Time for another movie based blog post this holiday season. Here's a list of my favorite movies in my favorite genre - crime thrillers which encompass heist movies, cop capers, gangster movies, horror sub-genre et-al. I'm sure those who like movies made by Scorsese, Tarantino, Fincher, RGV, Abbas Mustan would agree with the below list. Sorry for those who like superhero based or animation or gory or hard core action movies. Unfortunately those are not my cups of tea. The list comprises of English, Hindi movies, a Telugu, a Kannada and a Tamil movie.
25.Race (Hindi): Though it's not a superbly directed movie or sport a tremendous plot, this is one of those movies which completely sprung me off my seat in the theatre with unexpected twists sprinkled with bollywood dramebazi when I was least expecting. Trailers showing lead actors and actresses swapping also added to curiosity. Abbas-Mustan is undeniably one of the best Indian directors in the thriller genre
24. Pulp Fiction: I'm a big fan of Tarantino and I even liked his relatively unknown movies like Jackie Brown. Pulp Fiction doesn't come exactly under thriller flicks by the definition of it, it's a directorial trendsetter sorts of movie which directors worldwide like to copy (read RGV).
23.No Country for Old Men: It's more brutal than thrilling. I'm sure Bardem might've caused sleepless nights to many
22.Lucia (Kannada): I watched this movie after my wife's incessant awe and hard selling. This is one of those superb small budget movies from a relatively silent industries and hence couldn't have reached many from non-Kannada speaking moviegoers but the tight screenplay was an absolute delight. But a small thorn in the flesh is that the movie is eerily (!!!) similar to another favorite movie of mine which is in this list. Go find it !
21.Fast & Furious series: I started watching and liking the series since its 5th instalment and was awed by Paul Walker's presence. A typical no-brainer entertaining franchise with abundant melodrama and high adrenalin
20.The Silence of the Lambs: Again a fabulous movie where a girl deals with an intellectual cannibal to capture a maniac transgender serial killer. I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't watched an inferior Sangharsh earlier
19.Pizza (Tamil): Superb movie displaying unflinching story-telling prowess. Not a horror movie but the director made sure the audiences clasped their seats hard throughout the movie. But alas ! what a shitty sequel called Villa
18.The Exorcist: The only horror movie in the list not because it scared the hell out of me but for being an inspiration for all other horror movies which were churned out in last few decades. Haven't watched much of Hitchcock including his much spoken about Psycho but 'The Exorcist' reminds of every other horror movie ever made (or ahem may be the other way round).
17.Company (Hindi): RGV's finest movie till date and I'm sure he can't better that anymore. One of the most hard hitting and detailed screenplays ever in the Indian movie history. Thankfully RGV refrained from showing his eccentricities and over-confidence to salvage the flick
16.A Wednesday (Hindi): Mind Blowing direction and screenplay by a relatively unknown director but Naseeruddin Shah just nailed it the hardest way possible. But the director disappointed with his next movie Special 26. Hoping for him to recreate the magic in his upcoming "baby"
15.Shawshank Redemption: One of the best movies showcasing an emotion called "hope". The movie was not just a masterpiece but also grows on the audiences. Only Morgan Freeman could've done that role.
14.Goodfellas: Now I don't want to state the obvious that Martin Scorsese is God. He's one director who created lifetime marvel in each decade. Goodfellas is my favorite among his older movies. Robert De Niro proved why he was a legend.
13.The Godfather trilogy: I know most of the lists put 'The Godfather' right on the top but may be I was way too immuned to the magnificent plot which was sadly made a run of the mill story by those innumerable copies. I watched at least 10 movies with the same plot before watching the original. But I should admit that Al Pacino was head and shoulders above all those copycats. So were Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. These stalwarts gave me the impetus to watch many other classics like Scarface, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and relatively more recent Heat.
12.Ocean's Eleven: Why would anybody care the plot when George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon make audiences drool like never before. Though the movie is not an all time classic, it's for sure the best heist movies ever made. Dhoom series makers could've learnt a lesson or two from Danny Ocean and gang.
11.Drushyam (Telugu): A malayalam remake but I watched telugu version. One of the recent movies which hooked me well till end credits. Venkatesh must be lauded for coming out of his stupid fan-based predictable movies cocoon and trying this one.
10.Argo: Ben Affleck hit raw nerves in this Iran-set terrorist saga. Though many other middle east violence based movies hit the light, Argo was one which kept the adrenalin rush pumped up.
9.Gone Girl: When terrific director and actor like David Fincher and Ben Affleck come together, a thriller like Gone Girl happens. Unexpected twists and commendable performances make this movie a good one to watch
8.Se7en: David Fincher proved why he's in the big league. When tamil director Shankar too ripped off the movie to create a main plot of his movie Aparichitudu / Anniyan, it speaks a lot. Also when Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey share screen, it's sheer delight and thrilling.
7.Italian Job: What a heist, what a chase and what a plot ! Mark Wahlberg and co nail it down and how ! Must watch for all thriller, action, heist and caper fans
6.Omkara (Hindi): Nobody can judge Shakespeare's plotline but Vishal Bharadwaj created what according to me is one of the best movies Hindi movie industry has ever delivered. A casting coup aside, it's adaption to suit Hindi hinterland, the accent, canvass, duels can't be repeated. Omkara has been VB's best movie miles ahead of his much acclaimed Kaminey or Haider etc
5.Kill Bill: Quentin Tarantino's movies are gory, stylish and comical in equal proportions. A maverick trendsetting movie (again an original source for many RGV's movies) which experimented with musicals, animated subplots, two-volume series has to be the best revenge drama ever made. Though Uma Thurman ate the movie, it was Oren Ishi's one minute walk with background music of "Battle without Honor or Humanity" which stole the show :)
4.Shutter Island: Another of Scorsese who found his muse in Leonardo Dicaprio after Robert De Niro. Shutter Island is more of a psychological thriller than an action or a regular thriller. A must watch
3.The Departed: When Martin Scorsese wields the megaphone and Jack Nicholson, Leo Dicaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg compete to steal the show in a mole-undercover cat and mouse cop drama, there's no looking back. Though itself a remake of a chinese movie, 'The Departed' is an absolute casting coup and riveting drama. Could never get over it
2.Inglorious Basterds: Tarantino's best so far is only 1/3rd English and the rest was in French, German and a bit of Italian which I had to comprehend by reading subtitles more than watching the visuals and yet I felt it was splendid. A fictional tale based on Hitler's regime was too good to miss
1.Training Day: A mother of all gritty gangster-cop-drug war dramas has to be on top. Denzel Washington flick was directed by an ex-gangster who could pull off the stunt of recreating crime ridden LA shot in real notorious neighborhoods. One of a kind movie with tangential references to major organized gangs of LA never fails to raise goosebumps
These are the movies which I've seen but I'm sure they could be many more which I'm yet to watch. Couple of flicks on my immediate watch list are Mean Streets, The girl with dragon Tattoo.
Also some of the brilliant thrillers I could not accommodate in the list include Dev Anand-Vijay Anand's "Jewel Thief", Quentin's "Reservoir Dogs", Clint Eastwood's "The good, the bad and the ugly", Rob De Niro - Sean Connery - Kevin Costner's "The untouchables", Scorsese's "Gangs of new York", Tom Cruise's "mission Impossible" series, Valkyrie and the list goes on.
25.Race (Hindi): Though it's not a superbly directed movie or sport a tremendous plot, this is one of those movies which completely sprung me off my seat in the theatre with unexpected twists sprinkled with bollywood dramebazi when I was least expecting. Trailers showing lead actors and actresses swapping also added to curiosity. Abbas-Mustan is undeniably one of the best Indian directors in the thriller genre
24. Pulp Fiction: I'm a big fan of Tarantino and I even liked his relatively unknown movies like Jackie Brown. Pulp Fiction doesn't come exactly under thriller flicks by the definition of it, it's a directorial trendsetter sorts of movie which directors worldwide like to copy (read RGV).
23.No Country for Old Men: It's more brutal than thrilling. I'm sure Bardem might've caused sleepless nights to many
22.Lucia (Kannada): I watched this movie after my wife's incessant awe and hard selling. This is one of those superb small budget movies from a relatively silent industries and hence couldn't have reached many from non-Kannada speaking moviegoers but the tight screenplay was an absolute delight. But a small thorn in the flesh is that the movie is eerily (!!!) similar to another favorite movie of mine which is in this list. Go find it !
21.Fast & Furious series: I started watching and liking the series since its 5th instalment and was awed by Paul Walker's presence. A typical no-brainer entertaining franchise with abundant melodrama and high adrenalin
20.The Silence of the Lambs: Again a fabulous movie where a girl deals with an intellectual cannibal to capture a maniac transgender serial killer. I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't watched an inferior Sangharsh earlier
19.Pizza (Tamil): Superb movie displaying unflinching story-telling prowess. Not a horror movie but the director made sure the audiences clasped their seats hard throughout the movie. But alas ! what a shitty sequel called Villa
18.The Exorcist: The only horror movie in the list not because it scared the hell out of me but for being an inspiration for all other horror movies which were churned out in last few decades. Haven't watched much of Hitchcock including his much spoken about Psycho but 'The Exorcist' reminds of every other horror movie ever made (or ahem may be the other way round).
17.Company (Hindi): RGV's finest movie till date and I'm sure he can't better that anymore. One of the most hard hitting and detailed screenplays ever in the Indian movie history. Thankfully RGV refrained from showing his eccentricities and over-confidence to salvage the flick
16.A Wednesday (Hindi): Mind Blowing direction and screenplay by a relatively unknown director but Naseeruddin Shah just nailed it the hardest way possible. But the director disappointed with his next movie Special 26. Hoping for him to recreate the magic in his upcoming "baby"
15.Shawshank Redemption: One of the best movies showcasing an emotion called "hope". The movie was not just a masterpiece but also grows on the audiences. Only Morgan Freeman could've done that role.
14.Goodfellas: Now I don't want to state the obvious that Martin Scorsese is God. He's one director who created lifetime marvel in each decade. Goodfellas is my favorite among his older movies. Robert De Niro proved why he was a legend.
13.The Godfather trilogy: I know most of the lists put 'The Godfather' right on the top but may be I was way too immuned to the magnificent plot which was sadly made a run of the mill story by those innumerable copies. I watched at least 10 movies with the same plot before watching the original. But I should admit that Al Pacino was head and shoulders above all those copycats. So were Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. These stalwarts gave me the impetus to watch many other classics like Scarface, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and relatively more recent Heat.
12.Ocean's Eleven: Why would anybody care the plot when George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon make audiences drool like never before. Though the movie is not an all time classic, it's for sure the best heist movies ever made. Dhoom series makers could've learnt a lesson or two from Danny Ocean and gang.
11.Drushyam (Telugu): A malayalam remake but I watched telugu version. One of the recent movies which hooked me well till end credits. Venkatesh must be lauded for coming out of his stupid fan-based predictable movies cocoon and trying this one.
10.Argo: Ben Affleck hit raw nerves in this Iran-set terrorist saga. Though many other middle east violence based movies hit the light, Argo was one which kept the adrenalin rush pumped up.
9.Gone Girl: When terrific director and actor like David Fincher and Ben Affleck come together, a thriller like Gone Girl happens. Unexpected twists and commendable performances make this movie a good one to watch
8.Se7en: David Fincher proved why he's in the big league. When tamil director Shankar too ripped off the movie to create a main plot of his movie Aparichitudu / Anniyan, it speaks a lot. Also when Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey share screen, it's sheer delight and thrilling.
7.Italian Job: What a heist, what a chase and what a plot ! Mark Wahlberg and co nail it down and how ! Must watch for all thriller, action, heist and caper fans
6.Omkara (Hindi): Nobody can judge Shakespeare's plotline but Vishal Bharadwaj created what according to me is one of the best movies Hindi movie industry has ever delivered. A casting coup aside, it's adaption to suit Hindi hinterland, the accent, canvass, duels can't be repeated. Omkara has been VB's best movie miles ahead of his much acclaimed Kaminey or Haider etc
5.Kill Bill: Quentin Tarantino's movies are gory, stylish and comical in equal proportions. A maverick trendsetting movie (again an original source for many RGV's movies) which experimented with musicals, animated subplots, two-volume series has to be the best revenge drama ever made. Though Uma Thurman ate the movie, it was Oren Ishi's one minute walk with background music of "Battle without Honor or Humanity" which stole the show :)
4.Shutter Island: Another of Scorsese who found his muse in Leonardo Dicaprio after Robert De Niro. Shutter Island is more of a psychological thriller than an action or a regular thriller. A must watch
3.The Departed: When Martin Scorsese wields the megaphone and Jack Nicholson, Leo Dicaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg compete to steal the show in a mole-undercover cat and mouse cop drama, there's no looking back. Though itself a remake of a chinese movie, 'The Departed' is an absolute casting coup and riveting drama. Could never get over it
2.Inglorious Basterds: Tarantino's best so far is only 1/3rd English and the rest was in French, German and a bit of Italian which I had to comprehend by reading subtitles more than watching the visuals and yet I felt it was splendid. A fictional tale based on Hitler's regime was too good to miss
1.Training Day: A mother of all gritty gangster-cop-drug war dramas has to be on top. Denzel Washington flick was directed by an ex-gangster who could pull off the stunt of recreating crime ridden LA shot in real notorious neighborhoods. One of a kind movie with tangential references to major organized gangs of LA never fails to raise goosebumps
These are the movies which I've seen but I'm sure they could be many more which I'm yet to watch. Couple of flicks on my immediate watch list are Mean Streets, The girl with dragon Tattoo.
Also some of the brilliant thrillers I could not accommodate in the list include Dev Anand-Vijay Anand's "Jewel Thief", Quentin's "Reservoir Dogs", Clint Eastwood's "The good, the bad and the ugly", Rob De Niro - Sean Connery - Kevin Costner's "The untouchables", Scorsese's "Gangs of new York", Tom Cruise's "mission Impossible" series, Valkyrie and the list goes on.
1 comment:
I finally finished all the movies in the list... :)
Post a Comment