Movies containing characters of color have historically been rare in Western cinema, but even though Hollywood has dominated the world for most of cinema's history, movies have been made all over the world for over a century now, and have featured POC casts and crews.
That being said, this divide between American cinema and the rest of the world is especially evident when looking at IMDb's Top 250 List which features the highest-rated movies of all time. Thankfully, America is slowly starting to see more POC-led movies with at least one of the leads being a person of color, which are being appreciated all over the world.
The Intouchables (2011) - 8.5
The Intouchables is a lighthearted buddy comedy in many ways, but it is much more and there is a deeper story beneath its surface. With one of the lead characters played by Omar Sy, whose parents are immigrants from West Africa, the movie was a huge commercial success.
Set in present-day Paris, it follows the story of a friendship between an aristocrat, who is a person with quadriplegia, and a young man in trouble with the law that he hires to care for him.
Seven Samurai (1954) - 8.6
Often considered one of the greatest movies ever made, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai has been immensely influential on world cinema, with filmmakers like Peter Jackson, the Wachowski sisters, George Miller, and others using scenes and techniques from the movie to create their own masterpieces.
Set in 1586, it tells the story of a village of farmers who decide to hire seven samurais without masters (known as ronins) to defend the village from the bandits that have promised to return once the crops have been harvested.
Harakiri (1962) - 8.6
Another classic from Japan, Harakiri is probably the best samurai movie ever made. With its stunning composition and deep themes, the movie was bound to be praised by critics and beloved by audiences, even in the long run.
Set during the Edo period, it focuses on a ronin named Hanshiro Tsugumo, who decides to request to commit harakiri at his feudal lord's palace.
Se7en (1995) - 8.6
One of David Fincher's most well-known and discussed movies to date, Se7en is a thrilling neo-noir psychological crime movie with outstanding co-leads: Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It was a massive critical and commercial success, eventually becoming a cult classic.
The film follows two detectives - the young David Mills and the retiring William Somerset - who are investigating a series of serial murders which the killer has dedicated to each one of the seven deadly sins.
Spirited Away (2001) - 8.6
Perhaps Hayao Miyazaki's most well-known work, Spirited Away is a masterpiece from the world of animation. To date, it remains the first and only hand-drawn and non-English-language animated movie that has won the award.
It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who moves into a new neighborhood with her parents. As they are driving in their car, they stumble upon a strange tunnel that leads them to the spirit world. There, Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs and she must now find a way to rescue them and herself.
City Of God (2002) - 8.6
Arguably one of Brazil's best films ever, City of God was a huge critical success and did well at the box office. With a tiny budget, it managed to achieve outstanding results and get nominated for numerous prestigious awards.
Based on the novel of the same name, it loosely follows the real events of the 1960s to 1980s when organized crime grew in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro.
Parasite (2019) - 8.6
One of the most successful and acclaimed movies of recent years, Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece, Parasite, made history at the Academy Awards and became a cultural phenomenon, so it's no wonder that it sits as the highest-rated POC-led movie of all time.
Set in modern South Korea, it depicts a poor family who decides to infiltrate a wealthy family by posing as unrelated specialists in their respective jobs.
Ratsasan (2018) - 8.6
Though it wasn't a particularly huge success, Ratsasan is a psychological crime thriller that was positively received by critics and even received some smaller awards. However, it has received a fair amount of love from audiences, thanks to its carefully written story.
The film focuses on a man who wants to be a film director, but ultimately becomes a police officer following his father's death. In an act of revenge, he attempts to track down his father's killer.
The Matrix (1999) - 8.7
Though The Matrix obviously features some prominent characters played by POC actors (such as Laurence Fishburne, Marcus Chong, and Gloria Foster), it actually also has a POC lead, as Keanu Reeves' ancestry includes family of Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent.
Set in a dystopian future, it follows a young computer programmer named Thomas Anderson, who also acts as a hacker under the name of "Neo." The rebels reveal to Neo that the world is a simulation, and after freeing him from the Matrix, they team up with Neo to resist the machines.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - 9.3
One of the numerous Stephen King adaptations, Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption is the highest-rated movie of all time according to IMDb users - and it also happens to feature Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman as co-leads.
Based on King's 1982 novella, it follows a banker who is sentenced to life in the Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders he has committed, though he claims to be innocent. In the prison, he meets and befriends a contraband smuggler and becomes involved in a money-laundering operation.