Empire Magazine has just published their 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, the result of “the biggest movie poll of all time. The films were chosen by readers, a panel of Hollywood insiders (including Quentin Tarantino, Sam Mendes, Mike Leigh, Guillermo Del Toro, Pedro Almodovar and Cameron Crowe), and I was somehow included in their sample of 50 “key film critics”. Empire’s weblisting is rather hard to navigate, so I’ve included the top 10% (50 movies) below:

1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner,1980)
4. Shawsank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
5. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
6. GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
8. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)
9. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
10. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
11. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
12. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
13. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
14. Once Upon A Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
15. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2007)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
17. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
19. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
21. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
23. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)
25. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)
26. Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
27. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
28. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
29. Die Hard (John McTiernan 1988)
30. Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
31. Gone with The Wind (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood, 1939)
32. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
33. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)
35. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (James Cameron, 1991)
36. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)
37. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
38. Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)
39. The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999)
40. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
41. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959)
42. Kind Hearts And Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949)
43. The Big Lebowski (The Coen Brothers, 1998)
44. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
45. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
46. On The Waterfront (Elia Kazan 1954)
47. E.T. (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
49. Evil Dead 2 (Sam Raimi, 1987)
50. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

You can check out the full list on EmpireOnline.com/500.

  • Klaus Kinski
    There is only important Top Movie-List. Mine. And for you, yours.
  • Klaus Kinski
    i forgot the word "one". sorry.
  • ded
    don't get how jaws is no5, and seven samurai - no50
  • Jawmuncher
    This list is full of fail
  • Mikey
    This list is a joke.
  • Blackstar
    Can we get the full list somehow without having to load 499 web pages?
  • Daniel
    This list is beyond stupid.
  • aaron
    Evil Dead 2? The Big Lebowski? Seven Samurai?

    Best top movies list ever.
  • Ben
    Im shocked at number 15- TDK? Really? I loved it but I don't think I'd put it even in my top 30.
  • Nawid Ahrary
    The only point of listing movies like this is to get more people to see them. I wouldn't take any of it serious. Besides it's "greatest" movie of all time. What does that mean exactly? Influence? How much YOU liked it? Achievements? The greatest movie of all time is probably Citizen Kane but it is certainly not MY favorite nor is it near my favorites.
  • interesting list, to say the least...
  • Blackstar: http://www.cinemarealm.com/best-of-cinema/empir...

    I'm pretty sure they are lying, and in light of Judd Apatow signing up some untalented eighteen year-old to write a screenplay, Empire Magazine asked a film school student of the same age about their favorite films. Or they just asked people to name 500 movies and randomly arranged them.

    The fact that Anchorman is not only on this list, but at 113 lends credibility to the former theory.
  • Josh
    Er... wasn't The Dark Knight released in 2008?
  • John
    evil dead 2 is one of my personal favorites but mostly because its so bad....putting it in the top 50 movies of all time is kind of ridiculous

    also the fact that ive seen 90% of those movies scares me, its like crap..every movie i see from now on isnt gonna be good as the ones ive already seen (according to this flawed list)
  • Bill
    City of God isn't in the the top 150.

    FAIL
  • FilmFreak
    this list is terrible
    the only accurate placement is the godfather as number one
  • vincentvega
    seriously, i love evil dead 2, but are you joking? this list fails massively
  • TheLM
    Fairly diverse list, the only blatantly glaring omission is Waterworld.
  • vincentvega
    and since when is fellowship better than return? gay.
  • vincentvega
    and also, since when is fellowship better than return?
  • HOW do you wrap your brain around a TOP 500 list. CASINO ROYALE # 56 Thats a stetch! Im glad DIE HARD is in the top 25.
  • The Movie Guy
    The fact that Road To Perdition isn't on here is a travesty.
  • I don't think people understand how this list was compiled. They asked 10,000 readers, 150 directors, 50 film critics to list their top 10 movies. They didn't ask them to list the top 10 greatest movies of all time, but instead their top 10 favorite movies.

    I'm sure the picks on the film critics and directors lists counted for more than the reader submissions, although its not made clear. Now they took all the movies mentioned and ordered them in the amount of times listed. So the order of this list is not definitive. I think it is more the list itself, and broad sections of it (it the top 200).
  • downtownoul
    fight club at #10? seriously?
  • What the hell is wrong with these people? This looks like BRETT RATNER's favorite movie list.
  • Maverick
    paul thomas anderson is laughing somewhere in los angeles
  • smither
    What Bill said...epic fail...and Fight Club is right in my books...good list.
  • how did dark knight make it so high, It was good but not that good
  • goro
    Is this list upside-down or something?
  • Clint Barton
    One of the greatest films of all-time is listed at number 50: Seven Samurai.

    This is at LEAST a top ten film...

    If you haven't seen it, please go do so, you will not be disappointed...
  • Mikey
    Peter - if they told everyone who was polled to state their favorite movies, and Empire turned it into the greatest movies of all-time, then the list is severely misleading.

    They should have done a different section on fan favorites, then have a top movies list based on the opinions of the same people.

    There is a HUGE difference between "favorites" and the "best."

    i.e., my favorites:

    The Dark Knight
    A Christmas Story
    Almost Famous
    Ghostbusters
    Field of Dreams

    my best:
    The Godfather
    Raging Bull
    The Godfather Part II
    The Graduate
    Star Wars
  • Styder
    The French Connection is NOT on the list!! ;(
  • ungabunga
    It's lovely to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon nestled snugly between Back to the Future 2 and Superman Returns at #497, this close to being an also-ran. Empire always puts out the bestest, most funnest lists.
  • Goobity
    1. It's Empire Magazine
    2. It's other people's opinions...
    3. If you don't agree with the list of other people's opinions, remember that you are able to think for yourself.
    4. If your favorite didn't make the cut...make your own fucking list. :)
  • Matt
    there is no way the dark knight is #15 all time. whoever made this list is caught up in the mass hysteria.

    THIS LIST IS BEYOND EPIC FAILURE
  • Vobe
    no A Clockwork Orange? in my mind that should have been at least in the top 20
  • south texas terror
    how the hell did two LOTR movies get ranked ahead of Aliens?
  • Steve
    because there so much better
  • bob
    seriously this list is retarded.

    #499-SAW is better than #500 Ocean's Eleven?

    #453 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

    #449 Star Wars Episode 1?

    i'm sorry i can't continue reading this list. i have already laughed my ass off too much
  • Sean
    indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull is on this list

    LOL

    and its higher than full metal jacket

    fail
  • Seth
    They have "Cloverfield" and they have "King Kong".

    Yet no mention of the original 1954 version of "Godzilla".

    You'd think he would have at least appeared on the list somewhere.
  • Paul
    This list looks about right as a compilation of film geek faves. You just have to have fun with it and not take it too seriously.
  • Retroqqq
    where is Transformers i cant find it , please somebody help me please !
  • Myles
    I was posting this last week in the filmcast, the whole 500 is completely disconcerting.
  • AlexanderSupertramp
    This isn't the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time it's the 500 Greatest DVD's to watch when you don't have shit to do.
  • Nicholas Boyd
    Fight Club at 10?

    the Dark Knight so high up?
  • Batman
    ET not number 1? That movie has to be the most perfect movie ever made about an alien puppet. This list is ridiculous. RIDICULOUS!
  • They clearly just mixed the IMDb top 250 list with every movie ranging between 50-60% on rottentomatoes from the last 10 years. Then randomized it.
  • AJ
    The list isn't THAT bad, but it is PAINFULLY testosterone driven.
  • skaught
    95% american movies. 150 directors and 10,000 other people whose opinions w should respect couldnt get more than 4 or 5 in the top 100? this is the one problem i have with any of these lists, the massive american bias/worldly ignorance.
blog comments powered by Disqus