Top Ranked Religion, Sports, Art Films

These are the last remaining other genres before we get to all the drama films, which is the largest set of films mentioned with over 700 titles.

Religion has 9 in the top 1000, sports has 6, and art (or experimental) films 7.

Religion
1. Passion of Joan of Arc, The [Dreyer, Carl Theodor, 1928] #51 - France (silent)
2. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The [Pasolini, Pier Paolo, 1964] #103 - France-Italy [photo rt]
3. Ben-Hur [Wyler, William, 1959] #137 - US
4. Gandhi [Attenborough, Richard, 1982] #286 - UK
5. Black Narcissus [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger, 1946] #412 - UK
6. Nostalghia [Tarkovsky, Andrei, 1983] #623 - Italy
7. Winter Light [Bergman, Ingmar, 1962] #673 - Sweden
8. Flowers of St. Francis, The [Rossellini, Roberto, 1950] #867 - Italy
9. Last Temptation of Christ, The [Scorsese, Martin, 1988] #912 - US
10. Burmese Harp [Ichikawa, Kon, 1956] #1044 - Japan
11. Nazarín [Buñuel, Luis, 1959] #1082 - Mexico
12. Bells of St. Mary's, The [McCarey, Leo, 1945] #1256 - US

[It could also be argued that religion is an important theme in the science fiction films 2001 and Solaris] Passion is a bit melodramatic, being a silent film. Pasolini's Gospel manages to avoid that and tried to present one gospel as written. Black Narcissus is simply beautiful, a work of art. Where is Zefferelli's appealing story of St. Francis, Brother Sun and Sister Moon?

Sports
1. Raging Bull [Scorsese, Martin, 1980] #24 - US
2. Rocky [Avildsen, John G., 1976] #225 - US
3. Million Dollar Baby [Eastwood, Clint, 2004] #265 - US [photo rt]
4. Olympia [Riefenstahl, Leni, 1938] #532 - Germany
5. Chariots of Fire [Hudson, Hugh, 1981] #928 - UK
6. Offside [Panahi, Jafar, 2006] #974 - Iran
7. Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, The [Richardson, Tony, 1962] #1033 - UK
8. Breaking Away [Yates, Peter, 1979] #1219 - US
9. Hoop Dreams [James, Steve, 1994] #1263 - US

The surprise here is the omission of Pride of the Yankees, the Lou Gehrig story starring Gary Cooper. Also Field of Dreams - and the romantic comedy Bull Durham - so do critics just hate baseball movies?

Art or experimental films (no, not films about artists)
1. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [Akerman, Chantal, 1975] #146 – Belgium-France (3:20 long) - this film is very painful to sit through
2. La Jetee [Marker, Chris, 1961] #185 - France (short)
3. Un Chien Andalou [Buñuel, Luis, 1928] #256 - France (short)
4. Wavelength [Snow, Michael, 1967] #263 - Canada
5. Sans soleil [Marker, Chris, 1983] #465 - France
6. Werckmeister Harmonies [Tarr, Bela & Hranitzky, Agnes, 2000] #613 – Hungary-Ity-Gy-France
7. Tom, Tom the Piper's Son [Jacobs, Ken, 1969] #832 - US
8. Zorn's Lemma [Frampton, Hollis, 1970] #1093 - US
9. Too Early, Too Late [Straub, Jean-Marie & Danièle Huillet, 1982] #1146 - France-Egypt

These are an acquired taste, be warned. Un Chien Andalou is famous due to the collabaration of surrealist Salvador Dali, and some unforgettable images. La Jetee was paid homage in a David Bowie video; it is a short SciFi film made up of still images with a narrator reciting the story of a time traveler. Jeanne Dielman is 3 hrs, 20 minutes of a woman peeling potatoes, making meat loaf, taking a bath - a student could make better decisions when editing; they could use this one to make prisoners talk.

Top Ranked Political Films on the Net

Films about politicians, like JFK and All the King’s Men, or people who were caught up in the politics of their time, like The Conformist, To Be or Not To Be, and All the President’s Men. In some, the politics is just the background for the main story, such as Doctor Zhivago, Once Upon a Time in America or American History X, or may dominate the lives of all the characters like Brazil, The Lives of Others, and Gandhi. We even included propaganda like Triumph of the Will.

1. Citizen Kane [Welles, Orson , 1941] #5 US [photo top]
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [Kubrick, Stanley , 1964] #17 - UK
3. City Lights [Chaplin, Charles , 1931] #21 - US
4. Metropolis [Lang, Fritz , 1927] #23 - Germany
5. Manchurian Candidate, The [Frankenheimer, John , 1962] #43 - US
6. Birth of a Nation, The [Griffith, D.W. , 1915] #68 - US
7. Magnificent Ambersons, The [Welles, Orson , 1942] #75 - US
8. Conformist, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo , 1970] #76 - Italy-France-Germany
9. Great Dictator, The [Chaplin, Charles , 1940] #138 - US
10. Once Upon a Time in America [Leone, Sergio , 1984] #162 - US
11. Lives of Others, The [von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel , 2006] #163 - Germany
12. Killer of Sheep [Burnett, Charles , 1977] #174 - US
13. Les Enfants du paradis [Carné, Marcel , 1945] #184 - France
14. Brazil [Gilliam, Terry , 1985] #189 - UK [photo rt]
15. Berlin Alexanderplatz [Fassbinder, Rainer Werner , 1980] #197 - Germany
16. Sansho the Bailiff [Mizoguchi, Kenji, 1954] #204 - Japan
17. To Be or Not to Be [Lubitsch, Ernst , 1942] #257 - US
18. Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The [Rossellini, Roberto , 1966] #279 - France
19. Gandhi [Attenborough, Richard , 1982] #286 - UK
20. Day the Earth Stood Still, The [Wise, Robert , 1951] #323 - US
21. Strike [Eisenstein, Sergei , 1924] #328 - USSR
22. 39 Steps, The [Hitchcock, Alfred , 1935] #346 - UK
23. 1900 [Bertolucci, Bernardo , 1976] #367 - France-Germany-Italy
24. Voyage in Italy [Rossellini, Roberto , 1953] #387 - Italy
25. Doctor Zhivago [Lean, David , 1965] #401 - US
26. American History X [Kaye, Tony , 1998] #428 - US
27. Reds [Beatty, Warren , 1981] #429 - US [photo rt]
28. All the President's Men [Pakula, Alan J. , 1972] #432 - US
29. Triumph of the Will [Riefenstahl, Leni , 1935] #455 - Germany [photo btm rt]
30. Queen, The [Frears, Stephen , 2006] #481 - UK-Fr-Italy
31. Hotel Rwanda [George, Terry , 2004] #514 - US
32. Memories of Underdevelopment [Alea, Tomás Gutiérrez , 1968] #573 - Cuba
33. Moolaadé [Sembene, Ousmane , 2004] #616 - Senegal-France
34. Terra em Transe [Rocha, Glauber , 1967] #618 - Brazil
35. Young Mr. Lincoln [Ford, John , 1939] #653 - US
36. JFK [Stone, Oliver , 1991] #690 - US
37. Man for All Seasons, A [Zinnemann, Fred , 1966] #715 - UK
38. No End in Sight [Ferguson, Charles , 2007] #731 - US
39. Fog of War, The [Morris, Errol , 2003] #809 - US
40. Quiz Show [Redford, Robert , 1994] #811 - US
41. Tin Drum, The [Schlöndorff, Volker , 1979] #854 - Germany
42. Hitler: A Film from Germany [Syberberg, Hans-Jürgen , 1977] #858 - West Germany
43. Ten [Kiarostami, Abbas , 2002] #892 - Iran
44. Z [Costa-Gavras, Constantin , 1969] #903 - France
45. Shame (Skammen) [Bergman, Ingmar , 1968] #913 - Sweden
46. Shoeshine [De Sica, Vittorio , 1947] #915 - Italy
47. Mephisto [Szabó, István , 1981] #999 - Hungary
48. Street Fight [Curry, Marshall , 2005] #1001 - US
49. Lamerica [Amelio, Gianni , 1994] #1015 - Italy
50. Johnny Got His Gun [Trumbo, Dalton , 1971] #1022 - US
51. Trial, The [Welles, Orson , 1962] #1055 - Fr-Gy-Yugo-Italy
52. The Last Emperor [Bertolucci, Bernardo , 1987] #1056 - UK-Italy-China-France
53. Circle, The (Dayereh) [Panahi, Jafar , 2000] #1070 - Iran-Switz-Italy
54. Life of Emile Zola [Dieterle, William , 1937] #1096 - US
55. All the King's Men [Rossen, Robert , 1949] #1132 - US
56. Year of Living Dangerously, The [Weir, Peter , 1982] #1139 - Australia
57. Burnt by the Sun [Mikhalkov, Nikita , 1994] #1149 - Russia-France
58. My Friend Ivan Lapshin [Gherman, Alexei , 1984] #1203 - USSR
59. Good Night, and Good Luck. [Clooney, George , 2005] #1231 - US
60. A Face in the Crowd [Kazan, Elia , 1957] #1237 - US
61. One, Two, Three [Wilder, Billy , 1961] #1248 - US

Top Ranked History and Bio Films on the Net

Biopics
Film biographies that either tell the person’s entire life, such as The Last Emperor, or the most important years, like Lawrence of Arabia, Raging Bull, and Reds.

1. Raging Bull [Scorsese, Martin, 1980] #24 - US
2. Goodfellas [Scorsese, Martin, 1990] #31 - US
3. Lawrence of Arabia [Lean, David, 1962] #50 - UK
4. Spartacus [Kubrick, Stanley, 1960] #178 - US
5. Elephant Man, The [Lynch, David, 1980] #194 - US
6. Pianist, The [Polanski, Roman, 2002] #200 - Fr-Gy-UK-Poland
7. Patton [Shaffner, Frank, 1970] #203 - US
8. Napoléon [Gance, Abel, 1927] #232 - France
9. Gandhi [Attenborough, Richard, 1982] #286 - UK
10. Alexander Nevsky [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1938] #374 - USSR
11. Reds [Beatty, Warren, 1981] #429 - US
12. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The [Schnabel, Julian, 2008] #443 - France-US
13. Downfall [Hirschbiegel, Oliver, 2004] #484 - Germany
14. Braveheart [Gibson, Mel, 1995] #508 - US
15. Shine [Hicks, Scott, 1996] #574 - Australia
16. Crumb [Zwigoff, Terry, 1994] #610 - US
17. Topsy-Turvy [Leigh, Mike, 1999] #662 - UK
18. Man on Wire [Marsh, James, 2008] #712 - UK-US
19. A Man for All Seasons [Zinnemann, Fred, 1966] #715 - UK
20. Ed Wood [Burton, Tim, 1994] #724 - US
21. Ludwig [Visconti, Luchino, 1972] #750 - France-Germany-Italy
22. Hôtel Terminus [Ophüls, Marcel, 1988] #760 - US
23. Puppetmaster, The [Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 1993] #818 - Taiwan
24. Seraphine [Provost, Martin, 2008] #896 - France-Belg
25. Before Night Falls [Schnabel, Julian, 2000] #949 - US
26. The Last Emperor [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1987] #1056 - UK-Italy-China-France
27. 24 Hour Party People [Winterbottom, Michael, 2002] #1063 - US
28. Life of Emile Zola [Dieterle, William, 1937] #1096 - US
29. Childhood of Maxim Gorky, The [Donskoi, Mark, 1938] #1123 - Russia
30. The Killing Fields [Joffé, Roland, 1984] #1141 - US
31. Wings of Eagles, The [Ford, John, 1957] #1174 - US
32. My Apprenticeship (Gorky Trilogy II) [Donskoi, Mark, 1939] #1176 - USSR
33. Sheltering Sky, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1990] #1265 - UK-Italy
34. Testament of Orpheus [Cocteau, Jean, 1960] #1277 - France

History
Films about a historical event, such as Battleship Potemkin, era, or culture, such as Barry Lyndon. This includes biopics of people important in history, such as T.E. Lawrence, or George S. Patton. We also included films about events that were based on eyewitness accounts so they are believed to be accurate, like A Man Escaped and United 93.

1. Lawrence of Arabia [Lean, David, 1962] #50 - UK
2. Passion of Joan of Arc, The [Dreyer, Carl Theodor, 1928] #51 - France
3. Intolerance [Griffith, D.W., 1916] #64 - US
4. Battleship Potemkin [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1925] #100 - France
5. Barry Lyndon [Kubrick, Stanley, 1975] #101 - UK
6. The Battle of Algiers [Pontecorvo, Gillo, 1966] #132 - Italy-Algiers
7. A Man Escaped [Bresson, Robert, 1956] #151 - France
8. Spartacus [Kubrick, Stanley, 1960] #178 - US
9. The Pianist [Polanski, Roman, 2002] #200 - Fr-Gy-UK-Poland
10. Patton [Shaffner, Frank, 1970] #203 - US 11. October [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1927] #222 - USSR
12. Napoléon [Gance, Abel, 1927] #232 - France
13. Andrei Rublev [Tarkovsky, Andrei, 1966] #282 - Russia
14. Gandhi [Attenborough, Richard, 1982] #286 - UK
15. Letters from Iwo Jima [Eastwood, Clint, 2006] #339 - US
16. Ivan the Terrible, Part One [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1944] #357 - Russia
17. Alexander Nevsky [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1938] #374 - USSR
18. Tree of Wooden Clogs, The [Olmi, Ermanno, 1978] #404 - Italy
19. Henry V [Olivier, Laurence, 1944] #409 - UK
20. Ivan the Terrible, Part Two [Eisenstein, Sergei, 1946] #416 - USSR
21. All the President's Men [Pakula, Alan J., 1972] #432 - US
22. Downfall [Hirschbiegel, Oliver, 2004] #484 - Germany
23. Salvatore Giuliano [Rosi, Francesco, 1961] #495 - Italy
24. Scarlet Empress, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1934] #504 - US
25. A City of Sadness [Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 1989] #510 - Taiwan
26. Don't Look Back [Pennebaker, D.A., 1967] #545 - US
27. The Right Stuff [Kaufman, Philip, 1983] #549 - US
28. Judgment at Nuremberg [Kramer, Stanley, 1961] #582 - US
29. Young Mr. Lincoln [Ford, John, 1939] #653 - US
30. Bloody Sunday [Greengrass, Paul, 2002] #658 - US
31. United 93 [Greengrass, Paul, 2006] #687 - US
32. House of Flying Daggers [Zhang Yimou, 2004] #711 - China
33. A Man for All Seasons [Zinnemann, Fred, 1966] #715 - UK
34. Ludwig [Visconti, Luchino, 1972] #750 - France-Germany-Italy
35. Storm Over Asia [Pudovkin, Vsevolod, 1928] #754 - Russia
36. Overlord [Cooper, Stuart, 1975] #764 - UK
37. Glory [Zwick, Edward, 1989] #788 - US
38. Heimat (Homeland) [Reitz, Edgar, 1984] #824 - Germany
39. Princess Yang Kwei Fei (Yokihi) [Mizoguchi, Kenji, 1955] #829 - Japan-Hong Kong
40. Mother (Mat) [Pudovkin, Vsevolod, 1926] #856 - USSR
41. Seraphine [Provost, Martin, 2008] #896 - France-Belg
42. Z [Costa-Gavras, Constantin, 1969] #903 - France
43. Carnival in Flanders [Feyder, Jacques, 1935] #970 - France
44. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The [Butler, George, 2000] #971 - Sw-UK-Gy-US
45. Festival Express [Smeaton & Cvitanovich, 2003] #987 - UK-Neth
46. The Last Emperor [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1987] #1056 - UK-Italy-China-France
47. Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience [Howard, Ron, 1995] #1057 - US
48. The Marquise of O [Rohmer, Eric, 1976] #1085 - France
49. In the Shadow of the Moon [Sington, David, 2007] #1094 - US
50. Mutiny on the Bounty [Lloyd, Frank, 1935] #1116 - US
51. The Killing Fields [Joffé, Roland, 1984] #1141 - US
52. Samson and Delilah [DeMille, Cecil B., 1949] #1210 - US
53. Simon of the Desert [Buñuel, Luis, 1965] #1217 - Mexico
54. Good Night, and Good Luck. [Clooney, George, 2005] #1231 - US
55. Woodstock [Wadleigh, Michael, 1970] #1233 - US
56. Cyrano de Bergerac [Rappeneau, Jean-Paul, 1990] #1242 - France
57. Queen Christina [Mamoulian, Rouben, 1933] #1269 - US

Docudrama
True events were the basis for a drama, which may or may not have remained accurate, such as French Connection or Scarface, or which we know to have been a fiction based real events, such as Amadeus or The Queen, or even based on theory (JFK, Missing).

1. Amadeus [Forman, Milos, 1984] #63 - US
2. Dog Day Afternoon [Lumet, Sidney, 1975] #175 - US
3. Close-Up [Kiarostami, Abbas, 1990] #190 - Iran
4. Million Dollar Baby [Eastwood, Clint, 2004] #265 - US
5. Badlands [Malick, Terrence, 1973] #271 - US
6. Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The [Rossellini, Roberto, 1966] #279 - France
7. Scarface [Hawks, Howard, 1932] #440 - US
8. The French Connection [Friedkin, William, 1971] #441 - US
9. Queen, The [Frears, Stephen, 2006] #481 - UK-Fr-Italy
10. Braveheart [Gibson, Mel, 1995] #508 - US
11. Hotel Rwanda [George, Terry, 2004] #514 - US
12. The Right Stuff [Kaufman, Philip, 1983] #549 - US
13. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser [Herzog, Werner, 1974] #572 - West Germany
14. Into the Wild [Penn, Sean, 2007] #588 - US
15. Class, The [Cantet, Laurent, 2008] #597 - France
16. Waltz with Bashir [Folman, Ari, 2008] #633 - Israel
17. Devils, The (of Loudun) [Russell, Ken, 1971] #685 - UK
18. JFK [Stone, Oliver, 1991] #690 - US
19. Changeling [Eastwood, Clint, 2008] #739 - US
20. Capote [Miller, Bennett, 2005] #761 - Canada-Us
21. Quiz Show [Redford, Robert, 1994] #811 - US
22. Boys Don't Cry [Pierce, Kimberly, 1999] #877 - US
23. Chariots of Fire [Hudson, Hugh, 1981] #928 - UK
24. Thin Blue Line, The [Morris, Errol, 1988] #979 - US
25. Forbidden Lie$ [Broinowski, Anna, 2007] #1031 - Australia
26. My Winnipeg [Maddin, Guy, 2007] #1098 - Canada
27. Missing [Costa-Gavras, Constantin, 1982] #1099 - US
28. Insider [Mann, Michael, 1999] #1104 - US
29. Louisiana Story [Flaherty, Robert, 1948] #1230 - US

Top Ranked Film Noir

Film noir, for initiates, is a French term meaning literally "night film". The style is generally credited to American filmmakers creating this style for soldiers returning from WW2 around 1943-45 who expected more realistic, less optimistic subjects than traditional upbeat 'Hollywood ending' films. Some academics say it began with Billy Wilders Double Indemnity in 1944, some point to even earlier examples from the thirties.

The initial films did take place mostly at night, or in dimly lit interiors; the characters usually smoked and drank whenever possible; and the genre is usually classified by having a lead character with questionable ethics, and often low self-esteem if not downright self-loathing.

The genre caught on worldwide, especially in Europe where the French seemed to have made nothing but noir films for awhile, but even Kurosawa paid tribute himself in Japan. The "true" film noir movie should be in black and white, and made before 1960, but sometimes more modern noir still emulates this style, such as Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, Sin City, and The Departed. I'm using the IMDB genre designation for these.

1. Sunset Boulevard [Wilder, Billy, 1950] #14 - US [photo top]
2. Third Man, The [Reed, Carol, 1948] #15 - UK
3. Touch of Evil [Welles, Orson, 1958] #30 - US
4. Night of The Hunter, The [Laughton, Charles, 1955] #35 - US
5. Notorious [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1946] #42 - US
6. Double Indemnity [Wilder, Billy, 1944] #56 - US [photo rt]
7. Maltese Falcon, The [Huston, John, 1941] #71 - US
8. Shadow of a Doubt [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1943] #104 - US
9. Strangers on a Train [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1951] #121 - US
10. Big Sleep, The [Hawks, Howard, 1946] #123 - US

11. Sweet Smell of Success [Mackendrick, Alexander, 1957] #133 - US
12. Wages of Fear, The [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1952] #134 - France-Italy
13. Laura [Preminger, Otto, 1944] #169 - US
14. Blue Velvet [Lynch, David, 1986] #231 - US
15. Out of the Past [Tourneur, Jacques, 1947] #238 - US [photo rt]
16. Rocco and His Brothers [Visconti, Luchino, 1964] #239 - Italy-France
17. White Heat [Walsh, Raoul, 1949] #327 - US
18. Killing, The [Kubrick, Stanley, 1956] #329 - US
19. Kiss Me Deadly [Aldrich, Robert, 1955] #341 - US
20. Asphalt Jungle, The [Huston, John, 1950] #350 - US

21. Shoot the Piano Player [Truffaut, François, 1960] #393 - France
22. To Have and Have Not [Hawks, Howard, 1944] #410 - US
23. Big Heat, The [Lang, Fritz, 1953] #466 - US
24. Mulholland Dr. [Lynch, David, 2001] #477 - France-US
25. Odd Man Out [Reed, Carol, 1947] #478 - UK
26. Detour [Ulmer, Edgar G. 1945] #493US
27. High and Low [Kurosawa, Akira, 1963] #515 -Japan

28. Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female) [Lewis, Joseph H. , 1950] #583 -US [photo rt]
29. Ace in the Hole [Wilder, Billy, 1951] #604 -US
30. Lady from Shanghai, The [Welles, Orson, 1947] #615 -US
31. Bob le flambeur [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1956] #767 -France
32. Woman in the Window, The [Lang, Fritz, 1944] #775 -US
33. They Live by Night [Ray, Nicholas, 1948] #785 -US
34. Pickup on South Street [Fuller, Sam, 1953] #823 -US
35. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang [LeRoy, Mervyn, 1932] #830 -US
36. Big Deal on Madonna Street [Monicelli, Mario, 1958] #911 -Italy
37. While the City Sleeps [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #951 -US
38. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #1005 -US
39. Shanghai Gesture, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1941] #1024 -US
40. Force of Evil [Polonsky, Abraham, 1948] #1160 -US
41. Killers [Siodmak, Robert, 1946] #1163 -US
42. Leave Her to Heaven [Stahl, John M. , 1945] #1165 -US
43. Moonrise [Borzage, Frank, 1948] #1215 -US
44. Angel Face [Preminger, Otto, 1952] #1254 -US
45. Rififi [Dassin, Jules, 1955] #1260 -France

Here is the IMDB top fifty film-noir as voted by users, such as myself (I'm a regular voter there). For some reason, they actually include the western The Ox-Bow Incident, but not me, that's a bit of a stretch.

I would also add: D.O.A. (the original bw one), Panic in the Streets
Modern Noir: Chinatown, Blue Velvet, Pulp Fiction, L.A. Confidential, The Conformist, The Departed, Sin City, Diva, La Femme Nikita, Shanghai Triad, The Long Goodbye

No film noir movie has ever won the best picture Oscar®, but these have been nominated: Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, and Sunset Boulevard (which probably came the closest to winning). Modern noir films that were nominated were Pulp Fiction, L.A. Confidential, and Chinatown.

Top Ranked Crime Films on the Net

These are all the crime films from our survey of internet film polls. Similar to comedy there are 232 mentioned, with 191 making the top 1000. Our next post will show just the FILM NOIR sub-genre. Francis Ford Coppola [photo rt] has two of the top four here.

Top Ranked Crime Films

1. The Godfather [Coppola, Francis, 1972] #1 - US [photo rt] [AA]
2. Chinatown [Polanski, Roman, 1974] #3 - US
3. Vertigo [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1958] #6 - US
4. The Godfather: Part II [Coppola, Francis, 1974] #9 - US [AA]
5. M [Lang, Fritz, 1931] #11 - Germany
6. Taxi Driver [Scorsese, Martin, 1976] #12 - US
7. Sunset Boulevard [Wilder, Billy, 1950] #14 - US
8. Third Man, The [Reed, Carol, 1948] #15 - UK [photo below rt]
9. Bicycle Thief, The [De Sica, Vittorio, 1949] #16 - Italy
10. North by Northwest [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1959] #19 - US

11. Pulp Fiction [Tarantino, Quentin, 1995] #20 - US
12. Rashomon [Kurosawa, Akira, 1950] #22 - Japan
13. Touch of Evil [Welles, Orson, 1958] #30 - US
14. Goodfellas [Scorsese, Martin, 1990] #31 - US
15. Night of The Hunter, The [Laughton, Charles, 1955] #35 - US [photo btm]
16. Notorious [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1946] #42 - US
17. Manchurian Candidate, The [Frankenheimer, John, 1962] #43 - US 18. L.A. Confidential [Hanson, Curtis, 1997] #45 - US
19. Rear Window [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1954] #52 - US
20. Double Indemnity [Wilder, Billy, 1944] #56 - US
21. 400 Blows, The [Truffaut, François, 1959] #60 - France
22. Fargo [Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996] #61 - US
23. On the Waterfront [Kazan, Elia, 1954] #67 - US [AA]
24. Maltese Falcon, The [Huston, John, 1941] #71 - US
25. Conformist, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1970] #76 - Italy-France-Germany

26. The Silence of the Lambs [Demme, Jonathan, 1991] #90 - US [AA]
27. Shadow of a Doubt [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1943] #104 - US
28. Bonnie and Clyde [Penn, Arthur, 1967] #105 - US
29. Do The Right Thing [Lee, Spike, 1989] #112 - US
30. Casino [Scorsese, Martin, 1995] #115 - US
31. The Conversation [Coppola, Francis, 1974] #120 - US [Grand Prize, Cannes]
32. Strangers on a Train [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1951] #121 - US
33. Big Sleep, The [Hawks, Howard, 1946] #123 - US
34. 12 Angry Men [Lumet, Sidney, 1957] #124 - US
35. Wages of Fear, The [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1952] #134 - France-Italy
36. Nights of Cabiria [Fellini, Federico, 1957] #136 - Italy-France
37. American Beauty [Mendes, Sam, 1999] #139 - US [AA]
38. Mean Streets [Scorsese, Martin, 1973] #142 - US
39. Hustler, The [Rossen, Robert, 1961] #153 - US
40. Shawshank Redemption, The [Darabont, Frank, 1994] #155 - US











41. Network [Lumet, Sidney, 1976] #157 - US [photo above]
42. Once Upon a Time in America [Leone, Sergio, 1984] #162 - US
43. Lives of Others, The [von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel, 2006] #163 - Germany
44. Diaboliques, Les [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1955] #164 - France
45. No Country for Old Men [Coen Ethan and Joel, 2007] #166 - US [AA]
46. Laura [Preminger, Otto, 1944] #169 - US
47. Usual Suspects, The [Singer, Bryan, 1995] #170 - US
48. Yojimbo [Kurosawa, Akira, 1961] #172 - Japan
49. Dog Day Afternoon [Lumet, Sidney, 1975] #175 - US
50. Breathless [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1959] #179 - France

51. There Will Be Blood [Anderson, Paul Thomas, 2007] #181 - US
52. Easy Rider [Hopper, Dennis, 1969] #191 - US
53. City of God [Meirelles, Fernando, 2002] #192 - Brazil-Germany-France
54. Reservoir Dogs [Tarantino, Quentin, 1991] #201 - US
55. Performance [Roeg, Nicolas/Donald Cammell, 1970] #202 - UK
56. Thelma & Louise [Scott, Ridley, 1991] #208 - US
57. Scarface [De Palma, Brian, 1982] #211 - US
58. Heat [Mann, Michael, 1995] #229 - US
59. Blue Velvet [Lynch, David, 1986] #231 - US
60. Slumdog Millionaire [Boyle, Danny, 2008] #234 - US [AA]
61. Out of the Past [Tourneur, Jacques, 1947] #238 - US
62. Rocco and His Brothers [Visconti, Luchino, 1964] #239 - Italy-France
63. Die Hard [McTiernan, John, 1988] #243 - US
64. Blow-Up [Antonioni, Michelangelo, 1966] #244 - Italy-UK
65. Le Jour se lève [Carné, Marcel, 1939] #255 - France
66. Badlands [Malick, Terrence, 1973] #271 - US
67. Fight Club [Fincher, David, 1999] #275 - US-Germany
68. Rebel Without a Cause [Ray, Nicholas, 1955] #285 - US
69. The Departed [Scorsese, Martin, 2007] #292 - US [AA]
70. Midnight Cowboy [Schlesinger, John, 1969] #294 - US [AA]
71. Lady Vanishes, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1938] #295 - UK
72. Anatomy of a Murder [Preminger, Otto, 1959] #297 - US
73. Don't Look Now [Roeg, Nicolas, 1973] #306 - UK
74. Deliverance [Boorman, John, 1972] #314 - US
75. In the Heat of the Night [Jewison, Norman, 1967] #325 - US

76. White Heat [Walsh, Raoul, 1949] #327 - US
77. Killing, The [Kubrick, Stanley, 1956] #329 - US
78. Player, The [Altman, Robert, 1992] #338 - US
79. Kiss Me Deadly [Aldrich, Robert, 1955] #341 - US
80. 39 Steps, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1935] #346 - UK
81. Boogie Nights [Anderson, Paul Thomas, 1997] #349 - US
82. Asphalt Jungle, The [Huston, John, 1950] #350 - US
83. Dead Ringers [Cronenberg, David, 1988] #355 - Canada
84. Le Samouraï [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1967] #358 - France
85. Trainspotting [Boyle, Danny, 1995] #360 - UK
86. Memento [Nolan, Christopher, 2000] #361 - US [photo rt]
87. In a Lonely Place [Ray, Nicholas, 1950] #366 - US
88. Peeping Tom [Powell, Michael, 1960] #368 - UK
89. Los Olvidados [Buñuel, Luis, 1950] #371 - Mexico
90. Band of Outsiders [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1964] #375 - France
91. King of Comedy, The [Scorsese, Martin, 1982] #377 - US
92. Paris, Texas [Wenders, Wim, 1984] #390 - US
93. Shoot the Piano Player [Truffaut, François, 1960] #393 - France
94. Cool Hand Luke [Rosenberg, Stuart, 1967] #399 - US
95. To Have and Have Not [Hawks, Howard, 1944] #410 - US
96. Crying Game, The [Jordan, Neil, 1992] #414 - UK
97. Se7en [Fincher, David, 1995] #420 - US
98. Léon [Besson, Luc, 1994] #421 - France
99. American History X [Kaye, Tony, 1998] #428 - US
100. Place in the Sun, A [Stevens, George, 1951] #431 - US

101. All the President's Men [Pakula, Alan J., 1972] #432 - US
102. Scarface [Hawks, Howard, 1932] #440 - US
103. The French Connection [Friedkin, William, 1971] #441 - US [AA]
104. L'Argent [Bresson, Robert, 1983] #442 - France-Switzerland









105. Requiem for a Dream [Aronofsky, Darren, 2000] #463 - US [photo above, one of the best post-2000 films]
106. Big Heat, The [Lang, Fritz, 1953] #466 - US
107. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The [Renoir, Jean, 1936] #469 - France 108. Point Blank [Boorman, John, 1967] #473 - US 109. Gran Torino [Eastwood, Clint, 2008] #474 - US
110. Mulholland Dr. [Lynch, David, 2001] #477 - France-US
111. Odd Man Out [Reed, Carol, 1947] #478 - UK
112. Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler [Lang, Fritz, 1922] #487 - Germany
113. Amores perros [Inarritu, Alejandro Gonzalez, 2000] #489 - Mexico
114. Atlantic City [Malle, Louis, 1980] #490 - Canada-France
115. Detour [Ulmer, Edgar G., 1945] #493 - US
116. Salvatore Giuliano [Rosi, Francesco, 1961] #495 - Italy
117. Sin City [Rodgriguez, Robert, 2005] #503 - US
118. Rope [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1948] #505 - US
119. High and Low [Kurosawa, Akira, 1963] #515 - Japan
120. Green Mile, The [Darabont, Frank, 1999] #528 - US
121. Chungking Express [Wong Kar-Wai, 1994] #533 - Hong Kong [photo rt]
122. Casque d'or [Becker, Jacques, 1952] #543 - France
123. Long Goodbye, The [Altman, Robert, 1973] #544 - US
124. Dirty Harry [Siegel, Don, 1971] #546 - US
125. Accattone [Pasolini, Pier Paolo, 1961] #551 - Italy

126. Witness for the Prosecution [Wilder, Billy, 1957] #558 - US
127. Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The [Cassavetes, John, 1976] #567 - US
128. Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female) [Lewis, Joseph H., 1950] #583 - US
129. Reversal of Fortune [Schroeder, Barbet, 1990] #587 - US
130. Ace in the Hole [Wilder, Billy, 1951] #604 - US
131. Le Boucher [Chabrol, Claude, 1970] #611 - France
132. Mystic River [Eastwood, Clint, 2003] #612 - US [photo rt]
133. The Lady from Shanghai [Welles, Orson, 1947] #615 - US
134. Foolish Wives [von Stroheim, Erich, 1922] #634 - US
135. Blow Out [De Palma, Brian, 1981] #646 - US
136. Sleuth [Mankiewicz, Joseph L., 1972] #647 - US
137. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels [Ritchie, Guy, 1998] #672 - UK
138. JFK [Stone, Oliver, 1991] #690 - US
139. Ossessione [Visconti, Luchino, 1943] #696 - Italy
140. Dial M for Murder [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1954] #701 - US
141. Fox and His Friends [Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, 1975] #708 - Germany
142. In Bruges [McDonagh, Martin, 2008] #709 - UK
143. Killer, The [Woo, John, 1989] #710 - Hong Kong
144. Pépé le Moko [Duvivier, Julien, 1937] #719 - France
145. Picnic at Hanging Rock [Weir, Peter, 1975] #732 - Australia
146. Changeling [Eastwood, Clint, 2008] #739 - US
147. Crash [Haggis, Paul, 2004] #752 - US
148. Capote [Miller, Bennett, 2005] #761 - Canada-Us
149. Bob le flambeur [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1956] #767 - France
150. Time of the Gypsies [Kusturica, Emir, 1988] #769 - Yugoslavia

151. Woman in the Window, The [Lang, Fritz, 1944] #775 - US
152. Get Carter [Hodges, Mike, 1971] #777 - UK
153. They Live by Night [Ray, Nicholas, 1948] #785 - US
154. L'Enfant (The Child) [Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc, 2005] #795 - France
155. Traffic [Soderbergh, Steve, 2000] #798 - US [four Oscars, incl director]
156. Gomorra [Garrone, Matteo, 2008] #806 - Italy
157. Quiz Show [Redford, Robert, 1994] #811 - US
158. Fat City [Huston, John, 1972] #819 - US
159. Hana-Bi [Kitano, Takeshi, 1997] #820 - Japan
160. Maria Full of Grace [Marston, Joshua, 2004] #821 - Columbia-US
161. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang [LeRoy, Mervyn, 1932] #830 - US
162. Short Film About Killing, A [Kieslowski, Krszystof, 1988] #845 - Poland
163. Verdict, The [Lumet, Sidney, 1982] #849 - US
164. 47 Ronin, The [Mizoguchi, Kenji, 1962] #869 - Japan
165. You Only Live Once [Lang, Fritz, 1937] #870 - US
166. Boys Don't Cry [Pierce, Kimberly, 1999] #877 - US
167. Bad Timing [Roeg, Nicolas, 1980] #881 - UK
168. Safe [Haynes, Todd, 1995] #885 - US
169. Z [Costa-Gavras, Constantin, 1969] #903 - France
170. Straw Dogs [Peckinpah, Sam, 1971] #906 - US
171. Witness [Weir, Peter, 1985] #907 - US
172. Grifters, The [Frears, Stephen, 1990] #917 - US
173. Informer, The [Ford, John, 1935] #918 - US [four Oscars, incl actor, director]
174. Down by Law [Jarmusch, Jim, 1986] #931 - US
175. Branded to Kill [Suzuki, Seijun, 1967] #934 - Japan

176. Port of Shadows [Carné, Marcel, 1938] #936 - France
177. Fugitive, The [Davis, Andrew, 1993] #937 - US
178. Le Trou [Becker, Jacques, 1960] #938 - France-Italy
179. Murder by Contract [Lerner, Irving, 1958] #945 - US
180. Assault on Precinct 13 [Carpenter, John, 1976] #947 - US
181. Black Sunday [Bava, Mario, 1977] #950 - Italy
182. While the City Sleeps [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #951 - US
183. Public Enemy [Wellman, William A., 1931] #952 - US
184. Reckless Moment, The [Ophüls, Max, 1949] #953 - US
185. Il Bidone [Fellini, Federico, 1955] #954 - Italy
186. Red Circle, The [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1970] #956 - France-Italy
187. Edge of Heaven, The [Akin, Fatih, 2007] #965 - Gy-Tky-Italy
188. Thin Blue Line, The [Morris, Errol, 1988] #979 - US
189. The Thin Man [Van Dyke, W.S., 1934] #986 - US [photo rt, Powell and Asta] 190. La Bête humaine [Renoir, Jean, 1938] #989 - France
191. Miller's Crossing [Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, 1990] #993 - US
192. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #1005 - US
193. Last Letter, The [Gannon, Russell, 2004] #1006 - US
194. Last Seduction, The [Dahl, John, 1993] #1018 - US
195. Shanghai Gesture, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1941] #1024 - US
196. American Friend, The [Wenders, Wim, 1977] #1025 - Germany-France
197. Wrong Man, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1956] #1026 - US
198. Duel [Spielberg, Steven, 1971] #1030 - US
199. Forbidden Lie$ [Broinowski, Anna, 2007] #1031 - Australia
200. Klute [Pakula, Alan J., 1971] #1037 - US

201. Sonatine [Kitano, Takeshi, 1993] #1067 - Japan
202. Lone Star [Sayles, John, 1996] #1074 - US
203. Sling Blade [Thornton, Billy Bob, 1996] #1081 - US
204. Docks of New York, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1928] #1097 - US
205. Fury [Lang, Fritz, 1936] #1103 - US
206. Plein soleil (Purple Noon) [Clément, René, 1960] #1119 - France
207. La Femme Infidèle [Chabrol, Claude, 1969] #1122 - France
208. Touki Bouki [Mambéty, Djibril Diop, 1973] #1124 - Senegal
209. Judex [Franju, Georges, 1963] #1126 - France-Italy
210. Getaway, The [Peckinpah, Sam, 1972] #1129 - US
211. Rocker [Lemke, Klaus, 1972] #1130 - Germany
212. Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The [Greenaway, Peter, 1989] #1131 - UK
213. Night Moves [Penn, Arthur, 1975] #1137 - US
214. Fallen Angels [Wong Kar-Wai, 1995] #1150 - Hong Kong [the sequel to Chungking Express, was intended as one long film]
215. Virgin Spring, The [Bergman, Ingmar, 1960] #1155 - Sweden
216. Force of Evil [Polonsky, Abraham, 1948] #1160 - US
217. Killers [Siodmak, Robert, 1946] #1163 - US
218. Leave Her to Heaven [Stahl, John M., 1945] #1165 - US
219. Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The [Buñuel, Luis, 1955] #1175 - Mexico 220. Little Caesar [LeRoy, Mervyn, 1931] #1180 - US
221. Variety [Dupont, E.A., 1925] #1184 - Germany
222. Cutter's Way [Passer, Ivan, 1981] #1190 - US
223. Second Breath [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1966] #1195 - France
224. Spione [Lang, Fritz, 1928] #1208 - Germany
225. Moonrise [Borzage, Frank, 1948] #1215 - US
226. Scarlet Street [Lang, Fritz, 1945] #1223 - US
227. Accident [Losey, Joseph, 1967] #1229 - UK
228. Pixote [Babenco, Hector, 1981] #1238 - Brazil
229. Blast of Silence [Baron, Allen, 1961] #1239 - US
230. Defiant Ones [Kramer, Stanley, 1958] #1240 - US
231. Angel Face [Preminger, Otto, 1952] #1254 - US
232. Rififi [Dassin, Jules, 1955] #1260 - France

Oscar-winning actor Charles Laughton's only direction, Night of the Hunter, a brilliantly chilling noir in which Robert Mitchum terrorizes a family, as a preacher with 'love' and 'hate' tattoed on his fingers; ranked 35th on our internet survey of all film polls. Note the religious imagery in the composition above, in which the lighting forms an imaginary church.

I would add: The Yakuza, Inside Man, The Thief, The Long Good Friday, Blood Simple, Gangs of New York, Another Country, Diva, Run Lola Run, La Femme Nikita, Citizen X

Note: the post just after this one has just the foreign crime films, 61 total

Top Ranked Foreign Crime Films

These are from our complete list of all crime films from our internet survey. Either foreign language (non-English) films or foreign silent films, all three of which were German. There were 61 mentioned, with 47 making the top 1000.

Foreign Crime Films
1. M [Lang, Fritz, 1931] #11 - Germany [photo top]
2. Bicycle Thief, The [De Sica, Vittorio, 1949] #16 -Italy
3. Rashomon [Kurosawa, Akira, 1950] #22 -Japan
4. 400 Blows, The [Truffaut, François, 1959] #60 -France
5. Conformist, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1970] #76 -Italy-France-Germany
6. Wages of Fear, The [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1952] #134 -France-Italy
7. Nights of Cabiria [Fellini, Federico, 1957] #136 -Italy-France
8. Lives of Others, The [von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel, 2006] #163 -Germany [photo rt]
9. Diaboliques, Les [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1955] #164 -France
10. Yojimbo [Kurosawa, Akira, 1961] #172 -Japan
11. Breathless [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1959] #179 -France
12. City of God [Meirelles, Fernando, 2002] #192 -Brazil-Germany-France 13. Rocco and His Brothers [Visconti, Luchino, 1964] #239 -Italy-France
14. Le Jour se lève [Carné, Marcel, 1939] #255 -France
15. Le Samouraï [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1967] #358 -France
16. Los Olvidados [Buñuel, Luis, 1950] #371 -Mexico
17. Band of Outsiders [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1964] #375 -France
18. Shoot the Piano Player [Truffaut, François, 1960] #393 -France
19. L'Argent [Bresson, Robert, 1983] #442 -France-Switzerland
20. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The [Renoir, Jean, 1936] #469 -France
21. Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler [Lang, Fritz, 1922] #487 -Germany (silent)
22. Amores perros [Inarritu, Alejandro Gonzalez, 2000] #489 -Mexico
23. Salvatore Giuliano [Rosi, Francesco, 1961] #495 -Italy
24. High and Low [Kurosawa, Akira, 1963] #515 -Japan
25. Chungking Express [Wong Kar-Wai, 1994] #533 -Hong Kong
26. Casque d'or [Becker, Jacques, 1952] #543 -France
27. Accattone [Pasolini, Pier Paolo, 1961] #551 -Italy
28. Le Boucher [Chabrol, Claude, 1970] #611 -France
29. Fox and His Friends [Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, 1975] #708 -Germany
30. Killer, The [Woo, John, 1989] #710 -Hong Kong
31. Pépé le Moko [Duvivier, Julien, 1937] #719 -France
32. Bob le flambeur [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1956] #767 -France
33. Time of the Gypsies [Kusturica, Emir, 1988] #769 -Yugoslavia
34. L'Enfant (The Child) [Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc, 2005] #795 -France
35. Gomorra [Garrone, Matteo, 2008] #806 -Italy
36. Hana-Bi [Kitano, Takeshi, 1997] #820 -Japan
37. Maria Full of Grace [Marston, Joshua, 2004] #821 -Columbia-US
38. Short Film About Killing, A [Kieslowski, Krszystof, 1988] #845 -Poland
39. 47 Ronin, The [Mizoguchi, Kenji, 1962] #869 -Japan
40. Z [Costa-Gavras, Constantin, 1969] #903 -France
41. Branded to Kill [Suzuki, Seijun, 1967] #934 -Japan
42. Port of Shadows [Carné, Marcel, 1938] #936 -France
43. Le Trou [Becker, Jacques, 1960] #938 -France-Italy
44. Il Bidone [Fellini, Federico, 1955] #954 -Italy
45. Red Circle, The [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1970] #956 -France-Italy
46. Edge of Heaven, The [Akin, Fatih, 2007] #965 -Gy-Tky-Italy
47. La Bête humaine [Renoir, Jean, 1938] #989 -France
48. Sonatine [Kitano, Takeshi, 1993] #1067 -Japan
49. Plein soleil (Purple Noon) [Clément, René, 1960] #1119 -France
50. La Femme Infidèle [Chabrol, Claude, 1969] #1122 -France
51. Touki Bouki [Mambéty, Djibril Diop, 1973] #1124 -Senegal
52. Judex [Franju, Georges, 1963] #1126 -France-Italy
53. Rocker [Lemke, Klaus, 1972] #1130 -Germany
54. Fallen Angels [Wong Kar-Wai, 1995] #1150 -Hong Kong
55. Virgin Spring, The [Bergman, Ingmar, 1960] #1155 -Sweden
56. Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The [Buñuel, Luis, 1955] #1175 -Mexico
57. Variety [Dupont, E. A. , 1925] #1184 -Germany (silent)
58. Second Breath [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1966] #1195 -France
59. Spione [Lang, Fritz, 1928] #1208 -Germany (silent)
60. Pixote [Babenco, Hector, 1981] #1238 -Brazil
61. Rififi [Dassin, Jules, 1955] #1260 -France