It's a rare movie that can give equal attention and story weight to multiple characters and actually do them all justice. Some provide minor arcs to side characters, weaving them into the main storyline, but most feature a protagonist at the heart of the action who receives the bulk of the screen time and development.
But just because the audience knows who the main character is doesn't mean that the other characters do. Some movies are full of people who all act as if the plot revolves around them regardless of how much time they actually spend on the big screen. When this conversation got going on Reddit, users thought of plenty of movies that fit the bill.
10 The 5th Element (1997)
This essential action movie stars Bruce Willis as a former-special-forces-major-turned-taxi-driver in the year 2263. He teams up with a resurrected ancient woman named Leeloo to unite the four stones needed to save the Earth from a great evil force that returns every five thousand years. It's a 90s action movie to the core.
Bruce Willis has a presence as always, but Milla Jovovich ensures her share of the action as Leeloo, from escaping high security containment and leaping off a towering ledge to fighting evil alien mercenaries. And Gary Oldman as the antagonist delivers no shortage of dramatic villainous deeds, like killing the alien assassins he hired for failing his mission and setting a time bomb to blow up his adversaries. The film even features an alien opera singer who, diva that she is, dies dramatically after a final tear-jerking performance.
9 Rat Race (2001)
Each member of the wacky ensemble cast of Rat Race deserves the screen time they get in this 2001 comedy. An eccentric casino owner sets up a 563-mile race from Las Vegas, Nevada to Silver City, Mexico to retrieve a duffel bag stuffed with two million dollars. The competing teams include actors Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cuba Gooding Jr., among others.
The film delivers on its premise as its many characters utilize any means at their disposal to reach their destination, including a hot air balloon, monster truck, rocket car, bus, helicopter, ambulance, train, and more, sabotaging each other along the way and ultimately ending up at a Smash Mouth charity concert.
8 Snatch (2000)
It could be said that the characters in any of Guy Ritchie's movies all believe themselves to be the protagonist, but maybe none more than Snatch. With an ensemble cast and two concurrent plotlines, this British-American comedy follows the efforts to recover a stolen diamond as it intertwines with the story of a boxing promoter's intimidation by a gangster.
With character names like "One Punch" Mickey O'Neil a.k.a. Pikey, Bullet-Tooth Tony, Boris "the Blade" Yurinov, and Franky "Four-Fingers," it's no surprise that each of their big personalities gets time in the spotlight.
7 Burn After Reading (2008)
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Burn After Reading is a star-studded dark comedy that follows hijinx surrounding the personal memoir of a retired CIA analyst (played by John Malkovich) that is mistaken for government secrets by a couple of meatheads at a local gym. All the characters in the movie get wrapped up in wild goose chase as they scramble to recover what was lost to them, turn a profit, or protect their own interests.
Brad Pitt's gym bro and George Clooney's U.S. Marshal head up this cast of misguided characters. Every one of them believes their own interests to be the most important, whether that be getting a divorce, selling American secrets to Russia, or saving up for cosmetic surgery, making it easy to see the story from anyone's point of view.
6 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
It makes sense that Quentin Tarantino's feature film debut is such a wild ride. Many of his movies give time and development to several characters, and Reservoir Dogs started it all. The story isn't told completely in order, allowing for exposition surrounding different characters at different times. The plot follows a group of gangsters before and after their diamond heist goes horribly awry.
Reservoir Dogs set the precedent for Tarantino films full of deadly characters and twisting plots. The use of colors as codenames makes it easier to keep track of who is who when high stakes force these characters with differing motivations to clash with one another.
5 Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction is widely regarded as a significant for modern filmmaking and as one of the best movies told from multiple perspectives. Like Reservoir Dogs, it unfolds out of order, and its plot is all over the map. A very basic overview is that it two hitmen carry out favors for their boss while he pursues a boxer who double-crossed him. It's full of violence and at least one iconic dance scene.
Each of the main characters makes a compelling candidate for the title of protagonist as their multiple storylines weave together. Vincent and Jules, the hitmen, each lead their own storylines, and Butch the boxer leads the third, and they're joined by a slew of other distinctive personalities.
4 Go (1999)
Like Pulp Fiction, Go follows three intertwined plots about three sets of characters. One storyline focuses on Alex and Zack, a couple of actors who want to buy drugs. Another focuses on Ronna, a supermarket clerk struggling to pay rent and coworker of Alex and Zack's drug dealer. The third is about Simon, the guy who sells drugs to Ronna's coworker.
Naturally, all three stories interfere with one another and entertaining antics ensue as the characters crash a wedding, attend a rave, and are tracked down by the police. Each of the characters is up against the wall in their respective circumstances, making them each the star of their own story.
3 Aladdin (2019)
Guy Ritchie's take on the live action Disney princess movie remake, 2019's Aladdin, is another one of his films filled with characters pursuing their own goals. In the Arabian city of Agrabah, the Sultan's royal advisor, Jafar, tricks a poor boy named Aladdin into retrieving a genie's lamp, which Aladdin then uses to masquerade as a prince for a chance at marrying Princess Jasmine.
Maybe it's Ritchie's signature style, or maybe it's the strong motivations of each character that make it difficult to tell who is the lead--putting aside the fact that Aladdin is the title of the movie. Aladdin chases love, Jasmine wants independence, Jafar pursues power, and Genie wishes for freedom, so anyone on screen is actively driving the story.
2 Bullet Train (2022)
Brad Pitt stars as a reformed assassin in this international action-comedy movie set on a bullet train in Japan. His first job back after taking some time off and going to therapy is supposed to be an easy snatch-and-grab. But things prove more difficult when he discovers the train is full of other assassins after the same briefcase as him.
Each of the principal characters is provided their own backstory and characterization, making it easy to root for these likable hitmen with hearts even as they go toe to toe with one another. Some only a little bit of screen time but have their motivations fleshed out so completely that their speedy demises are heartbreaking.
1 Smokin' Aces (2006)
The action-comedy assassin brawl format must lend itself to headstrong characters, because Smokin' Aces is another such movie in which everyone seems to think they're the star of the show. This one centers on Buddy "Aces" Israel, a stage magician who is wanted by the mafia for snitching to the FBI. The movie is all about the many players sent to kill, retrieve, or protect Aces.
Despite meager critical reception, the film now has a cult following who love its many tangled plot threads and action movie one-liners. With so much going on at once it can be hard to tell what constitutes the main story, but all the narratives come together to paint a complete picture.