The Greatest Directors’ Best Films Part III
Submitted by ash_campbell on Wed, 02/04/2004 - 05:19
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- 21. Fritz Lang – The Big Heat (1953) Lang made a huge mark in German expressionism before coming to America and making this noir gem (with Glenn Ford’s best character).
- 22. Robert Altman - The Player (1992) I haven’t seen Nashville yet, and I really like Gosford Park, but this seems to be quintessential Altman, with the large ensemble cast, darkly comic material, and a great central Tim Robbins acting job.
- 23. Frank Capra - It Happened One Night (1934) Vastly superior to any other work of his I’ve seen, this is an astonishingly great film. Clark Gable rocked.
- 24. Sergio Leone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly It’s this or Once Upon a Time in the West. Their respective merits could be argued for a long time.
- 25. Terry Gilliam - Twelve Monkeys (1995) This is the true essence of Gilliam’s mind: bizarre worlds, a ruling class that is insane in its power, and strong visuals. Pitt is amazing here, and Willis somehow is able to pull off the confused hero very well.
- 26. Oliver Stone - Platoon (1986) Well, it was this or Nixon. He’s never afraid to say what he thinks, and that counts for a lot in these days of carefully orchestrated commercial offerings.
- 27. Peter Weir - The Truman Show (1998) A very humanistic offering that allowed Carrey to show off some acting chops.
- 28. Rob Reiner - The Princess Bride (1987) The perfect film, and it would have to be to beat out This Is Spinal Tap and The American President.
- 29. Ang Lee - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) A veritable feast for the senses. Lee tends to do that in most of his films, but here, it’s explosive.
- 30. Ridley Scott: Blade Runner (1982) Probably the best sci-fi film of the decade, and certainly top three. One of a handful of films that really allowed sci-fi to become a critically important genre, instead of throwaway fluff.
Author Comments:
A continuation of this list.
Wow, I'm surprised to see Twelve Monkeys get the nod for Gilliam. Brazil is a much more common choice. That doesn't make it the right choice, of course, but I think I agree with critical concensus on this one. Still, I liked Twelve Monkeys quite a bit, and it still marks the first time when I realized Brad Pitt might be more than a pretty boy.