UK's
Channel 4 has compiled a number of 100 Greatest Lists,
including this ranked list of "The 100 Greatest Films of All
Time" at Filmfour.com.
Descriptions
are from their site. Full reviews of each film may be found
there.
Facts and Commentary About The List:
3. THE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
Mugged at the Oscars by Forrest Gump, this irresistible prison drama
promotes the unquenchable human spirit with an intelligence that the gooey
Gump readily sacrificed.
4. PULP
FICTION (1994)
Tarantino, the boy wonder pushed his storytelling powers to their limits
to make this film every bit as BIG as the widescreen 70s hits that
inspired him. An instant classic.
5. SOME
LIKE IT HOT (1959)
Wilder and Diamond's script crackles with ideas and gags, and the performances
are uniformly assured, with Curtis's triple characterization in particular
a revelation. Monroe was reputedly at her worst on set, fluffing take after
take, but whatever was necessary to achieve this brilliantly sustained
gem was worth it.
6. GLADIATOR (2000)
Ridley Scott revives the Roman epic with computer generated imagery and
a mighty performance from Russell Crowe. Not to mention the last
stand of the late Oliver Reed.
7. IT'S
A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
Capra's Christmas perennial is a lot darker than its status as prime festive
schedule-filler would suggest. That's not to say it will have you hiding
behind the sofa but, for a film that deals with missed opportunities and
one man's dark night of the soul, it is all the more impressive it has
garnered a feel-good reputation.
8. BLADE
RUNNER (1982)
Dystopian thriller Blade Runner remains the most influential sci-fi
masterpiece of modern cinema, notably for its immaculate visualisations
of retro-futuristic urban decay.
9. SCHINDLER'S
LIST (1993)
A heart-rending and redemptive Holocaust story, this Oscar-grabbing epic
added to Spielberg's directorial credibility, showing he could handle controversial,
sophisticated stories with real sensitivity.
13. APOCALYPSE
NOW (1979)
Martin Sheen journeys through Vietnam and Cambodia to terminate flipped-out
renegade US colonel Marlon Brando. But his mission becomes a screaming
trip into madness, stunningly realised by Coppola's hallucinogenic direction
and a cast dragged from Hollywood's Narcotics Anonymous.
14. ONE
FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
Jack Nicholson excels in this multi-Oscar winning, anti-authoritarian tale,
the last of the great counter-culture Hollywood movies.
18. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
DRAGON (2000)
A highpoint of martial arts cinema from Ang Lee no less, which blends the
latest fight effects into a 19th century China epic of love and valour.
Swashbuckling on the grandest of scales, with Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle
Yeoh.
20. RAGING
BULL (1980)
A genuine moment of cinematic genius. The physical and emotional punches
come so thick and fast, you have to check yourself for bruises.
23. LIFE OF BRIAN (1979)
History is rewritten and sacred cows are merrily sacrificed as the Python
team unleash their alternative take on certain well-known events
from 2,000 years ago.
Copyright © 1996-2026 Filmsite LLC. All rights reserved.