8 Best Movies of 2002

By Vlad Zakh · June 30, 2026

2002 offered romance, revenge and some of the best crime cinema of the decade. A Walk to Remember has a rebellious teenager falling for a devout classmate, The Count of Monte Cristo has a wrongly imprisoned sailor plotting revenge, and Infernal Affairs has undercover agents infiltrating each other’s organizations. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Catch Me If You Can, The Pianist, City of God and The Two Towers round out the eight.

A Walk to Remember (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A rebellious teenager falls for a classmate who is hiding a terminal illness.

Directed by Adam Shankman · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A wrongly imprisoned sailor escapes and plots an elaborate revenge on the men who betrayed him.

Directed by Kevin Reynolds · 2h 11m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A mysterious force is petrifying students at Hogwarts, and Harry must uncover the secret of the chamber.

Directed by Chris Columbus · 2h 41m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium, HBO Max, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Infernal Affairs (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 94% Metacritic 75

A cop inside a gang and a gangster inside the police each hunt for the other's identity.

Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai & Andrew Lau Wai-Keung · 1h 41m · Rated R

24 wins & 26 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 75

A brilliant young con artist forges cheques and impersonates professionals while an FBI agent doggedly pursues him.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 21m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars16 wins & 46 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Pianist (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 95% Metacritic 85

A Jewish pianist fights to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during the Second World War.

Directed by Roman Polanski · 2h 30m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars57 wins & 74 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

City of God (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 91% Metacritic 79

Two boys growing up in a violent Rio de Janeiro slum take drastically different paths in life.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles · 2h 09m · Rated R

Nominated for 4 Oscars76 wins & 50 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Essential · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

IMDb ★ 8.8 RT 95% Metacritic 87

The fellowship splits apart as war breaks out across Middle-earth and the ring creeps closer to Mordor.

Directed by Peter Jackson · 2h 59m · Rated PG-13

Won 2 Oscars132 wins & 139 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 2002

A Walk to Remember (2002)

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The Pianist (2002)

City of God (2002)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

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