14. The Hurt Locker (2009)

Perhaps this century's biggest upset for the Best Picture winner was Kathryn Bigelow's 2009 war drama The Hurt Locker. In what was easily the David and Goliath battle of box office performances, Bigelow's more modest production ended up beating out ex-husband James Cameron's then record-breaking film Avatar for the prestigious award. It was a perfect storm of events that helped the film win, but it's not as if it wasn't deserving. Jeremy Renner gives his strongest performance to date in this compelling look at the experiences of a bomb squad member during the Iraq War and his inability to adjust back to normal life because of it.