The Greatest 100 Movies of All Time
AMC Movie List

The Greatest 100 Movies of All Time

Filmsite.org's Tim Dirks has spotlighted the 100 all-time greatest movies, many of which have improved with time. How would you rank them? Vote below. Want to learn how Tim picked them? Click here.

rank title points votes your vote
1 The Shawshank Redemption
This life-affirming Stephen King adaptation stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman as two jailed prisoners who strike up a friendship. 4639 27123
2 The Godfather [Film Series]
The first two movies in Francis Ford Coppola's operatic Mafia series (starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino) are genre-defining classics. 4628 23606
3 Gone With the Wind
Victor Fleming’s 1939 star-studded Civil War tour de force finds Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh entangled in a fiery love affair. 2898 15314
4 Casablanca
Michael Curtiz’s critically beloved landmark 1942 romance stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in career-defining turns. 2789 15233
5 Star Wars [Film Series]
The first entry in George Lucas’s much-heralded fantastical space trilogy broke big technological ground as well as box-office records. 2704 20922
6 Schindler's List
Often considered Spielberg’s masterpiece, this wrenching drama starring Liam Neeson as the titular hero is based on true events. 2606 15350
7 Rear Window
Alfred Hitchcock’s voyeuristic triumph finds James Stewart and Grace Kelly navigating the twists and turns of a nail-biting thriller. 2381 11153
8 It's a Wonderful Life
This tale of a stricken average Joe (James Stewart) whose life is saved by an angel made director Frank Capra a household name. 2379 13613
9 Citizen Kane
Director and star Orson Welles’s masterful fictional biopic about the titular tycoon set a new standard for the movies that followed. 2343 12247
10 The Wizard of Oz
Victor Fleming’s timeless 1939 musical boasts some of the most loved songs in movie history as well as a star turn by Judy Garland. 2196 15434
11 To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee’s story is poignantly reimagined in this 1962 coming-of-age pic with a career-defining performance by Gregory Peck. 2148 12812
12 Psycho
Possibly the most influential thriller ever made, Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of a psychotic mama's boy (Anthony Perkins) hasn’t dimmed with age. 2071 11809
13 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nicholson as a crazy-sane mental patient is one of many fine performances that anchor Milos Forman’s adaptation. 1965 12345
14 Vertigo
James Stewart stars as the acrophobic detective at the heart of this 1958 tale of obsession also from the Hitchock canon. 1884 9556
15 Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino's stylish cult classic interweaves a series of vignettes about low-life criminals, lovers, and thugs. 1720 16682
16 North by Northwest
One of Hitchcock’s finest works of suspense, this mistaken-identity movie boasts crack performances by Cary Grant and James Mason. 1683 9107
17 Jaws
Steven Spielberg’s unforgettably terrifying flick brings Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss to their knees before a giant mechanical shark. 1527 13315
18 Taxi Driver
Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese make movie magic in the tale of a rage-filled New York cabbie bent on correcting the world’s injustices. 1511 10527
19 Apocalypse Now
Coppola’s nightmarish Vietnam epic, starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, redefines the war flick and the dangers of the jungle. 1346 10514
20 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s hypnotic, thought-provoking mind bender was revolutionary in 1968 and has been a sci-fi staple ever since. 1278 10526
21 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Spielberg’s feel-good 1982 hit stars Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas as young siblings who form a powerful bond with a cute alien. 1153 11437
22 Singin' in the Rain
The inimitable Gene Kelly directs and stars in one of the most beloved musicals of the fifties, opposite Jean Hagen and Debbie Reynolds. 1150 9076
23 Lawrence of Arabia
Peter O’Toole nabbed the Oscar for his first major role, in David Lean’s breathtakingly gorgeous 1962 biopic. 1056 8852
24 A Streetcar Named Desire
Marlon Brando’s portrayal of a brute in Elia Kazan’s intense adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play is the stuff of movie legend. 1041 7627
25 The Bridge on the River Kwai
Based on a true event, this 1957 war drama finds Alec Guinness’s British commander leading a perilous effort in the wilds of Burma. 1038 8566
26 On the Waterfront
Elia Kazan’s gritty, evocative drama has Marlon Brando as the former boxing champ who utters the famous line, “I coulda been a contender.” 1029 7517
27 The Grapes of Wrath
John Ford’s adaptation of the Steinbeck novel features one of Henry Fonda’s greatest performances ever. 1027 7751
28 Ben-Hur
This 1959 Charlton Heston classic tells the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur on an ambitious scale made evident by its famed chariot race. 1014 9398
29 Chinatown
Jack Nicholson’s world-weary gumshoe anchors Roman Polanski’s 1974 noir, also starring Faye Dunaway and John Huston. 1009 8185
30 The Graduate
Mike Nichols’s 1967 coming-of-age classic stars Anne Bancroft as the rapacious seductress of Dustin Hoffman’s naive Ben Braddock. 989 8807
31 Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder’s dark 1950 comedy features Gloria Swanson as an aging film queen and William Holden as her suitor. 969 7087
32 Notorious
Alfred Hitchcock’s ninth movie, starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, features many iconic moments, including that famous marathon kiss. 924 7046
33 Double Indemnity
One of Billy Wilder’s finest works, this classic noir stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck as co-conspirators in marital murder. 918 6764
34 All About Eve
This acerbic Oscar-sweeping drama stars Bette Davis as an aging Broadway dame and Anne Baxter as a scheming young social climber. 910 6976
35 Rebecca
The only Hitchcock movie with a Best Picture Oscar, this gothic mystery stars Laurence Olivier as a moody widower. 908 6954
36 Touch of Evil
Orson Welles’s offbeat 1958 thriller follows a narcotics agent (Charlton Heston) out to take down a corrupt old cop (Welles). 840 6576
37 Raging Bull
A visceral black-and-white drama about an aging boxer (Robert De Niro), Martin Scorsese’s 1980 flick is one of the best of its decade. 677 7905
38 The Maltese Falcon
John Huston’s influential noir mystery stars Humphrey Bogart as a hard-drinking gumshoe tracking the elusive titular statue. 642 7306
39 Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
In Kubrick’s satire, fears come true when a psychotic general starts an all-out nuclear war. 560 8310
40 The African Queen
Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn’s odd-couple chemistry anchors John Huston’s 1951 romantic adventure. 550 7480
41 High Noon
Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly are the married couple who add romance to this terse 1952 Western, a much-lauded classic of the genre. 550 6642
42 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Disney’s first full-length animated masterpiece is a classic fairy tale that won hearts (and an Oscar) in 1937. 538 8682
43 Some Like It Hot
Billy Wilder directs Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon in this wonderfully satirical 1959 work about two jazz musicians on the lam. 474 7576
44 King Kong
The pioneering 1933 horror-fantasy favorite stars Fay Wray as the comely blonde who entices the love-struck giant ape to his doom. 464 8394
45 Blade Runner
Ridley Scott’s moody futuristic thriller boasts stunning effects and unmissable performances by Harrison Ford and Sean Young. 462 9054
46 The Searchers
This complex Western, John Ford’s 1956 favorite, features the Duke in Indian territory on the hunt for his missing niece (Natalie Wood). 443 6875
47 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
This inspiring Frank Capra parable tells the story of a starry-eyed senator (James Stewart) who takes a stand against the political machine. 395 6663
48 Bonnie & Clyde
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the irresistible outlaws at the heart of Arthur Penn’s controversial, stylish 1967 flick. 350 6644
49 West Side Story
Star-crossed love gets the spotlight via Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. 290 7548
50 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
John Huston’s 1948 adventure stars Humphrey Bogart as one of three gold prospectors undone by their own good fortune. 229 6053
51 Fantasia
Disney’s legendary cartoon fantasy, which animates beloved selections of classical music, is still a freewheeling visual delight to this day. 133 7247
52 The Quiet Man
Lushly filmed on location in Ireland, John Ford’s gorgeous 1952 romance follows John Wayne as he travels to the country and finds a wife. 84 6294
53 Shane
A great cast (Alan Ladd, Jack Palance) anchors George Stevens’s 1953 Western about a lone gunman defending a pioneer family. 73 6023
54 Rebel Without a Cause
The drama that made James Dean an anti-hero for decades to come is also an unmissable snapshot of the fifties generation gap. 55 6473
55 Roman Holiday
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck's chemistry drives this old-fashioned courtship story, which was nominated for ten Oscars in 1953. 37 6077
56 It Happened One Night
Frank Capra’s madcap comedy pairs Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as a reporter and a socialite who fall in love despite the odds. 20 5704
57 The Best Years of Our Lives
William Wyler’s landmark 1946 drama follows three World War II vets, including Oscar winner Harold Russell, as they return home. 4 5522
58 Stagecoach
Amazing stuntwork and great turns by John Wayne and Thomas Mitchell drive John Ford’s genre-defining high-stakes 1939 Western. -43 5487
59 All Quiet on the Western Front
Lewis Milestone’s hugely popular adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's novel is the first great antiwar movie to be made with sound. -86 5548
60 The Philadelphia Story
George Cukor’s sophisticated romantic farce stars Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in a battle of societal wits. -138 5640
61 The Adventures of Robin Hood
This 1938 swashbuckling costume epic stars Errol Flynn in arguably his greatest role, as the titular prince of thieves. -194 6272
62 The Third Man
Carol Reed’s haunting 1949 mystery has too many iconic parts to mention plus a sardonic turn by Orson Welles as a man presumed dead. -195 5435
63 The Big Sleep
Howard Hawks’s classic noir sets the standard for private-detective flicks, with star turns by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. -394 4812
64 Red River
For Montgomery Clift’s first-ever role, he stars as the adoptive son of John Wayne’s vicious rancher in this Howard Hawks Western. -432 4830
65 The Wild Bunch
This controversial 1969 Western was one of the most brutal of its day with plenty of stomach-turning violence courtesy of Sam Peckinpah. -517 5199
66 Duck Soup
Packed with gags and zany humor, this 1933 comedy is one of the Marx brothers’ funniest, most surreal, and most beloved works. -537 5385
67 Modern Times
Charlie Chaplin bids farewell to silent comedy with this laugh-a-minute 1936 satire in which he plays a victimized factory worker. -558 5134
68 Midnight Cowboy
John Schlesinger’s gritty, provocative portrait of two unlikely friends provided career-defining roles for Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. -585 5491
69 Easy Rider
In Dennis Hopper’s generation-defining 1969 classic, he, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Fonda hit the road in search of nirvana. -603 6079
70 Bringing Up Baby
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant shine in the definitive screwball comedy of the thirties, courtesy of ace director Howard Hawks. -630 5052
71 The Night of the Hunter
Robert Mitchum’s performance drives this noirish thriller from director Charles Laughton about a psychopath prowling the Ohio River Valley. -633 4727
72 Paths of Glory
Stanley Kubrick delivers a powerfully bleak, predictably intense antiwar drama, starring Kirk Douglas, about a military incursion gone awry. -669 4749
73 My Darling Clementine
One of John Ford’s most riveting Westerns, this semi-historical work stars Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp and Walter Brennan as his foe. -699 4429
74 The Bride of Frankenstein
Boris Karloff’s iconic lurching monster meets his match in Elsa Lanchester in this darkly witty 1935 sequel to the horror classic. -743 4975
75 Yankee Doodle Dandy
James Cagney and Walter Huston star in this 1942 flag-waving musical biography of legendary composer George M. Cohan. -755 4809
76 Annie Hall
Widely considered Woody Allen’s finest work, this bittersweet New York romance posits Diane Keaton as his flighty, adorable foil. -778 6096
77 City Lights
Charlie Chaplin’s final and best silent film finds the Little Tramp helping a blind flower seller (Virginia Cherrill) regain her sight. -785 4945
78 A Night at the Opera
The first big-budget Marx brothers movie, this 1935 gem, about a group of wisecracking stowaways, is widely considered their best. -796 4762
79 Wuthering Heights
Laurence Olivier brings Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff to life in this brooding 1939 adaptation of the famous love story set on the moors. -826 4780
80 The General
Buster Keaton directs himself in this visually stunning 1926 silent comedy that many consider to be the amazing talent’s finest work. -834 4640
81 His Girl Friday
This hilarious battle-of-the-sexes romp is vintage Howard Hawks, full of bawdy double entendres quipped by Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant. -846 4636
82 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Mike Nichols’s directorial debut stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as the acerbic love-hate pair who dominate the story. -929 4825
83 The Gold Rush
Charlie Chaplin’s most critically acclaimed movie, this melodramatic silent work reimagines the Little Tramp as a prospector in the 1800s. -989 4521
84 Meet Me in St. Louis
Some of Judy Garland’s greatest songs are integrated into this upbeat, captivating 1944 musical from director Vincente Minnelli. -1055 4689
85 An American in Paris
One of the greatest musicals of the fifties, this colorful toe-tapping classic finds the grace and athleticism of Gene Kelly on full display. -1080 4610
86 Top Hat
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are in fine form for this gem, mixing romantic comedy, endless dancing, and a superb Irving Berlin score. -1278 4294
87 A Star Is Born
George Cukor’s classic tearjerker stars Judy Garland as a young singer whose marriage to an alcoholic film star ends in tragedy. -1594 4274
88 The Birth of a Nation
The first-ever feature-length silent movie, D. W. Griffith’s sweeping Lillian Gish-starring Civil War drama was a massive technological coup. -1633 4797
89 Out of the Past
Jacques Tourneur’s beguiling 1947 noir stars Robert Mitchum as a laconic private detective who falls under the spell of a femme fatale. -1854 3938
90 The Magnificent Ambersons
Orson Welles displays a refined touch in this 1942 costume drama about a nineteenth-century family’s struggles with the changing times. -1880 4134
91 42nd Street
This behind-the-scenes musical tells the story of a flailing producer (Warner Baxter) and a chorus girl (Ruby Keeler) who dreams of fame. -1886 4056
92 The Lady Eve
Barbara Stanwyck and Charles Coburn play the con artists against Henry Fonda’s millionaire in Preston Sturges’s still-fresh romantic comedy. -1900 4022
93 Sunrise
In F. W. Murnau’s American debut, this silent movie with roots in German Expressionism, a deadly love triangle is raised to the level of art. -1919 4067
94 Greed
Erich von Stroheim’s notorious silent-era production charts one man’s descent into insanity owing to his wife’s unending greed. -2095 3893
95 Ninotchka
This sparkling, delightfully witty Ernst Lubitsch romantic comedy was advertised, famously, as the movie in which “Garbo laughs!” -2151 4049
96 Intolerance
D. W. Griffith’s silent epic starring Lillian Gish is a series of vignettes remarkable for their exquisite sets, photography, and editing. -2357 4425
97 Trouble in Paradise
An exquisite, bubbly work by Ernst Lubitsch, this good-natured 1932 comedy follows a pair of con artists en route to romance. -2374 3916
98 Letter from an Unknown Woman
Max Ophuls’s 1948 tearjerker tells the story of the unspoken love of a woman (Joan Fontaine) for her neighbor (Louis Jourdan). -2479 4127
99 Nashville
Robert Altman’s country-music flick finds a colorful cast, including Shelley Duvall and Keith Carradine, converging in the title city. -2504 4538
100 The Crowd
King Vidor’s sad silent masterpiece stars James Murray and Eleanor Boardman as a young couple struggling to make ends meet. -2638 4528