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The question seeks 5 best movies. I will list 25 in my list in descending order.When I started making the list, I did not realize how difficult this is going to be. 'Why should this flick make it to the list and why that one should be left out' was a question that I cannot answer till now. Ultimately, just a gut feeling decided. I have used the following yardstick in the given order of importance:My own reactionUniversal Critical AcclaimEntertaining capabilityGenerally liked by others tooBe it as it may, most films listed here will make it to anybody's favourite list with possibly just some change of places. To check out these 25, click on the pictures (best seen on PC or tablet). But first, and a usual, I must mention those which I like very much. So here are the "Honourable Mentions" or my next 50 (in no particular order) that just failed to make it to my list:25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyMany would be surprised to find this movie in my list of top 25 displacing quite a few iconic flicks mentioned above. The reason is that this is an incredibly funny movie based on the book of same name by Douglas J Adams. But it is not the usual brand of slapstick. It is classic British old style - a la P G Wodehouse style. The original book itself is a classic. I was very sceptical when I saw the movie - will it do justice to the witty, tangential writing? But I was relieved. The book is very long and hence the movie had to deviate from the book a little bit. The two-hour limit puts severe constraint on the director but he managed to retain the soul of the author. It makes it to my list because it's unique, genuine humour and all round good performance. If you want the "Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything", then you must watch the movie. The answer will leave you in splits, and, no, it is not philosophy that is preached. It will be pointless for me to explain the plot. It cannot be touched upon here. It is a film that should be seen. But it may require quirky mind set to appreciate the humour.About the Guide: Don’t leave the Earth without it.24. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) StoneWhy should a ‘sort of trivial’, kiddie-stuff movie be in this list? Simply because, this is the movie that started the franchise. Even so many years later, it remains as lovable and watchable as when it was released. There came subsequent HP movies but none could capture the magic, if you excuse the irony. Perhaps it was because it faithfully followed the book so closely. With the exception of the second HP movie (CoS) and the seventh (TDH-Part 1), all other movies were a big let-down.Several things could have gone wrong with the movie. It was a completely different concept. Does the director wish to make it a movie for the children or teens or elders? The writer (J K Rowling), when selling the rights to the story for making films, insisted on a condition – the whole star cast must be all British. How to make the magic fantastic as well as believable at the same time? And the greatest challenge of all – who would play the three main child characters? Thankfully director Chris Columbus came top on all counts.The British actors such as Maggie Smith, Richard Harris and Robbie Coltraine came out good. But the best was certainly Alan Rickman playing the dangerous and slimy Professor Snape. The CGI was just right and did not feel going overboard at any time. The movie (as the book) introduced wizard games – Quidditch. Now is it volleyball or rugby or basketball? There is a chess game with life-size, deadly pieces, a room filled with flying keys, a pit of tendrils, and a dark forest where a loathsome creature threatens Harry but is scared away by a centaur. And the dark shadows of Hogwarts library, cellars, hidden passages and dungeons, where an invisibility cloak can keep you out of sight but not out of trouble.This movie brought forth the freshness of youth and even though the child actors were fairly wooden (at that time). It was like the expectation of the ecstasy to come after the gentle climb the roller coaster. Too bad the roll down was not as exciting. The franchise and JK Rowling is so popular that I need not go into the details of the movie. This is one must watch film.23. The Usual SuspectsThis is one movie that is an anti-climax. Over half or perhaps three fourth of the movie, you are being entertained but there is nothing spectacular about it. When the climax arrives, you are just stunned. The actors were finely tuned and well controlled by the director with Stephen Baldwin as the biggest surprise. Kevin Spacey played a part slightly out of character for him, but he was excellent at it.I refuse to say more about the plot other than its central theme revolves around a character known as Keyser Soze. This guy is likened to the devil in the movie, but the closest character in fiction would be Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes. As the movie unfolds, it is not clear whether Keyser Soze exists or if he is just a figment of imagination. Moreover, for those who might be inclined to believe in him (as Agent Kujan does sometimes), it is even less clear who he might be. An enigma wrapped in an enigma as they say. This conundrum alone was worth the price of admission.The ending makes the show. This is a "who-done-it" movie, a thrilling suspense. Just watch it.22. The Silence of the LambsCan you imagine a horror film that has no gore, no gushing blood anywhere, no supernatural/evil beings, no special effects except perhaps some background music, and almost nil violence? Well, here it is. Just plain dialogues and viewer's imagination is at work. It won the five "Oscars" – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay nearly a year after it was released. This is a real achievement because usually movies released post-November hog the limelight of the event held in February.The heart of this unnerving suspense movie is a terrifyingly intimate relationship between a sociopathic genius (who makes the most notorious Nazi butchers seem like saints), and a dedicated career woman (who, for all her drive and ambition, is as pure as a nun). It's a queasy, mesmerizing journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind. The film manages to be both seductive and repulsive at the same time. It's perhaps the film's most unsettling quality that Hannibal, with all his seething brilliance and cutting wit, is an oddly appealing character.While Anthony Hopkins receives most of the (well-deserved) praise for his chilling portrayal of incarcerated serial killer "Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lector", it is Foster's performance that holds the movie together. The fear she shows just behind her eyes makes her outward courage all the more interesting and vulnerable. This is the perfect way to play the part because it explains Lector's interest in Clarice. Her only bargaining chip in getting Lector's help is to let him 'feed' on her innermost secrets and fears in exchange for his brilliant insights into the psychotic mind. The title of the movie comes from these exchanges and is very poignant.21. GoodfellasMartin Scorsese is the king of crime thrillers. You have to see the movie to see how brilliant it is. Every frame, every voice-over, every song - it all comes together at the exact right moment to create the perfect film experience.The movie begins with the background monologue:"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." - Henry HillGangsters are all around us. Everyone knows it, but not everyone wants to accept it. "Goodfellas" is based on true events. It explores the lives of gangsters, chronicling the events through the eyes of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who gets involved with the Mafia at a young age and continues his "career" throughout the film. This film makes you really understand and feel what makes the American mafia so compelling; in the eyes of a kid, who was unfortunate enough to grow up in a tough neighbourhood, those gangsters are rock stars. Live fast, die young - but when you die, it ain't gonna be of a glamorous suicide or drug overdose - the ending will be brutal, ugly and sad. And it may very well be one of your best friends that will blow your brains out. Storytelling with impeccable pacing, this is what it's like when a master composer conducts his masterpiece. All hail the king; the most versatile and talented filmmaker of his generation: Martin Scorsese.20. Les MisérablesBreath-taking! Simply breath-taking! No other words to describe this musical magnum opus. Based on the fiction written by Victor Hugo, this book has been made into a film quite a few times. My review is based on the latest version released in 2012. But first a warning to those who are contemplating to see it - this is an out and out musical.In its near 2.5 hours, there may not be more than 5 minutes of spoken words - everything is musical. The plot is simple. After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is freed by Javert (Russell Crowe), the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean promptly breaks parole but later uses money from stolen silver to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner. Javert vows to bring Valjean back to prison. Eight years later, Valjean becomes the guardian of a child named Cosette after her mother's (Anne Hathaway) death, but Javert's relentless pursuit means that peace will be a long time coming. It is the music that brings goose bumps all the time. The very first song "Look down" is the crown amongst all.19. No Country for Old MenWhile out hunting, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds the grisly aftermath of a drug deal. Though he knows better, he cannot resist the cash left behind and takes it with him. The hunter becomes the hunted when a merciless killer named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) picks up his trail. Also looking for Moss is Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), an aging lawman who reflects on a changing world and a dark secret of his own, as he tries to find and protect Moss.The first note of excellence must be directed at Spanish actor Javier Bardem. He is more well-known these days because of the main bad man (Rodriguez) that he played in the Bond flick "Skyfall". Javier has cemented himself as the leader in portraying a psychopathic killer and has perhaps surpassed that of Anthony Hopkins in his 'Silence of the Lambs' Hannibal Lecter role (something that I thought would never happen). Ruthless, unforgiving, sociopath, and in desperate need of a new hair style, Anton Chigurh (Bardem) is flawless. Every time he showed up on-screen one can feel chill run through the bones. Absolutely perfect! But not only that, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones play their part superb.If you have not seen this movie, then please do.18. 12 Angry MenAn excellent courtroom drama with a unique twist! Instead of following the trial itself, the viewer has a unique chance to observe the events behind the closed doors of a jury room. The film begins with the end of the trial. The jurors retire to deliberate the case. A preliminary vote is taken and the result is 11:1 in favour of the guilty verdict. Eleven jurors have raised their hands to convict a young man of killing his father. Only Juror #8 has doubts. At first even he does not truly believe the young man to be innocent but notes (rightfully) that the case for the defence might have been presented in a more convincing manner and that the boy might be given the benefit of a doubt. Since the boy is to be executed if found guilty his life is now in the hands of the jury and juror #8 reasons that the least they could do is talk about the case a bit. As time goes on some of the jurors change their minds and find that there is perhaps enough reasonable doubt not to convict the young man after all. But not everyone is easy to convince.The film's greatness lies in its bringing-together of twelve different men who have never met each other before and the interaction of their characters as each man brings his own background and life experiences into the case. Thus, we have the hesitant football coach (Martin Balsam), the shy, uncertain bank clerk (John Fiedler), the aggressive call company director (Lee J. Cobb), the authoritative broker (E.G. Marshall), the self-conscious slum dweller (Jack Klugman), the solid, dependable painter (Edward Binns), the selfish salesman (Jack Warden), the calm, collected architect (Fonda), the thoughtful, observant older man (Joseph Sweeney), the racially bigoted garage owner (Ed Begley), the East European watchmaker (George Voskovec) and the beefcake advertising agent (Robert Webber) who has plenty of chat and little else.Very few courtroom dramas can match this film.17. The Good, The Bad, The UglyI can hardly add anything to a film that is iconic and favourite of so many - especially the guys. But let me give it a try anyway. Sergeo Leone gave us some films of the same genre which were known as "Spaghetti Westerns" and "Man with No Name Trilogy". The trilogy began with "A Fistful of Dollars", continued to "For a Few Dollars More" and finished with "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly". Easily the last one is the best of the lot.The story is riveting. There is not a single dull moment. The movie is very long by Hollywood standards (nearly 3 hours), but Leone's direction is so good that you will love the fact that you can enjoy this movie for three hours. When it comes to the three main characters, it is simply difficult to choose. Clint Eastwood plays the "man with no name" and is nicknamed 'Blondie' by the others. Lee Van Cleef is incredible as "Angel Eyes." It is the part he was born to play. I am tempted to pick Eli Wallach as the best who is perfect as Tuco. He really shines in this movie. Some people say he steals the show, and I can see why they think so. I think that Clint Eastwood has the least strong presence in the movie.This movie is hypnotic. It's operatic. It's sad. It's funny. It's gritty. It's violent. It's art. It's action. It's pure entertainment. The music is perfection. The way the music drives this movie is absolutely amazing. The musical genius of Morricone and the incredible direction of Sergio Leone is a combination that will probably never be equalled. The theme song will forever be etched in your brain. In fact, it probably already is, even if you haven't seen the movie! The scene where Tuco runs through the graveyard with the song "Ecstasy of Gold" is pure poetry. And the showdown at the end with that great music- just incredible!16. Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes BackIt is extremely rare that the second instalment of the trilogy trumps to be the best of the lot. In case of the "Star Wars" trilogy, this happened. The first instalment of the trilogy (Ep. IV) introduced one of the most iconic villains of Hollywood - Darth Vader. We see him as an evil, heartless and cruel man. That movie itself was iconic and introduced us to space adventure like never before. This flick took it further.It has all the great qualities that the original Star Wars has: great effects (at the time of its release), appealing characters, and lots of spellbinding action. It also has eliminated some of the problems that plagued the first: the storyline is tighter, and goes much deeper into character development. The performances are terrific, especially by Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. George Lucas and director Irvin Kershner will always be remembered for the spellbinding battle sequence at the beginning between the rebels and the evil galactic empire - the snowspeeders vs. the Imperial AT-AT walkers. The music by John Williams is great especially the "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)". The conclusion, with a lightsabre duel between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, is truly one of the most suspenseful and dramatic scenes in the entire series. This is a truly wondrous film, and serves as a constant reminder that just because a movie is expensive and a blockbuster doesn't mean that it has to be shallow and two dimensional. This film will undoubtedly entertain viewers of all ages from start to finish.15. The Lord of the Rings TrilogyI have included the entire trilogy as one massive film at this position. This is because it is not possible to split one from the other. What can I really write more that is not already written? Peter Jackson has been very faithful to the JRR Tolkien classic and the entire series is breath-taking and spellbinding.14. Modern TimesThis episodic satire of the Machine Age is considered Charles Chaplin's best "silent" film. Charlie Chaplin stars as an assembly-line worker driven insane by the monotony of his job. After a long spell in an asylum, he searches for work, only to be mistakenly arrested as a Red agitator. Released after foiling a prison break, Chaplin makes the acquaintance of orphaned gamine (Paulette Goddard) and becomes her friend and protector. He takes on several new jobs for her benefit, but every job ends with a quick dismissal and yet another jail term. During one of his incarcerations, she is hired to dance at a nightclub and arranges for him to be hired there as a singing waiter. He proves an enormous success, but they are both forced to flee their jobs when the orphanage officials show up to claim the girl. Dispirited, she moans, "What's the use of trying?" But the ever-resourceful Chaplin tells her to never say die, and our last image is of Chaplin and The Gamine strolling down a California highway towards new adventures.The word 'genius' is maybe overused for Charlie Chaplin. But what can one do? There are no other words to describe him.13. Lawrence of ArabiaAs one of challengers to the definitive epic of the cinema's history, "Lawrence of Arabia" is one of the finest productions and makes a strong case as the best movie ever made.The titled character (Oscar-nominee Peter O'Toole in his career-defining role) dies in a freak motorcycle accident in the early-1930s in his homeland of England. In spite of being honoured by the nation, many knew nothing of him. Some loved him, others despised him, but no one seemed to know the man at all. Flashbacks immediately start as we meet the character during World War I. He is a lieutenant assigned to mundane duties, but suddenly he is thrust into a greater role in North Africa. He is to assist a Saudi Arabian Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness). The goal is to fight off the dreaded Turkish regime that poses a threat to the Arabs. If the Turks take over this land in Africa, what will it mean for the English?I will not go into the details of the story. The film deals with a slice of history that really did not seem that important back during World War I, but the situations in the Middle East now are greatly due to T.E. Lawrence's acts nearly a century ago. Did leading the Arabs to freedom make the world a safer place? This is the main question that Lean's film raises. Guinness' character is someone who changes almost immediately near the end of the production and it is a somewhat frightening foreshadower of things to come. A monumental milestone in film-making that stands so tall against all the other great productions of all eras. It is another breath-taking film. Am I running out of adjectives?12. Alien"In space, no one can hear you scream".This is the tag line of the film. But in the theatres people were gasping and screaming.While most space sci-fi films (Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001, etc.) dealt with space adventurism in somewhat romantic fashion, this movie introduced us to the other side of space - the chill and horror that may be waiting for us. The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bio-form has joined them. Then begins the cat and mouse game. The Alien is not just another being - it is super intelligent and powerful. As one of the crew members, an android named Ash (Ian Holmes) describes it - a perfect being.Many consider this movie’s successor "Aliens" directed by James Cameron to be better. But I think that 'Alien' deserves far more accolades for the sheer originality of the concept. Director Ridley Scott's well-honed talents of pacing and editing create a tense atmosphere that superbly conveys dread and fear of an unknown, unseen evil entity.11. Pulp FictionNo 'top-list' can be complete without a Quentin Tarantino in it. QT established himself with this film. He then became known for his disjoint style of presentation in reverse chronological order. QT became known as another genius.“Pulp Fiction” is extremely violent in an outrageous way. The script is snappy with witty give-and-take dialogue, written mainly by Quentin Tarantino himself. The movie is starred by an intriguing hand-picked array of actors who deliver those well-written snappy lines. This film oozes inspired casting, of actors who either played against type or at least became offbeat and edgy in ways in which we hadn't hitherto known them.Then, QT mesmerizes us through the editing process, by telling the story in a maximum non-linear way, out of time, reducing the film to a series of seeming disjointed non-sequential vignettes, each vignette featuring the aforementioned snappy dialogue delivered by the aforementioned hand-picked edgy actors. It is only after watching the entirety of the movie, and reflecting back on it, does the gestalt emerge for the viewer. It leaves you spellbound and wondering what hit you. There is much more to enjoy in director/ writer/ co-star Quentin Tarantino's anthology movie about small-time, pea-brained crooks in L.A. Their tales all start slowly and then zigzag into outlandish twists. The two strongest stories involve Travolta, with long limp hair, taking his gangster boss's wife (Thurman) to dinner while the big man is out of town; and Willis, as a boxer who has been paid to take a fall, deciding instead to take the money and flee with his girlfriend (moon-faced Maria de Medeiros, who talks with erotic dreaminess of blueberry pancakes).The entire cast, like Tarantino, seems to revel in sloshing around in this muck, the knowingly hip distillation of several generations' worth of film noir, cheap crime novels and indifferently shot television shows. Travolta, charmingly dim, gets unexpected laughs from the slimmest bits of comedy, whether trying to answer the intercom while coked up or making his voice childishly tiny for the line, "Bacon is good. Pork is good." Samuel Jackson, as Travolta's partner, is perhaps the standout, frighteningly intense whether he's about to shoot a rival through the head or convinced that he has just witnessed a miracle. Despite the drugs, the blood, the language, the grit, Pulp Fiction is fundamentally light-hearted (R).And, it may take more than one viewing to get there. Lastly, by topping it all off with a snazzy soundtrack, QT put the icing on the cake. Add all that stuff together and you get Pulp Fiction.10. Downfall'Downfall' is not strictly Hollywood but I have included it here nonetheless. The story is of the last days of Hitler. It is a German film and available with English subtitles. The reason I came across it was because of the numerous parodies that were floating on the net like this one. I liked them so much that I knew I had to see the movie.I did not expect too much. Surprisingly, the movie is very sensitive and expertly handled. So much so that you start feeling sorry for the monster. Well, sort of that you would feel for a rabid dog about to be put down. Is it a mistake to see him, after all, not as a monster standing outside the human race, but as just another human being? I can't say. This is what makes this movie a brilliant film that starred a brilliant actor - Bruno Ganz."Downfall" takes place almost entirely inside the bunker beneath Berlin where Adolf Hitler and his inner circle spent their final days, and died. It ventures outside only to show the collapse of the Nazi defense of Berlin, the misery of the civilian population and the burning of the bodies of Hitler, Eva Braun, and Joseph and Magda Goebbels. For the rest, it occupies a labyrinth of concrete corridors, harshly lighted, with a constant passage back and forth of aides, servants, guards, family members and Hitler's dog, Blondi.Against the overarching facts of his personal magnetism and the blind loyalty of his lieutenants, the movie observes the workings of the world within the bunker. All power flowed from Hitler. He was evil, mad, ill, but long after Hitler's war was lost he continued to wage it in fantasy. Pounding on maps, screaming ultimatums, he moved troops that no longer existed, issued orders to commanders who were dead, counted on rescue from imaginary armies.That he was unhinged did not much affect the decisions of acolytes like Joseph and Magda Goebbels, who decided to stay with him, and commit suicide as he would. "I do not want to live in a world without National Socialism," says Frau Goebbels, and she doesn't want her six children to live in one, either. In a sad, sickening scene, she gives them all a sleeping potion and then, one by one, inserts a cyanide capsule in their mouths and forces their jaws closed with a soft but audible crunch. Her oldest daughter, Helga, senses there is something wrong; senses, possibly, she is being murdered. Then Magda sits down to a game of solitaire before she and Joseph kill themselves. (By contrast, Heinrich Himmler wonders aloud, "When I meet Eisenhower, should I give the Nazi salute, or shake his hand?").To describe more about the film will be injustice. You must watch it yourself.9. The Dark KnightRarely are sequels better than the original. I made this statement with "The Empire Strikes Back" - I make it again for this flick. Usually the slide starts with the second movie itself and in case of planned trilogies, invariably what happens is that the middle instalment is the 'most boring' one. It happens because it is neither here nor there (Back to the Future Trilogy, LOTR Trilogy, and many others). 'The Dark Knight' is not just an exception. It is an exception of exceptions.It is stupendous. It became extremely successful - something that Warner Brothers were not expecting. WB was expecting to make money with 'Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince' that was scheduled to be released later that summer. But this movie made so much money that WB pushed the HP6 release to next year 'to even out things' and have a bankable blockbuster for the next year.Christian Bale plays such a well-rounded Batman and Bruce Wayne, qualities that none of those who have donned the cowl before him have pulled off. Bale has a particular slurring lisp that serves him quite well, charmingly for Bruce Wayne and threateningly for Batman. Countering him is Heath Ledger, who plays such a scary and creepy Joker that I found it impossible to NOT have chills half the time I saw him on screen. It is Heath Ledger who stole the complete show. But all in all, it is the genius of Christopher Nolan who handled the whole film like a genius that he is. Bury Jack Nicholson’s Joker. The new joker has arrived and set fresh standards. The bar is much higher now. Usually super heroes films will probably not make it to a top-something list. But this one is again one more exception.8. InceptionOne of the best films ever produced in the last ten years. Christopher Nolan will make it to all-time great movie maker. What a story! What imagination! What a portrayal! What originality! On the last attribute, over the last decade, all people are making are comic book super heroes, remakes, sequels and such, 'Inception' brings a breath of fresh air. Nolan blurs the distinction between dreams and reality so artfully that Inception will be called a masterpiece for years to come.What is the most resilient parasite? An Idea! Yes, Nolan has created something with his unbelievably, incredibly and god-gifted mind which will blow the minds of the audience away. There is only one word to describe the cinematography, the set designs and the special effects, and that is exceptional! You don't just watch the scenes happening, you feel them. The movie is a real thrill ride. The action scenes are well picturized and the music by Hans Zimmer is electronically haunting. Never, in the runtime of the movie, you will get a chance to move your eyes from the screen to any other object.This is a flick that you will enjoy watching again and again.7. The Godfather - Part IIThe second instalment of the trilogy starts where the first one left off. The film traces two parallel stories. The young new Godfather, Michael Corleone, is seen making his way big and to the top of the crime world. The parallel story is that of his own father when as a young immigrant from Sicily, he struggles to make his own way to the top. In a sense the movie is both a prequel and sequel.The Godfather Part II is not just a movie about the mafia; it is a movie about a man's life long struggle. Michael controls a vast empire that is constantly slipping out of his hands. He grows increasingly distrustful and paranoid, and even shows signs that he hates his own life. Michael almost seems to resent the fact that he is a natural born crime lord, a man who puts the family business ahead of everything. The great Don Michael Corleone can never come to terms with one simple fact.... his father's empire was built on love and respect, Michael's empire is built on fear and violent treachery.The acting performances are outstanding, hence three supporting Oscar nominations for acting guru Lee Strasberg (Hyman Roth), Michael Gazzo (Frank Pentangeli) and Robert De Niro (young Vito Corleone). Duvall, Keaton, Cazale and Talia Shire all provided first rate performances but it is the performance of Al Pacino which steals the show, expertly portraying Michael as a cool, calculating, suspicious Don Corleone.The end is what surmises the whole era of Michael Corleone. He is sitting on his garden chair, his face now a creased mask of implacable hatred. He has exacted vengeance on all his enemies. He is reminiscing. And then we suddenly cut back 20 years to the fresh-faced young Joe College, still capable of a boyish grin, startling his brothers over the dinner table by announcing he's joined the army, and stoutly defending his patriotism. It's a stunning narrative flourish: mysterious and moving. See this movie. It is three-and-a-half hours very well spent.6. To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiographical novel was translated to film in 1962. Set a small Alabama town in the 1930s, the story focuses on scrupulously honest, highly respected lawyer Atticus Finch, magnificently embodied by Gregory Peck. Finch puts his career on the line when he agrees to represent Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man accused of rape.'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a different kind of movie. Sure, it touches upon 'white vs. black' issues but the difference is that it looks at the problem from the eyes of a child (Atticus' daughter). It's in the innocence of a child's world overshadowed by the evil that adults do.The two kids in the movie are six-year-old Scout, the narrator of the story, and her 10-year-old brother Jem. They live in a dusty, deprived Alabama town, where their father Atticus Finch is a lawyer. In the long, hot summer of 1932, Scout and Jem scamper around town, getting into scrapes and playground fights, and becoming increasingly fascinated by the dilapidated house at the end of the street and its scary unseen occupant.However, the sunny mood darkens when Atticus has to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. The courtroom scene, witnessed by the children from the gallery, is one of the best in the movies, as Atticus demolishes the prosecution case with thrilling ingenuity - not that what happens subsequently reflects any kind of justice.Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his performance as the immovably decent and wise Atticus. Just as impressive are Mary Badham (who had no acting experience) as Scout and Phillip Alford as Jem. Their naturalness and honesty in the roles are a joy. The film won two other Academy Awards and was nominated for eight, including Best Picture.The movie focuses on that gut instinct of right and wrong, and distinguishes it from just following the law. Even the titular quote: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" is in itself an allegory for this message. Being in itself a generic message, the idea of 'doing what's right' obviously has a different meaning depending on when and where you're reading the book or watching the movie.5. The Shawshank RedemptionIn the year 2002, I was in USA all alone and looking ahead to a boring weekend. I dropped in the local Blockbusters Video. I chanced upon the DVD of this movie. I knew nothing about it and as I found nothing more interesting, I picked it up. Boy, what a movie!The plot and theme is very straight-forward - a prison escape. There are many movies on these themes. So what is special about this movie? The fact is that it handles the human relations very delicately. The director has paid utmost attention to details. The Shawshank Redemption defines a genre, defies the odds, compels the emotions, and brings an era of artistically influential films back to Hollywood. The marvellous cast of this film will dazzle you with some of the most convincing performances you will witness in a film. While both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman shine as Andy and Red, respectively, the true spectacle of acting lies within the plethora of amazing supporting actors who easily disappear into their roles. Most noticeable of these, the veteran film star James Whitmore, who portrays the elderly Brooks Hatlen. Brooks, a man incarcerated for an unmentioned crime for so long that he finds himself attached to the Shawshank and the daily life he has lead. Each of these actors show a true dedication to their art, and a focused purpose in their motivations, creating a convincing setting that never once caters to anything unbelievable.'The Shawshank redemption' encompasses friendships, hardships, hopes, and dreams. And what is so great about the movie is that – it moves you, it gives you hope! Even though the circumstances between the characters and the viewers are quite different, you don't feel that far removed from what the characters are going through.4. The Godfather, Part I“I will make him an offer he can’t refuse”- this is the most famous tag-line of all times.I will say here again – I will make you an offer you can’t refuse – watch this film.No list of favourite movies can be complete with including this iconic movie. Some critics consider this as "glorification of crime". This is because it tells only one side of the story and then we begin to sympathize with the characters who are essentially evil. But then such feelings - sympathy or disgust - must be put aside when looking at the movie purely as a movie.As a movie, it is quite flawless. One way to look at the movie is to find what is bad with the movie and I guess everyone will have to think hard to make just 3 attempts. The acting from everyone involved is great, Marlon Brando comes across perfectly as the head of the family, and James Caan and Al Pacino are excellent as his sons. The soundtrack by Nino Rota is also very memorable, bringing back memories of the film every time I hear it. The plot has to be excellent for it to get ten out of ten, and it is, it's far from predictable and the film is the definition of a great epic.The film is pretty shocking in the way every death occurs almost instantaneously, and as it spans ten years so many different things happen and every minute of it is great entertainment.3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)Once in a while, there will be a movie that will strike you hard in your solar plexus and leave you completely out of breath. For some moments, you will be wondering what happened. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is such a movie. This movie looks at the tragedy of war.The movie starts with a bunch of high school going kids. They are ‘psyched’ into joining the defence of their fatherland during World War I. What results is terrible mayhem and calamity. The movie shows the intense suffering of the bunch kids from Germany who joined to fight in War. Erich Maria Remarque traces the fate of all the kids who slowly loose each other. The irony of war cannot be starker when Paul, the hero, is stuck in a ditch with an injured enemy soldier. Paul realizes that he does not hate his enemy and desperately wants the soldier to live. In the final scene, Paul is back on the front lines. He sees a butterfly just beyond his trench. Paul smiles and reaches out towards the butterfly, but becoming too exposed, he is shot and killed by an enemy sniper. The final shot shows the 2nd Company arriving at the front for the first time, fading out to the image of a cemetery.P/s. This one is not shown in the movie but if one reads the book, it will leave her/him devastated and miserable. On the last day of the war, Germany has lost and surrendered. The corporal on the front comes back reports to his Major, "All quiet on the Western Front, Sir".2. CasablancaIt's a movie that brings nostalgia, goose bumps and a lump in the throat. I must have watched it at least 20 times. The plot and story is really no great shake. It is a romantic story of two (Rick and Ilsa) in the background of the war (WW-II). They are planning to marry and agree to meet at the railway station. Ilsa fails to show up leaving Rick dejected and angry. A couple of years later, Rick, a bitter man having a total cynical view of life, runs a cafe in Casablanca. As fate would have it, he runs into his former lady love, who is now married. The married couple is trapped and now Rick must choose between his love for a woman and helping her Czech Resistance leader husband escape the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.There is some mystique in this film. An unknown quality that one can't easily place. It is romantic and haunting, something that will grow on you. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman make the movie unforgettable. The quotes are unforgettable like "Here is looking at you, kid". A B&W classic of all times.Whenever I see this movie, I mutter to myself – "Play it again, Sam".1. Ben HurIt is not just any film. It is possibly the greatest movie ever made. It is not just any movie –it is a magnum opus. It is not a story –it is a spectacle. It is not just any spectacle – it is a spellbinding one.With a running time of three and a half hours, Ben-Hur is one of those films that definitely takes it’s time to tell a story. It presents memorable characters, gorgeous production design, lavish costume design, beautiful cinematography, sweeping music, and timeless themes. As someone who has seen this film as a re-release in a theatre, I could not help but be as marvelled by it as older folks who had seen it back in 1959.Some believe that William Wyler's box-office smash is no match for the 1925 silent version, but there's no denying that the race that forms the famous climax is one of the most iconic sequences in Hollywood history - a thousand-strong force toiled for a year to construct the 18-acre chariot arena, which was eventually filled with 8,000 extras. The film, in all, used over 300 sets, 40,000 tons of sand (for the chariot track).Ben-Hur's days in slavery are vividly captured in two powerful sequences. One involves him and other slaves fighting extreme thirst, as their Roman masters greedily drink water themselves and give some to their horses but not their slaves. The other takes place on a warship where slaves, including Ben-Hur as slave #41, are pulling oars in the galleys, to a rhythm established by a Roman beating a block with hammers. The torture becomes excruciating when the hammers come down at a faster pace, forcing the slaves to row faster to the point of collapse. This is a scene that will surely wrench your gut.It won 11 Oscars. Two other movies (Titanic and LOTR: The Return of the King) have equalled its feat of 11 Academy awards, but neither of the other two won all the three top coveted awards - Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading role.Source and copyright of images: Google and various studios.

#1 The Godfather 1972An offer you can't refuse.Director: Francis Ford Coppola. Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, John Cazale, Rudy Bond.Overview: The story spans the years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael, steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.Genres: Drama, Crime. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 55m. Rated: R.#2 Pulp Fiction 1994Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.Director: Quentin Tarantino. Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Eric Stoltz, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Peter Greene, Rosanna Arquette, Duane Whitaker, Paul Calderon, Frank Whaley.Overview: Pulp Fiction is a cult film by Director Quentin Tarantino with three interwoven plots with lots of violence, absurdity, and great music. The film is Tarantino’s most famous and the film that cemented his name and style in Hollywood.Genres: Crime, Drama, Indie, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 28m. Rated: R.#3 Inception 2010Your mind is the scene of the crime.Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Lukas Haas, Dileep Rao.Overview: Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible - inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller. Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America. Runtime: 2h 28m. Rated: PG-13.#4 The Dark Knight 2008Why So Serious?Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Eric Roberts, Michael Jai White, James Smith, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Ron Dean, Cillian Murphy, Chin Han, Ritchie Coster.Overview: Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.Genres: Action, Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller. Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America. Runtime: 2h 32m. Rated: PG-13.#5 Fight Club 1999How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?Director: David Fincher. Cast: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier, Richmond Arquette, David Andrews, Rachel Singer, Holt McCallany, Eion Bailey, Jared Leto, Peter Iacangelo.Overview: A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Countries: Germany, United States of America. Runtime: 2h 18m. Rated: R.#6 Goodfellas 1990Three Decades of Life in the Mafia.Director: Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Chuck Low, Frank Sivero, Frank DiLeo, Tony Darrow, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Frank Adonis, Catherine Scorsese, Suzanne Shepherd, Gina Mastrogiacomo.Overview: Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy?Genres: Drama, Crime. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 26m. Rated: R.#7 Rear Window 1954Directors: Alfred Hitchcock, Herbert Coleman. Cast: Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn, Ross Bagdasarian, Georgine Darcy, Sara Berner, Frank Cady, Jesslyn Fax, Rand Harper, Irene Winston, Havis Davenport.Overview: Jefferies has had his leg in a cast for weeks and has nothing to do but watch his neighbors from his window. His voyeurism leads him to think that he’s witnessed a murder. Together with his girlfriend Lisa and his nurse Stella they try to solve the mystery and possibly a murder.Genres: Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 52m. Rated: PG.#8 Psycho 1960Check in. Relax. Take a shower.Directors: Alfred Hitchcock, Hilton A. Green. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock, Vaughn Taylor, Lurene Tuttle, Mort Mills, John Anderson.Overview: Psycho is one of the most famous masterpieces from Hitchcock and for it’s time was unparalleled in it’s horror effect. A chilling score sets the pace for an introverted killer and a mystery thriller case of multiple dimensions. The credits for the film directed by Saul Bass were revolutionary for their time.Genres: Drama, Horror, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 46m. Rated: R.#9 The Usual Suspects 1995Five Criminals . One Line Up . No Coincidence.Director: Bryan Singer. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Dan Hedaya, Christine Estabrook, Clark Gregg, Louis Lombardi, Paul Bartel, Peter Greene.Overview: A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 46m. Rated: R.#10 The Silence of the Lambs 1991To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman.Director: Jonathan Demme. Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Heald, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Frankie Faison, Kasi Lemmons, Brooke Smith, Don Brockett, Chuck Aber, Tracey Walter, Obba Babatundé, Diane Baker, Roger Corman, Charles Napier.Overview: FBI trainee Clarice Starling ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer. Unfortunately, her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape, and now two deranged killers are on the loose.Genres: Crime, Drama, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 58m. Rated: R.#11 Se7en 1995SevenSeven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.Director: David Fincher. Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Andrew Kevin Walker, Kevin Spacey, Daniel Zacapa, John Cassini, Hawthorne James, Richard Roundtree, John C. McGinley.Overview: Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.Genres: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 7m. Rated: R.#12 Memento 2001Some memories are best forgotten.Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, Thomas Lennon, Callum Keith Rennie, Kimberly Campbell, Marianne Muellerleile, Larry Holden, Buzz Visconti.Overview: Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby snaps Polaroids of people and places, jotting down contextual notes on the backs of photos to aid in his search and jog his memory. He even tattoos his own body in a desperate bid to remember.Genres: Crime, Drama, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 53m. Rated: R.#13 Leon: The Professional1994LéonIf you want a job done well, hire a professional.Director: Luc Besson. Cast: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello, Peter Appel, Willi One Blood, Don Creech, Keith A. Glascoe, Michael Badalucco.Overview: Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner." But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.Genres: Crime, Thriller. Countries: France, United States of America. Runtime: 1h 50m. Rated: R.#14 North by Northwest 1959It's a deadly game of 'tag' and Cary Grant is 'it'...Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Philip Coolidge, Doreen Lang, Josephine Hutchinson, Leo G. Carroll, Philip Ober, Adam Williams, Edward Platt, Robert Ellenstein, Martin Landau, Les Tremayne, Patrick McVey.Overview: An advertising man is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 16m. Rated: G.#15 Double Indemnity 1944From the Moment they met it was Murder!Director: Billy Wilder. Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Richard Gaines, Jean Heather, Tom Powers, Fortunio Bonanova, John Philliber.Overview: Double Indemnity is a film noir thriller from directory Billy Wilder from 1944 in which the protagonist sets up an insurance fraud.Genres: Drama, Film Noir, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 47m.#16 M 1931Director: Fritz Lang. Cast: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke, Theodor Loos, Gustaf Gründgens, Friedrich Gnaß.Overview: M is German director Fritz Lang’s masterpiece that illustrates the portrait of a child murderer that has caused an entire city to begin rioting. The film is based on actual events.Genres: Crime, Foreign, Indie, Thriller. Country: Germany. Runtime: 1h 57m. Rated: NR.#17 Taxi Driver 1976On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.Director: Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, Albert Brooks, Diahnne Abbott, Frank Adu, Gino Ardito.Overview: Robert De Niro stars as Travis Bickle in this oppressive psychodrama about a Vietnam veteran who rebels against the decadence and immorality of big city life in New York while working the nightshift as a taxi driver.Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 53m. Rated: R.#18 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991It's nothing personal.Director: James Cameron. Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, S. Epatha Merkerson, Castulo Guerra, Danny Cooksey, Jenette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley, Michael Edwards, Ken Gibbel, Robert Winley, Pete Schrum.Overview: Nearly 10 years have passed since Sarah Connor was targeted for termination by a cyborg from the future. Now her son, John, the future leader of the resistance, is the target for a newer, more deadly terminator. Once again, the resistance has managed to send a protector back to attempt to save John and his mother Sarah.Genres: Action, Thriller, Science Fiction. Countries: France, United States of America. Runtime: 2h 17m. Rated: R.#19 Vertigo 1958Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tensionDirector: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Raymond Bailey, Ellen Corby, Konstantin Shayne, Lee Patrick.Overview: An ex-police officer is asked to follow an old friends wife who thinks she is being followed by ghosts. A classic Hitchcock about a man who’s afraid of heights and a woman he must unfortunately follow to great heights.Genres: Crime, Drama, Film Noir, Mystery, Romance, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 9m. Rated: PG.#20 The Lives of Others 2006Das Leben Der AnderenBefore the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets.Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Volkmar Kleinert, Matthias Brenner, Bastian Trost, Charly Hübner, Herbert Knaup, Marie Gruber, Hinnerk Schönemann, Thomas Arnold, Ludwig Blochberger.Overview: The tragic love story in the East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system.Genres: Drama, Foreign, Thriller. Country: Germany. Runtime: 2h 17m. Rated: R.#21 The Third Man 1949Hunted by men...Sought by WOMEN!Director: Carol Reed. Cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee, Paul Hörbiger, Siegfried Breuer, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Annie Rosar, Erich Ponto, Ernst Deutsch.Overview: An American pulp writer arrives in post-WWII Vienna only to find that the friend who waited for him is killed under mysterious circumstances. The ensuing mystery entangles him in his friend's involvement in the black market, with the multinational police, and with his Czech girlfriend.Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Film Noir. Countries: Austria, United Kingdom. Runtime: 1h 44m. Rated: NR.#22 The Departed 2006Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?Director: Martin Scorsese. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Dick Hughes, Ray Winstone, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin, David O'Hara, Vera Farmiga, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale, Robert Wahlberg, Kristen Dalton, Thomas B. Duffy.Overview: To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise in Martin Scorsese's multiple Oscar-winning crime thriller. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.Genres: Drama, Action, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 31m. Rated: R.#23 Aliens 1986This Time It's WarDirector: James Cameron. Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Dale Scott, Ricco Ross, Tip Tipping.Overview: When Ripley's lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story... all contact is lost with the planet and colonists. They enlist Ripley and the colonial marines to return and search for answers.Genres: Action, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller. Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America. Runtime: 2h 17m. Rated: R.#24 Chinatown 1974Director: Roman Polanski. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson, Roman Polanski, Richard Bakalyan, Bruce Glover.Overview: A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 11m. Rated: R.#25 Reservoir Dogs 1992Every dog has his day.Director: Quentin Tarantino. Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Steven Wright, Rich Turner, David Steen, Tony Cosmo, Stevo Polyi.Overview: A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.Genres: Crime, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 39m. Rated: R.#26 L.A. Confidential 1997Everything is suspect... Everyone is for sale... And nothing is what it seems.Director: Curtis Hanson. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, David Strathairn.Overview: Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner in this lush tribute to tough film noir crime films. Based on the multi-layered James Ellroy novel.Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 18m. Rated: R.#27 Witness for the Prosecution 1957Director: Billy Wilder. Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Torin Thatcher, Norma Varden, Una O'Connor, Francis Compton, Philip Tonge, Ruta Lee.Overview: When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is *supposed* to be on a diet of bland, civil suits. But the lure of the criminal courts is too much for him, especially when the case is so difficult: Vole's only alibi witness is his wife, the calm and coldly calculating Christine Vole. Sir Wilfrid's task becomes even more impossible when Christine agrees to be a witness not for the defence but for the prosecution.Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 56m. Rated: PG-13.#28 The Prestige 2006Are You Watching Closely?Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall.Overview: A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 10m. Rated: PG-13.#29 Rebecca 1940The shadow of this woman darkened their loveDirector: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, Gladys Cooper, Florence Bates, Leo G. Carroll, Leonard Carey, Lumsden Hare, Edward Fielding, Forrester Harvey, Philip Winter, Alfred Hitchcock.Overview: Rebecca is a 1940 psychological/dramatic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock as his first American project. It stars Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Joan Fontaine as his second wife, and Judith Anderson as his late wife's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. The film is a gothic tale about the lingering memory of the title character, which still affects Maxim, his new bride, and Mrs. Danvers long after her death. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture out of a total 11 nominations. Olivier, Fontaine and Anderson were all Oscar nominated for their respective roles. Since the introduction of awards for actors in supporting roles, this is the only film named Best Picture that won no other Academy Award for acting, directing or writing. It was the opening film at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival. With excellently played rolls and a story that never seems wrong this film is a true classic.Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 10m.#30 Yojimbo 1961YôjinbôDirector: Akira Kurosawa. Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katô, Takashi Shimura, Seizaburô Kawazu, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yôsuke Natsuki, Eijirô Tôno, Kamatari Fujiwara, Ikio Sawamura, Atsushi Watanabe, Susumu Fujita, Kyû Sazanka.Overview: The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.Genres: Action, Drama, Foreign, Indie, Thriller. Country: Japan. Runtime: 1h 50m. Rated: NR.#31 Oldboy 2003Oldeuboi15 years of imprisonment... 5 days of vengeance.Director: Chan-wook Park. Cast: Choi Min-sik, Ji-tae Yu, Dae-han Ji, Byeong-ok Kim, Tae-kyung Oh, Il-han Oo, Jin-seo Yun, Dal-su Oh, Hye-jeong Kang.Overview: Oldboy is the revenge drama from Director Park Chan-wook. Based on a Manga comic it depicts the suffering path of a man who must deal with the never ending torment of having unknowingly made someone his enemy.Genres: Drama, Foreign, Thriller. Countries: Korea, New Zealand. Runtime: 2h. Rated: R.#32 The Wages of Fear 1953Le salaire de la peurDynamic Tremendous ShatteringDirector: Henri-Georges Clouzot. Cast: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, Folco Lulli, Véra Clouzot, Antonio Centa, Luis De Lima, Jo Dest, Darío Moreno, William Tubbs, Grégoire Gromoff, Joseph Palau-Fabre, Darling Légitimus, François Valorbe.Overview: In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death.Genres: Drama, Thriller, Adventure. Countries: France, Italy. Runtime: 2h 11m. Rated: PG-13.#33 Black Swan 2010In the era of personal branding, the scariest possibility is that someone might be better at being you than you are.Director: Darren Aronofsky. Cast: Natalie Portman, Christopher Gartin, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, Ksenia Solo, Toby Hemingway, Barbara Hershey, Janet Montgomery, Kristina Anapau, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Deborah Offner, Adriene Couvillion, Shaun O'Hagan, Sebastian Stan.Overview: Nina is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily, who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.Genres: Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 48m. Rated: R.#34 Touch of Evil 1958THE STRANGEST VENGEANCE EVER PLANNED!Director: Orson Welles. Cast: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Valentin de Vargas, Mort Mills, Victor Millan, Lalo Rios, Michael Sargent, Phil Harvey, Joi Lansing.Overview: Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town.Genres: Crime, Film Noir, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 46m. Rated: PG-13.#35 Le Trou 1960Director: Jacques Becker. Cast: Michel Constantin, Jean Keraudy, Philippe Leroy, Raymond Meunier, Marc Michel, Jean-Paul Coquelin, André Bervil, Eddy Rasimi.Overview: Marc Michel plays an imprisoned man awaiting trial for the attempted murder of his wife. He is transferred to another cell, where his fellow prisoners are planning a jailbreak. He decides to go along with the elaborate plan, and the cellmates attempt to tunnel their way to freedom. Le Trou represents the last film of director Jacques Becker, who died shortly after its completion.Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Foreign. Countries: France, Italy. Runtime: 2h 12m.#36 Elite Squad: The Enemy Within 2011Director: José Padilha. Cast: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro, Pedro Van-Held, Maria Ribeiro, Sandro Rocha, Milhem Cortaz, Tainá Müller, Seu Jorge, André Mattos.Overview: After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Foreign, Thriller. Country: Brazil. Runtime: 1h 55m.#37 Woman in the Dunes 1964Suna no onnaHaunting. Erotic. Unforgettable.Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara. Cast: Eiji Okada, Kyoko Kishida, Ginzô Sekiguchi, Kôji Mitsui, Sen Yano, Hiroko Itô.Overview: Jumpei Niki, a Tokyo based entomologist and educator, is in a poor seaside village collecting specimens of sand insects. As it is late in the day and as he has missed the last bus back to the city, some of the local villagers suggest that he spend the night there, they offering to find him a place to stay.Genres: Drama, Thriller. Country: Japan. Runtime: 2h 27m.#38 Safety Last! 1923Directors: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor. Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young, Westcott Clarke.Overview: When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.Genres: Comedy, Romance. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 10m.#39 Diabolique 1955Les DiaboliquesDirector: Henri-Georges Clouzot. Cast: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Jean Brochard, Pierre Larquey, Michel Serrault, Thérèse Dorny, Noël Roquevert, Yves-Marie Maurin, Georges Poujouly, Georges Chamarat, Jacques Varennes.Overview: Les Diaboliques is a mystery thriller from French director Henri-Georges Clouzot about a triangle relationship that leads to murder.The wife of a cruel headmaster and his mistress conspire to kill him, but after the murder is committed his body disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.Genres: Foreign, Horror, Thriller. Country: France. Runtime: 1h 47m.#40 Die Hard 198840 Stories. Twelve Terrorists. One Cop.Director: John McTiernan. Cast: Bruce Willis, Reginald VelJohnson, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, De'voreaux White, Hart Bochner, Alan Rickman, Dennis Hayden, James Shigeta, Robert Davi, Bob Jennings.Overview: NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, is thrown for a serious loop when minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of pitiless terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.Genres: Action, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 11m. Rated: R.#41 Sin City 2005There is no justice without sin.Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino. Cast: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Rutger Hauer, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Powers Boothe, Marley Shelton.Overview: The first of three films based on the beautiful comic world of Frank Miller. Sin City depicts the comic book almost page for page with its heavy contrast black and white extremely violent and graphic imagery. Sin City is set in a dangerous and dark Basin City where corruption, sex and violence is everyday life.Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 4m. Rated: R.#42 Strangers on a Train 1951Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Norma Varden, Marion Lorne, Jonathan Hale, Howard St. John, John Brown, Robert Gist, Kasey Rogers.Overview: Strangers on a Train is a typical Hitchcock thriller with all the elements of a suspense film masterpiece: The innocent man is being chased for a crime he didn’t do.Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 41m. Rated: PG.#43 Batman Begins 2005Evil fears the knight.Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Rutger Hauer, Mark Boone Junior, Ken Watanabe, Linus Roache, Richard Brake, Sara Stewart, Tim Booth, Rena Sofer, Tom Wilkinson.Overview: Bruce Wayne has watched his home, Gotham City, turn into a crime infested abyss throughout his entire life, so he decides to become the hero Gotham needs- Batman!Genres: Action, Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 21m. Rated: PG-13.#44 Hotel Rwanda 2004When the world closed its eyes, he opened his arms.Director: Terry George. Cast: Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jean Reno, Ofentse Modiselle, Mathabo Pieterson, Neil McCarthy, Desmond Dube, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tony Kgoroge, Fana Mokoena, Lebo Mashile, Antonio David Lyons, Leleti Khumalo.Overview: Inspired by true events this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990’s when more than a million Tutsis’ were killed in a Genocide that went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the world. Hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina houses over a thousand refuges in his hotel in attempt to save their lives.Genres: Drama, Foreign, History. Countries: United Kingdom, Italy, United States of America, South Africa. Runtime: 2h 1m. Rated: PG-13.#45 Heat 1995A Los Angeles crime saga.Director: Michael Mann. Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Tom Noonan.Overview: Obsessive master thief McCauley leads a crack crew on various military-style heists across L.A. while equally obsessive detective Hanna tracks him. Each man recognizes and respects the other's ability and dedication, even as they express the willingness to kill each other, if necessary.Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 51m. Rated: R.#46 Fargo 1996A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere.Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. Cast: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Kristin Rudrüd, Harve Presnell, Tony Denman, Gary Houston, John Carroll Lynch, Sally Wingert, Steve Reevis, Steve Park.Overview: Oscar winning film from the Coen brothers that takes place in the snow covered wasteland of their home-state, Minnesota. A clueless car dealer, Jerry Lundegard, stages the kidnapping of his wife in order to get money from his father-in-law. However, it doesn't take long for his plan to start unravelling.Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Indie. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 38m. Rated: R.#47 Blade Runner 1982Man has made his match... now it's his problem.Director: Ridley Scott. Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Morgan Paull, Kevin Thompson, John Edward Allen, Hy Pyke, Kimiko Hiroshige.Overview: In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to kill a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.Genres: Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller. Countries: United States of America, Hong Kong, United Kingdom. Runtime: 1h 57m. Rated: R.#48 Jaws 1975Don't go in the water.Director: Steven Spielberg. Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Chris Rebello, Jay Mello, Lee Fierro, Jeffrey Voorhees, Craig Kingsbury, Robert Nevin.Overview: An insatiable great white shark terrorizes the townspeople of Amity Island, The police chief, an oceanographer and a grizzled shark hunter seek to destroy the bloodthirsty beast.Genres: Horror, Thriller, Adventure. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 4m. Rated: PG.#49 Notorious 1946Notorious woman of affairs... Adventurous man of the worldDirector: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Schünzel, Ivan Triesault, Alex Minotis, Eberhard Krumschmidt, Fred Nurney, Moroni Olsen, Wally Brown, Charles Mendl, Ricardo Costa.Overview: Released shortly after the war, this classic Hitchcock film illustrates the battle between German Nazis and American spies in Rio de Janeiro where a German businessman keeps a wine cellar with uranium ore.Genres: Drama, Suspense, Romance, Film Noir. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 1h 42m. Rated: NR.#50 No Country for Old Men2007There are no clean getaways.Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce, Beth Grant, Ana Reeder, Kit Gwin, Zach Hopkins.Overview: Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as violent pursuits of money and justice collide.Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller. Country: United States of America. Runtime: 2h 2m. Rated: R.