20 Long Films That Are Absolutely Worth It

Some stories deserve space to breathe, evolve, and blow your mind slowly. So, if you are tired of films that end just when they’re getting good, that’s where long movies come in. Though some long movies consume a lot of time, the payoff is worth it. And yes, you can find them across all genres. Ready to lose an entire evening and love every minute of it? Here are some great long movie picks for you.

Gone With The Wind (1939): 222 Minutes (234 With Intermission)

For decades, this Civil War epic stood tall as the longest Best Picture winner in Oscar history. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable lit up the screen in a film that helped define Hollywood’s Golden Age. It’s melodramatic and memorably controversial. Generations have watched and debated it ever since.

Lawrence Of Arabia (1962): 228 Minutes

The desert’s never looked this cinematic. David Lean’s sweeping portrait of T.E. Lawrence is so grand that theaters still schedule intermissions to this day. With scenes that feel painted in light, it’s a masterclass in scale. The British Film Institute ranked it the third greatest British film of the 20th century.

Schindler’s List (1993): 195 Minutes

Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust drama follows the true-life story of a German businessman, Oskar Schindler, who saved 1000+ Jews during World War II. Filmed in black and white, the movie uses stark imagery to emphasize the horror and humanity of that period.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003): 200 Minutes (263 Extended)

It’s not every day a fantasy epic walks away with 11 Oscars. The final battle for Middle-earth had emotional payoffs and visual spectacle on a scale no one expected. As endings go, it gave fans closure, plus about five different chances to start crying. Few trilogies land with this kind of power.

Avengers: Endgame (2019): 181 Minutes

Three hours of “Endgame” brought together over ten years of Marvel storytelling into one massive ending. The film weaves familiar characters, emotional reunions, and high-stakes action into a finale that feels both intimate and epic. It’s a cinematic crossover unlike anything that came before it.

Oppenheimer (2023): 181 Minutes

In this movie, Christopher Nolan told the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer without cutting the runtime. With intense pacing and overlapping dialogue, it draws you into the moral dilemma behind the Manhattan Project. Released in the same summer as “Barbie,” it made physics unexpectedly viral.

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013): 180 Minutes

Jordan Belfort’s financial chaos unfolds with electric pacing and total excess. DiCaprio rips through the role with unmatched energy, matched only by Scorsese’s fast-cutting style. Based on true events, the film uses satire to expose real-world greed. You’ll laugh and maybe reconsider your career in sales.

Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013): 179 Minutes

The film follows a young woman’s first love with a raw, almost documentary-style intensity. Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux give performances filled with vulnerability and small, revealing moments. At Cannes, it won the Palme d’Or, with praise aimed not just at the film, but the actors themselves.

Inland Empire (2006): 180 Minutes

David Lynch throws out the rulebook with this three-hour descent into a fractured reality. Laura Dern plays an actress whose identity begins to blur—on and off screen—through looping timelines and surreal imagery. Much of it was filmed without a full script, which adds to the dreamlike confusion.

The Irishman (2019): 209 Minutes

This mafia saga stretches across decades, tracking a hitman’s regret and moral decay. Scorsese uses digital de-aging to let actors portray their characters through the passage of time without changing the cast. Rather than high-octane action, the film moves with quiet weight. 

Fanny And Alexander (1982): 188 Minutes (312 TV Version)

Bergman’s semi-autobiographical film begins with the wonder of childhood and descends into grief, magic, and memory. The theatrical cut shows a rich portrait of family life, while the TV version expands it into something novelistic. At its heart, it’s a meditation on the power of imagination.

Best Of Youth (2003): 366 Minutes (TV), 318 Minutes (Theatrical)

Following two brothers over 40 years of Italian history, this one blends personal moments with national upheaval. The story shifts through student protests, floods, love, and loss, without ever losing its human scale. Episodic and deeply immersive, watching it feels like living a life alongside someone else.

Satantango (1994): 450 Minutes

Bela Tarr’s seven-and-a-half-hour masterpiece moves slowly, but on purpose. Composed of only 150 long takes, it observes a collapsing Hungarian village with hypnotic patience. Rain falls endlessly, characters drift between silence and desperation, and time seems to stall. Once you let go of expectations, it’s strangely absorbing.

1900 (Novecento) (1976): 317 Minutes

Spanning the early 20th century, this Italian epic tackles fascism and class conflict through the lives of two men born on the same day. De Niro and Depardieu portray friends-turned-foes in a world shaped by ideology and revolution. It’s long, yes—but it burns slow and vivid.

Das Boot (Director’s Cut, 1997): 208 Minutes

Set aboard a German U-boat during World War II, “Das Boot” trades flashy battles for creeping dread. The confined space and sounds of pressure outside the hull create a relentless atmosphere. Petersen’s direction turns the submarine into a psychological trap.

Troy (Director’s Cut, 2007): 196 Minutes

This retelling of the Trojan War trades Greek gods for gritty human conflict, and the director’s cut adds over 30 minutes that change its entire tone. With expanded scenes of strategy, diplomacy, and warfare, the film leans further into tragedy than spectacle. Achilles, in particular, becomes a more complex, haunted figure. 

Titanic (1997): 195 Minutes

James Cameron’s tragic love story unfolds aboard the most infamous ship in history, the Titanic. The romance between Jack and Rose anchors the emotional stakes, while stunning effects recreate the ship’s grandeur and demise. With 11 Oscars and years of cultural staying power, it’s more than a disaster film.

Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022): 192 Minutes

Thirteen years after the original, James Cameron returned to Pandora with bigger stakes and bolder visuals. Much of the film is set underwater, filmed using groundbreaking tech that brought a new dimension to 3D storytelling. Yet it’s the story of family that keeps the spectacle grounded. 

The Green Mile (1999): 189 Minutes

Set in a Southern prison during the Great Depression, this Stephen King adaptation weaves a story of miracles, memory, and mercy. Tom Hanks leads a cast that balances sorrow with empathy, while Michael Clarke Duncan’s role remains unforgettable. The story builds slowly, but every scene serves its purpose.

Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023): 206 Minutes

This slow-burn crime epic unfolds like an open wound, exposing the brutal Osage murders of the 1920s. Scorsese allows the story to breathe, with room for quiet moments to carry just as much weight as the violence. As the conspiracy deepens, the emotional toll becomes harder to ignore.