The 100 Films Of The Decade: 100 – 91

This is not a 100 best films of the decade, or a 100 most important or influential films. That kind of list would have to be drawn from a huge collation of lists covering wide areas of film. Naturally I can’t claim to have seen the definitive 100 best films of the decade, but I have seen hundreds of films from the last 10 years, many of which have disappointed me – although I credit myself for avoiding films I’m pretty sure I’d hate on the assumption that sitting through them would be a worse experience than unknowingly missing out on a possible masterpiece. That’s you I’m looking at, Transformers. Or rather, not looking at.

The best I can do is offer 100 films which I consider to be essential viewing for anyone with a robust interest in cinema and the medium’s many possibilities. These are the 100 films which have touched, astonished or hooked me to the point of obsession. It’s a very personal list, filled with the directors, writers and actors I love. For a decade largely dominated in the mainstream by CGI-laden blockbusters, super-hero films and gross-out comedies, I’m happy to announce that my list features none of these selections. The nearest for consideration were the excellent but overrated The Dark Knight, which fell just outside my 100, and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, which was certainly a staggering achievement but ultimately too drawn-out and self-aggrandizing for my liking.

The exact ranking of the films is more of a template and not to be taken as a rigid order – afterall, out of 100 truly great films how can one really be measured as better than another? Suffice to say I believe those in the top 50 are greater in some way than those in the last 50. And the top 20 is pretty much my fixed selection of the films I consider to be the very best of the decade. Until I catch up with all those other superb films I’ve yet to see and the whole thing changes …

100  Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Dir. Sidney Lumet

In his 50th year as a filmmaker and at the grand age of 83, Sidney Lumet made this mesmerizing thriller about two brothers botched robbery of their own parents jewellery store. Told with a non-linear, multi-angled structure, the tension is cranked up as the inept robbers become increasingly desperate in their attempts to cover their tracks. Another gem to add to Lumet’s incredible back catalogue and a first-rate cast of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney into the bargain!

99    Grizzly Man (2005)

Dir. Werner Herzog

Always a filmmaker exploring the crazy limits of human endeavor, it’s no wonder Werner Herzog took the story of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell to heart. Treadwell spent 13 summers with the wild bears of Alaska until he and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by one in 2003. Herzog narrates in his own intense style, weaving together recovered footage from Treadwell’s own video camera with interviews from his family and friends to paint the portrait of man eventually destroyed by his own dangerous obsession.

98    Inland Empire (2006)

Dir. David Lynch

For those not sufficiently weirded-out by Mulholland Dr, David Lynch offers Inland Empire, a 3 hour assault on the senses, blurring the lines between fiction and reality on the Hollywood backlot. Shot entirely on digital video, Inland Empire still retains the eerie aesthetic that is totally unique to Lynch. This is probably his strangest film, which is really saying something, and it certainly won’t win over any new fans. But more fool them – the cinema of David Lynch is as good as it gets and the stranger the better.

97    Far From Heaven (2002)

Dir. Todd Haynes

I had already immersed myself into the world of Douglas Sirk before seeing Far From Heaven, so it’s difficult to say how I would view the film had I not been aware of the debt owed to its source material. The sumptuous autumn colours, rousing score and near-melodramtic performances perfectly evoke Imitation Of Life and, in particular, All That Heaven Allows. But Haynes delves deeper into the themes of racism and homosexuality which Sirk could only use as subtext in the 1950’s, making this uniquely a period piece for the 21st century. And Julianne Moore can do no wrong in my book.

96    Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

Dir. Stephen Frears

One of the great underrated thrillers of our time, Dirty Pretty Things submerges itself into the desperate world of immigrant workers, who live on the expendable peripheries of society. Chiwetel Ejiofor (in a startling screen debut) and Audrey Tautou (riding high from Amélie but proving her great range) are excellent as the mismatched pair of immigrants who plan to sell a kidney in exchange for passports. Stephen Frears continues to prove himself as a director of great insight and energy.

95    Panic Room (2002)

Dir. David Fincher

Wrongly rejected by critics who were perhaps expecting another film as ambitious as Fight Club, this home-invasion thriller is a tightly controlled excercise in isolated terror. Made on a huge studio set à la Rear Window and with plenty of Hitchcock touches, Fincher adds his own unique flourishes with seemingly impossible tracking shots. Panic Room is Fincher’s taut study in suspense and a small masterpiece compared to his bloated Benjamin Button.

94    Battle Royale (2000)

Dir. Kinji Fukasaku

“At the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act—AKA: The BR Act…” And so the scene is set for every bitter teachers revenge fantasy. Takeshi Kitano plays the wronged teacher who masterminds the ultimate youth challenge scheme, where a group of schoolchildren must fight to the death on an isolated island. A fantastically violent and controversial sci-fi thriller, this is Lord Of The Flies with detonating neck collars and submachine guns.

93    A Mighty Wind (2003)

Dir. Christopher Guest

A Christopher Guest comedy is always something to celebrate and A Mighty Wind just pips For Your Consideration as his comedy of the decade. Almost a folk riposte to Spinal Tap, here Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are legendary trio The Folksmen, preparing for a reunion concert. The song parodies are spot on and remain brilliant in and of themsleves. As always, the supporting cast of Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban and Parker Posey are exceptional.

92    Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)

Dir. Shane Meadows

Something of a godsend to 21st century British cinema, Shane Meadows makes uncompromising films deeply rooted in the neglected underbelly of society. His films are often powerful character studies in the best tradition of the British social-realism scene, but his best film is this unflinching thriller with a style which creeps up on its audience and eventually strangles them into shocked admission. Paddy Considine has a commanding presence as the paratrooper returning to avenge the death of his disabled brother. The Peak District has never looked so fascinatingly sinister.

91    Corpse Bride (2005)

Dir. Tim Burton & Mike Johnson

Another dark romance from the mind of Tim Burton, lovingly rendered in excellent stop-motion. This has all the hallmarks of classic Burton – wildly comic, weirdly poignant and fully embracing his love for 19th century gothic horror. Although it’s not amongst his very best work, (that would be Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish and Sweeney Todd for my money) Corpse Bride is almost a greatest hits package that can’t fail to delight any Burton fan: Danny Elfman once more provides songs and score,  most of the Nightmare Before Christmas crew return, Michael Gough and Christopher Lee add vocal support and, of course, Johnny Depp takes the lead. The saturated blue colours lend a haunting beauty to a world populated by gaunt, rotund and skeletal grotesques.  For those weary of certain all-too-saccharine animated films, Corpse Bride is the perfect macabre antidote.