Movies without a main character?

Submitted by Ok-Impress-2222 t3_11dclma in movies

I just randomly remembered Pulp Fiction, and then immediately Reservoir Dogs; two of Quentin Tarantino's finest works.

One of the most noticeable things about these two movies is that neither of them has a discernible main character. As in, there is no character in either movie whom you could point at and say: "Yeah, that's the main character of this movie."

Yes, Harvey Keitel and John Travolta are mentioned first in each of the opening credits, but Mr. White and Vincent Vega, more often than not, don't feel like the main characters of their respective movies, now do they?

So, what are some other examples of movies that don't have a clear main character?

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RyzenRaider t1_ja83mkr wrote

You're basically describing ensemble movies, where multiple 'main' characters share roughly equal screen time.

Magnolia is my go-to ensemble movie.

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JCP1377 t1_ja9i7rq wrote

A Bridge Too Far (1977) would be my pick. An all-Star cast where no one lead is given an exorbitant amount of screen time.

Great war epic too, despite the star power.

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SandMan2439 t1_ja9vy53 wrote

Similarly, the longest day. I believe John Wayne got top billing but he was no more prevalent Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, or Robert Mitchum

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cancerBronzeV t1_ja7txaa wrote

Love Actually

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Antrikshy t1_jaafzdb wrote

And other ensemble lives-intersecting format movies like it:

  • Crash (2004)
  • Disconnect (2012)
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Holy_Hole_Inna_Donut t1_ja82fze wrote

A lot of Wes Anderson’s stuff uses an ensemble cast. Also some Jim Jarmusch and Robert Altmann movies or Babel and Amores Perros by Inarritu.

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psymunn t1_ja9zm5a wrote

True. And a lot of the times multiple characters grow and it's actually the relationship between them that's the arc we see in the movie (Darjeeling Limited and Royal Tennebaums are the two that immediately come to mind).

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BBQ_HaX0r t1_jaa1is4 wrote

Royal Tenenbaum is definitely the main character of that film though.

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psymunn t1_jaa6rpe wrote

Right, that is fair. And he does grow and change through that movie. There's just a lot of small side plots happening alongside it where other characters grow and come to terms with their relationships.

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BBQ_HaX0r t1_jaa8azp wrote

You know, /r/psymunn, this illness, this closeness to death... it's had a profound affect on me. I feel like a different person, I really do.

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edrenfro t1_ja7rsu9 wrote

Magnolia, Star Wars Episode I

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Nictionary t1_ja8s2ud wrote

I think you could argue that Qui-Gon is the main character in Ep I. He is the one making decisions and driving the plot forward for pretty much the whole movie.

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efs120 t1_ja8zlgw wrote

He’s absolutely the lead, I didn’t even think that was a question.

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ThroatWMangrove t1_ja7un8c wrote

I love the Star Wars OT, and the prequels to a certain extent, because they tell the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. But he was never the main character in any of the movies… you could argue they focused more on Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, and their relationship to Anakin/Darth Vader.

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Weirdguy149 t1_ja8ysit wrote

I feel like he was the main focus on Attack of the Clones, or at least the secondary protagonist after Obi-Wan. Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith are definitely Qui-Gon's and Palpatine's though.

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Hillan t1_jadpaav wrote

I know the internet likes to poke fun at EpI for pretty much every reason and "not having a main character" is one of them, but I'd say in this case it actually works out in the movie's favor.

Qui Gon is most certainly the main character in Ep1, representing the last that remains of the wise old jedi ways, everything that the order should have stood for, but didn't. He finds the one who will bring balance to the force, and has to be a maverick to have his way, because the beaurocratic jedi order won't hear him out. The clear indication being here that if Qui-Gon had lived, Anakin wouldn't have turned to the darkside, because Qui-Gon understood the repressed feelings a jedi has and would have guided him far better in that regard than Obi-Wan/Yoda. That's why his death sequence is called "the duel of the fates" because the galaxy literally rests upon whether Qui-Gon lives or dies.

He was a maverick and no fool, unlike many of the other beaurocratic jedi, he chose to be doubtful and emphasised that the force would be utilized best by being in the moment.

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sanguiniuswept t1_ja7w0xn wrote

I would argue Mr White is absolutely the main character. He undergoes the most change and has the most interesting arc

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ilovelamp408 t1_ja88b43 wrote

I always thought of Tim Roth as the lead, but I tend to agree with OP in that, there really isn't a definitive MC in that film.

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Bolieve_That t1_ja8a0vc wrote

The fact we knew he was a cop and followed him through this info made me thought about him first.

Pulp Fiction well i think it's a different story

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Hillan t1_ja924hg wrote

We don't know that until about 2/3 into the film though.

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[deleted] t1_ja849vo wrote

[deleted]

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antonimbus t1_ja878j5 wrote

I was going to post this as a joke. I can't believe someone else had the same idea.

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ETH_Knight t1_ja8v48k wrote

I googled in incognito in case it was n0p0r. Lmao

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AdmiralObvvious t1_ja9c99e wrote

I always saw Tim Roth as the main character of Reservoir Dogs.

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catnip72 t1_ja7u86j wrote

The Big Chill

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AwkwardSwine101 t1_ja80cq6 wrote

“Traffic”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

“Magnolia”

“Spotlight”

Come to mind… I’ll think of more, if I can soon

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amo1337 t1_ja9wsgo wrote

I'd argue Spotlight and Chicago 7 still have pretty clear main characters/protagonists even though the whole cast is heavily featured.

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Immadownvotethis t1_jaazmng wrote

John carrol lynch is the main character of anything he’s in and you can’t convince me otherwise.

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JeanMorel t1_ja7ty6g wrote

Crash, Love Actually, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, He's Just Not That Into You, American Graffiti, Babel, Traffic, Snatch, Sin City, Cloud Atlas, Dunkirk, etc or just check out the article about "hyperlink cinema" here.

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Antrikshy t1_jaaggmr wrote

>"hyperlink cinema"

There it is! The term I've been looking for.

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phinbar t1_ja8luwi wrote

March of the Penguins

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MountainMagic30 t1_ja967wr wrote

I think Lord of the Rings fits this. I think Frodo and Aragorn are the two central characters but many other characters get tons of screen time.

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CutterJohn t1_jaahwnu wrote

I disagree, frodo is absolutely the main character. He has the most pivotal role in the plot, has the most screen time, and much of the other characters actions are in support of him so even when he's off screen they're working on his behalf.

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PermanentNirvana t1_ja9814z wrote

I was going to say the same thing. Frodo could be considered the main character but the other characters get as much screen time as he does. If not more.

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paecmaker t1_ja9hn2z wrote

I had to check this, and Frodo gets as much as 120 minutes screen time, compared to Sam who is 2nd and get 75 minutes. Most of that skip is from the 1st movie

Aragorn is 3rd with 72 minutes, he has a lot of screentime in 1st and 2nd movie but lacks a lot in the 3rd.

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Fallen311 t1_ja8d524 wrote

Snatch.

Basically a bunch of people doing stuff, occasionally interacting with some of the other groups

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mrsirgrape t1_ja8klwk wrote

If I had to argue for who is the main character I'd probably say Turkish, but there are entire groups of characters that never interact with him.

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Xe1ex t1_ja8xv65 wrote

And also Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

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RatedR2O t1_ja9xufp wrote

Scrolled waaaaay too far down to see this posted.

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Tom_Ace1 t1_ja8jlxc wrote

>Harvey Keitel and John Travolta are mentioned first in each of the opening credits

That's just because the biggest stars are always billed first. It doesn't mean anything.

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SpacemanJB88 t1_ja9b4du wrote

Glengarry Glen Ross is the first one that comes to mind for me

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the-zero-st t1_ja9otko wrote

You want me to buy you a pack of gum and teach you how to chew?

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mikeyfreshh t1_ja7ryjc wrote

Cocaine Bear

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pxlcrow t1_ja8tvfg wrote

Koyaanisqatsi.

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misterfriend t1_ja96y7d wrote

Animal House and Breakfast Club

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Gattsu2000 t1_ja7z4vg wrote

Technically, "A Brighter Summe Day" is based on the story of a real teenager who was responsible for a crime in Taiwain as its focus point but the film is meant to be less of one person's narrative and more of an exploration about a society and its sociopolitical problems at the time that leads to the characters react in certain ways to the environment around them. Young gangs are created as a sense of security from a flawed educational system that leaves them unsure of their future, a husband and father is suspected by the government of working for the Communist Party Of China, a wife lives an unsatisfied life, etc. It is also one of the most epic stories I've ever seen and one of my favorite movies of all time.

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buskyshackleford t1_ja8083s wrote

The Sweet Hereafter. It’s probably not as well know as any of the other movies mentioned buts it’s a very good indie film.

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ImaginaryNemesis t1_ja856jn wrote

Love this movie, and it's been a decade since I've seen it, but I think Ian Holm could be considered the main character. He's coming into the town from outside and the viewer is getting the story through his eyes. The end of his investigation effectively marks the end of the movie.

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kevinb9n t1_ja8d7ze wrote

Aren't there like a jillion movies with two equal leads?

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FloppedYaYa t1_ja8v6ix wrote

No Country For Old Men arguably

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xmal16 t1_ja901gj wrote

Babylon did this pretty well recently

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sithfistoou t1_jabyiyd wrote

It's an ensemble, but the leads are definitely Calva and Robbie, with Pitt there as a secondary lead.

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Nossirom t1_ja99z42 wrote

Place beyond the Pines. Each third of the movie certainly has a main character but not the movie as a whole

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44035 t1_ja7wpcj wrote

2 Days in the Valley

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just_some_dummy_ t1_ja7yb2a wrote

I feel like The Departed is like, right on the line with so many characters and how the story works out. But DiCaprio feels like hes still pretty clearly the main character.

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estine1979 t1_ja80dsk wrote

Silverado

It really doesn't feel like a main character exists, because it shows the troubles that happen to multiple people.

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cinematicsojourner t1_ja83h2l wrote

Crash (2004). Works surprisingly well in telling a cohesive story despite the various characters of different backgrounds.

Speaking of Tarantino, The Hateful Eight (2015) is another that he did. In my opinion, one of his more under-appreciated films.

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DoYouQuarrelSir t1_ja8ae0h wrote

Star Wars Episode I

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reatter t1_ja95cxe wrote

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the young hero who loses his mentor and becomes the new mentor how himself.

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DoYouQuarrelSir t1_ja97g6u wrote

Obi Wan sits out like 40 minutes of the movie. Episode 1 doesn’t have a clear protagonist, that’s one of many narrative problems.

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reatter t1_ja99yqy wrote

Nowhere is it written that the protagonist has to have 80+% screentime.

80/120 minutes is still a significant portion of the movie.

He is the one who has the longest character Arc.

Qui'Gon doesn't make it, Amidala and Anakin have only late and small parts of the story and are more side-quests than characters.

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DoYouQuarrelSir t1_ja9z0re wrote

You’re only strengthening my argument about the lack of a clear protagonist.

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MagicWarRings t1_jaahh6v wrote

It is pod racing, it is the only thing that matters.

Until we find out what is really pod racing.

It is amazing to think I will make a 200 million dollar movie that is supposed to stand the test of time. I will get a random guy to help me write it, and it will have a character named Jar Jar Binks. And that is not the only stereotypes I will include.

Years later this person would claim Disney were like his slave owners even though Lucas was free and was paid a billion+. Lucas is like 3 steps removed from the Limbaughs of the world. Not helping the rest of us much.

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Syn7axError t1_ja9vd3j wrote

It's Qui-gon. I don't know why people keep repeating this.

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DoYouQuarrelSir t1_ja9yv2m wrote

The previous comment says it’s obi wan, this only demonstrates my point about the lack of a clear protagonist.

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Syn7axError t1_jaawgvx wrote

The previous commenter is wrong. There's nothing particularly unclear or complicated about it. Qui-gon is a bog standard protagonist.

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DoYouQuarrelSir t1_jaazvie wrote

“The previous commenter is wrong”

Someone’s opinion is different from mine.

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Jimid41 t1_ja8ep8r wrote

Do ensemble casts count as not having a main character? They just have multiple main characters.

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Spankety-wank t1_ja8k6py wrote

Magnolia

Climax

Maybe City of God. Can't remember.

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MaxDimmy t1_ja8p529 wrote

I mean Hateful 8 comes to mind as well

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resnikov t1_ja8rddf wrote

The Longest Day, A Bridge too far

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jackfaire t1_ja8re8d wrote

Twenty Bucks. I'm sure someone's going to point out that the 20 dollar bill is the "main" character I would argue that it's not a character merely the connecting thread that ties all of the vignettes together.

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muffle64 t1_ja8tr7b wrote

The Greatest Show on Earth

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plznotagaindad t1_ja8ur11 wrote

I feel like Knives Out and Glass Onion are interesting examples. Neither are the detective’s stories, but he is the main driving forces of the plot. We are with him for a good amount of the story, but we start and finish the movies with a different character altogether.

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FloridaFlamingoGirl t1_ja8zpnk wrote

Jacques Tati's Playtime is basically a movie where the viewer watches a bunch of shenanigans unfold in downtown Paris. The "main character" is the location and situation.

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Volfie t1_ja90w40 wrote

The Longest Day

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MoebiusX7 t1_ja96kbo wrote

Luis Buñuel's Le Fantôme de la liberté (The Phantom of Liberty)

One long surreal river of a movie that flows from character to character, situation to situation with absurd and hilarious dream-logic scenarios.

It is glorious.

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nectarquest t1_ja9gjan wrote

magnolia, bad times at the el royale, mad god, burn after reading, fallen angels, chungking express, clue

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Ashamed_Ladder6161 t1_ja9gzjx wrote

Both those movies have lead characters. Syd Field says you can always tell the main character because he’s the one that moves the story towards the ending. In Butch and Sundance, that’s Butch. In Res Dogs, it’s Mr Orange. In Pulp Fiction, that’s more an anthology and each story has a main character.

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EbonyItalian t1_ja9mfqy wrote

Agree. Loved them both. They where more of an ensemble. Little Miss Sunshine and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel come to mind.

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-A_A_A_A_A_A- t1_ja9mqd7 wrote

Ocean’s 11 and all the sequels have an ensemble cast.

Cannonball Run.

Bullet Train.

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

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CutterJohn t1_jaaift7 wrote

Danny ocean is clearly the protagonist of oceans 11. Its his story, his crew, his target, his ex. We start the movie from his perspective, end it from his perspective. His name is literally in the title.

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Prestigious_Ratio_37 t1_ja9z5c8 wrote

Robert Altman’s Nashville Jacques Tati’s Playtime PT Anderson’s Magnolia (I think a lot of network narratives would qualify)

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karateema t1_jaa0yoo wrote

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

Snatch

Very fun movies

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Different_Beach_4590 t1_jaa64xv wrote

I feel like Babylon has either no main character or at least 3 lol

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BatmobileOver9000 t1_jaa9xy3 wrote

The Expendables. Say what you will but this movie does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it very well.

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farben_blas t1_jaad5i6 wrote

I'd say Magnolia and Happiness

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Walrus_BBQ t1_jaadgx8 wrote

I don't think anybody has mentioned Burn After Reading yet.

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Gremlinonthebus t1_jaaezs5 wrote

Kicking and Screaming (1995). Though it could be argued Grover is the only one with progression as a character.

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sluuuudge t1_jaanr59 wrote

I’m gonna get so much hate for this in this sub I’m sure of it, but I think Avengers Endgame is a good example.

People will undoubtedly say that Robert Downey Jr is the star but I’d strongly disagree and argue that each character brings an equal amount of importance to the story and general direction of the movie.

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myskilletbiscuit t1_jaarnvm wrote

Anthology movies like Creepshow and Wild Tales comes to mind.

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dtanggara t1_jaasp31 wrote

The Lord of the rings

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SpideyFan914 t1_jab484f wrote

Pulp Fiction is an anthology so it's kinda cheating. Each segment within it has a clear main character -- Travolta, Willis, and Jackson at various points.

But anyway... ensemble movies.

Godzilla

Trial of the Chicago 7

Parasite

Fargo

Burn After Reading

Them!

Inglorious Basterds

The Avengers (and its sequels)

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millew t1_jadcwf5 wrote

the place beyond the pines, before the devil knows you’re dead, glass, maybe „mysterious skin“ as well

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Dogbuysvan t1_jadkzsm wrote

The latest one I would say is Bullet Train.

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YellowBinDude t1_jae13lp wrote

Snatch. No, Turkish is not the main character

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qui-bong-trim t1_jae3hel wrote

The phantom menace, my second favorite star wars after IV

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iamsnarticus t1_ja7s8e6 wrote

Serenity

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kevinb9n t1_ja8d1sc wrote

Uh.... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6476140/ ??

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NicCageCompletionist t1_ja8otcp wrote

I assume the mean the Firefly followup.

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kevinb9n t1_ja90177 wrote

I would have thought so (this is reddit after all) but that too obviously has a main character.

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pimusic t1_ja97yd6 wrote

Would Pulp Fiction count?

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Desperate-Shoe5045 t1_ja8gnjb wrote

Personally, I watched many movies and series, and the most prominent movie that impressed me, which does not have a main character, is Game of Throne.
In fact, a fictional series, it is very, very wonderful. I watched it through IPTV through this site www.iptv-original.com

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