49. Pitch Black (2000)

Director: David Twohy
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser, Keith David

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While not an undisputed sci-fi gem by any means, director and co-writer David Twohy's intermittently creepy Pitch Black maintains a certain level of fascination eleven years after its initial release. A large part of that might have to do with how quickly we praise Vin Diesel's performance, a finely tuned dose of action hero fortitude conveyed through minimal dialogue—yes, we're praising Vin Diesel's acting here. That anomaly alone should be enough to justify Pitch Black's placement on this countdown.

Need further explanation? Look no further than the film's unique monsters, which Twohy slickly conceals from sight through the plot device of only allowing them to kill in total darkness. Or how well the director's handling of darkly lit action sequences overshadows a few pretty terrible performances, namely from the ever-bad Cole Hauser. Pitch Black isn't high art; rather, it's a B-movie that was meant to do nothing other than kick-start adrenaline and establish Vin Diesel as a star.

Whether the latter mission is one you hold contempt for is a matter of how much you appreciate such cinematic masterworks as The Pacifier and this flick's sequel, The Chronicles Of Riddick.