AFI's top 100

widely considered the greatest film in history. the american film institute calls it the greatest film of all time as do a huge percentage of the most respected film critics in the world. it was a brilliant film without a doubt. wells acting and directing were both brilliant and the story was interesting start to finish. this film was well ahead of its time, especially in the aging transformations. greg tolands cinematography is so far ahead of its time that we are still catching up and the story telling in this film is astounding. doesnt have the likeability of many other films of its era so it drops a notch on my personal list, but it was better for me after the second viewing and its easy to understand why this is the most important film ever made.

it took me many viewings and a considerable amount of time to give in to this film, but i have finally given up any apprehension towards it and have come to realize it is simply one of the greatest films in history without question. i used to pit myself against this movie not because of the movie itself, but because of its typical fans. many love this classic for all the wrong reasons. clueless fans who know little about great filmmaking rally around this for its violence, glorification of mafia life, and grittiness. the real reasons to love this film are because of its superb score, great acting, haunting cinematography, and genius storytelling. i feel that this film is popular for all the wrong reasons, but that doesnt exclude it from its greatness, truly a genuine classic.

"of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she had to walk into mine." what a perfect movie. i just saw this for the fourth time and it was the best viewing yet. this film is cluttered with wonderful qoutes, great diologue, and an incredible plot. bogey and bergman are larger than life in this film and the rest of the actors really shine. i have read many critics reviews of this film and some try to think of something critical to say for the sake of being objective, in reality criticizing this film is futile. many consider this to be one of the top five films and unlike others in the top five, i can raise no objections here. this is easily one of the greatest films ever made without exception. as ebert once said, this is probably the most well recieved and reviewed film ever made and it deserves its aclaim. "heres lookin at you kid."

this is a great movie. widely considered one of the top sports films of all time, it lives up to its reputation. deniro deserved his oscar as his performance was brilliant and joe pesci gave possibly the best performance of his career. this is one of my favorite sports films, but it did suffer from a few problems. for much of the film the story didnt feel like it was going anywhere. it was telling a story but you arent to sure why, so when the climax hit i was left wondering if that was really the climax or not. this is why as a boxing movie cinderella man is superior, you feel the point from the start of the film. it is still brilliant however, and this film is a great study on human anger, jelousy, and violence. it is a great film on how a person can let life get away from them even in success.

widely considered the greatest musical of all time and one of the ten greatest films in american film history, singin in the rain was very ambitious for its time. i do find it to be slightly overrated, only because it is lauded to such a degree, but while i can think of three musicals i enjoyed more and thought were made better i cant disagree that this film is special. gene kelly was amazing in the lead role, playing a leading man that current lead actors would do well to emulate. the tap scene in the diction coaches office is amung the best scenes in film i have ever seen, and the set design and plot were wonderful. many musicals suffer from a lack of real story, this one had me intrigued the whole way through, basically a film about making films. taking place in the late 20's it centers around the release of the jazz singer, the first major talking film in a time of silent pictures. "talkies" as they were called were originally met with hostility, a theme this film would have done well to explore further, and this film shows the evolution of hollywood because of the talkies popularity. the first 20 minutes and the last 20 were weak spots, but the hour in the middle was movie gold. must watch for big movie fans.

one of the true classics in film history. this film deserves its high score for its critical and cultural significance if for nothing else, but it has other things going for it. it has great acting, a great score, and epic cinematography. however, i do feel that the story was not interesting enough to justify its 4 hour length and the main character of scarlet ohara is among the most annoying in film history. she becomes entangled in what feels like a love octogon, and is trapped in a world of the deepest sort of narcicism. despite my mis-feelings about it, it is one of the most important films of all time.

this is a tough film to score. ultimately, it is a genuine epic. widely considered one of the 15 or so best films ever made, i cant disagree with that perception of the film even though i wouldnt place anywhere in my personal top 100. i understand the acclaim because the film is top notch, wonderful acting, beautiful locations, some of the best cinematography and scenery in film history, and the effort put in was unmatchable. the musical score is also one of the best i have ever heard although the music to blank screen at the beginning was an arrogant build up. i did have a few problems, this film was nearly 4 HOURS. im love long movies if length is needed but i found at least 30 to forty minutes of material that should have been shaved in the editing room which would have made the film move better and would also add to the "rewatch" factor. O'Toole also played a very feminine hero, although thats more understandable when one finds out that the real life hero he portrays was believed to be gay. although to some degree the diologue was complex enough to necessitate a second viewing, the story was not very epic at all. it was far too simple for the time put in on this film. it felt like it was purposely redundant to add length rather than depth. i know what ebert meant when he called this film an "oscar package". a film made to win awards more than anything else. i did like the conflict within many of the characters as they floated back and forth between humanism and providence. they were as confused on worldview as many of the rest of us which was a cool thing to see. not as great as many say, but ultimately it was a wonderful film.

one of the saddest things ever put onto the screen. this is one of the greatest films ever made, but its also one of the hardest to watch. a masterpiece that should always be seen by any movie fan at least once in life.

for my cinephile tastes, this film is a rarity. i know im supposed to love this film, and hitchcock is one of my favorite directors, but i just dont see it. actually, the majority of the film is essentially amazing, but the end trails off aimlessly and loses focus. still a great film, but for me hitchcock has made much better films.

a classic, the story is wonderful and the acting was great for a film not based on performances. its sad that this is seen as a secularist manifesto, its really a fun story with some spiritual significance.

often considered the greatest film by the legendary charlie chaplin, city lights is a beautiful love story with tons of charm. although it drags a bit at the start, the story picks up and gets better and better as time goes on, providing a poetic ending with a bit of a twist. no one can deny chaplins genius, and this film is a great display of some of his most witty comedy. an all time classic.

a pretty good flick, but vastly overrated. the entertainment factor was there, but the acting was sub par, the characters werent likeable, and the story was incoherent and ill explained. overall worth the watch if for no other reason than the historical significance, but was mostly an average flick.

the worst of the originals but still great, a classic epic

considered one of the great horror films in cinematic history, this film breaks much of the mold for its time. anthony perkins was haunting and janet leigh gives us the most iconic scene in the history of horror, or showers for that matter.

four stars is a very high score for me. while i am confident in giving four stars to this american classic, this is probably the highest score ive ever given a film that i had so many problems with. ill start with the negatives.
hal 9000 has to be the most overrated "great" villian in history. because of the extreme lack of diologue in this film he isnt developed much, and his interaction with his human counterparts is so limited that no real tension is built. when hal 9000 goes into preserverence mode, i didnt find myslef caring or being intrigued at all. there were also things in the film left completely unexplained, and although this brings a viewer into a fun place of theory and alegorization it made the film a little less satisfying. the end of the film especially calls for theory and discussion but at the same time it was a dissappointing and anti climatic ending. the film also had lengthy and unneccessary sequences where diologue could have helped.
the reason why i LOVE this film despite these problems is that in the technical elements this film was incredibly perfect in every regard. the cinematography was flawless, among the absloute best i have ever seen. there was not a single throw away shot in the entire film, every single shot was thought through and executed masterfully. the musical score was also genius, adding to the majesty of each shot, and the art direction and set design was amazing. the science of the film was realistic and detailed, and the space shots drew me into awe with the realization that God has created true beauty that man doesnt understand.
the symbolism in the film was also well thought out and truly profound. the dawn of man sequence, while promoting a naturalistic worldview that i reject, was done very well. the bone used as the first tool, being connected to the satellite, made a profound statement about man, his ambition, and the ultimate corruption of many of the things that man creates. while i dont hold to the "cirlce of life" presented in the film, the point was effectively made and the story well told. in all, i had HUGE issues with a few things in the film, and was still completely captivated by it in every way. a truly great and foundational classic.

this was a very good movie. one of those classics that deserves to be called one. the narration and overall performance by william holden was very good and the story was top notch. this is definitely the best film ive seen about making movies and the hollywood lifestyle, much better than say 8 1/2, but it wasnt just a movie about making movies, it had many great themes. it was a love story, tragedy, study in narcism, and commentary on obsession all in one. swansons character was so in love with herself that she went beyond narcism and became a study of insanity. all of the characters were compelling, not the least of which was a sleeper character in max the servant. great film.

nominated for 7 oscars, this is clearly one of the most important films ever made, it is far more important than it is good. its not a bad movie, i actually really enjoyed it, but its a plain movie that found its significance in being one of the films released in 67' that helped make that the year that changed film. the script was charming and clever and hoffman did a good job in his role, and the soundtrack was amazing, but in any other year but the fated 1967 this would have been seen as a pretty good film, but not better than that.

this film is amazing for the stunning performances if for no other reason, and there are many other reasons to love this movie. brando gives possibly his best performance and every other actor from the biggest roles to the smallest roles was at the peak of acting. possibly one of the best acted movies in history. the sermon given by the priest at the dock was possibly the best movie speech ive ever seen and the plot was very good. i do think that the story was a bit shifty at the end keeping this film from being perfect, but it was as close to perfect as a film can get. wonderful picture.

the most well known and powerful christmas story ever made, a must watch for all

this really is a sensational film. done in the noir style that brings back memories of the maltese falcon, the mystery was well plotted and the story well told. the twists were alot of fun and the acting was superb across the board. the only thing keeping me from giving this film a higher score is the dissapointing way the film closed. the final 10 minutes sort of fell through the bottom of the rest of the film. in many ways the film had to end that way to provide a context for why nicholson's character has bad feelings about chinatown, but the fittingness of the end doesnt take away the sting of its silliness and anti-climatic nature. still overall truly great and understandably considered one of the great films in history.

a hilarious and well acted hollywood classic. the use of the st valentines day massacre was brilliant and the story was very well told and a lot of fun. i did have one huge problem with something at the end, which to me played out as a huge flaw. i was shocked that the producers and especially the brilliant director billy wilder let such a thoughtless and glaring problem make its way into the film, but other than my one big issue with the ending i loved this movie. classic comedy.

this film is an absolute cinema classic. the script was put together well and the diologue was strong, john fords directing was great, and the actors played their roles perfectly. this film about the unraveling of a mid west family trying to find prosperity in california is incredibly profound for being based on the lives of "simple" people. great movie.

a classic film, everyone should see it

widely considered one of the greatest westerns of all time, this film is simple but profound and engaging from the outset. meant as a parable to the communist hunts in hollywood in the 50's, this film tells a great story about a good man doing whats right and all others standing by while it happens due to their common fear. really great film.

nominated for a record 14 oscars, this is truly one of the most important films in history. the first hour actually bored me incredibly and anne baxters performance was a little over the top, but bette davis and george sanders put in powerful performances and the final 80 minutes of the movie were wonderful. the diologue was clever and meaningful and the characters were developed incredibly well, making this a fine film with an ending worth every minute of the tedious start to the film. a must see for big time movie fans.

a wonderful film noir without some of the usual noir characteristics. most glaringly absent was the traditional detective role. robinson sort of fills the detective slot in a creative way, giving what for him was a really good and unorthodox performance. i did find a few strong unliklihoods in the film that sort of bothered me and knocked the film down a bit, but i thought this film through quite a bit after i saw it and liked it more and more as the hours went by. solid classic.

an absolute cinema classic and a truly great war film. this is a psychological profile of life in a blood bath, and each of the actors were on their "A" game. the film gets almost too bizarre by the end, leaving me with an odd feeling about the film, but in general this is truly a phenomenal work. brando plays his character in the shadows to perfection and duval gives a great performance in a small role. one of the classics that all should see.

definitely one of the best films of all time. classic noir with great performances and a perfect plot. the twists and turns were intriguing and the payoff at the end following all of the mystery was incredible. there were no holes in this one and the characters were consistent and well developed despite their simple purposes. a truly great piece of film history.

certainly one of the great sequels in film history. a shadow of the first, but still truly great in its own right. this film furthers the story of michael corleone in profound ways as we see him honor his father by becoming greater than him. in some ways more gritty than the first, it also brought in the more corporate feel to the story that was climaxed in the third godfather which is an element i could have done without. rather than focusing on the family, this film might have focused too much on michael, although admittingly he is the point of the story not the family. in all, a great sequel to a great trilogy.

jack nicholson in possibly his finest performance. the film works because jack works, but he is so good that this ranks up there as one of the all time classics in the history of film. the first two hours are fun, witty, charming, and heart warming. the film ends by spiriling into chaos that is both shocking and powerful. deserving of its sweep of the big 5 oscars, one of the best films of 1975 and one of my favorites of all time.

without question snow white deserves a ton of respect for being the first great animated film, and more than that, for being really good. having said that i think that its status is a bit over played as people seem to forget how shallow the film is. even disney's next couple of films had deeply moving messages, while snow white was more of the classic fairytale in its most generic form. a monumental film that is larger than life, but should be seen as more of a stepping stone than one of the best animated films.

until the release of vicky Christina barcelona this was probably woody allens best film. the blend of audience inclusion, animation, and dialogue boxes makes for a creative and fun look at an up and down romance. one of the great romantic comedies ever made.

considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time, this multiple academy award winner lives up to its hype. the best part as with all david lean films was the locations, the shots he got in the jungle scenery filled me with awe. the cinematography was also great and obi wan kenobi gave a stubborn and great performance. this is probably one of the top three or four war films of all time.

this is a phenomenal film. a tale of greed and paranoia, this film creatively chronicles the journey of three gold prospectors who begin as friends. greed grips one of the men and everything falls apart as you see him drop into insanity. huston won an acting oscar for his role, and he deserved it, but bogart really pulled of a great performance in this film. he started off as the focus of the film as an incredibly likeable character and by the end he becomes brash, unreasonable, and hated. a great film that accomplishes its task of showing greed for what it is. a timeless film.

simple and silly, the subtlety of this movies humor is what makes it so good. a hilarious ending when we see strageloves real alliegences as well as a glum ending add to the fun. this film made fun of things most wouldnt joke about, but it was pleasantly tasteful. good comedy.

aside from a few moments of pure absurdity, its obvious why sound of music is considered one of the greatest musicals in history. a beautiful story, solid music, great characters, and stunning locations lead up to a final act that i found to be nearly perfect. a wonderful film.

the original cinema classic in all its glory, one of my favorite films. i happen to be a believer that the two remakes of this iconic film were fine films that did this justice, but niether of them beats the king. the effects for 1933 were well done and this is just a really fun film to watch. the end scene gets me in each incarnation of this film. while the others create kong as a sypathetic character, this film sort of portrays kong and humanity as possessing equality in their villiany. a wonderful movie.

simple and well told, this well acted portrayal of the crime lives of bonnie and clyde was well paced and engaging. the end was shocking despite the fact we all know the end before it comes, and the portrayal of the criminals still make them feel like victums in the end. solid film.

this was a very good film. the writing was stellar, especially the very clever diologue, and the performances were charismatic and well done. the story reminded me somewhat of 'guess whos coming to dinner?', although i liked that film better, this one had a charm to it that few films achieve. i do feel that this film had two glaring mistakes, and i got a little bored by the story in the middle, but the end could not have been more perfect. great movie.

deserving of its sweep of the big 5 oscars, this is one of the first and still one of the best great romantic comedies. the hitch-hiking scene was perfect and the acting and screenplay especially stand out. truly great piece of cinematic history.

simply one of the most overrated films in the history of the world. the only bright spot was another solid performance by brando, and even he had moments of incoherence and sillyness. the downsides to this film are numerous. tennessee williams script was the biggest culprit, as it was pretentious, sterile, bland, and down right silly. the art direction was lifeless, the cinematography too simple for such a dry script, and the rest of the acting aside from brando was over dramatic and painful to watch. the ending was the worst part, leaving us with nothing of consequence to reflect on. a huge waste of time despite the great critical acclaim this film recieves.

one of the best of hitchcockcs films. very slow film because this is a full length movie based on a short story, so it drags a little, but the story is very interesting and its told well. james stewart was great as always and the whole film youre really left wondering if the salesman across the courtyard commited the murder or not.

griffiths lengthy film is often cited as one of the great films in history, and because of its innovation in technique and massive budget it deserves most of its reputation. i did however find the film to be too slowly paced, resulting in an unnecessary length, and the film lacked needed clarity in proving its main point. in some ways the film is griffiths justification for his own racist themes in his previous film, which made the film labor too hard to be enthralling on its own without a back story. a must watch for die hard film fans, but not memorable.

The most well made film of all time. every aspect was genius leaving nothing to be criticized. A great epic.

a true masterpiece of cinema, west side story transcends its absurdities to become one of the great musicals of all time. although a few of the actors werent the greatest singers, the songs were perfectly crafted, the story well executed, and the cinematography gave us many memorable scenes.

what an absolute classic film in every way. deniro gives probably the best performance of his legendary career in this gritty tale of a young guy confused by the world he finds himself in. cybill shepherd was delightful and beautiful in her role and the other actors delivered well. the story shifts in odd ways leaving the end totally up in the air, and when the end of the film arrives it really delivers in a bloody and shocking climax. deniro's character is not alltogether likeable, but its realistic and understandable. shepherds character summed up the film well when she said to deniro, "Ive never met anyone quite like you." what a brilliant film, among the best ever made.

a powerful film. incredibly unique in the way that the stages of the film unfold. from the wedding, to the hunting, to the war, to the welcome home, and finally to the recovery of a lost friend. a bit overlong at times, but mostly phenomenal with great performances that help the film justify its 5 oscar wins.

really a masterpiece. incredible movie. easily hitchcocks best and one of the best films of all time. the airplane crop dusting scene was shot well, and you really felt like cary grants character was an average guy who became a brilliant spy on a whim just to stay alive. similar in many ways to another hitchcock film called saboteur, but this one was much better.

this is a landmark film. the simple score is haunting and effective and the terror instilled is legitemate. this is a truly great film.

Better than the other rockys, but a little overrated

while containing great production quality and an excellent cast, i found this to be a highly overrated film. it was entertaining, but at over 2 1/2 hours the film suffered from far too much aimless wandering. the entire film was characterized by randomness from the underdeveloped characters to the random connections of those characters that dont further the story. the film floats along with a total lack of focus outside of the ambiguous commentary on nashville and politics. a unique film but not as good as the hype.

well made and fairly intriguing, but empty at the same time making this a film that for me falls far below its reputation.

they just dont make films like this anymore. an absolute genuine masterpiece of filmmaking, the highlight of the already brilliant career of sydney lumet. the acting was stellar, especially the performance of william holden, and the film was flawlessly directed. a perfect commentary on the effect of t.v. and big business on the world and a brilliantly crafted film all around makes for one of the best american films in history.

the best film of this top notch trilogy, one of the best adventures of all time.

one of the great westerns of all time and one of the great films of the 90's. freeman is great as usual and eastwoods character evolves into lengendary status. really good film.

a tale of two extremes. in some ways, this film is gluttonous with many of the things i hate most about movies. in other ways its diologue and commentary are so brilliant and profound that one cant help but be captured by the films themes. in the end, i am only left recommending this film to people who want to think through what they watch. if you are looking to be entertained and this film entertains you, you are demented and should seek help.

hard to watch because of the realism, but a must see

one of the best made movies of all time, not one to watch over and over, but well done with brilliant acting and heart wrenching checks into reality. wonderful film.

a classic western, going out with a blaze of glory

a classic, freaky but powerful

the winner of 5 oscars in 1967 including best picture, this film deals with race in the south in the late 60's. poitier throws in a great performance and the crime story serves as a great means to the real plot of prejudice. the only downside was a very anticlimatic ending, but the movie was engaging and profound. 67' is the year that new hollywood was ushered in, and this film and the graduate are the poster children for the shift. great film.

i love when he drinks those dr. peppers, freakin gump

intersting flick about a guy with a deep throat

although im often miffed at how this film can be considered a comedy, im never puzzled by its reputation as a great film. billy wilder's execution of the seemingly limited plotline is masterful and both lemmon and maclaine are perfect in their roles. great romantic classic.

"I am not an animal". one of my favorite films of all time and a genuine cinema classic. spartacus is a grand epic and one of the greatest hero stories ever put to film. definitely my favorite kubrick picture which is ironic because kubrick went on to disown this film because it wasnt "his". He was a director for hire making the film kirk douglas wanted to make. regardless, its my favorite kubrick film and an amazing movie. "Im Spartacus!"

clearly one of the most overrated films in history, but there is no denying that the acting across the board was mind blowing. winslet does a great job and dicaprio was a suprise oscar snub. not a bad film, just not worthy of the hype.

i have never understood the affinity for this film. its horrible. i understand it was original for its time and that some cool things were done that were never tried before, but the movie is still awful. beyond awful. i dont think its a stretch to call this the most overrated film in the history of the world. i have a hard time thinking of any "classic" that is more inconsequential than this one.

one of the classic war films, this is a real and brutal portrayal of the war in vietnam. an interesting cast full of semi-stars with the exception of a few who made it huge like depp and whitaker, the ensemble cast was excellent in every regard. this film shows that war can make anyone likeable because no one wants to see anyone left as a faceless and lifeless body on a battlefield. haunting but true.

truly one of the great films in history. really the film is overly simple, you stick 12 pissed off guys in a room together for 90 minutes and watch them yell at each other. but the film carries a profundity rarely seen in film. the script was one of the best ever written and the acting was flawless at every turn. the film doesnt truly resolve its problem but i was ok with that. im sure i will rewatch this film many times.

i must begin by stating that howard hawks is one of my favorite directors of all time and cary grant is growing on me more and more all the time, so while im not a big katherine hepburn fan i had high hopes for this comedy that is still considered among the greats of all time. this was possibly the most headache inducing film i have ever seen. i literally felt pain in my head watching these "zaney" antics that were built on rediculous coincidences and confusing diologues that made me want to stop the film numerous times. the characters were dry and unlikeable and most of the sequences were uncomfortable to watch. it keeps itself from the worst of the worst by reputation and starpower, but one of the most frustrating and disappointing films i have ever seen.

i just watched this for the second time and first since its release. my feelings on the film havent changed much, but its great to get a reminder of how good something is. the cinematography was great and the story well told. although this is one of my least favorite shyamalan films, its one of his better executed movies for sure. great film.

often considered the best of the astaire/rogers films, swing time deserves its acclaim. the musical numbers are perfectly spaced and the actors did their part to create a wonderful film with a charming story. rogers is beautiful in this film and astaire proves why he and kelly rival each other for the top spot among musical song and dance men. great film.

this is a great gangster picture. liotta was very good and the film was raw and edgy. i dont feel that this was the best gangster picture in its own year let alone of all time as some have suggested, but there is no denying that this film is excellent.

an excellent crime story that sees things a bit differently. the film focuses more on the tedious side of detective work, with drawn out scenes of chases, stakeouts, and tails. the film looked at the outset like it would be more interesting than it actually was, but what we got was still very good. the end fell completely flat, keeping this film from masterpiece status. it was one of those endings that felt like they ran out of money and ideas and just cut the film short. aside from the terrible ending, the rest of the film was excellent.

typical tarantino. for some thats good, but ive never been a tarantino fan. i usually love dialogue and there is no question that tarantino writes brilliant dialogue, but dialogue should lead to character development and tarantino doesnt develop characters well at all. the design of these characters was brilliant, but i didnt really care about any of them because i didnt know them. the film also lacked focus as it just floated along from scene to scene without leading anywhere and the non linear approach to storytelling felt more gimmicky in this film that intentional. the rating i give it, which is still a good rating, is because despite the films problems it is clearly made well and very entertaining, i just dont think its anywhere near the masterpiece its hyped to be.

this is such a hard film to score. in many ways the film was dull and cliche, losing its originality in now being listed among the many sci-fi films to give us a typical dark and bleak outlook on the future. in other ways the script was fascinating and the concept full of intrigue. i do feel that based on the plot the film could have been miles better, but in the end this is still a very, very good movie.

this is a genuine musical masterpiece. one of the best films i have ever seen and certainly near the top of the great musicals, this film is a deep tale of patriotism and achievement. the film follows cohans life with perfect pace and a high level of engagement. we see the character grow as a person and develop powerfully. there are striking similarities with citizen kane released a year earlier, but i actually enjoyed this film more than that one. cagney recieved a best actor oscar for his role and he deserved it in one of his many great performances. the music was perfect and well placed, striking out against the idea that a musical has to be mostly music. a great classic. "my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and i thank you."

first computer animated flick, still one of the best

one of the great epics of all time. re-watchability is effected by its 3 1/2 hour length, but other than this the film is nearly perfect. the chariot race is a stagering feat, the performances, locations, and cinematography are astounding, and the story is inspiring. great reverence is paid to Christ in making him voiceless and faceless and the imagery of his death bringing life is perfectly painted. worthy of its 11 oscars, this film is wonderful.