Top 40 films of all time
by darren-153-890810 | created - 02 Oct 2012 | updated - 02 Apr 2020 | PublicMy fav films of all genres. Movies that have moved, shocked and made me laugh
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1. Withnail & I (1987)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.
Director: Bruce Robinson | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown
Votes: 47,918 | Gross: $1.54M
Best script ever written
2. Enter the Void (2009)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Fantasy
An American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander
Votes: 88,087 | Gross: $0.34M
Trippy, dreamy and shocking with brilliant cinematography
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In 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.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,877 | Gross: $112.00M
Deeply moving with exceptional performances
4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny
Votes: 110,448 | Gross: $5.99M
The film Kubrick wished he made. All I have in my life is my dreams and memories.
5. American History X (1998)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama
Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 1,186,784 | Gross: $6.72M
The darkest scene in cinema history
6. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
R | 126 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, popularly known as Che, along with his friend Alberto Granado, decides to take a road trip across South America. His experiences on the journey transform him.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mía Maestro, Mercedes Morán
Votes: 104,801 | Gross: $16.78M
Inspirational. No other words needed
7. Detachment (2011)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama
A substitute teacher who drifts from classroom to classroom finds a connection to the students and teachers during his latest assignment.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, Marcia Gay Harden, Lucy Liu
Votes: 99,215 | Gross: $0.07M
Best film of 2012 (UK). Deeply moving
8. In the Name of the Father (1993)
R | 133 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An Irish man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. Meanwhile, a British lawyer fights to clear their names and free them.
Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie, Philip King
Votes: 187,192 | Gross: $25.01M
tragically moving
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,642 | Gross: $6.21M
Way ahead of it's time
10. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
Not Rated | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.
Director: Shane Meadows | Stars: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell, Stuart Wolfenden
Votes: 58,404 | Gross: $0.01M
One of the best British films ever made
11. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,325,600 | Gross: $37.03M
Not allowed to talk about Fight Club
12. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
R | 102 min | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Votes: 899,210 | Gross: $3.64M
Darren Aronofskys finest hour
13. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,433 | Gross: $44.02M
Best horror of all time
14. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
G | 100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.
Director: Mel Stuart | Stars: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear
Votes: 227,493 | Gross: $4.00M
The only musical worth watching
15. Scarface (1983)
R | 170 min | Crime, Drama
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Votes: 917,041 | Gross: $45.60M
Pacino on fire. One of the finest leads of all time
16. Another Earth (2011)
PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.
Director: Mike Cahill | Stars: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava
Votes: 100,046 | Gross: $1.32M
Thought provoking
17. Sarah's Key (2010)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, War
In modern-day Paris, a journalist finds her life becoming entwined with a young girl whose family was torn apart during the notorious Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942.
Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner | Stars: Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Frédéric Pierrot
Votes: 17,928 | Gross: $7.69M
I challenge anyone not to cry at this amazing film
18. The Kite Runner (2007)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama
After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub
Votes: 82,567 | Gross: $15.80M
Deep moving
19. Whiplash (2014)
R | 106 min | Drama, Music
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Votes: 990,415 | Gross: $13.09M
20. City of God (2002)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen
Votes: 801,520 | Gross: $7.56M
As real as they come
21. Malena (2000)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, War
Amidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
Votes: 112,072 | Gross: $3.45M
A beautiful story of innocence
22. The Last King of Scotland (2006)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington
Votes: 196,090 | Gross: $17.61M
Intense with an amazing performance by Mr Whitaker
23. To the Wonder (2012)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance
After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church's Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams
Votes: 29,977 | Gross: $0.59M
24. Whale Rider (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Family
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis
Votes: 44,045 | Gross: $20.78M
Beautifully moving
25. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 727,060 | Gross: $24.61M
yah
26. The Lives of Others (2006)
R | 137 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Stars: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
Votes: 410,673 | Gross: $11.29M
Even in the darkest of times, there's always a shining light
27. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Despite being under heavy sedation, a young woman tries to make her way out of the Arboria Institute, a secluded, quasifuturistic commune.
Director: Panos Cosmatos | Stars: Eva Bourne, Michael J Rogers, Scott Hylands, Rondel Reynoldson
Votes: 16,920 | Gross: $0.06M
Surreal. Visually stunning with a brilliant soundtrack. The ultimate trip film
28. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.
Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz
Votes: 558,365 | Gross: $32.39M
Zoey. Say no more
29. Trainspotting (1996)
R | 93 min | Drama
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd
Votes: 725,977 | Gross: $16.50M
Choose life! banging soundtrack
30. Ink (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 107 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A mysterious creature, known as Ink, steals a child's soul in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip to join the Incubi - the group of supernatural beings responsible for creating nightmares.
Director: Jamin Winans | Stars: Christopher Soren Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy, Jennifer Batter
Votes: 22,385
31. Ethel & Ernest (2016)
Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Drama, History
The life and times of the parents of the hailed British graphic novelist Raymond Briggs.
Director: Roger Mainwood | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn, Luke Treadaway, Macready Massey
Votes: 3,934
32. The Duke of Burgundy (2014)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Romance
A woman who studies butterflies and moths tests the limits of her relationship with her lesbian lover.
Director: Peter Strickland | Stars: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Monica Swinn, Chiara D'Anna, Kata Bartsch
Votes: 14,360 | Gross: $0.03M
33. Polina (2016)
108 min | Drama
A young girl studies classical ballet. As a young woman she turns to modern dance and choreography.
Directors: Valérie Müller, Angelin Preljocaj | Stars: Anastasia Shevtsova, Veronika Zhovnytska, Juliette Binoche, Aleksey Guskov
Votes: 1,974 | Gross: $0.17M
34. McQueen (2018)
R | 111 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui | Stars: Alexander McQueen, Joyce McQueen, John Hitchcock, Danny Hall
Votes: 8,420 | Gross: $1.26M
35. Free Solo (2018)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
Votes: 77,470 | Gross: $17.54M
36. Dancer (II) (2016)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography
Sergei Polunin is a breathtaking ballet talent who questions his existence and his commitment to dance just as he is about to become a legend.
Director: Steven Cantor | Stars: Sergei Polunin, Galyna Polunina, Galina Ivanovna, Larysa Lavrikova
Votes: 3,199 | Gross: $0.04M
37. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
R | 116 min | Drama, Thriller
A wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.
Director: Tom Ford | Stars: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Votes: 304,829 | Gross: $10.66M
38. The Brand New Testament (2015)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Did you know that God is alive and lives in Brussels with his daughter?
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens
Votes: 35,014 | Gross: $0.09M
39. Perfect (II) (2018)
88 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Garrett, an emotionally-troubled young man, is sent to a clinic, whispering soothing promises of perfection. By planting characteristics directly into his own body, he's relieved of his dark visions, but pays the price for purity of mind.
Director: Eddie Alcazar | Stars: Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte
Votes: 1,215
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