200 A Bridge Too Far (1977 / Richard Attenborough)
Star-studded Second World War movies were at their peak in the 1960s but made a comeback in the mid-to-late 70s. This one tells the story of Operation Market Garden, and as you would expect from the director, it is done on an epic scale. Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, and Michael Caine head the cast.
199 Philadelphia Story (1940 / George Cukor)
One of the great sophisticated comedies from Hollywood’s golden age. Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn are all on top form as Hepburn’s second wedding plans are disrupted by her ex-husband and a tabloid reporter.
198 Brief Encounter (1945 / David Lean)
Perfectly capturing the sense of sacrifice and duty of the time, Lean’s heart breaking tale may seem dated to modern viewers. However, its tenderness and the theme of impossible love are timeless.
197 Brothers McMullen (1995 / Edward Burns)
This intelligent relationship drama told from the male perspective was Burns’ debut movie. For such a talented and consistent director it is ridiculous how hard he still has to work to get a film made despite this one making 67 times its budget at the box office.
196 Assault on Precinct 13 (1976 / John Carpenter)
Shot in just 20 days, this is basically a western (leaning heavily on Rio Bravo) transported to the modern day. A police station is under siege by a street gang in this tense and claustrophobic thriller. Remade thirty years later, that effort was creditable but the original version is superior.
195 Taxi Driver (1976 / Martin Scorsese)
Probably the film that brought both Scorsese and Robert De Niro to mainstream audiences. Gritty and still shocking, even by today’s standards, with a tremendous supporting performance by Jodie Foster.
194 The Fog (1979 / John Carpenter)
Not as critically lauded as Halloween or the Thing, and probably not as fondly remembered by most people, The Fog is a personal favourite of mine. Carpenter’s creepy telling of this ghost tale is enhanced by his often unfairly derided score. Avoid the remake at all costs!
193 Le Gout des Autres (2000 / Agnès Jaoui)
A comedy drama that manages to be both funny and dramatic. The Taste of Others tells the story of three relationships with great charm. As usual, the underrated Jean-Pierre Bacri gives a standout performance as a straight laced industrialist falling for the bohemian charms of his English tutor.
192 The Lives of Others (2007 / Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
Not to be confused with the previous entry, this is a very different film about secret police surveillance in East Germany in the years before the Berlin wall came down. Unfortunately, the leading actor, Ulrich Muhe passed away shortly after the film was completed so did not live to see the acclaim his performance received. The director also looked poised for great things, but he followed this up with the horrible Jonny Depp / Angelina Jolie fronted The Tourist and hasn’t been seen since.
191 Reservoir Dogs (1993 / Quentin Tarantino)
Hard to believe that the film that launched Tarantino’s career is now over 20 years old. The story of a diamond robbery gone wrong features many of the elements that we have come to know, such as cracking dialogue, with pop culture references, and shocking moments of violence. However, at less than 100 minutes, it is much more pared down than any of his subsequent efforts.
190 Way Out West (1937 / James W. Horne)
Laurel and Hardy were generally at their best in their shorts rather than feature length movies. This is an exception, a hilarious western featuring our heroes trying to deliver the deed to a gold mine to a dead prospector’s daughter. Featuring some great set pieces, including their rendition of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine which would appear in the British charts nearly 40 years later.
189 I Walked with a Zombie (1943 / Jacques Tourneur)
An atmospheric and chilling tale of zombies and voodoo in the West Indies, I Walked with a Zombie has truly stood the test of time. I fear that the imminent remake will replace subtlety and suggestion with graphic horror.
188 Heist (2001 / David Mamet)
I think at his peak Mamet just edges Paddy Chayefsky as the best writer of dialogue in movie history. Here he also directs this tale of a gang of jewellery and gold thieves. As well as the wonderful dialogue it features an unpredictable twisting plot and top of the range performances by Danny De Vito and Gene Hackman.
187 Inside Job (2010 / Charles Ferguson)
Engrossing and eye opening documentary, narrated by Matt Damon, exploring the 2008 financial meltdown. It shows the widespread greed and corruption, but also the complete smoke and mirrors involved in the financial services industry, as an expert on the subject struggles and fails, to explain exactly what a hedge fund is and how it works. It is sobering to think that once the panic settled down, the same people are largely in charge, and the poorly regulated market is just as susceptible to a similar crash in the future.
186 The Awful Truth (1937 / Leo McCarey)
Screwball comedy from the start of the golden age of that genre. Starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a married couple going through a divorce and who are also trying to scupper each other’s chances of new romance. Clever and witty in ways that Hollywood has almost forgotten how to do.
185 Syriana (2005 / Stephen Gaghan)
A complex political thriller about the state of the oil industry featuring a performance by George Clooney that is as good as any in his career. A fantastic supporting cast, including Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer and Chris Cooper. One that requires your full attention, but it is worth the effort.
184 United ’93 (2006 / Paul Greengrass)
This could easily have felt like a TV movie, telling the story of a plane hijacked as part of the 9/11 that we all know the ending to. But in the hands of Paul Greengrass it is utterly tense and gripping, avoiding lapses into preachiness or sentimentality.
183 The Man Who Would be King (1975 / John Huston)
An old fashioned rip roaring movie based on a Rudyard Kipling story starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery as two former soldiers looking for adventure in India and Kafiristan in the 1880s. This was a high point in the later career of director Huston and reportedly Connery’s favourite film role.
182 Consequences of Love (2004 / Paolo Sorrentino)
Sorrentino who recently directed the Best Foreign Film Oscar winner, The Great Beauty, announced himself on the international stage with this engrossing love story. The great Toni Servillo plays a man living a strange withdrawn life in a Swiss hotel who unexpectedly starts a relationship with a much younger barmaid (Olivia Magnani).
181 Journey into Fear (1943 / Norman Foster)
Although not credited, it is widely thought that the star of this film, Orson Welles, directed as least some of it. The story of a US Navy engineer being pursued by Nazis, with its noirish elements, certainly has the feel of a Welles film. Like the Magnificent Ambersons this seems to be heavily cut by the studio leaving a running time of just over an hour. It has just received a belated DVD release, but there is still no sign of a longer cut.
180 Taking of Pelham 123 (1974 / Joseph Sargent)
The classic thriller about the hijacking of a New York subway car is a fast moving treat. Walter Matthau, in rare non comedic role, convincingly plays a transit policeman trying to negotiate with the hostage takers. Much better than the pedestrian 2009 remake.
179 The Angels Share (2012 / Ken Loach)
This is a very funny tale, with a modern day Ealing feel, featuring a group of Glaswegian teenagers who hatch a plot to steal some valuable whisky casks. The mostly inexperienced cast all give praiseworthy natural performances, with the best of the bunch being Jasmin Riggins as Mo.
178 Vera Drake (2004 / Mike Leigh)
Heart breaking story of a housewife in 1950s Britain who performs illegal abortions for desperate girls. There is an impeccable cast including Phil Davis and Sally Hawkins, with a touching but funny turn by Eddie Marsan, but it is Imelda Staunton’s film. She is fantastic as the kind hearted but tragic Vera.
177 Anatomy of Murder (1959 / Otto Preminger)
A superior courtroom thriller starring James Stewart in one of his most iconic roles as a defence lawyer in a murder trial. Controversial for its graphic language in its day, it still holds up very well, and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
176 To Be or Not To Be (1942 / Ernst Lubitsch)
A brilliantly funny comedy from the master of that genre, concerning an acting troupe becoming mixed up with spies in Poland during the second world war. Jack Benny, a comedian who seems almost forgotten today, is the star, ably assisted by the wonderful Carole Lombard in her final role. Before the film was released she was tragically killed in a plane crash, aged just 33.
