Seven underrated film trilogies in which every entry is a masterpiece

Collider highlights seven underrated movie trilogies that, the piece argues, deliver masterpiece-quality films across every entry. The list ranges from Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher Trilogy (1996–2005), which launched careers and explores Copenhagen’s criminal underworld, to Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), adapted from celebrated Bengali novels and tracing Apu’s life from childhood to maturity.

Also included are Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours (1993–1994), each film named for a French flag color and with Red earning Academy Award nominations; Alejandro González Iñárritu’s thematic Death Trilogy (2000–2006), beginning with Amores Perros and followed by 21 Grams and Babel, all of which received major international accolades; Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy (1993–2003), born with the ultra-low-budget El Mariachi; Lucrecia Martel’s Salta Trilogy (2001–2008), noted for its arthouse approach to feminine identity and Cannes recognition; and Masaki Kobayashi’s Human Condition (1959–1961), a continuous anti-imperial war drama starring Tatsuya Nakadai that was controversial at release but later widely acclaimed.

Key Topics

Culture, Pusher Trilogy, Apu Trilogy, Three Colours Trilogy, Death Trilogy, Salta Trilogy