67. Slap Shot
The 1977 movie Slap Shot stars Paul Newman as Reggie Dunlop, the aging player-coach of a struggling minor league ice hockey team who leads his team to success using aggressive and violent tactics. The film is a satire of the world of minor league hockey and the violence that often takes place on the ice in the best, most entertaining way possible.
68. Snatch
Guy Ritchie’s 2000 British comedy is about a group of criminals and their various schemes to steal a valuable diamond. The film features a colorful cast of characters, including a small-time boxing promoter (played by Brad Pitt), a ruthless gangster (played by Benicio del Toro), and a cunning diamond thief (played by Jason Statham). The fast-paced, non-linear storytelling; complex and interconnected plot; and sharp, witty dialogue keeps you on your toes as the characters go through London’s criminal underworld.
69. Stand by Me
This coming-of-age film is based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. The story follows four friends, Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern, as they set out on a journey to find the body of a missing boy in the summer of 1959. Like themes found in many of King’s other tales, it’s a nostalgic look at the innocence and camaraderie of youth, as well as the harsh realities of growing up.
70. Taxi Driver
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran who works as a taxi driver in New York City. The film follows Bickle’s descent into madness as he becomes increasingly isolated and disillusioned with the seedy, crime-ridden city around him. Bickle’s obsession with rescuing a young prostitute, played by Jodie Foster, leads him to contemplate and attempt a political assassination and a vigilante mission. The film is widely considered a masterpiece and it’s one of the most iconic and influential films in the history of cinema.
71. The Big Lebowski
Instead of stressing about life, maybe you should just pour yourself a White Russian, man. The Big Lebowski is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by the Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeffrey “The Dude” Leboswki, a slacker and avid bowler who is mistaken for Jeffrey Lebowski, a wealthy businessman, and is drawn into a kidnapping scheme involving the other Lebowski’s wife. The film also features an ensemble cast including John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro. This cult classic is one of the Coen brothers’ best films.
72. The Dark Knight
Directed by Chirstopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, The Dark Knight is one of the best, if not the best, Batman movies. The film is the second installment in the Nolan’s Batman film series, and it’s a sequel to “Batman Begins” (2005). Tragically starring Heath Ledger as the Joker, the film is a masterpiece of the superhero genre and it’s known for its dark and gritty tone, thought-provoking themes, and powerful performances—particularly Ledger’s iconic portrayal of the Joker, for which he posthumously won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
73. The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 American epic war drama film directed by Michael Cimino and starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl Streep, and John Cazale. The film is seet in the late 1960s and early 1970s and tells the story of a group of steelworkers from Pennsylvania who go to fight in the Vietnam War, and the devastating impact of the war on their lives and relationships. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken.
74. The Departed
The Departed has an all-star crew: directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. The film is set in South Boston (as any good movie featuring Wahlberg does), where two men, one an undercover state cop (DiCaprio) and the other a ruthless criminal (Damon), try to outsmart each other as the lines between good and evil become blurred and their lives become increasingly dangerous. Jack Nicholson received an Academy Award nomination for his role. It was a critical and commercial success and it won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Scorsese.
75. The Descendants
George Clooney plays Matt King in 2011’s The Descendants. He’s a wealthy Hawaiian landowner who must come to terms with his family and his past after his wife suffers a tragic accident. It was a critical and commercial success, and it won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
76. The Fighter
The Fighter is a 2010 biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo, and is based on the story of boxer Micky Ward and his half-brother Dicky Eklund. The film follows Micky and Dicky as they struggle to make it in the boxing world, with Dicky trying to help Micky achieve success while also dealing with his own personal demons. The Fighter was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won two, including Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale.
77. The Godfather
The Godfather II is better, but it might be the only movie that is. The original is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy, based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton, and follows the story of the Corleone crime family, headed by Vito Corleone (Brando) as Michael Corleone (Pacino) tries to free himself from his father’s criminal empire and protect his family.
78. The Godfather II
The follow up surpasses the original in this rare case. The story is a parallel narrative between Michael Corleone’s (Pacino) journey to protect his family and his father Vito’s (De Niro) early life and ascension to power. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro.
79. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
If you only watch one spaghetti Western, make it The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The 1966 movie stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach as Blondie (Eastwood), Angel Eyes (Van Cleef), and Tuco (Wallach) search for a fortune in Confederate gold hidden in a cemetery. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with the characters’ motivations and actions driving the plot. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is widely regarded as one of the greatest Westerns ever made.
80. The Graduate
Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) navigates his post-college life and embarks on an affair with an older woman. The Graduate was a critical and commercial success, and it is now seen as an iconic representation of the 1960s counterculture. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won one for Best Director.
81. The Hangover
Despite an angry Mike Tyson, a drunken wedding, and a missing groom, this movie somehow made every guy want his bachelor party to take place in Vegas. 2009’s The Hangover stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha and eventually became a successful series. The story follows a group of friends who wake up after a night of heavy bachelor party partying to find that one of them is missing, and they must piece together the events of the previous night in order to find him. It won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for one Academy Award.
82. The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is a 2008 American war film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, and Guy Pearce. The story follows an elite U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War, and the team’s struggle to cope with the stress of a dangerous and chaotic environment. The critics agree with how important this movie is to so many people: It won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
83. The Hustler
The Hustler is a 1961 drama directed by Robert Rossen and starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, and Piper Laurie. The story follows a small-time pool hustler (Newman) as he tries to make a name for himself by challenging a long-time champion (Gleason) in a high-stakes match. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won two, for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.
84. The Killing Fields
This 1984 British drama film directed by Roland Joffé and starring Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, and John Malkovich is based on the true story of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran and his experiences during the Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s. The Killing Fields was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actor.
85. The Matrix
Few modern movies have had as big of a lasting impact on the way people talk and think as 1999’s The Matrix, directed by The Wachowskis and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving. While highly futuristic at the time, it now seems prescient in some (admittedly less dramatic) ways as a computer hacker (Reeves) is drawn into a reality-shifting conflict between powerful machines and an underground resistance movement (hello, all-knowing AI).
86. The Shawshank Redemption
1994’s The Shawshank Redemption stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The story follows a banker (Robbins) who is wrongly convicted of murder and sent to Shawshank State Penitentiary, where he befriends a fellow prisoner (Freeman). Its success was both among the people and the critics: It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won none, though is undeniably considered a staple of American cinema.
87. The Shining
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel by Stephen King. The story follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, where he slowly descends into a state of insanity and begins to terrorize his family. The movie is horror movie canon and was nominated for three Academy Awards and has been the subject of numerous books and documentaries.
88. The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 psychological horror film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glenn. The story follows an FBI trainee (Foster) who is tasked with tracking down a serial killer with the help of a brilliant but imprisoned psychiatrist (Hopkins). The Silence of the Lambs was a critical and commercial success and became the first horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was also nominated for seven other Academy Awards and won five, including Best Actress (Foster) and Best Actor (Hopkins).
89. The Social Network
The script was about 1,000 times better than anything ever written on Facebook. The Social Network is a 2010 drama film directed by David Fincher and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake. The story follows the rise of Facebook and its creator Mark Zuckerberg, as he navigates the social, legal, and financial challenges of building a tech giant. It’s aged a lot better than actual Facebook has.
90. The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 caper film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The story follows two grifters (Newman and Redford) who team up to outwit a mob boss (Robert Shaw). Witty dialogue makes this classic caper film a critical and commercial success for the ages.
91. The Terminator
More than a decade before The Matrix, 1984’s The Terminator defined the conversation of human versus machine. It was directed by James Cameron and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn. A cyborg assassin (Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Hamilton) before she can give birth to her future son, who will lead humanity in a future war against machines. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects, and has spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs.
92. The Town
This 2010 crime drama directed by Ben Affleck and starring Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm follows a career criminal (Affleck) and his crew as they plan a daring heist of a Boston bank, while also dealing with their personal lives and the pressures of their criminal activities.
93. The Usual Suspects
A 1995 neo-noir crime thriller about a group of criminals who are brought together to find out who is responsible for a mysterious heist. You won’t see the twist at the end coming.
94. The Warriors
In a world where movie ideas are taken, messed with, and regurgitated to make money, there’s nothing else like The Warriors. This 1979 cult classic directed by Walter Hill and starring Michael Beck, James Remar, and Dorsey Wright. The story follows a street gang from Coney Island who must fight their way back home after being framed for the murder of a rival gang leader.
95. The Wrestler
A professional wrestler tries to make a comeback in the ring while dealing with his personal life and struggling to connect with his estranged daughter in this 2008 movie. It’s beloved for its heartfelt story, powerful performances, and realistic fight scenes.
96. There Will Be Blood
This 2007 drama stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, and Kevin J. O’Connor and follows an oil prospector (Day-Lewis) in the early 20th century who, driven by ambition and greed, will do anything to achieve his vision of success.
97. Trainspotting
Trainspotting is a gritty 1996 dark comedy directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, and Robert Carlyle. The story follows a group of heroin addicts in Scotland and their wild antics as they try to get by in their lives.
98. Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood is the undisputed king of the Western. 1992’s Unforgiven depicts an aging outlaw (Eastwood) who takes one last job to try and put his past behind him.
99. Whiplash
In the right hands, any topic can be thrilling—even playing the drums. 2014’s Whiplash stars Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, and Paul Reiser. The story follows a young drummer (Teller) who enrolls at a prestigious music academy and is pushed to the brink by his demanding teacher (Simmons).
100. Young Frankenstein
Everyone knows the tale of Frankenstein, and everyone should also know 1974’s Young Frankenstein. Directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and Marty Feldman, the movie depicts a descendant of the famous Dr. Frankenstein (Wilder) who attempts to re-create his ancestor’s experiments and bring a creature to life.
