Films to see before you die
- Reservoir Dogs.
A simple premise - the heist gone wrong with an informer in the middle -
taken to extremes with a classy soundtrack, sharp suits and sharper
dialogue. Oh, and the most parodied torture scene ever committed
to celluloid. While Tarantino borrows from many
classics, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This film
survives many viewings while only getting better. If you haven't seen
it already - where the hell have you been?
- The Usual Suspects.
A fantastic film for a whole host of reasons. Perfect characterisations
played by a practically faultless cast, a plot which keeps you guessing,
a wet-trout moment of a denouement and a semi-mythical arch villain all
come to the boil in Chris McQuarrie's noir magnifique.
- The Good, the
Bad and the Ugly.
Sergio Leone's most famous
work is a masterpiece of cinema in every
respect. Sweeping and grandiose, yet with some of the most studied
characters in the whole of the genre (or indeed cinema in general) this
is a film of many levels - and it works on all of them.