Exciting movies I've seen
by Rickting | created - 11 Jun 2014 | updated - 01 Nov 2017 | PublicThese are basically any films which are thrilling in nature (Action, thriller, war etc.) ranked with a short review each. Enjoy!
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1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 709,642 | Gross: $83.47M
Haunting, horrifying and truly insane, this is mad, audacious filmmaking of the best kind which takes you right into its story and never lets you go. Jaws will drop.
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,607 | Gross: $0.27M
With its great characters, amazing direction and superb story, this is a mind blowing piece of art and the best foreign language film of all time.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,036,407 | Gross: $248.16M
One of my favourite ever movies, this is exhilarating, enthralling, perfectly paced and wonderfully executed adventure heaven, which is more thrilling than a roller coaster and one of the most rewatchable films ever.
4. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 718,850 | Gross: $67.44M
Deeply human, ferociously intense and utterly compelling, this virtually flawless crime drama is a powerful, thrilling character study. If you looked up 'masterpiece' in a dictionary you'd find this film under it. Despite all of those positives, the most jaw dropping part of the film isn't a shootout. It's De Niro and Pacino having coffee.
5. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,080 | Gross: $4.14M
Not so much an epic as an epic, haunting, magnificent work of art outshining everything else in the national art gallery, this turns its source material into a sober, haunting and powerful meditation on loyalty and chaos complete with brilliant acting and amazing battle scenes.
6. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,566 | Gross: $8.55M
The most terrifying film ever- ever- makes every single other horror film ever made look like an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine in comparison. David Lynch's perfect direction, Dennis Hopper's terrifying performance and a frightfully chilling screenplay make this the real definition of cinematic fear.
7. Memento (2000)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,322,118 | Gross: $25.54M
Memorable, monumental and masterful, this incredible film is confusing but unlike certain other films (Donnie Darko I'm looking at you) this is a powerful and relentlessly thrilling movie which will thrill and move its audience.
8. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,038 | Gross: $83.01M
The perfect action film. In other words, the perfect combo of amazing set pieces, great direction, a smart script, claustrophobia, a great hero, an even better villain, humour and genuine character. 26 years on it hasn't aged at all.
9. The Third Man (1949)
Approved | 93 min | Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard
Votes: 181,756 | Gross: $0.45M
With its amazing music, flawless acting, stunning direction, jaw dropping cinematography and great script, this is a British gem that has to be seen to be believed.
10. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,221 | Gross: $0.71M
Oldboy is a devastating, pulse pounding revenge movie that defies every convention, strips the depths of emotion bare, traps its enthralled, riveted audience into a beautifully bleak nightmare and also shows how to eat a live octopus.
11. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
R | 169 min | Drama, War
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Votes: 1,495,460 | Gross: $216.54M
Again, a bit too long, but Spielberg creates some of the most harrowing and terrifying battle sequences ever filmed and also creates a moving, sobering story with great acting. How could it have been more intense? Only if we were actually there. Should have won best picture 1998.
12. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Western
A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè
Votes: 810,677 | Gross: $6.10M
Not wasting a moment of its huge length, this is complex, thrilling and spellbinding cinema with the best soundtrack of all time, a great storyline and stunning direction. One of the few movies of Netflix you absolutely have to see.
13. North by Northwest (1959)
Approved | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
Votes: 345,941 | Gross: $13.28M
Another masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock, this is a first rate thriller which gets pretty much everything right in a way few other adventure movies have.
14. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 521,764 | Gross: $36.76M
This film shows off edge of the seat suspense, a compelling mystery, great dialogue and some excellent acting and it only takes place in one room!
15. Mulholland Drive (2001)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 383,566 | Gross: $7.22M
A maddeningly brilliant cinematic mystery which justifies confusing its audience and driving them insane through a brilliant story filled with thought-provoking themes, mesmerizing visuals and a serious emotional core. If this movie was linear with a coherent plot it'd be a brilliant drama about Hollywood, but it's better not knowing and having the spell this movie casts ruined with explanations.
16. Skyfall (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
Votes: 730,821 | Gross: $304.36M
The best Bond movie ever. Forget Casino Royale, this is perfect. Combining the modern day action film with the James Bond action film with ease, and featuring endless entertainment and surprise emotional power, this is one film where there literally isn't a dull moment. And it's 2 and a half hours long.
17. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure
In 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
Votes: 535,014 | Gross: $179.87M
It may be overly dark but in terms of nail biting thrills, fun characters and great sets it can't really be beat and it's got more speed and thrill than the mine carts racing through the mine in one of cinema's best chase scenes.
18. Hard Boiled (1992)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
Votes: 53,990
Endless, adrenaline fuelled insanity and jaw dropping set pieces that have to be seen to be believed leave nearly every other action movie ever made lying in the mud.
19. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,797,683 | Gross: $100.13M
Visually stunning, emotionally devastating and ultimately unforgettable, this is the murder mystery to rule them all and is a harrowing journey into the abyss you'll never forget. A masterpiece.
20. Get Carter (1971)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.
Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland, John Osborne
Votes: 36,755 | Gross: $0.39M
This amazing British thriller is a relentlessly gritty, hauntingly bleak and utterly captivating masterpiece with Michael Caine giving one of the best performances in film history. With its bleak portrayal of Newcastle you'll never look at Geordie Shore the same way again, but it's a near unbeatable example of how to make a depressing movie thrilling.
21. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,594 | Gross: $53.71M
With emotion, character, thrills and visual splendour in every frame, Hero is a masterful work of art to rival Van Gough.
22. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
R | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper and a drifter named Max.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz
Votes: 1,085,298 | Gross: $154.06M
A mind blowing atom bomb of an action movie complete with jaw dropping action scenes, brilliant visuals and superb production design, yet also a well told and feminist post apocalyptic drama. This kind of thing should win Best Picture, not all of those tedious Oscar baiting dramas.
23. Witness (1985)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
While protecting an Amish boy - who is the sole witness to a brutal murder - and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life is threatened.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer
Votes: 104,585 | Gross: $68.71M
With Harrison Ford in a surprisingly effective dramatic role and an interesting fish out of water premise combined with tense thrills this underrated thriller is both moving and thrilling.
24. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,569 | Gross: $74.10M
An explosion of amazing style with unexpected substance and brilliant acting, Sin City brings Frank Miller's comic book world to visually awe inspiring life and never loses its grip.
25. Speed (1994)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
Votes: 391,610 | Gross: $121.25M
This film is so much fun it's almost absurd. It's one of the best action movies of the 90s and a joy to watch. Although some may feel it's just 3 action sequences stuck together, it's 3 brilliant action sequences stuck together. Likable characters but no unnecessary backstories, no sentimentality. Just pure fun.
26. M (1931)
Passed | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke
Votes: 168,354 | Gross: $0.03M
I have never seen a more ferociously chilling and masterful detective movie before, nor one with such interesting social commentary and brilliant visuals. M is for masterpiece.
27. Goldfinger (1964)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
While investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Votes: 202,471 | Gross: $51.08M
The best of the classic Bond movies and the one which introduced the formula we know and love. It's still the best example, and it is simply some of the best escapism one can have.
28. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,087,577 | Gross: $2.83M
With more energy than a powerhouse, this is a riveting, ferociously tense drama filled with some of the best dialogue ever written.
29. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,059,317 | Gross: $74.28M
Not all best picture winners deserve the prize, but this certainly did. This combination of thought provoking themes and a palm sweating cat and mouse chase will thrill, provoke thought and make its audience terrified of bowl cuts, coin tosses and motels in the best motel set scenes since Psycho.
30. Drive (I) (2011)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks
Votes: 704,018 | Gross: $35.06M
A subtle, powerful and strangely beautiful explosion of art-house action which speaks volumes with its minimalist script and triumphs as a work of modern art.
31. Glory (1989)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History
Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 144,347 | Gross: $26.83M
The outstanding performances, sublime script and wonderful production values combine in a thrilling and moving historical epic that will thrill, move and blow away its audience.
32. Argo (2012)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin
Votes: 638,884 | Gross: $136.03M
It seems to have faced some backlash for its best picture win, but what was going to win? Zero Dark Thirty? This brilliantly directed and splendidly written thriller is so tense it's more stressful than rush hour on the tube, but more importantly it's got a script crackling with dark humour and developed characters.
33. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,335
Truly astonishing. The best TV movie ever made. Hands down. Delightfully ambiguous, wonderfully tense and brilliantly directed, this will do for driving what Jaws did for swimming.
34. Vertigo (1958)
PG | 128 min | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
Votes: 426,632 | Gross: $3.20M
It's not the greatest movie ever made but it's an excellent film. A brilliantly acted and visually striking masterwork which is less a film, more a terrifying drop ride into obsession, fear and multi-coloured spirals.
35. From Russia with Love (1963)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi
Votes: 145,285 | Gross: $24.80M
One of the very best 007 films, this is an electrifying cold war thriller with a very interesting plot, memorable characters and suspenseful action. Utterly thrilling and Sean Connery simply is the best.
36. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads, with the help of a K.G.B. agent whose lover he killed.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel
Votes: 116,229 | Gross: $46.80M
While the Roger Moore era was pretty weak, this is big dumb and fun escapism so entertaining it's almost surreal. While it's totally silly, the amazing (everything) make this a joy to watch.
37. Lost Highway (1997)
R | 134 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius, Louis Eppolito
Votes: 153,105 | Gross: $3.80M
I don't care what anyone says. I love this mind-bending Rubix Cube of a movie. I doubt David Lynch will ever reveal the answer to this cinematic puzzle, but it's a brilliantly made mystery you'll always be happy to try and unravel.
38. Strangers on a Train (1951)
PG | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll
Votes: 140,949 | Gross: $7.63M
Chilling, suspenseful and visually stunning, this is yet another must see movie from Alfred Hitchcock. Utterly brilliant.
39. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 432,878 | Gross: $101.01M
A hauntingly brilliant action thriller which is another effortless fusion of emotion and action from Michael Mann.
40. Dunkirk (2017)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Drama, History
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
Votes: 739,513 | Gross: $188.37M
As a purely cinematic experience, as a tribute to heroism and as a terrifying war epic, it's a masterpiece. The lack of character development only improves the film instead of weakening it as some have claimed. Also, Harry Styles is very good in it. Who saw that coming?
41. Rashomon (1950)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 180,290 | Gross: $0.10M
Although it can be repetitive, incredible acting, innovative structure and Akira Kurosawa's great direction make this a well crafted and deep masterwork.
42. Yojimbo (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 131,276
An endlessly cool movie despite being over 50 years old, this sees Kurosawa on amazing form as always and it's no surprise so many other directors wanted to copy this movie, even if the finale is a little too short.
43. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Votes: 292,748 | Gross: $20.30M
Sobering and achingly suspenseful, this fascinating thriller is a brilliant directional debut and excuses all of Ben Affleck's past mistakes.
44. The Raid 2 (2014)
R | 150 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.
Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara
Votes: 131,210 | Gross: $2.63M
An intense, mind blowing thrill ride with the subtlety of a car smashing through a wall, it is overlong but it stands tall as one of the best action movies of all time.
45. GoldenEye (1995)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Votes: 270,138 | Gross: $106.60M
This fantastic Bond film brings Bond into the modern era with swagger and style, and the result is yet another ridiculously enjoyable movie which provides ace escapism.
46. Prisoners (2013)
R | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
Votes: 808,718 | Gross: $61.00M
Although it's a bit overlong, this ferociously tense and deeply haunting movie was criminally overlooked and if you want to be on the edge of your seat for 2 and a half hours, watch this film.
47. The Fugitive (1993)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.
Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore
Votes: 318,461 | Gross: $183.88M
The rare action movie that gets nominated for best picture, this is an intense, relentless and genuinely thrilling knockout with top performances and memorable set pieces.
48. Tell No One (2006)
Not Rated | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An accidental discovery near a doctor's estate stirs up some painful memories eight years after his wife's hideous murder, and now, things are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he's letting on?
Director: Guillaume Canet | Stars: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 57,967 | Gross: $6.18M
An underappreciated and masterful French thriller which combines emotional depth and realistic, suspenseful action scenes to great effect. Tell everyone about this movie.
49. Laura (1944)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.
Directors: Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price
Votes: 51,379 | Gross: $4.36M
Wonderfully written, twisty and overall super smart, this is a hugely entertaining and unpredictable noir which emphasizes why film noir was so popular.
50. Captain Phillips (2013)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Catherine Keener
Votes: 492,343 | Gross: $107.10M
Although the pace drops a little during the middle, this is a truly fantastic movie and a smart showcase for Paul Greengrass' brilliant use of handheld cameras and Tom Hanks' flawless acting.
51. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,618,789 | Gross: $187.71M
Like most historical films it's too long but the great action, convincing performances, powerful storyline and skilled direction make this probably the coolest history lesson of all time.
52. Unstoppable (2010)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Thriller
With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee
Votes: 207,693 | Gross: $81.56M
Powering along like the train in the centre of its story, this perfect slice of popcorn entertainment is some of the most fun you can have in 98 minutes.
53. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Thriller
John McClane and a young hacker join forces to take down master cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel in Washington D.C.
Director: Len Wiseman | Stars: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q
Votes: 420,554 | Gross: $134.53M
Although this got a lot of backlash, it's an extremely enjoyable movie which is bigger than the others and features some great characters and stunts, although it does sometimes feel like a superhero movie (not in a good way).
54. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 407,980 | Gross: $100.01M
At times it feels more like a game of Simon Says than a film, but it's still endlessly fun and full of humour, and Samuel L Jackson steals the show.
55. Natural Born Killers (1994)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield
Votes: 251,649 | Gross: $50.28M
Over-the-top and frenzied, this is arguably flawed in some ways but its twisted, insane nature only makes it even more effective and psychologically complex. A ferociously intense classic that speaks an unmistakable truth.
56. Death on the Nile (1978)
PG | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. Can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey?
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: Peter Ustinov, Mia Farrow, Simon MacCorkindale, Jane Birkin
Votes: 39,797
Like many things it's a bit too long, but this all star, vastly entertaining murder mystery is one of the most fun detective movies ever made.
57. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,144,738 | Gross: $23.34M
It's a bit hollow, but it's one of the smartest films you'll ever see and has the best rug pull in movie history. You'll never see it coming.
58. The Revenant (I) (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 873,751 | Gross: $183.64M
Certainly not a cheerful or easy watch, but as a devastating, utterly harrowing and visually stunning survival story featuring a brilliant performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant is a triumph.
59. True Grit (2010)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Western
A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin
Votes: 357,369 | Gross: $171.24M
The movie could have been better paced, but it's a visually stunning and entertaining Western with Jeff Bridges redeeming himself after Tron Legacy and rare good Matt Damon and child actor performances.
60. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?
Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo
Votes: 35,681 | Gross: $2.49M
Far better than the remake, this light but also genuinely tense thriller is an under seen 70s gem and a palm sweating, completely enjoyable movie.
61. Dial M for Murder (1954)
PG | 105 min | Crime, Thriller
A former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams
Votes: 188,681 | Gross: $0.01M
It's not Hitchcock's most well known film, but it's an excellent, intelligently minimalistic and effective mystery thriller which, as usual, has some palm sweating suspense.
62. Notorious (1946)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
The daughter of a convicted German spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of German scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern
Votes: 107,218 | Gross: $10.46M
Another triumph for the master of suspense, this showcases some of Hitchcock's most interesting direction and is full of fine performances and great writing.
63. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure
In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 810,528 | Gross: $197.17M
Although the last 20 minutes dissolve into anti-climax and silliness, this is yet another ridiculously fun blockbuster with enough entertainment to blow most modern action movies out of the water.
64. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 694,280 | Gross: $167.45M
It's too long and sometimes needs to realize there's a difference between James Bond and Jason Bourne, but it's explosive, gritty and more importantly human, and this class thrill ride, with more ace than a pack of cards, is what we needed after Die Another Day.
65. 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: 2,321,577 | Gross: $37.03M
With an incredible screenplay, amazing direction and deft performances, Fight Club is a truly incredible movie, and however you interpret it, it's a masterpiece. How did this not get nominated for best picture?!
66. Rush (I) (2013)
R | 123 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Votes: 513,319 | Gross: $26.95M
Despite it's occasional detours into generic territory, the amazing racing sequences and powerfully written, well acted screenplay add up to an excellent sports movie where you don't need to like F1 to enjoy it.
67. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah
Votes: 216,961 | Gross: $4.11M
Watching this film is like being in the hammer fight scene from Oldboy, and after a while it becomes overwhelming. It's a 90 minute action scene (Literally) but it's one of the most thrilling of the 21st century, and it leaves other modern action flicks (The Expendables anyone?) in the dust.
68. Air Force One (1997)
R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Communist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson
Votes: 210,027 | Gross: $172.96M
Air Force One may be preposterous but it takes off and soars thanks to its thrilling and delightful mix of great acting, claustrophobic fight scenes and sky high mayhem.
69. Run Lola Run (1998)
R | 80 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri
Votes: 206,912 | Gross: $7.27M
It may be more a running montage than a film, but it's visually stunning, vastly enjoyable and manages to find humanity within the thrills.
70. The Thin Red Line (1998)
R | 170 min | Drama, History, War
Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Kirk Acevedo
Votes: 199,512 | Gross: $36.40M
It has its wanderings and aimless moments, but this mixture of nature photography which would make the national geographic channel green with envy and intense war sequences is one of the greatest war poems (in cinematic form) of all time.
71. You Only Live Twice (1967)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 117,491 | Gross: $43.08M
It hints for the first time the absurdity to come in later movies, but messy story aside YOLT is a kinetic, energetic and delightful Bond outing with the first- and still the best- evil lair.
72. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
R | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Three trappers protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig
Votes: 187,526 | Gross: $75.51M
A blazing war movie led by commanding direction from Michael Mann and a strong Daniel Day Lewis performance which transports viewers right into the action, although it's not as impressive as Heat.
73. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,090,805 | Gross: $75.60M
It certainly wasn't made by historians and follows the best picture guidebook (Historical, too long, indulgent, it has to be emotional, it can't be the best movie of the year) with great enthusiasm but it's brilliantly made and does affect you on an emotional level. A silly movie, but don't let that make you forget it's also a very good one.
74. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, War
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin
Votes: 789,955 | Gross: $46.36M
The first half is perfection and when we get to the actual war it's virtually a relief. Although the later scenes lack the power of the earlier ones, it still has some awesome improvisation, suspenseful moments, and cinema's greatest insults.
75. Fast Five (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster
Votes: 406,960 | Gross: $209.84M
Far better than it had any right to be, this is action at its most thrilling, likable, engaging, moronic and enjoyably written. It's the rare movie where stupidity is a good thing, and it just doesn't care. Ironically, that improves everything.
76. The Wages of Fear (1953)
Not Rated | 131 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, Folco Lulli
Votes: 66,523
So tense it's somewhat sadistic yet also thematically strong and emotionally powerful (despite the excessive length), this is the kind of suspense thriller that will make movie producers jealous they didn't make it.
77. Battle Royale (2000)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama
Votes: 194,343
A brutal and breathless Hunger Games for adults. While The Hunger Games is the superior of the two thanks to a better plot, this ferocious and kinetic controversy magnet is well worth seeing.
78. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Votes: 617,472 | Gross: $64.62M
Despite somewhat workmanlike direction at times, this is a highly successful love letter to film noir featuring superb period detail, a great plot, awesome performances across the board and a sharp, punchy and beautifully written script.
79. The 39 Steps (1935)
Approved | 86 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle
Votes: 61,499
Although not Hitchcock at his absolute best, this twisty and tense thriller hints at his future brilliance and it's a great mystery story.
80. Crimson Tide (1995)
R | 116 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
On a U.S. nuclear missile sub, a young First Officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy Captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, Matt Craven, George Dzundza
Votes: 123,238 | Gross: $91.40M
While a bit long, great acting and neverending tension will keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the runtime.
81. Face/Off (1997)
R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 400,679 | Gross: $112.23M
It may be a bit too weird for some, but few people will be unable to enjoy 2 of Hollywood's most OTT actors blowing everything up in John Woo's typically amazing action sequences filled with slow motion, Mexican stand-offs and doves. Very difficult not to enjoy.
82. The Towering Inferno (1974)
PG | 165 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
At the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway
Votes: 48,219 | Gross: $116.00M
It shouldn't have been nominated for best picture but while many disaster movies are stupid affairs, this got most things right and is one of those rare movies that blows stuff up with grace and style.
83. Furious 7 (2015)
PG-13 | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham
Votes: 414,548 | Gross: $353.01M
This one broke box office records, the speedometer and our hearts with its touching tribute to Paul Walker. It's a mess in many ways but it's a miracle a coherent product got out of the gate at all. This will make you punch the air.
84. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Secret service agent James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson
Votes: 108,251 | Gross: $62.30M
It's not the most memorable or well known entry in the series, but despite some very annoying characters, the lack of silliness, strong Roger Moore performance and great action make this the second best of the Moore era.
85. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton
Votes: 528,223 | Gross: $209.40M
It doesn't exactly reinvent anything or offer anything new but it's an inventive, swaggering action epic with heart pounding action scenes and a genuine sense of tension with one of the best action sequences of recent years.
86. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons
Votes: 49,195 | Gross: $84.56M
While it has its flaws, this 70s disaster flick never sinks thanks to its great cast, genuine tension and good characters, making this one of the better disaster movies out there.
87. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 202,090 | Gross: $43.22M
A well oiled and ludicrous adrenaline machine filled with high octane fuel and daring set pieces, this is how you do an action film. Don't bother with the remake.
88. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
PG | 110 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
In 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. After considering their options, they escape to South America.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin
Votes: 226,632 | Gross: $102.31M
One of the most likable Westerns in cinema history thanks to its star power and mixture of comic and tragic elements. Marred only by its slightly slow pace, it succeeds thanks to William Goldman's excellent script.
89. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Ethan and his team take on their most impossible mission yet when they have to eradicate an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are and committed to destroying the IMF.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Votes: 410,726 | Gross: $195.04M
The franchise continues going from strength to strength with this monumentally fun popcorn action epic.
90. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,063
A flawed but overall excellent fusion of action and art, and one of John Woo's best films.
91. Victoria (II) (2015)
Not Rated | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A young Spanish woman who has recently moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.
Director: Sebastian Schipper | Stars: Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit
Votes: 63,114
A 2 and a half hour technical marvel, Victoria's USP is obviously the single take format but there's enough drama and tension here to make the film very worthwhile as a whole, even if it is overlong.
92. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
R | 158 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 494,611 | Gross: $102.52M
A well-acted and atmospheric adaptation with Fincher's always outstanding direction and a clever plot making this highly watchable despite a couple of very unpleasant scenes and an overlong length.
93. 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: 726,190 | Gross: $24.61M
If it's not quite a masterpiece, it's certainly a highly impressive combination of a tense, brutal crime story and dark comedy with Shakespearean levels of depth.
94. The Limey (1999)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 34,807 | Gross: $3.19M
Although it's slightly uneven, Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller is a gripping fusion of commercial and arthouse cinema. It's got a unique and clever aesthetic that represents human thought very well and a compelling and violent revenge story anchored by a great performance from Terrence Stamp, although Peter Fonda is weak as the villain.
95. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine
Votes: 715,678 | Gross: $128.26M
Suave, stylish, subversive and hugely entertaining, this doesn't reach the heights of Kick-Ass but it's one of the best straight forward good times you'll have at the movies this year.
96. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu
Votes: 25,448
One of John Woo's earlier movies, this comes up slightly short on action but still delivers on some excellent set pieces and combines them with a heartfelt story.
97. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Votes: 670,637 | Gross: $209.03M
Although Benedict Cumberbatch is the one we'd rather be watching, the fabulous set pieces, strong direction and genuine charm make this a very enjoyable adaptation.
98. Contagion (2011)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow
Votes: 315,818 | Gross: $75.66M
Although mismarketed and slow, it's a very chilling and realistic movie which may lack big thrills but it's probably the best disaster movie of recent times and far more chilling than most recent horror flicks.
99. Bridge of Spies (2015)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, History, Thriller
During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan
Votes: 327,593 | Gross: $72.31M
Not one of Spielberg's absolute best movies, but a very good one and superior to Lincoln. A very well crafted Cold War thriller, this manages to keep the tension and interest levels up throughout successfully and features a great performance from Mark Rylance.
100. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond uncovers a nuclear plot while protecting an oil heiress from her former kidnapper, an international terrorist who can't feel pain.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards
Votes: 209,922 | Gross: $126.94M
If you try and ignore the flat humour and Dr Christmas Jones who is more annoying than Jar Jar Binks and you have a gripping, interesting and explosive Bond movie and the most underrated of the franchise.
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