400 After Office Hours (1935 / Robert Z Leonard)
Hollywood seemingly managed to churn out comedy crime mysteries with ease in the 1930s. Despite it being one of the best of the genre, and the presence of Clark Gable in a leading role, this one is almost forgotten now and is impossible to find on DVD and hasn’t been shown on UK TV for years. Gable plays a reporter investigating a murder and Constance Bennett the rich girl he falls for.
399 Carrie (1976 / Brian de Palma)
Not all of De Palma’s films are great, though his bravura directing style usually provides some memorable scenes, Carrie is full of such scenes, and also boasts a wonderful performance from Sissy Spacek as the teen with telekinetic powers. The ending has been imitated by countless horror films since and a remake has been scheduled for release later this year.
398 Freaks (1932 / Tod Browning)
Modern audiences may look at most of the horror films from the 1930s and think them quaint, not so Freaks. Banned in the UK for 30 years from it’s original release date, it is a truly disturbing film about love and murder amongst circus sideshow ‘freaks’, with actual deformed circus performers used in the roles. Just a year after the huge hit Dracula, Browning’s career was virtually ended by the reception that the film received. The “One of Us” sequence still remains one of the scariest ever committed to film.
397 The Ghost Breakers (1940 / George Marshall)
Just one year after the hugely successful The Cat and the Canary, the stars, Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard were reunited in another comedy horror movie. Despite the similar premise and rushed production, this still feels fresh and is very funny. the plot involving a haunted castle in Cuba also manages to deliver a few chills.
396 They Live By Night (1948 / Nicholas Ray)
Film noir, also known as The Twisted Road, featuring Farley Granger as an escaped convict who bids to prove his innocence and settle down with the woman he loves, but his hopes are dashed as his past catches up with him. Strong performances and direction make this compelling viewing.
395 The Grapes of Wrath (1940 / John Ford)
Great books do not always make great movies, but this adaptation of John Steinbeck’s depression era tale is John Ford’s best non western. Henry Fonda excels in a uniformly excellent cast, and the sights, sounds and smells of the midwest dust bowl are perfectly captured by Ford.
394 White Heat (1949 / Raoul Walsh)
James Cagney stars in one of his most iconic roles as Cody Jarrett, an escaped convict who teams up with his old gang for a big heist. Cagney is a ball of fury, blighted by migraines and obsessing about his Mother. The film explodes in a terrific climax….”Made it Ma, top of the world!”
393 Thieves Highway (1949 / Jules Dassin)
The son of a truck driver who was swindled and then crippled by a crooked trader vows revenge. Another example of a trucker movie of this vintage. A tense story line and a marvellous turn by Lee J Cobb as the villain Mike Figlia, set this one apart.
392 Earthquake (1974 / Mark Robson)
I don’t like to use the term “guilty pleasures” but if I did, 1970’s disaster movies would be one of mine, both the big budget spectaculars and the made for TV efforts that followed them. This is one of the former, arriving at the height of the disaster movie craze, and starring Charlton Heston as a construction engineer who discovers that a major earthquake is about to hit Los Angeles. You might find this a little dated, and the “Sensurround” effects used in cinemas will be lost watching it on the telly, but this remains great entertainment. Watch out for a funny cameo from Walter Matthau.
391 Hotel Rwanda (2004 / Terry George)
The emotional true story of a hotel manager trying to save Rwandan refugees from genocide features a career best turn by Don Cheadle and solid support from Nick Nolte and Sophie Okonedo. Both thrilling and moving, this film deserved more acclaim on its release.
390 Sweet Sixteen (2002 / Ken Loach)
Another hard hitting but also touching drama from director Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty. A teenager in an impoverished part of Scotland tries to raise the money to buy a home for his Mother, who is due out of prison, and him to share away from her evil ex boyfriend. The grim elements are enlivened by some comic moments, and Loach gets his usual great performances from the young cast.
389 The Sweet Smell of Success (1957 / Alexander MacKendrick)
A New York newspaper columnist enlists the help of a a press agent to stop his sister marrying a jazz musician. A biting drama starring Burt Lancaster as the columnist and Tony Curtis as the agent, both without a redeeming feature. The director was previously best known for his Ealing comedies, but this movie (far removed from those efforts) ran way over budget and was a box office failure. His career stalled after its release.
388 Dirty Harry (1971 / Don Siegel)
The first of 5 appearances by Clint Eastwood as “Dirty” Harry Callahan. the four sequels are all enjoyable but the original is the best, as Harry tracks down the ‘Scorpio Killer’ in San Francisco. Violent and hugely influential on cop dramas that have been produced since, with some of the most quotable dialogue in film history.
387 Angels One Five (1952 / George More O’Ferrall)
Usually considered one of the lesser British second world war films, and overshadowed somewhat by the big budget Battle of Britain. This, however, is a personal favourite of mine. Telling the story of a young Hurricane pilot deployed to an operational base at one of the most important points of the second world war. Plenty of stiff upper lip and bravery against seemingly impossible odds.
386 Captain Blood (1935 / Michael Curtiz)
Another Errol Flynn swashbuckler. Here he stars as a doctor wrongly convicted of treason becoming a pirate on the high seas. Maybe considered slow by modern viewers brought up on the awful Jonny Depp franchise, this still features some great action sequences whilst feeling more real than most films in the genre. Once again, Olivia de Havilland provides the love interest and Basil Rathbone makes a great villain.
385 Lady for a Day (1933 / Frank Capra)
Frank Capra’s breakthrough film, box office wise, is a charming comedy about an apple seller in New York posing as a wealthy lady so that her daughter is accepted by her rich fiancé’s family. It does show its age but there are enough laughs nonetheless and I prefer it to Capra’s own remake, Pocketful of Miracles.
384 The Naked Spur (1953 / Anthony Mann)
The second Anthony Mann / James Stewart western to make my top 500. The naked Spur has the added benefit of Janet Leigh playing the girlfriend of the bad guy, played by the always watchable Robert Ryan, who Stewart, a bounty hunter, is chasing. the bleakness of some of the story is in contrast to the stunning cinematography by William Mellor.
383 Cat People (1942 / Jacques Tourneur)
The team of director Tourneur and producer Val Lewton made a series of low budget horror films in the 1940s. All are worth watching but two have made my top 500. The first is about a Serbian immigrant to America who believes she will turn into a killer panther if she becomes intimate with a man. The plot sounds absurd but the film is awash with subtexts and the atmosphere created by Tourneur is atmospheric and spooky.
382 Up in the Air (2009 / Jason Reitman)
Reitman made an impressive start to his directorial career with Thank You for Smoking, Juno, and, the best of the 3, Up in the Air. George Clooney plays an executive who makes people redundant on behalf of companies for a living. That involves a lot of air travel and he delights in clocking up a record number of air miles. He is totally happy with his life until he meets 2 women who cause him to think again and big changes at work threaten to turn his life upside down. A smart script plus spot on performances by Clooney and the rest of the cast add real depth to the story.
381 The Big Heat (1953 / Fritz Lang)
A tough film noir with leading performances from 2 underrated stars of Hollywood’s golden age – Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame. Grahame in particular is superb as the girlfriend of the villain, played also brilliantly by Lee Marvin, who is being pursued by Ford’s cop. A scene where Marvin throws scalding coffee in Grahame’s face is still shocking and the dialogue crackles throughout this picture.
