The Counselor (2013)

The Counselor (2013)

[9] Michael Fassbender (Shame, X-Men: First Class) stars as an El Paso lawyer who reaps the whirlwind when he tangles with Mexican drug lords in this Ridley Scott film penned by author Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy's screenplay will test the patience…
Fury (1936)

Fury (1936)

[8] In director Fritz Lang's first English-language film, Spencer Tracy stars as a man nearly lynched and presumed dead for a crime he didn't commit. His grieving fiancée, played by Sylvia Sidney, soon learns he's not only still alive, but…
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

[7] Director Ron Howard tackles the (more or less) true story that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Chris Hemsworth stars as the determined first mate of the New England whaling ship Essex, which is destroyed by a mammoth…
These Are the Damned (1962)

These Are the Damned (1962)

[6] Here's a weird offering from Britain's Hammer Films that's so surprising and bewildering, you might overlook its shortcomings. In England, an American tourist (Macdonald Carey) is picked up by a young woman (Shirley Anne Field) who lures him into…
September 30, 1955 (1977)

September 30, 1955 (1977)

[7] Richard Thomas (The Waltons) stars as a college student who takes the death of emerging superstar James Dean very hard. He and his friends steal liquor, hold a séance, and pull pranks on the parked cars on 'lover's lane'…
Distant Thunder (1988)

Distant Thunder (1988)

[4] John Lithgow gives a commendable performance in this stillborn drama about a Vietnam vet suffering from intense post-traumatic stress living in the remote wilderness with a few other troubled vets. After one vet 'kisses the train' (steps into the…
Man Hunt (1941)

Man Hunt (1941)

[5] Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M) directs Walter Pidgeon as a big game hunter pursued by Nazis after attempting to kill Hitler in the lead-up to World War II. Man Hunt is a beautifully shot film featuring a terrific roster of…
Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

[8] Steven Spielberg directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in this odd, beguiling caper about a 17-year-old con man (DiCaprio) pursued across the globe by a dogged FBI agent (Hanks) for successfully impersonating a doctor, a lawyer, and a commercial…
Dial M for Murder (1954)

Dial M for Murder (1954)

[6] Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) hires a man to murder Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder. The film, based on a stage play by Frederick Knott, opens with Milland hiring an old college acquaintance (Anthony Dawson)…
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

[9] Here we have a horror film so well executed, it swept the Academy Awards. Anthony Hopkins (The Lion in Winter) and Jodie Foster (The Accused) each deliver career-defining performances as cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter and neophyte FBI agent…