaptured. The prisoners admire Luke because, as Dragline explains it, "You're an original, that's what you are!" Nevertheless, the camp staff actively works to crush Luke until he finally breaks.

Paterson

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Paterson is a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey - they share the name. Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, he writes poetry into a notebook; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer; he goes home to his wife, Laura. By contrast, Laura's world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily. The film quietly observes the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

12 Angry Men

Year of release: 1957

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%

Brief IMDb synopsis: When a young Puerto Rican boy is on trial for the alleged murder of his father, 11 of the 12 jurors are quick to vote that he is guilty in an ostensibly straightforward case. The remaining juror, Juror #8, seems skeptical about the evidence at hand and demands a thorough deliberation of the facts from each juror before sentencing the boy to death, to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The 400 Blows (1959)

Year of release: 1959

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%

Brief IMDb synopsis: The moving story of a young boy who, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

L.A. Confidential

Year of release: 1997

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 99%

Brief IMDb synopsis: As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen – one straight-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy – investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.

Hell or High Water

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Brief IMDb synopsis: In West Texas, two brothers go on a bank-robbing rampage. They are targeting the branches of one bank in particular, The Texas Midland Bank. This bank is about to foreclose on the mortgage on their ranch and claim the property, and robbing the bank to pay its own loan seems appropriate. On the trail of the brothers is a Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton, with only a few weeks to retirement.

My Life as a Courgette

Year of release: 2017

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%

Brief IMDb synopsis: After losing his mother, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love.

Three Colors: Blue

Year of release: 1993

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.

Amy

Year of release: 2015

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Year of release: 2012

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 99%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.

The Handmaiden

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.

A Prophet

Year of release: 2010

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Illiterate 18-year-old Franco-Arab Malik El Djebena is sent to Brécourt prison for six years for assaulting a police officer. Alone and without money, Malik finds himself thrust into a world of corruption and violence divided by the rival prison gangs.

Rosemary's Baby

Year of release: 1968

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 99%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A young couple move into an apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life.

The Babadook

Year of release: 2014

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

Let the Right One In

Year of release: 2008

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

Green Room

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.

Kubo and the Two Strings

Year of release: 2016

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Brief IMDb synopsis: A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.

Your Name

Year of release: 2017

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart?

Fantastic Mr. Fox 

Year of release: 2009

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

Brief IMDb synopsis: An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.

The Princess Bride

Year of release: 1987

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Brief IMDb synopsis: When the lovely Buttercup is kidnapped by a ghastly gang intent on fermenting an international incident they find they are pursued by the Dread Pirate Roberts who just might be Westley, her one true love. Also after everyone is nasty Prince Humperdinck to whom Buttercup is now betrothed but who seems to care little for her continued survival. The stage is set for sword fights, monsters, and tortures – but will Grandpa be allowed to finish telling the story with all these kissy bits?

Sideways

Year of release: 2004

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%

Brief IMDb synopsis: Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.