IMDB's Top 250 Movies

[criterionmaster]

1. 9.1 The Godfather (1972) 172,154
2. 9.0 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 207,383
3. 8.9 The Godfather: Part II (1974) 97,928
4. 8.8 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 156,102
5. 8.8 Casablanca (1942) 84,969
6. 8.8 Schindler's List (1993) 126,396
7. 8.8 Shichinin no samurai (1954) 45,341
8. 8.7 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) 46,590
9. 8.7 Pulp Fiction (1994) 179,052
10. 8.7 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 136,166
11. 8.7 Star Wars (1977) 172,263
12. 8.7 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 91,092
13. 8.7 Rear Window (1954) 53,775
14. 8.7 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 200,868
15. 8.6 The Usual Suspects (1995) 132,917
16. 8.6 12 Angry Men (1957) 40,051
17. 8.6 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 117,605
18. 8.6 Cidade de Deus (2002) 48,297
19. 8.6 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 81,561
20. 8.6 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 156,910
21. 8.6 Citizen Kane (1941) 76,411
22. 8.6 Psycho (1960) 68,577
23. 8.6 Goodfellas (1990) 91,596
24. 8.6 C'era una volta il West (1968) 25,931
25. 8.6 Memento (2000) 120,858
26. 8.6 North by Northwest (1959) 45,713
27. 8.5 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 116,265
28. 8.5 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 39,969
29. 8.5 Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 81,987
30. 8.5 It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 51,710
31. 8.5 Sunset Blvd. (1950) 22,410
32. 8.5 Fight Club (1999) 154,418
33. 8.5 American Beauty (1999) 140,001
34. 8.5 The Matrix (1999) 183,843
35. 8.4 Vertigo (1958) 43,704
36. 8.4 Taxi Driver (1976) 63,457
37. 8.4 Apocalypse Now (1979) 83,754
38. 8.4 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 80,644
39. 8.4 Paths of Glory (1957) 19,459
40. 8.4 Untergang, Der (2004) 24,979
41. 8.4 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 39,795
42. 8.4 Se7en (1995) 117,850
43. 8.4 Léon (1994) 74,534
44. 8.4 Chinatown (1974) 34,163
45. 8.4 American History X (1998) 83,988
46. 8.4 The Third Man (1949) 24,226
47. 8.4 The Pianist (2002) 46,897
48. 8.4 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) 38,350
49. 8.4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 79,329
50. 8.3 Boot, Das (1981) 36,810
51. 8.3 Hotel Rwanda (2004) 27,566
52. 8.3 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 13,819
53. 8.3 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 28,721
54. 8.3 Requiem for a Dream (2000) 69,919
55. 8.3 L.A. Confidential (1997) 86,662
56. 8.3 The Maltese Falcon (1941) 24,999
57. 8.3 M (1931) 16,468
58. 8.3 Alien (1979) 81,491
59. 8.3 A Clockwork Orange (1971) 85,727
60. 8.3 Metropolis (1927) 16,376
61. 8.3 Reservoir Dogs (1992) 91,860
62. 8.3 Sin City (2005) 86,328
63. 8.3 Rashômon (1950) 16,170
64. 8.3 Saving Private Ryan (1998) 128,212
65. 8.3 The Shining (1980) 68,767
66. 8.3 Singin' in the Rain (1952) 26,499
67. 8.3 Double Indemnity (1944) 15,410
68. 8.3 Modern Times (1936) 14,114
69. 8.3 The Manchurian Candidate (1962) 18,298
70. 8.3 Raging Bull (1980) 36,539
71. 8.3 Million Dollar Baby (2004) 48,271
72. 8.3 All About Eve (1950) 16,903
73. 8.3 Some Like It Hot (1959) 32,777
74. 8.3 Aliens (1986) 80,826
75. 8.3 The Great Escape (1963) 26,868
76. 8.3 Rebecca (1940) 15,293
77. 8.2 Vita è bella, La (1997) 49,105
78. 8.2 Touch of Evil (1958) 15,242
79. 8.2 Amadeus (1984) 47,127
80. 8.2 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 81,188
81. 8.2 Batman Begins (2005) 89,212
82. 8.2 The Sting (1973) 30,644
83. 8.2 Jaws (1975) 62,305
84. 8.2 Strangers on a Train (1951) 14,356
85. 8.2 On the Waterfront (1954) 17,442
86. 8.2 The Incredibles (2004) 54,557
87. 8.2 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 15,210
88. 8.2 Forrest Gump (1994) 121,073
89. 8.2 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) 93,966
90. 8.2 The Wizard of Oz (1939) 49,272
91. 8.2 The Apartment (1960) 14,950
92. 8.2 Braveheart (1995) 117,328
93. 8.2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 99,420
94. 8.2 Crash (2004/I) 62,747
95. 8.2 City Lights (1931) 10,582
96. 8.2 Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957) 13,731
97. 8.2 Blade Runner (1982) 92,212
98. 8.2 Ran (1985) 16,290
99. 8.2 Donnie Darko (2001) 81,717
100. 8.2 Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989) 18,875
101. 8.2 High Noon (1952) 16,074
102. 8.2 Full Metal Jacket (1987) 63,284
103. 8.2 The Elephant Man (1980) 22,251
104. 8.2 The Big Sleep (1946) 13,231
105. 8.2 Notorious (1946) 14,098
106. 8.2 Fargo (1996) 81,895
107. 8.1 Finding Nemo (2003) 61,439
108. 8.1 The Great Dictator (1940) 14,510
109. 8.1 Mononoke-hime (1997) 27,407
110. 8.1 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) 108,246
111. 8.1 Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 27,097
112. 8.1 Cool Hand Luke (1967) 18,720
113. 8.1 Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) 4,435
114. 8.1 The Sixth Sense (1999) 122,401
115. 8.1 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) 68,648
116. 8.1 Annie Hall (1977) 28,521
117. 8.1 Wo hu cang long (2000) 63,662
118. 8.1 Oldboy (2003) 25,729
119. 8.1 Unforgiven (1992) 40,583
120. 8.1 Ben-Hur (1959) 27,138
121. 8.1 Yojimbo (1961) 12,587
122. 8.1 The Princess Bride (1987) 67,792
123. 8.1 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 78,468
124. 8.1 Back to the Future (1985) 89,349
125. 8.1 Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957) 3,530
126. 8.1 The Killing (1956) 9,719
127. 8.1 Life of Brian (1979) 43,620
128. 8.0 The Green Mile (1999) 81,196
129. 8.0 The Deer Hunter (1978) 37,671
130. 8.0 It Happened One Night (1934) 10,550
131. 8.0 The Graduate (1967) 36,053
132. 8.0 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 26,218
133. 8.0 Ladri di biciclette (1948) 10,239
134. 8.0 Platoon (1986) 46,899
135. 8.0 Toy Story 2 (1999) 52,728
136. 8.0 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) 5,048
137. 8.0 The African Queen (1951) 17,363
138. 8.0 Gladiator (2000) 121,324
139. 8.0 The General (1927) 8,790
140. 8.0 Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) 13,638
141. 8.0 Amores perros (2000) 22,460
142. 8.0 Lola rennt (1998) 42,116
143. 8.0 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) 9,884
144. 8.0 Brief Encounter (1945) 4,178
145. 8.0 V for Vendetta (2005) 53,485
146. 8.0 Diaboliques, Les (1955) 4,731
147. 8.0 Duck Soup (1933) 12,895
148. 8.0 Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 8,135
149. 8.0 The Night of the Hunter (1955) 10,307
150. 8.0 Gandhi (1982) 20,843
151. 8.0 The Conversation (1974) 13,770
152. 8.0 Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966) 3,791
153. 8.0 Glory (1989) 27,495
154. 8.0 Patton (1970) 18,803
155. 8.0 Smultronstället (1957) 7,667
156. 8.0 8½ (1963) 11,217
157. 8.0 Harvey (1950) 10,300
158. 8.0 Stand by Me (1986) 40,382
159. 8.0 Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) 11,768
160. 8.0 Die Hard (1988) 75,368
161. 8.0 Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920) 5,623
162. 8.0 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 13,385
163. 8.0 Ying xiong (2002) 36,763
164. 8.0 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 21,107
165. 8.0 Belle et la bête, La (1946) 3,479
166. 8.0 The Philadelphia Story (1940) 13,634
167. 8.0 Finding Neverland (2004) 36,013
168. 7.9 Cinderella Man (2005) 22,269
169. 7.9 Gone with the Wind (1939) 37,659
170. 7.9 The Gold Rush (1925) 8,573
171. 7.9 A Christmas Story (1983) 26,008
172. 7.9 Spartacus (1960) 22,382
173. 7.9 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 8,041
174. 7.9 Before Sunset (2004) 17,470
175. 7.9 Tengoku to jigoku (1963) 2,824
176. 7.9 The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 10,334
177. 7.9 Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) 16,226
178. 7.9 Mystic River (2003) 43,998
179. 7.9 Toy Story (1995) 58,926
180. 7.9 Shrek (2001) 86,020
181. 7.9 Magnolia (1999) 60,212
182. 7.9 Groundhog Day (1993) 58,919
183. 7.9 Big Fish (2003) 50,811
184. 7.9 Trainspotting (1996) 67,739
185. 7.9 The Hustler (1961) 10,930
186. 7.9 Out of the Past (1947) 3,884
187. 7.9 The Exorcist (1973) 45,433
188. 7.9 Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) 9,035
189. 7.9 The Wild Bunch (1969) 14,030
190. 7.9 The Lady Vanishes (1938) 6,354
191. 7.9 King Kong (1933) 16,637
192. 7.9 The Big Lebowski (1998) 68,965
193. 7.9 Twelve Monkeys (1995) 79,404
194. 7.9 Walk the Line (2005) 30,673
195. 7.9 Ed Wood (1994) 31,260
196. 7.9 Kumonosu jô (1957) 5,065
197. 7.9 Stalag 17 (1953) 9,380
198. 7.9 Hable con ella (2002) 18,038
199. 7.9 The Straight Story (1999) 19,517
200. 7.9 Anatomy of a Murder (1959) 5,379
201. 7.9 Manhattan (1979) 16,336
202. 7.9 Heat (1995) 60,255
203. 7.9 Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) 4,978
204. 7.9 The Terminator (1984) 76,550
205. 7.9 Young Frankenstein (1974) 28,869
206. 7.9 Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 6,656
207. 7.9 Witness for the Prosecution (1957) 6,900
208. 7.9 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 14,540
209. 7.9 In the Heat of the Night (1967) 9,430
210. 7.9 Snatch. (2000) 63,451
211. 7.9 Du rififi chez les hommes (1955) 2,514
212. 7.9 Sling Blade (1996) 25,520
213. 7.9 Sleuth (1972) 6,185
214. 7.9 Monsters, Inc. (2001) 52,369
215. 7.9 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) 9,289
216. 7.9 Inherit the Wind (1960) 4,999
217. 7.9 Roman Holiday (1953) 12,818
218. 7.9 Sweet Smell of Success (1957) 3,321
219. 7.9 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) 9,671
220. 7.9 Bringing Up Baby (1938) 12,056
221. 7.9 Festen (1998) 15,612
222. 7.9 Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987) 9,405
223. 7.9 Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 16,885
224. 7.9 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 47,470
225. 7.9 The Lost Weekend (1945) 3,986
226. 7.9 Rosemary's Baby (1968) 17,597
227. 7.9 The Thing (1982) 25,660
228. 7.9 The Searchers (1956) 13,437
229. 7.9 Brazil (1985) 39,343
230. 7.9 His Girl Friday (1940) 9,089
231. 7.9 Hotaru no haka (1988) 11,346
232. 7.9 Scarface (1983) 46,805
233. 7.9 Umberto D. (1952) 2,121
234. 7.9 No Man's Land (2001) 9,950
235. 7.9 Frankenstein (1931) 8,927
236. 7.9 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 92,381
237. 7.9 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 95,257
238. 7.8 Haine, La (1995) 8,618
239. 7.8 Ikiru (1952) 6,368
240. 7.8 Doctor Zhivago (1965) 13,699
241. 7.8 Central do Brasil (1998) 10,890
242. 7.8 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 13,244
243. 7.8 A Man for All Seasons (1966) 5,877
244. 7.8 Almost Famous (2000) 51,135
245. 7.8 Charade (1963) 12,286
246. 7.8 Planet of the Apes (1968) 26,376
247. 7.8 Harold and Maude (1971) 12,129
248. 7.8 The Insider (1999) 36,983
249. 7.8 Brokeback Mountain (2005) 52,564
250. 7.8 All the President's Men (1976) 16,993

Talk about how flawed this list is! This is the list as of 8/5/06.

See the list here

[captainofbeef]

Wow, its really great to see La Haine on their at 238. But otherwise, this list is the most flawed list out there. Pirates of the Carribean is on here for God's sake.

[blackmoses]

I hate this list!!!!!!!!!!!!

[criterionmaster]

Yes! There is so much shit on this list. So many new films while so many classics are not anywhere to be seen! Is Fanny and Alexander even on there!?

[blackmoses]

It was used to be. I don't think it is anymore?

[Nomansvally]

no F & A went from #180 something and gradually downwards about one and a half year ago. Damn shame, but one can't deny that this list is for the conventional/mainstream audience. It's really interesting to compare this top 250 and YMDB's top 250! They're different allright!

[misterbalco]

Hell, this list impresses me. It amazes me, no it REALY AMAZES ME how you guys ALWAYS rate a movie like Pulp Fiction or Shawshank Redemption really, REALLY high. You guys, all of you guys(including me, of course) have rated movies like that high, and yet, we turn right around and try to be snobby. Why do you guys hate this list. Star Wars is near the top, and you guys are calling this a 'flawed' list, and this website, of course, has a whole section dedicated to Star Wars. I dont like Star Wars, but you all love Star Wars, so you guys should be worshipping this list. Why are all of you trying to be something you are not, you all love these movies. I love a lot of these movies, but I can go and watch some art film mixed in with these films. Here are some films that i didnt expect to see here:
Rififi
Ikiru
Wild Strawberries
400 Blows
Some Chaplin Films
Battle of Algiers
Duck Soup

God, the list goes on.

Ill be the first to admit that i was impressed and surprised by this list, as I expected White Chicks to be in the top 5. Seriously, who are you guys trying to impress?

[criterionmaster]

Well it has too many new movies like Million Dollar Baby and Pirates of the Caribbean (sp?)! There are a lot I like but they are in a terrible order and it is more the movies that are left off.

[agentknight]

Yes, the IMDb top 250 is terrible.

[Nomansvally]

I'm not going to impress anyone, but in my situation when you watch alot of films and have done that many years, you get more critical after time - of things you dislike and things you like. Films like Star Wars was fun to watch as a child, but like playing with toys - it's something one can nevertheless outgrow. I ain't saying SW is bad at all, but subjectivly it's nothing for me anymore. I look for different things in films than just mere entertainment and having a fair time. When you have developed a sincere film-interest there are certain things you'll put behind and certain things you'll prefer to the other.

Now about the IMDB top-250, I'd say the majority of people in general watch films to get entertained (to escape reality) and does'nt care about the director/screenwriter whose behind the film nor how technically good a film is. Almost everybody I know wants to see films that "I don't have to think so much while watvhing" or "makes me laugh" or "stars that cool guy." That explains something why films like Pirates of the Caribbean and others are featured. Of course that's not neccessary a very bad thing, but I feel there's alot of films that's not so seen or popular who deserves alot of credit. Like Fanny Och Alexander or silentfilms. Anyway this is just my opinion. Therfore I don't like the IMDB top 250. A film like Sin City from 2005, a very popular film gets #62 and passes Rashômon at £63 whose probably been on the list many years is very wrong in my eyes, but then the masjority/popularity is the deciding force.

[ie]

I wanted to do the el bump on this discussion because I wanted to show how... not-so-bad the list is. Sure, there are the flukes toward the bottom, but let's take a look at the Top 20. (I'm still pissed the Seven Samurai dropped down to number 8, ruining the effect of the Seven Samurai and #7...)

IMDB:

12 Angry Men
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
City of God
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Godfather (1, 2)
Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Goodfellas
Lord of the Rings (1, 2, 3)
Once Upon a Time in the West
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Psycho
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window
Schindler's List
Seven Samurai
Shawshank Redemption
Star Wars (4, 5)
Usual Suspects

This is how the IMDB Top 20 looks without multiple entries, as of today. Notice how we have mostly timeless classics and contemporary classics. We also have a modern favorite or three, and also a decent amount of non-English movies. I haven't seen all of them, but I could imagine at least two to four have non-English scenes.


Now, let's compare the IMDB to the YMDB. People bitch about how the IMDB is sooo unfair. Did the YMDB balance things out, since not as many people sign up to give the latest CGI Family movie a 10/10 over there? After all, YMDB is your movie database, it should reflect your interests, or if we widen the scope slightly, the interests of movie buffs. No Pirates of the Caribbean here...

YMDB:

2001
A Clockwork Orange
Amelie
American Beauty
Apocalypse Now
Big Lebowski, The
Donnie Darko
Fight Club
Godfather (1, 2)
Goodfellas
Lord of the Rings (1, 2)
Matrix, The
Memento
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Se7en
Shawshank Redemption, The
Star Wars (4, 5)
Taxi Driver
Usual Suspects

Seven movies overlap. The remaining movies range from modern favorites to what the hell? These are decent to good movies, but definitely not Top 20 material. Also take note that there is only one non-English movie, the obligatory date movie, Amelie.

I say the YMDB's Top 20, hell, their Top 250, is worse than IMDB's. At least the IMDB doesn't feature X-Men: X2 or The Butterfly Effect in its Top 250, eh?

Here's how the lists overlap:

12 Angry Men IMDB
2001 YMDB
A Clockwork Orange YMDB
Amelie YMDB
American Beauty YMDB
Apocalypse Now YMDB
Big Lebowski, The YMDB
Casablanca IMDB
Citizen Kane IMDB
City of God IMDB
Donnie Darko YMDB
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb IMDB
Fight Club YMDB
Godfather (1, 2) IMDB
Godfather (1, 2) YMDB
Good, the Bad, the Ugly IMDB
Goodfellas IMDB
Goodfellas YMDB
Lord of the Rings (1, 2) YMDB
Lord of the Rings (1, 2, 3) IMDB
Matrix, The YMDB
Memento YMDB
Once Upon a Time in the West IMDB
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest IMDB
Psycho IMDB
Pulp Fiction IMDB
Pulp Fiction YMDB
Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB
Rear Window IMDB
Reservoir Dogs YMDB
Schindler's List IMDB
Se7en YMDB
Seven Samurai IMDB
Shawshank Redemption IMDB
Shawshank Redemption, The YMDB
Star Wars (4, 5) IMDB
Star Wars (4, 5) YMDB
Taxi Driver YMDB
Usual Suspects IMDB
Usual Suspects YMDB

Like what professor misterbalco was saying, so what if they missed Fanny and Alexander? Did you happen to see how many others they caught?


Overall, not perfect, but after the Seven Samurai led me into thinking of movies as more than mere entertainment, I used the IMDB Top 250 to get a start in checking out movies. I think probably about 50 movies on the list are either overrated or shouldn't even be on a list of this nature, but that leaves another 200 movies that are at least worth checking out.

You give someone interested in movies this list, like I gave myself a few months ago, and then send that person off to go find some movies, they'll check out some of these highly rated movies. Some could be busts in the form of the popular favorites I mentioned earlier, but a majority could be used as examples of why movies are so important to our society and to our lives.

[criterionmaster]

Yeah, well I never said that YMDB's list is good, that also sucks. Both lists are very flawed, YMDB gives a high number of points to films that are put number one, but if a film is number 2 on a list it gets little points. Anyways, IMDB, while I like tons of the movies on there it's still not good, because it is voted on by average movie-goers and not people who know something about film. You mention Seven Samurai, yes my 3rd favorite film, but the only reason it is up there is because it is one of the most popular foreign films, when people see it they feel special to have seen it, so they vote. And look at the other films, ALL three LOTR's!!!!? These are just films that people vote for, without taking into consideration the older, better films. While this list probably represents the average film-goers tastes, it is pretty pointless and flawed list to people who have been watching movies longer.

I am not going to say I didn't also use this list a lot before, I used to use it to prove points and the whole nine yards, but now looking back I realize how terrible it is. And look at some of the films that didn't make its ratings, some of the best of all-time are down in the 6 range, that sickens me.

[ie]

Well, I used YMDB to make IMDB look a little better.


Another good thing about the IMDB is that you can make fun sentences using the titles of the movies. Observe #104 on down:

Donnie Darko Ran (to) Fargo (after the) Crash (of) the Great Dictator, Finding Nemo. Once Upon a Time in America, (there were) Star Wars (against) the Wages of Fear. Cool Hand Luke (and) Princess Mononoke (had) the Sixth Sense, (and named it) Borat! Unforgiven (was) Annie Hall, (because she) Kill(ed) Bill! Oldboy Ben-Hur, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (were beat by UK outfit) Nights of Cabiria (with their song, V, V,) V For Vendetta. Back to the Future, Yojimbo! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (is) the Killing the Life of Brian (with) the Princess Bride (on) the Green Mile! The Deer Hunter (said) It Happened One Night (to the) Kind Hearts and Coronets (of) the Graduate (s of the) Platoon, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!


I could go on. And I should, but I won't, for now.

[PTAhole]

I think that the point of this list is for people just getting into film. And for that, it's fantastic. Who cares about the order? I would've gotten into Kurosawa a lot later had I not been looking at this list. It does its purpose.