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In the latest from the National Society of Film Critics, Roman Polanski 's Holocaust drama 'The Pianist' claimed four awards including best picture and best director.
The supposedly influential critics group also named the film's star, Adrien Brody , who portrays a Jewish pianist in Warsaw who escapes the Nazi death camps during World War II, as the year's best actor.
They also gave the top honour for best screenplay to The Pianist's English writer Ronald Harwood.
Diane Lane , who plays an adulterous wife in 'Unfaithful', claimed the award for best actress of the year.
The 55 members of the New York-based National Society of Film Critics write for many of the United States' major newspapers and magazines, and it and other critics' groups often help narrow the list of possible nominees for Oscars.
The Oscars, or Academy Awards , are the U.S. film industry's top honours handed out each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , based in Los Angeles.
Runner-up to 'Pianist' in the best film category was Mexico's 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', a coming of age story of two boys on a road trip with an older woman, and behind that was Spain's 'Talk to Her', an offbeat drama from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar that looks at how people communicate.
Almodovar was No. 2 in the voting for best director after Polanski, followed by 'Y Tu Mama's' Alberto Cuaron.
Michael Caine for 'The Quiet American' was runner-up to Brody as best actor, and Aurelien Recoing for French film 'Time Out' was in the third position behind Caine.
The No. 2 spot for best actress was a tie between Maggie Gyllenhaal for independent film hit 'Secretary' and Isabelle Huppert in 'The Piano Teacher'.
Supporting actor honours went to Christopher Walken for 'Catch Me If You Can', followed by Chris Cooper for 'Adaptation' and Alan Arkin in '13 Conversations About One Thing'.
In the category for best supporting actress, top honours went to Patricia Clarkson for 'Far From Heaven'. She was trailed by Fiona Shaw for 'Triumph of Love' and Kathy Bates in 'About Schmidt'.
Foreign language film honours went to 'Y Tu Mama Tambien',
followed by 'Talk to Her' and 'Time Out'.
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