80. Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver is a strange movie but it’s one of the most enthralling movies I’ve ever seen. Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a mysteriously psychotic young taxi driver in New York City. The film shows his could-have-been relationship with Cybill Shepherd which doubles to show the audience how far this man is from our collective reality.
Eventually it becomes apparent that he wants to an assassinate a politician and one he doesn’t even really have anything against; he actually met him while driving him somewhere once, and he seemed to like him. The morality of Bickle is virtually nonexistent until he meets a young prostitute named Iris. Iris is played by Jodie Foster, and Bickle is drawn to her for whatever reason. While it’s probably shy of love, he certainly cares a great deal for her, and it brings out either the best or the worst of him.
What makes this film so great is De Niro’s performance and the character of Bickle. It’s difficult to have a great character without a great performance and vice versa. It’s such brilliant insight into insanity and obsession. It will blow you away.
79. Return of the Jedi (1983)
No, this is not as good as the first two Star Wars movies but it’s a great conclusion to the trilogy. I’ve probably seen it more than any other Star Wars movie and I think it may have even been my favorite at one point.
A lot of the complaints of the film boil down to one thing: the Ewoks. Now I love the Ewoks. They’re stupid and stuff but they’re somehow irresistible to me.
The story of redemption between Luke and Vader is fantastic and easily the best part of the film. Also it has a great action sequence on Jabba’s skiff or whatever it’s called.
78. Young Frankenstein (1974)
This is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and I enjoy it even more now that I’ve seen all the Frankenstein movies it spoofs. There are so many great moments, most of which involve the character of Igor (Marty Feldman). He’s hilarious in everything he does and says and his introductory scene serves as my favorite character introduction of all time. Teri Garr is also hilarious in a supporting role.
This is actually a loving spoof of the Frankenstein movies of the 1930s. Some of the smallest components of the films are recreated and everything is funny. It points out some of the silliness of the films but make things hilarious that weren’t even silly to begin with.
77. Fargo (1996)
Fargo is another really, really strange movie and a difficult one to explain. The plot is pretty basic, actually, but it’s difficult as to say what makes it so good.
It’s a very original movie and it’s great mostly because of the screenplay by the Coen brothers. The story perfectly balances dark humor and tragedy, molding it into their best movie to date.
The characters are all great and the film really takes off when Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role) is introduced. She’s really likable and interesting.
While the comedy is great, I would argue that the tragic element is what works best in the film. It has a theme of people acting before they know all the information, which is also done in Burn After Reading, but that’s not nearly as good a film.
76. The Fugitive (1993)
The Fugitive is one of the best action movies ever. I never saw the show but I have a hard time believing it’s better than this.
Harrison Ford plays Doctor Richard Kimbell, a man falsely convicted for the murder of his wife. In an outstanding albeit convenient action scene, he escapes, and he’s on the run for the rest of the film.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the antagonist, a US Marshall hot on Kimbell’s trail.
While not the most realistic film, what makes this great is that it feels real. Part of it is because the characters are real. The two leads in the film deliver career-best performances and Tommy Lee Jones even won an Oscar. A highlight of the film is Tommy Lee Jones interacting with the other marshals in just the way they talk and stuff, I don’t know.
I’ve always found the ending to this film to be a bit disappointing but overall it’s still a wonderful action thriller.
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