Chinatown
If Chinatown were made today, the majority of the two-hour runtime would be car chases, fighting and sex scenes. But we only get the occasional kerfuffle and one kiss. Polanski instead uses the time to tell this story set in 1930s Los Angeles about greed and corruption, where money means all-encompassing power. It feels uncomfortably relevant.
(1974) Director: Roman Polanski. Screenplay: Robert Towne. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway.