Collider ranks ten screenplays it considers the finest in film history, arguing that enduring films depend on equally exceptional writing. The selection spans classic Hollywood and modern cinema, valuing original structure, character development, dialogue and emotional insight across different genres.

Among the entries shown are Charlie Kaufman’s *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* (2004), praised for its inventive, psychologically rich romantic science-fiction story; William Goldman’s *Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid* (1969), recognised for witty dialogue and revisionist Western character dynamics; and *The Apartment* (1960). The article presents these scripts as examples of films whose quality was established on the page before direction and performance enhanced them.