Shawshank redemption ranked number 1 film of all time on imbd

The problem with this brilliant question is like asking "what is your favourite song?" or even a favourite 5...

It is almost impossible to answer, or even be half right.

There are so many imponderables nobody could nail the answer. It's all just opinions.

So many great shouts on here but we would all probably need at least a top 50 to have half a chance.


When it comes to music......probably a top 1000

Don't you read posts made 5 mins before acey,or are you just a very slow typist ?

Surprised nobody has put up the all time classic Rita,Sue And Bob Too.

Can you even be considered a film critic if this is not in your top 5?

Yes, sure, I liked that one and this one, oh, and a few of the others too, but did I ever watch something that me made think I'd witnessed genius, sheer brilliance and perfection? A masterpiece that was superbly crafted, written and acted?

In film, it was The Godfather (Parts 1 & 2)

On television, it was Fawlty Towers.

Unoriginal but thar ya go

Brilliant piece of acting by Cagney.

Is Missisipi Burning on the List or the French Connection

As for Acting Robert Newton "Treasure Island" Brilliant

Jaws must be on the List or Rocky , Dirty Harry  , Close encounters,  Great Movies

Ubder the Rader Movie 

Dog day afertoon  , Great movie

I missed him out earlier.  Robert Newton one of the most under-valued British actors of my time.  Could play any role.  Best Bill Sykes ever.

Another cracking David Lean adaptation Honcho. Newton was a fine actor made over 40 feature films, set the template for playing a pirate !

The Oliver Reed of his day by all accounts, sadly overdid it and pegged it at the young age of 50.

The top five are

Shawshank
Godfather
The Dark Knight
Godfather 2
12 Angry Men

cheers for cageny films heads up lads,
yep people used to think top of the world mam and ele ctric chair scene were in same movie, strawberry nose karl marlden was it played the priest in one of them
trouble with shawshank imo is i was basically last one to see it in my circle and they,d all built the ending up to be best ending of all time ,so i,d basicaly imaginerd the ending to be what everyone thought it was but wasnt,so didnt think it was all that imo

the mrs doesnt do films,but we both stumbled upon a low grade  film a few yrs ago ,thought it was brilliant,cant remember the title  so cant find it again, basically journo,s trying to get out of iraq /middle east but getting interned in some quantamno style camp,there was a box office simila theme r at the time,was it ARGO or something,but that wasnt the one we watched

on a similar theme scene trailers for something on sky atlantic coming up called ATOMIC ,which looks worth a watch, bit surprised cider,rico etc havnt come up with some french/sweedish film in black and white ,english sub titles only played in a 50 seater cinema in north london,which we,ve all got to see before we meet our maker

Gene Hackman at his finest in Enemy Of The State.

More importantly though, it would take a brave man to deny the presence of Ted 2 at the top of anybody's list.

Gene Hackman was also excellent the right bastard in Eastwood Unforgiven.

*Eastwood’s

Jul 22, 2025 -- 8:02AM, 1st time poster wrote:

on a similar theme scene trailers for something on sky atlantic coming up called ATOMIC ,which looks worth a watch, bit surprised cider,rico etc havnt come up with some french/sweedish film in black and white ,english sub titles only played in a 50 seater cinema in north london,which we,ve all got to see before we meet our maker

Argo - It was Iran, after the 1979 hostage crisis when the US embassy was invaded by revolutionaries - the rescue team pretended to be a film crew. Good film.

Sorry wrong reference quoted - was I answering the 1TPs other post. Fat fingers.

Zulu 1964 is another top film

A CLASSIC! I’ve been waiting for it to be mentioned…

Caine, “The Bastards! They’re taunting us!”

Afrikaans Soldier, “No no no my dear fellow, they’re saluting you!”

Caine was surprisingly good in Zulu.
Of course the battle itself most certainly didn’t happen in the way portrayed.

The whole cast were brilliant Loyal, my father worked with Caine and said he was an ahole.

Stanley Baker was excellent too, my fav character the old preacher! “You’re all doomed!” Hiccup!

Add Michael Winner to that shathead list too.

That doesn’t surprise me.  Caine is afforded all sorts of hero-worship and it is lost on me.

Agree wooden isn’t the word! The way he delivered that line about knowing the lady was wearing blue knickers!

Have you ever seen Jonathan Ross verbally orgasm every time he has him on his show?

It’s maybe more to do with age being seen as swinging and cool, with iconic films and immortalised by the likes of David Bailey, wearing his big black specs.

Boy done good story. I find the Carrie Grant story far more interesting. Did you know he was born here and was known as the A cid king?!

People referencing James Cagney films, don't leave out "Love me or leave me" with Doris Day.
Edward G Robinson also a great gangster in Little Caesar.

Yes he’s another who I’ve never seen the as being great. He did that stuff with that complete munt Brand didn’t he.

Some brilliant names Stewart’s

Look up YouTube and find Cagney at some sort of Roast with Bob Hope.  Absolutely classic stuff which displays how gifted Cagney was.  Hope, one of the sharpest comic and satirist performers of the time comes off second best.  Just though. Dancing, quipping, verbally sparring. .A revelation.

Few of the above, and can't do 5..
Roughly in period order..

Great Expectations
The Lady Vanishes
The 39 Steps
Rebecca
Went The Day Well
Casablanca
Murder She Said
Ice Cold In Alex
Ring Of Spies

Psycho
Far From The Madding Crowd
High Plains Drifter
Lawman
The Wicker Man
Dog Day Afternoon
Eye Of The Needle
Pack Of Lies

Glory
Gettysburg
Baby Reindeer [Netflix]
1917
Lady Chatterley's Lover [Netflix]
Treason [Netflix]

If you like any of those then we have something in common.

The Wicker Man?  A load of hogwash, with performances to match - for me.

If you liked 'Man In The Wilderness' [R Harris].. then The Revenant [di Caprio] the only remake I know of that's worthy..  I could watch both one after the other..

CINCANATI KID ,edward g/steve mcqueen

not a poker player ,used to watch when it was all over tv about 20yrs back, but what i never got in this film was in the final poker game scene ,was how did mQUEEN ever hope to win,other than getting the best player with unlimited funds to fold ?

I agree about and on most of your choices Smoky Hill.  Uncanny but the two I don’t like most are the two you’ve highlighted individually. 
I thought The Revenant descended into switch off land.
“What larks Smoky”.  Seven of your first nine I watch time after time after time.  And then can watch them again.  Cliche, old age prejudice or whatever, they simply do not make them like that any more.

Yes Cagney was a brilliat Actor.

James Cagney as a singing and dancing jockey (based on Tod Sloane) on his way to winning the English Derby Cup:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMbpF_8Pwk4

This is the racing forum, after all.


Cagney won the Oscar for this role. (Actually Yankee Doodle Dandy was a musical biopic of the composer.)

It's difficult but films that come to mind
The Wizard of Oz
Bridge over the river kwai
The Exorcist
The Sting
The Truman Show
Treasure of the Sierra Madre


Love Cagney films too ,all the ones mentioned ,Love me or leave me ,Angels,White heat.

Seeing "Popeye Doyle" just now at Dunstall.  "French Connection" (RIP Gene Hackman) was an all-time favourite.  Def top 10 in my view.

@snowynoon - The Wizard of Oz.
Really?  Are you a homosexual?

No, he’s just a very naughty boy.

No I'm not a homosexual ,I just think for 1939 it was a great piece of film making .

What about a film like Babe the one about the pig ?If I'd said that would you have thought I was gay?What's camp about Wizard of Oz anyway??

No doubt they've all watched it at some point in time and enjoyed it too, including Brokeback Mountain but they won't admit it.
Wizard of Oz was my Dad's favourite film, and the song ''Somewhere Over the Rainbow'' his favourite.  He fathered 7 kids plus 1 more when p.o.w. in Germany during the war..

get over yourselves.

Get over your SELF is more appropriate.  One post not dozens.

If going for the more fluffy movies then The Lion King with the EJ soundtrack is superb.

Glad I didn't put The Sound of Music

Jungle Book is a belter.  “And ah’m loaded with both”!

Brokeback Mountain?....I like ma Cowboys rough and tough not sucking D1ck ffs.

I must have missed that part...
The Sting was a good call, stick with that one.  Difficult not to like it.

Smokey use your imagination ffs.

The term "Friend of Dorothy" is associated with the Wizard Of Oz, hence crawford's rather blunt question to snowy.

lol.

Shawshank without doubt one of the best and most understated films of all time. It is one of the true rare films where literally, every single scene is watchable, and watchable again and again, barely any film can say that. Moreover, it was made on a budget of just 25 millions dollars, it was panned by films critics (like music critics that also know fk all but have a degree in Media) and I think it was overshadowed by Forest Gump and Pulp Fiction in the same year which cost twice as much to make and cleaned up at the Oscars, so it became a cult classic instead via video rental.

It's brilliance was in it's simplicity, it's a film that doesn't have any special effects nor did it make use of typical high end cinematic techniques and just relied simply on a great script, great acting and great narration from Morgan Freeman, even with inflation, Hollywood has served up dross films since costing five, six, seven times as much as this film did and not even laced a glove on how good Shawshank was, it's passed the test of time so I think it can just about live without it being your Top 100 list somehow

Kind Regards.

Miller's Crossing #1 for me.


Coen Brothers have made some brilliant films, but this one's their masterpiece.

well youve had 150 try,s and not mention the best,funniest film of all time,which on your 20th viewing you can still find new lines to laugh at

we can reveal the funniest film for sports fans of all time

MIKE BASSETT ENGLAND MANAGER

and yes we will be playing

FOUR 2 FOOKING FOUR

Woody Allen's film "Zelig" (1983) is absolutely genius.

If you haven't seen it then your in for a real treat.

1) Django
2) Pulp Fiction
3) Inglorious B*stards
4) The Hateful 8
5) Jackie Brown

How can Mr Blonde miss out Reservoir Dogs from his lost?

He wanted to be Mr Black?

couldnt name my to 10 but just watched Braveheart  outstanding

Looking at my DVD collection, I'm conscious it includes some great films like 3 Billboards, Trainspotting and Lock, Stock that I appreciate but am in no particular hurry to rewatch. Films listed on this thread or that were Oscar-nominated or winners.

I agree Shawshank wouldn’t even come close to my top 100 films.

Jaws, Midnight Express, The Great Escape, Godfather, Deerhunter, sound of Music, Full Metal Jacket, Alien, Towering Inferno, Sliding Doors, The Bunny Boiler, Life of Brian…..all 10 times better than Shawshank

Towering Inferno, give over.

I don’t see the appeal of Jaws either.  Once you’ve seen it twice it’s a borefest.

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan has 20 minutes of the best battle scenes in cinema history and two hours wondering why the US Army can't send a carrier pigeon, even if for story reasons General Marshall can't just get on the wireless and have the service corp bring him back.

Tom Hanks has starred in some really good films inc the afore mentioned "The Green Mile" and "Saving Provate Ryan", but others like "Philadelphia", "Castaway" and one i only saw recently "A Man Called Otto", which i thought was really good.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. We’ve all seen people recommend films we thought were great or awful.

When I first saw the prison escape in Shawshank it seemed to me to be a copy of the one in Runaway Train (1985), but as Shawshank is based on a Stephen King novel it may not be.  Any way, I preferred the Runaway Train.

OK, I'm going to say it - La La Land.

And that's closely followed by Whiplash, also by Chazelle and a brutally powerful epic.

Have been lucky enough to see the former with a live orchestra in the my hometown London, the greatest city on earth. and also in Paris (NB, dead-heat with New York).

La La Land FFS.

Was this the film version of Teletubbies, my daughter loved that but she was 2.

It must have had a shout already but I'll add American Psycho, regard this as a cult modern day classic IMO.

American Psycho better as the book? La La Land is on my shelf next to The Long Good Friday but nowhere near Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. I really need to sort out my DVDs.

Was Mics an extra in La La Land?

TRUE ROMNCE

Ultimate cast and one of the best dialogues is cinema history between Walden and Dennis Hopper.

Gary Oldman as the scar face white dread drug dealer!

*Walken

He got a real purdy mouth aint he.....

There will be blood. Mr Lewis at he very best and Paul Dano was amazing.

Children of Men
trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmC-1DMki_k

In 2027, total human infertility has led to wars and global depression, pushing civilization to the brink of collapse as humanity faces extinction. The United Kingdom has transformed into a totalitarian police state in which refugees are arrested and either imprisoned, deported, or executed in concentration camps. (from Wikipedia)

Too many to mention in the shocking omissions list but I'll put this up

Play Misty For Me

In no particular order

Long Good Friday
Godfather Part 1
Shawshank Redemption
Sons of the Desert (Laurel and Hardy classic for the younger generation)
Mad Max #1
The Great Escape
Life of Brian
Trainspotting
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
Goodfellas

Apocalypto another of my favs!!

Ram, don’t tell Whispering Death.  He thinks we’re there already.

Way Out West.  Another Stan and Ollie featuring the fantastic dance scene outside the bar.  Absolute gold dust!

a film i saw on talking pics few years back, id have in my top 10 , The boys

"Dead Man Walking" with Sean Penn & Susan Saradon is well worthy of a mention as is " Leaving Las Vegas" with Nicholas Cage.

Elisjohn ,I've seen The Boys on talking pictures ,agree it's an excellent movie ,I often recommend it to friends when it pops up again.

SlippyBlue 25 Jul 25 19:42 
"Dead Man Walking" with Sean Penn & Susan Saradon is well worthy of a mention as is " Leaving Las Vegas" with Nicholas Cage.


I thought Elizabeth Shue was a vision Slip

She was indeed H.N.

That is a very powerful film,truly unforgettable in fact.

NC was amazing.....Great film pal

Jen says hello

Thirteen Lives (sometimes 13 Lives)

About the Thai cave rescue of the boys' football team.

Was on telly last night and therefore available on BBC iplayer for the next four weeks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002gj87/thirteen-lives

Surprisingly good and suspenseful, even though we know how it ends. Would almost certainly have been Oscar-nominated but for Amazon's decision to cancel its theatrical release when they bought MGM.

Citizen Kane, the third Man, Zorba the Greek, trainspotting
A clockwork orange, and almost all the cohen brothers movies

Those boys are genius’es. Barton Fink

Someone mentioned Dead man’s shoes, good movie

And if you want a movie tonight, Wild tales
Crazy movie, If thats not your flavour. U-Turn with
Sean Penn

"Double Indemnity" (1944) a masterpiece of Film Noir for anyone who hasn't seen it.