The five best films of 2014

Even in a relatively placid year, these were the films that sent us soaring, says Robbie Collin

A still from Hayao Miyazaki's 'The Wind Rises'
Top flight: ‘The Wind Rises’, the final film by Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki

1. Under the Skin

Under the Skin

Jonathan Glazer's dissonant masterpiece transforms the way you see the world. Watch it, walk down the street, feel changed.

2. Boyhood

Ellar Coltrane in Richard Linklater's Boyhood, which has won the Best Motion Picture, Drama at the Golden Globes 2015

Photo: AP

Time itself is caught on film by Richard Linklater: an awe-inspiring work that speaks straight to your heart.

3. The Wind Rises

High class: The core of  'The Wind Rises' is a biopic of World War Two aircraft designer, Jiro Horikoshi

Hayao Miyazaki’s swan song is a lasting testament to the power, beauty and delicacy of his craft.

4. 12 Years a Slave

Almost 100 years after The Birth of a Nation, Steve McQueen really did write history with lightning.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street

Photo: Mary Cybulski

In his 70s, Martin Scorsese directs with the sting and zap of a filmmaker half his age.