Top Films
This is a list of the best ever films, in my opinion, ones that transcend other films by their quality, acting or innovation.
You could argue that there is a sliding scale in order of quality of films, and the average rating system on this website gives credence to that, so there is a "grey" area to what are the best or next best. The ones I list here are in my opinion, not in that grey area, you could say they are the best of the best of the best (in the words of Will Smith in 'Men in Black').
The things that make the best films for me are a combination of the best of :- acting, supporting actors, style, direction and storyline, most will be very dramatic, you will find these a running theme in this list. Ridiculous action scenes, indiscriminate shooting of guns, sex, martial arts and daft racing of cars will not feature much here.
Others may disagree with some in my list and may be flabbergasted that what they see are the best are not in my list, its all in the eye of the beholder, this is my list, you can agree with it or not, that is a good start to constructive conversations.
Bear in mind that this list will increase as it goes on, as this list is a running project as I add to it. Also because I have not seen every film, and there are many more films to come in the years ahead, which are bound to throw up a "pearler" now and then.
I am going to attempt to put them in order of what I think are the best are, the first entry (No. 1) is what I think is the best ever film so far, and so on, the higher the number being slightly lesser in quality but if a better ones come along before I become too dysfunctional to be able to enter any more, or pass away, it may change.
You could argue that there is a sliding scale in order of quality of films, and the average rating system on this website gives credence to that, so there is a "grey" area to what are the best or next best. The ones I list here are in my opinion, not in that grey area, you could say they are the best of the best of the best (in the words of Will Smith in 'Men in Black').
The things that make the best films for me are a combination of the best of :- acting, supporting actors, style, direction and storyline, most will be very dramatic, you will find these a running theme in this list. Ridiculous action scenes, indiscriminate shooting of guns, sex, martial arts and daft racing of cars will not feature much here.
Others may disagree with some in my list and may be flabbergasted that what they see are the best are not in my list, its all in the eye of the beholder, this is my list, you can agree with it or not, that is a good start to constructive conversations.
Bear in mind that this list will increase as it goes on, as this list is a running project as I add to it. Also because I have not seen every film, and there are many more films to come in the years ahead, which are bound to throw up a "pearler" now and then.
I am going to attempt to put them in order of what I think are the best are, the first entry (No. 1) is what I think is the best ever film so far, and so on, the higher the number being slightly lesser in quality but if a better ones come along before I become too dysfunctional to be able to enter any more, or pass away, it may change.
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- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.For me, this is the best ever film, I don't know why, maybe it is about the small guy against the system, or a kind of rebellious streak in me, but it hits all the right notes, Top Drama, and a bit of comedy, but it is the acting and screenplay that make it. Paul Newman was the biz, I can't say more than that, it was sad day when he passed away, the supporting actors were excellent - Strother Martin, George Kennedy, Clifton James etc, they all seem to be putting in a top effort, the direction from Stuart Rosenberg was perfect.
On here it is currently rated at 8.1, for me its a 10+ - DirectorPeter YatesStarsSteve McQueenJacqueline BissetRobert VaughnA nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.Steve Mcqueen films will feature heavily in this list, this is his best, it only narrowly loses out to Cool Hand Luke (1967) by a smidgeon. Steve for me is the coolest actor of all, and in this his coolness is on another level. His acting is sublime and like the film above, the supporting cast are excellent, and brilliant direction from Peter Yates, another Top Drama, but also featuring a lot of tension, and the best ever car chase, I know that usually car chases are a bit dumb, but in this case, it is done brilliantly, also the scenes where shooting and death occurs are very realistic and not portrayed glamorously, but in a negative way. Again there is something of the 'against the system' syndrome in this film, it must be a thing with me, this will bear out in the rest of the list.
Again the average rating on here is low at 7.4, it should be higher. - DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsGary OldmanColin FirthTom HardyIn the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.Its the story written by John Le Carre which makes the film what it is, its a film version of the TV Series with Alec Guinness, but a modern one, its played nitty gritty and as realistic as possible, the lead role by the excellent Gary Oldman, with a excellent supporting cast.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonA banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict, while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion.I am unsure why it got that title, but its a brilliant film, Tim Robbins spot at the top, with the best supporting role by Morgan Freeman, Frank Darabont directs with aplomb, and its got style, its a bit like Cool Hand Luke (1967), which is my no. 1, but a little different, another small man against the system story.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanMorgan FreemanRetired Old West gunslinger Will Munny reluctantly takes on one last job to avenge an injustice with the help of his old partner and a newer outlaw known simply as The Schofield Kid.Clint Eastwood will feature a lot in this list, this is one of the best modern style westerns, Clint trying to be as cool as Steve McQueen and nearly succeeding, Gene Hackman is also excellent along with Morgan Freeman and the supporting actors, Clint also directs, showing he has skill on both sides of the camera
- DirectorMark RydellStarsJohn WayneRoscoe Lee BrowneBruce DernRancher Wil Andersen is forced to hire inexperienced boys as cowhands in order to get his cattle herd to market on time but the rough drive is full of dangers and a gang of rustlers is trailing them.First I just want to point out that I am not a John Wayne fan as such, but I do like his style, and despite my many criticisms of his films, he has done a few good ones, and at least two are excellent, this for me is his best, I know many of you will say it should be True Grit (1969), which will be in this list, but for me this beats it, the storyline, his acting and the supporting cast are all excellent. The Director is lessor known Mark Rydell, he should be more famous, making films like this.
Again it gets a low 7.4 average rating on here. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.The best war film ever, but its not really about war, its about persecution, this time by Nazi's, everything about this film was top notch.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJohn WayneKim DarbyGlen CampbellA drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian Territory.Some say this is his best, and it is excellent, the role was perfect for him, again the supporting cast were brilliant, note Strother Martin is in this and my top film - Cool Hand Luke (1967). Henry Hathaway directed it brilliantly.
The remake with Jeff Bridges was also an excellent film, and in some aspects better than this, but this is the original and has much more style. - DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsSteve McQueenAli MacGrawBen JohnsonA recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.Another Steve McQueen film and another crime drama, with Steve playing it cool, and well supported, Ali MacGraw was also brilliant and top direction by Sam Peckinpah
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAfter being kept in hypersleep during a long expedition into deep space, an astronaut crew crash-lands in the 40th century on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.This was a breakthrough movie at the time and very controversial, the gimmick was the ape costumes, on a par with the sharks in Jaws, which were not rated, but I thought they looked ok, but it was the science-fiction and drama that was the thing with this, and a great storyline, and what an ending. Directed well by Franlin J. Schaffner.
- DirectorStanley KubrickAnthony MannStarsKirk DouglasLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsThe slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.Epic films are not a big thing with me, but this was excellent, it had it all, lots of drama, action, style, romance, comedy, intrigue, tension etc, and the saddest ending ever on film, Kirk Douglas always put in a good shift, and it had whom is supposed to be the best ever actor Laurence Olivier, who is great, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. What a cast, what a movie. But again it only gets 7.9 average rating?
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-gunWon BinLee Eun-juWhen two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.One the best and realistic war movies, also a very dramatic drama, South Korean film making at its best
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a massive killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.One of the most tense and dramatic films ever, and one of the first I saw in the cinema, forget the sharks, its the acting that makes it, although the sharks are not as bad as they were made out to be, its the three main characters that make it, again ably well supported, and look who directed - Steven Spielberg, his films will also feature more in this list.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJack NicholsonLouise FletcherMichael BerrymanIn the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.More drama than you can shake a stick at, Jack Nicholson is brilliant in this "against the system" film, very realistic and stylish
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologists and adventurers of the U.S. government hired Indiana Jones to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis could obtain its extraordinary powers.its original title is just 'Raiders of The Lost Ark', a Spielberg classic, which started the Indiana Jones series, the others are made as good as this one, but this one was the one that started it all and probably the best
- DirectorKen HughesStarsDick Van DykeSally Ann HowesLionel JeffriesA down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children, and then they go off on a magical fantasy adventure to save their grandfather in a far-off land.I watched this in my childhood, and have watched it many times since, the production was what made it, made by the James Bond franchise, a fantasy but with the same quality, it is one of the best children's films, but also appeals to adults, its got Drama, Comedy, a bit of Tension, Special Effects, and its a Musical! Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes were brilliant, and again an excellent supporting cast. The flying boat car of the title was a gimmick, it was the rest of the film that was great.
Only got an average of 6.9 oh here, why? - DirectorCy EndfieldStarsStanley BakerJack HawkinsUlla JacobssonOutnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.Probably the best war film that features a battle, and its a real story, Michael Caine and Stanley Baker lead the soldiers, its the direction by Cy Endfield and filming that make it great, also the Welsh choir.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.now called Episode IV, but this was the first film and the best and innovative, there were better films made later but this was the classic
- DirectorRob MinkoffStarsJackie ChanJet LiMichael AngaranoA discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.Although I am not a fan of most martial arts films, I am a fan of this film, it brings two of the best martial artists together, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, Jet Li is the Chinese Mr Cool, its a fantasy but has a great story, with the unknown Michael Angarano in the main role, great scenery and action, drama, comedy, even a bit of romance, its got it all, I can't stop watching it.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA cyborg assassin from the future attempts to find and kill Sarah Connor, a waitress who is destined to give birth to a man who will save humankind from extinction.Sci-Fi at its best, there is a bit of over the top violence, which I disapprove of, but it fits with the story, Arnie in top form, some of the other Terminator films were made as good, but this was the first and special
- DirectorPeter CollinsonStarsMichael CaineNoël CowardBenny HillA comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.A comedy crime caper, not a serious film, but so well made and directed by Peter Collinson, one of Michael Caine's best. Its just got that feel-good feeling.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenSiegfried RauchElga AndersenTwo car racing champions, an American and a German, face off on the world's hardest endurance course: Le Mans in France.This is the coolest film about motor racing, with Mr Cool Steve McQueen in the lead, also helped by real racing drivers, and top european actors, also the style of the film, ably directed by Lee H. Katzin, it looks like a Frankenheimer film, maybe it was a copy of his style.
Its only rated at 6.7 on here? - DirectorBen AffleckStarsMorgan FreemanEd HarrisCasey AffleckTwo Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.One of the best Crime Drama's with suspense and twists, brilliantly acted, mostly by Casey Affleck, and brilliantly directed by his big brother Ben
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsSean ConneryGert FröbeHonor BlackmanWhile investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.I am a big fan of the Bond movies, this one is not the best made, nor had the best acting, but it was the breakthrough one and had a lot of style, with Sean Connery as Bond, the two before it were so-so, Dr. No (1962) was a good start, but not well made, and From Russia With Love (1963) also, but good enough to keep get the franchise started, this was the one that mad it big.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsSidney JamesKenneth WilliamsCharles HawtreySir Sidney Ruff-Diamond looks after the British outpost near the Khyber Pass. Protected by the kilted Third Foot and Mouth regiment, you would think they were safe but the Khazi of Kalabar has other ideas.From another series of films which I like, the Carry-On films, some are absolutely rubbish, but some are great, this is the best, beating Carry On Screaming (1966) by a whisker, the Carry-On team at their prime, its very very funny, the dinner/battle scene at the end is hilarious.