For whatever reason (most likely the fact that viewing is easier than reading), films don’t seem to get the same kind of cultural respect as books do. Which is a shame because excellent movies can be just as entertaining, mind-expanding, and life changing as good books. Scenes, characters, and quotes from the greatest movies stay with us long after we view them. Their ability to transport you to different times and exotic locations, to completely absorb you in the story, make movies one of the closest approximations of real magic we have in this world.
And for better and for worse, film has had a huge impact on masculinity in the 20th Century. Movies have produced archetypes of manliness that many men judge themselves against today. To view how male characters of cinema have been portrayed over the decades, is to see clearly the ways in which our perception of masculinity has changed and continues to change. Thus it seemed only proper that The Art of Manliness take a stab at creating a list of essential movies every man should see.
We didn’t want to make a list of movies that consisted solely of violence and gratuitous T and A that make up most guy movie lists. Nor did we want to create a list of just independent avant-garde movies that while culturally or cinematically significant, aren’t very entertaining. We wanted to create a well rounded list of films that have something to say about manliness. Some of the movies speak poignantly about what it means to be a man. Others give examples of true manliness in action. Some are lessons in how not to be a man. And others are simply entertaining movies that are just plain manly. But the common thread that runs through all of them is that they’re great movies that have stood the test of time.
Let us know in the comments which movies you loved, which ones you hated, and the movies you think every man should see before he dies. Without further ado, we present The Art of Manliness 100 Must See Movies for Men.
The Great Escape
This group of Allied POWS fought the enemy the best way they could – by bustin’ out of prison. Based on a true story, the film has been hailed as one the greatest escape movies of all time. Despite its length (172 minutes), the movie maintains interest through the engaging relationships of the prisoners. Each individual contributes their skills and personality to the effort, even the self-interested American (played by Steve McQueen). I guess his skill would be making killer motorcycle chase scenes.
Best line: “I’m going… out.”
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Based loosely on the real lives of Western outlaws Robert Leroy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid), Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid is a classic movie about two buddies trying to make it in a changing world. What’s funny about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is that you forget that these guys were hardened criminals who robbed banks and trains for a living. The easy going charm Robert Redford and Paul Newman bring to their roles makes you like the characters despite their choice of profession. Their clever hijinks and humor make the movie an enjoyable ride.
Best line: “Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.”
Dirty Harry
Cops that won’t let anything – even the law – stand in their way of catching the bad guy may have become a Hollywood cliché, but when Dirty Harry first pulled out his .44 magnum it was a brand new story. Harry Callahan stops at nothing as he hunts down the Scorpio, a serial killer that picks people off with a sniper rifle. The plot isn’t bad, but it’s Clint Eastwood that drives the entire picture. His rebel good- guy cop set a high mark for others to try and follow.
Best line: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
The Endless Summer
Working 60 hours a week sucks. I mean, it really sucks. The idea of travelling around the world to exotic spots with the simple objective of surfing every chance you get is about the most enticing thing on the planet. In step Mike Hynson and Robert August. Famed documentary director Bruce Brown follows the pair around the world as they chase the summer and whatever waves they can ride. If you can’t surf, or you can’t take the time off work to surf – live vicariously through this movie.
Bull Durham
This movie is great for many reasons – of which, I cite two: 1) Kevin Costner can actually play baseball, instead of looking like a moron as do many other actors trying to swing a bat. 2) Tim Robbins character wears lingerie when he pitches – which is completely classic. Besides these, there are many other elements that make the movie relevant: the mentor/mentee, the old vs. the young, fighting for the woman, baseball. But ultimately it’s about a bunch of guys trying to make their mark on life – which we can all certainly relate to.
Best line: “Charlie, here comes the deuce. And when you speak of me, speak well.”
The Apartment
Do nice guys always finish last? Not necessarily. The Apartment is a true gem of a movie that doesn’t seem get the attention it deserves. Both dramatic and funny, the film is a dark comedy about a corporate drone who finally gets tired of being constantly walked on, mans up, and becomes a mensch. Things don’t always work out when you do the right thing, but sometimes they do.
Best line: “Shut up and deal.”
The Shootist
Nobody wants to die alone. Especially gunslingers. In a haunting portrayal that foreshadowed his own fate, John Wayne plays J.B. Brooks, an aging gunfighter dying of cancer who resigns himself to live out his days in private. But skeletons from his past prevent him from fading away, so he decides to go down the only way he knows – with his six gun blazing.
Best line: “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”
Hoosiers
At its core, Hoosiers is about redemption – basketball is just the vehicle. The story revolves around a basketball coach that has fallen from grace and finds himself at a small rural town in Indiana. He ruffles feathers and fights to earn the respect of his players, the town, and a doubtful teacher. The team chases glory, while others in the town remember what it is like to win. Not only is it one of the most inspiring movies of all time, it has one of the most hardcore stoics in all of sport movie history. Jimmy = Clutch.
Best line: “You know, most people would kill… to be treated like a god, just for a few moments.”
Last of the Mohicans
This movie set the standard for war epics of the modern era. Few are its equal. A Mohican father and his son, along with their adopted son, attempt to maintain their neutrality amidst the French-Indian War in colonial America. The men are pulled into the fray after rescuing two daughters of a British Officer during a skirmish and escorting them to their father’s fort. As the impending battle builds around them, the men remain devoted to the daughters, going to great lengths to preserve them. From the opening sequence of Uncas and Hawkeye sprinting through the dense forest, to the final scene on the promontory, the movie is gripping and powerful. Additionally, they play lacrosse in this movie – that fact alone secured its place on this list.
Best line: “Someday I think you and I are going to have a serious disagreement.”
The Bicycle Thief
An Italian Neo-Realist classic, The Bicycle Thief tells the bleak story of a man in impoverished post-war Italy whose bicycle, which he needs to work, is stolen. Father and son hunt all over Rome to find the bike, with no one to help them and ultimately no success. And thus the father is faced with a classic philosophical problem: is it okay to steal to feed your family? Realistic and honest, this movie provides one of the best glimpses into the nature of the father/son relationship.
Best line: “Why should I kill myself worrying when I’ll end up just as dead?”
Field of Dreams
To what lengths would a person go for a chance at reconciliation? If it is for your (dead) father, most of us would do anything. Field of Dreams is Ray Kinsellas’s journey of reparation with his father. Ray, an Iowa farmer, erects a baseball field in his cornfield after a voice tells him, “If you build it, he will come.” The voice continues, and after a series of mysterious and supernatural events, he is able to make amends. It is quite possible that a game of catch can heal most wounds between a father and son – even death, I suppose.
Best line: “If you build it, he will come.”
North by Northwest
Starring dapper dude, Cary Grant, North by Northwest is classic Alfred Hitchcock. Grant plays a hapless New York advertising executive mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. The problem is the government thinks he’s a spy, too, and they’re on the chase as well. Talk about a bad day.
Best line: “I don’t like the way Teddy Roosevelt is looking at me.”
The Outsiders
The film adaption of SE Hinton’s famous novel perfectly captures the tumultuous nature of teenage angst. The well-to-do Socs and blue collar Greasers hate each other’s guts, and when Johnny the Greaser kills a Soc, a series of dramatic and tragic events are set in motion, including an old fashioned rumble. The film is a star-studded affair, filled with the likes of Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane, many before they were household names. And best of all, it was shot on location in my home city of Tulsa.
Best line: “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.”
First Blood (Rambo)
The more weighty issues in First Blood are usually overshadowed by the gratuitous action. Understandably so, but the movie is built on Rambo’s struggle to return to society after the Vietnam War. A Medal of Honor recipient, Rambo is kicked out of a small town and then arrested for vagrancy. The sheriff and his deputies go overboard with torture and Rambo reverts back to what he does best. Nothing good can come from pissing off a guy named Rambo.
Best line: “They drew first blood, not me.”
The Manchurian Candidate
A Cold War classic starring Frank Sinatra in probably his best movie performance. The film was so controversial that it was banned from further release after JFK’s assassination. The Manchurian Candidate focuses on the way in which propaganda and the manufacture of political views can influence one’s perception and behavior in the most provocative of ways. The story follows several former Korean War soldiers who have been brainwashed by the military. Follow them as they try to unravel the source of the reoccurring nightmares. A real thriller. Don’t bother with the Denzel Washington version. The original is still the best.
Best line: “There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that enter a room and turn the television set on, and those that enter a room and turn the television set off.”
In the Heat of the Night
Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a respected detective from up North, is thrown into a murder investigation in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi. While he initially doesn’t want any part of the case, Tibbs exemplifies manly resolve as he sticks around, staring down bigot after bigot while searching for the murderer. The film is famous for a scene in which Tibbs, after being slapped by a white man, slaps him right back. The screenplay originally called for Poitier to simply take it, but the actor found this passive response degrading and insisted he be allowed to hit back. That my friends, is being a man. You slap me in the face, I’ll slap you right back, Sucka.
Best line: “They call me MISTER Tibbs!”
Shane
A quiet gunslinger who is trying to escape his past befriends a pioneer family that has settled out west. He attempts to settle down and become a hired hand to the family, but the ranchers who want to drive cattle through the homesteaders’ property are attempting to drive them out. Shane tries to stay out of the disputes, but keeps being drawn in and is finally compelled to put his six shooter back on to protect his adoptive family. Perhaps the most touching part of the movie is the relationship Shane develops with the farmer’s son.
Best line: “A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.”
Double Indemnity
Perhaps the greatest American contribution to the film noir style, Double Indemnity is dark rumination on greed, manipulation, and betrayal. Barbara Stanwyck plays a classic femme fatale who uses her womanly wiles to lure insurance salesman Walter Neff into a plan to kill her husband for the “double indemnity” payout. But Neff is not a guileless victim after all. Palatable tension, suspense, and snappy dialogue make this film a true classic.
Best line: “How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?”
Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside)
Politics of euthanasia aside, living is so much more than just breathing. Based on the life of Ramón Sampedro, the movie examines the fight to end his own life after 30 years of being paralyzed from the neck down. Despite his desire to end his life, through his courage and self awareness, he inspired others to embrace their own.
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon is filled with ambiguities in morality. Sam Spade, played by Humphrey Bogart, is a hardened and cynical man. But underneath his rough exterior is a man with a sense of idealism. Spade lives by a code of honor that doesn’t let him take the corrupt and easy solution to life’s problems. The Maltese Falcon forces us to answer a simple question: when push comes to shove, will we stick to our own code of honor or will we sell out?
Best line: “[It's the] stuff that dreams are made of.”
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{ 283 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time, and it doesn’t disappoint! Great list you guys. I was getting a little nervous that Indy wasn’t going to be included, but you came through on page 5. Also, loved the multiple John Wayne and Bogart flicks.
I’d also include The Goonies, The Rundown, Tombstone, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Abyss, and Legends of the Fall to my personal list.
Phew, for a minute there I thought you were not going to include ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. Atticus Finch is my role model when it comes to being a man.
I would also add ‘When We Were Kings’ to this list … how to keep believing in yourself when nobody else thinks you can win.
Easy to forget how many GREAT films Paul Newman was in till you see a list like this.
I’m sorry to see that your list does not include Boondock Saints, and is therefore incomplete. How sad. I think that is perhaps the ultimate man-movie, up with Fight Club.
Is it a typo or did you recommend Godfather 1 and 3 but not 2?
Just in time for my Netflix list to need updating, thanks!
P.S. – Thanks for giving some love to “Last of the Mohicans” – this is at the top of my favorite movie list. The soundtrack is one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Great list
I’d like to suggest another great man movie; The Man Who Would Be King, with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.
Also, as Rich already said, why not Godfather 2? It’s the best one in the trilogy IMO.
Forgot to say I also think the 2 other movies from Leones trilogy should be mentioned. Especially For A Few Dollars More. The scenes with the pocket watch chime are really awesome.
Brett,
Great list. I’ve been working on a 100 Man Movies list myself, a lot of what I have overlapping with what you got. But, one that I thought should be included in your list is Memento. It was done by Christopher Nolan before he had the blockbuster type cash for Batman Begins and The Dark Night, so it is very story driven. It revolves around a gimmick of a story line where the main guy, Leonard, has short term memory loss and forgets everything once he goes to sleep causing him to have write down or tattoo himself with stuff he wants to remember. The same person that caused Leonard’s condition also killed his wife and now Leonard is set on revenge. The only problem he doesn’t remember who did it. And if he does get revenge….will he remember it? I highly recommend it, a great story and a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan pee in his pants.
Also, I can’t believe Tombstone was left off your list?
I was going to complain that Seven Samurai should be on here, till I saw that it was. Very surprising.
I agree with Fight Club being included, though since first seeing it a few years ago I know consider it just kind of pretentious and stupid.
I that Godfather 2 should be included, as well as Boondock Saints.
Also, John Q. is sorely missing from this list (if you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out. If you had seen it, it would be on here) as well as The Green Mile.
Honestly anything starring Tom Hanks or Denzel Washington should be on here in my opinion.
And if you ever do a TV series list, make sure Breaking Bad is on there.
Lastly, any film made by Pixar, excluding the Cars series. Again, if you have to ask why you obviously haven’t seen any of Pixar’s films. Also good for watching with your kids.
I’m almost (almost) speechless – GREAT list!!
Well. I’m obviously not a man but I think We could add a few good epic movies to that list:
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Master and Commander (Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are both REAL men)
- The last Samurai (If you don’t like Tom Cruise focus on Ken Watanabe !)
- The man in the Iron Mask (the one musketeer movie that actually isn’t a parody)
- V for Vendetta
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- …
Honestly, how can you stop at 100 ???
If I only got to see one Western, I’d pick “Hang ‘Em High,” in which Clint Eastwood’s character learns the hard line between justice and revenge.
Hi
What a fantastic list. Just enough on it that I’ve seen (and liked) to identify with the list. Enough that I haven’t seen to give interesting film viewing for quite a while!
Had this list been complied one year from now, there is no doubt in my mind that Gran Torino would be on it. This movie is destined to become another essential movie for a man’s library: the whole film is about a real man teaching a young man how to be a man!
Best line: “You see kid, now that’s how guys talk to one another.”
Brett,
Great list! I’ll have to update my Netflix to include some of the ones I haven’t seen. However, I’d like to add one for the list as well: Mel Gibson’s Apocolypto.
Great story about what a man will go through to protect those he loves and how he overcomes extreme odds to do it. War-like tribe, jungle critters, a raging river, you name it. Plus, it has Mel’s classic realism in all of the fight scenes. This is a SUPER MUST for any man to see.
@Scott: “Hang ‘Em High” is good, but when seen back-to-back with “The Unforgiven”, then the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
Worthy, but overlooked: “Mosquito Squadron”, “Sink the Bismarck”, “Hamburger Hill”, “Tigerland”, “Gallipoli” and – believe it or not – the Eminem pseudo-biopic “Eight Mile”.
You meant Godfather I and II, right?
Great list glad you included 7 Samuri, too bad not enough room for Magnificient 7 yes its a remake of the other, but good in its own right. I can’t wit to watch the ones I have not seen.
Good stuff
Keep it coming.
I’ve been thinking about that list and I have to add a few more:
- The patriot (that movie has everything !)
- King Arthur
- Batman begins (I haven’t seen the Dark knight yet but…)
- Armaggedon
- The 13th warrior
- American History X
- …
While you did include Sergio Leone’s “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, you missed Leone’s epic spaghetti western “Once Upon a Time in the West”. The climactic gunfight is the greatest of all times, and Ennio Morricone’ musical score is second to none.
It is a pretty good list when you consider all the movies ever created. I would submit for consideration The Sandlot, Stand by Me, and A Christmas Story.
Brett, I will have to correct you on one minor point. It is widely acknowledged that the best line in Cool Hand Luke is not “What we have here is failure to communicate”, but rather, “I can eat fifty eggs.”
The best line from “First Blood” is …”I’m your worst nightmare.” Also…manliest best damn movie of them all is John Carpenter’s the Thing.
No Black Hawk Down? It’s the penultimate brotherhood movie, a bunch of guys, fighting only for each other and the montra “Leave no man behind”.
John Wayne’s character in “The Shootist” is J.B. Books (John Bernard Books), not J.B. Brooks.
Not a man, obviously, but I wrote a doctoral dissertation on masculinity, so I guess that gives me some sort of credentials. I would have liked to see more of Dustin Hoffman’s early work featured, as I think he takes up the question of “what does it mean to be a man?” in interesting ways in various films. Kramer vs. Kramer, in particular, stands out as a pivotal film during a time when our cultural understandings of fatherhood were undergoing significant transformations. Indeed, I wish you had included more films that pay homage to the difficult struggles and quiet heroism of fatherhood.
I suggest The Four Feathers 1939 film. It is an incredible story of sacrifice and redemption! One of my all time favorite movies. I look every chance I get for a DVD of the movie and can’t find one yet.
Thanks — great list. I have a lot of watching to do, especially on the old flicks.
What about Pulp Fiction?
I would also add:
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Gettysburg
Great list! There are so many possibilities…here are a few of my “must sees”
Excalibur (still the best King Arthur tale)
Night Falls on Manhattan (may only merit an honorable mention)
Gone with the Wind (dude, Clark Gable)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (I know, Connery is the man but this is the best Bond film)
I don’t think any of the Batman movies merit serious consideration. If you do pick one, go with the Michael Keaton original. Of all the films in the superhero genre, I’d choose Superman to represent them. I think we could have done with only the first Godfather movie, and my favorite Indy movie is the first: Raiders of the Lost Ark. G-d’s wrath unleashed on the Nazis…priceless.
FYI, Jeremiah Johnson is based on a true story but his name was not “Jeremiah”.
(Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver-Eating_Johnson )
My father in law loves to remind me that the greatest point of Casablanca is that it was written and produced before the end of WWII when the Nazis were winning the war and yet this movie ends with the Germans losing. Great not only for the manliness factor, but for this reason as well! Good list. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
I am surprised to only see one Connery film and a few Cane films. Also I think Dogtown and the Z boys and Riding Giants should be added as they are two of the best documenties ever.
Not a bad list. I have to disagree with your best line from “The Shootist,” though. I think the “I won’t be wronged” line is a particularly bad example of manhood. I’d say the best line is what immediately follows that.
————————————————————————————–
Gillom Rogers: Mr. Books, how’d you ever kill so many men?
J. B. Books: I lived most of my life in the wild country, set a code of laws to live by: I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid-a-hand-on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.
GR: How could you get into so many fights, and always come out on top? I nearly tied you shooting.
JBB: Friend, there’s nobody up there shooting back at you. It isn’t always being fast, or even accurate, that counts, it’s being willing. I found out early that most men, regardless of cause or need, aren’t willing. they blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger. I won’t.
————————————————————————————–
Best line: “It isn’t always being fast, or even accurate, that counts, it’s being willing.”
Great movie, my favorite John Wayne by far.
Your first pick was one of my favorites….”The Great Escape”.
I’ll submit these as must see for all men:
Cool Hand Luke –
Steve McQueen exemplifies the inner struggle of a man trying to go along with “the boss” but while trying to maintain his stature as a man in the view of his inmates. Classic – a must must see!
The Hunt For Red October –
Sean Connery, Alec Baldwyn – In 1984, the USSR’s best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war? Connery demonstrates how personal inner convictions can trump the dictates of a tyrant government.
Life Is Beautiful –
A 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must employ his fertile imagination to help his son survive their internment in a Nazi concentration camp. – English Sub-titles. Father and son relationship is so enormous – will bring all Father’s to love their children more.
You have at least four movies that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, one glaring omission (300), but any list that includes Zulu and Das Boot is good by me.
I will always be a sucker for movie lists. Is that a man quality?
Excellent list. Of course, there are some I’d disagree with, but you can’t please everyone. Three I’d definitely include are:
ROB ROY- A personal favorite and none better to demonstrate the importance of personal integrity, even in the face of catastrophic cost to you and your loved ones.
PULP FICTION
RESERVOIR DOGS
Great additions everyone! It was definitely difficult to narrow it to 100. And Goonies, Chris, of course!
And yes thanks for pointing out the typo in the Godfather-it should indeed be I and II. Although I am a fan of III as well.
I definitely agree about to Kill A Mockingbird. The Bicycle Thief reminded me of “Life is Beautiful”, this amazing movie in all Italian. The movie actually reaches it highest and funniest point when the main characters, arrive at a Nazi concentration camp. Check it out, and amazing list!
A few classics of what it means to be a real man:
High Noon – what it takes to stand up for what is right even when everyone else wants to do what’s easy.
The Searchers – dedication and heart are manly virutes, even in the seemingly worst of men.
Johnny Guitar – you can try to forget your past, but your past won’t forget you.
HUD – well the antithesis of what it means to be a man. PS-contrast the openning shot of Shane with the openning shot of Hud’s pink cadillac.
All that Heaven Allows – Rock Hudson: he loves the outdoors and the woman of his dreams, even if her suburban neighbors won’t let her love him.
Jaws – when real men band together for a common cause, you don’t need a bigger boat.
On the Waterfront – your first shot might be your only shot; take it.
Some others:
12 Angry Men
The Big Heat
Stand By Me
3:10 to Yuma (either one)
Clearly didn’t see the whole list before commenting…but might as well add two great Kubrick films:
Paths of Glory
Dr. Strangelove
Cindarella Man is a personal favourite.
Overall a very solid list, but how can you do a list of manly movies and not include The Wild Bunch, arguably one of the most important ‘man’ movies of all time?
I can see that this post is destined to be at the top of the popular posts list for a long time to come.
I thought of some more. I second the addition of Black Hawk Down and the Patriot. There is one film that definitely deserves a place, and that is Spartacus. I would also probably want to put a few more Bogart classics: In A Lonely Place, Key Largo, and The Big Sleep. Also, Conan the Barbarian makes my list. That movie just drips testosterone.
No Truman Show? Hmm… How can this be?
Would have been good to cut a war movie or western out to make room for Good Will Hunting and A Beautify Mind. While a fine list, this list doesn’t do justice to the brilliance of man.
Das Boot — great movie, so glad to see that on your list.
Someone above recommended The Thing. I second that one too. Another classic.
Wow, I have a completely different list – does anybody relate to these?
The Man without a face – (Mel Gibson)
12 Angry Men
The Caine Mutiny
Rudy
We Were Soldiers
Invincible
Cinderella Man
I swear I was going to throw something if Lawrence of Arabia wasn’t on the list. It was and you also got the correct best line! Good work as usual!
“The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.”
This is mostly a good list, but there are some pretty boneheaded mistakes. I’ll only mention the most egregious, and I’ll pass over the stench of political correctness that hangs like a foul computerized cloud over the whole list (Malcolm X yes, Gone with the Wind no?)
For starters, The Shootist is the single worst movie John Wayne ever made. You can see that same character in a dozen Wayne movies and not have to tolerate the schlock, bad 1970s stage blood, and irksome Ron Howard performance that mar The Shootist.
Second, if American Beauty is a man’s movie, so is Fried Green Tomatoes. Every character in its insipid excuse for a plot is as far from a role model as possible. There isn’t even a good villain, just a bunch of mealy-mouthed losers. The movie is only suitable for someone who wants to sip cosmos and mope about.
High Noon: Gary Cooper runs about scared all day and then needs his wife to rescue him. Give me a break. Furthermore, this film is so pink around the edges you could give it as a Valentine’s Day gift. Watch Rio Bravo instead.
The French Connection: highly over-rated. It’s not nearly as thrilling as it’s booked as, the characters are only haphazardly developed, and the plot has less real resolution than the original Italian Job, without the benefit of that movie’s gag. Like everything else about the 1970s, it was simply highly unsatisfying.
A minor quibble: you have the wrong best lines from Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. The former’s ought to be: “I support a constitutional amendment outlawing astroturf and the designated hitter.” The latter’s is, “‘Hey, Blue, how about a warning?’ ‘OK: Hey, Kid, try not to get yourself killed.’”
PS:
Sed contra the calls for the inclusion of Boondock Saints: this film was 90% unrealized potential, 5% great music, and 5% “we couldn’t actually find a Catholic to consult on our movie about Irish vigilantes.” It could have been a great movie. It was not. Even subtracting the crummy movies from this list, there are enough great films (e.g. The Thin Man) to keep Boondock Saints off, and rightfully so.
I’d add the movie “Lord Jim” to the list. Watching Peter O’Toole struggle with the question of what is the different between a hero and a coward is a good lesson for any man (with plenty of action as well). Best line (as best I can remember), is the narration from Conrad’s book from which the movie is based, “Rich or poor, young or old, strong or weak – who among you have not begged God for a second chance?”
Overall a great list.
Dittos to the recommendations for “HUD” and “Apocolypto” — both terrific movies.
I also have to concur with the thumbs down on “American Beauty” — simply an awful movie.
A couple of recommendations I have and don’t think I saw in the comments:
– “Von Ryan’s Express”: Good Frank Sinatra movie.
– “Marathon Man”: Good Dustin Hoffman and Roy Scheider suspense flick
– “To Have and Have Not”: One of Bogey’s best. Lauren Bacall is gorgeous and the chemistry between her and Bogey is electric. It also has some great lines:
Bacall kisses Bogey:
Bogey: What did you do that for?
Bacall: I’ve been wondering if I’d like it.
Bogey: What’s the decision?
Bacall: I don’t know yet.
[They kiss again]
Bacall: It’s even better when you help.
Bacall: You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow.
I would add ‘Mad Max’ and ‘The Road Warrior’.
How about “The Hunt For Red October”. I thought that was the perfect movie for a male audience.
Yo, where’s Forrest Gump?
Just as I was getting ready to leave a comment saying “and where is Ghost Busters” there it was! Great list!
You couldn’t put any foreign films? I would add Seven Samurai.
Have to counter about best quote from North by Northwest….
“Ever kill anyone? Because I bet you could tease a man to death without half trying… So, stop trying.”
There aren’t a lot of new movies on this list, but that tp be expected when looking for really good movies. Also, as an animation major, I am very happy to see Iron Giant on the list. That was a great film. Brad Bird does really nice work.
I do have one that I would add (like everyone else), and that would be Gran Torino. That movie instantly jumped up to probably one of my top 10 favorite movies the moment I saw it in the theater.
Tombstone & Meet Joe Black were hopefully 101 / 102
Kevin: Seven Samurai’s on page5
You missed Predator, Conan the Barbarian, and Terminator. Sure they are all Arnold Movies but so what? They are AWESOME. Conan in particular has a great score, and fighting scenes that, although ridiculously bloody, are probably the most realistic fighting scenes to date. No long sword fights. They all end pretty quick.
Aaron-Cool Hand Luke is on here.
WE Dodge-12 Angry Men, Rudy, and Cinderella Man are all on here.
Kevin-Seven Samurai is on the list. And Mar Dentro, Das Boot, and the The Bicycle Thief are all foreign films.
Gonna have to check out Gran Torino. Haven’t seen it yet, but it seems like a must see. Keep the great recommendations coming!
You left off my favorite western. The man who shot Liberty Valence. Truly asks what is worth fighting for and when is violence justified. Not to mention that hokey but enjoyable theme song.
For the Apollo 13 fans in the Chicago area. In the north suburb of Lake Forest Jim Lovell has a restaurant called Lovell’s. In the basement is what used to be a cigar bar until the law in Illinois was changed. There you’ll see memoribllia of Lovell’s NASA career.
There’s a bit much Kevin Costner in here for my liking… I would Add Casino Royale as well…
Great work as always, Brett.
Two additions I would make:
* Lillies of the Field: Sidney Portier at his peak. A simple film about the honesty and holiness of hard work. I read the book every year.
* Gran Torino: A new addition, sure, but really strikes a cord about an older man teacher a boy how to be a man. The barber shop scene is classic, crude, curse-filled and, ultimately, about respect.
Great list! And I’m really glad to see Zulu in there. It’s one of my dad’s favorite movies and I remember watching it with him when I was younger.
Remember the Titans but NOT The Outlaw Josey Wales? Disney schlock over Eastwood’s greatest performance?
Other than that, good list.
The quotes alone should have been enough to get Wales on:
“Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you’re not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. ‘Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That’s just the way it is. ”
“Josey Wales: When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.
Lone Watie: I notice when you get to DISlikin’ someone they ain’t around for long neither. ”
“Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie? ”
“Jamie: I wish we had time to bury them fellas.
Josey Wales: To hell with them fellas. Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms. ”
“Bounty hunter #1: You’re wanted, Wales.
Josey Wales: Reckon I’m right popular. You a bounty hunter?
Bounty hunter #1: A man’s got to do something for a living these days.
Josey Wales: Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.”
“Laura Lee: Kansas was all golden and smelled like sunshine.
Josey Wales: Yeah, well, I always heard there were three kinds of suns in Kansas, sunshine, sunflowers, and sons-of-bitches. ”
“Captain Terrill: Not a hard man to track. Leaves dead men wherever he goes.”
“Lone Watie: That meal was damn good. I’m gonna take up teepee livin’ if it’s like this. You know she thinks I’m some kind of a Cherokee chief.
Josey Wales: I wonder where she ever got that idea. “
I think overall these are great movies. I am planning to forward this to my boyfriend to see what he thinks about it and the movies we should rent!
I just watched The Great Escape on Saturday, awesome.
I’ll have to work through the list now.
Thanks for posting this man-it’s really an excellent list. I’d have Donny Darko in there somewhere though.
Great movies! I would add to the list The Godfather & Gran Torino.
There’s only one Scorcese movie on the ilst and it’s arguably his worst one? Where’s Raging Bull? Taxi Driver? Goodfellas? All are infinitely better than Gangs of New York.
mkokc wrote:
* Lillies of the Field: Sidney Portier at his peak. A simple film about the honesty and holiness of hard work. I read the book every year.
That is a great movie. I love the scene where Sidney Portier teaches the sisters to sing the chorus of an old black spiritual.
Lillies of the Field makes me think to suggest adding “Going My Way” with Bing Crosby.
Finally, I have to disagree (respectfully) with all the votes for Gran Torino. I did not like it at all. I thought the barber shop, learn how to curse and insult scene was offensive; and thought the ending was ridiculous.
I would have to put 300 in there. A movie about going to war with your brothers, knowing you may die but doing it anyway because you are the king and it is the only way to save your country. Great battles, a small love story, passion, and an all around manly movie.
After reading the comments, I would second (or third) the following:
300
The Patriot
Hunt for Red October
Letters From Iwo Jima
Gallipoli
Outlaw Josie Wales
Raging Bull
Kingdom of Heaven-
-”When the Christians took this city, they killed every Muslim man, woman and child within its walls”
-”I am not those men. I am Saladin…Saladin.”
-”What is Jerusalem worth?”
-”Nothing……Everything”
Also, please remove American Beauty. It defiles the rest of the list by its presence.
This is a great list. I’d put “Rear Window” in place of “Vertigo”, dump “American Beauty” because I think it’s a horrible movie, and put “Blade Runner” in somewhere. I’m not really keen on the Star Wars trilogy, but can understand why it was put on there. Otherwise, this is a fantastic list. For part of my day, I’ll be reading books off the book list and then for the other part, watching movies off of this list. How about a 100 Manly Albums list?
Only one Akira Kirasawa movie? If any director epitomizes the Art of Manliness it is Akira Kirasawa, I suggest Yojimbo (the western ripoff being Fistful of Dollars), as well as Rashoman, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood (retelling of King Lear), and Red Beard. But I am glad that seven samurai made the list, it is very entertaining, and important even in this day and age.
I like many of the movies mention on this list. I would like to add Men of Honor with Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr.
This list is extraordinary. I was delighted and surprised by a lot of the movies on here. “The Iron Giant”? Brilliant call. I agree with others who have nominated “Tombstone” for the list and the only other I can think of off the top of my head would be “Master and Commander” — a terrific study of brotherhood and duty and, in my humble opinion, a far better Russell Crowe flick than “Gladiator”. It was one of those movies that ran on HBO about 762 times one month and I watched it 4 times and loved it each time. But, like I said, an unbelievable list. Maybe the first of it’s kind that didn’t make me want to pull my hair out.
Dan the Man wrote:
I’d put “Rear Window” in place of “Vertigo”.
Great pick — can’t believe I overlooked it. Jimmy Stewart is one of my favorite actors. And, Grace Kelly — wow. Apart from my wife, one of the most beautiful women in the world.
Thinking of Grace Kelly, I’d also add “Dial ‘M’ for Murder”. It’s a great murder mystery and, once again, Grace Kelly is stunningly beautiful.
Fantastic list. From the looks of the comments it looks like you nearly pleased everyone — quite impossible with these sorts of lists. I like the mix of the the films you would expect along with some pretty original ones.
Thanks for taking the time to put all this together.
I might be alone on this, but what about The Goonies. One of my childhood favorites. Inspirationl tale of a close group of friends risking life and limb to save the town they grew up in. Great list by the way!
A great list! A few I would have added:
Big Lebowski
Raising Arizona (You need at least one Coen Bros. movie)
The Shining
Dr. Stangelove
2001
Full Metal Jacket (same with some Kubrick)
Alien/Aliens
The Thing
Close Encounters
Memento
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Incredibles
Kudos for including The Best Years of Our Lives which is an overlooked film.
But…no The Quiet Man?? That is the best man movie.
The Sea Inside was the slowest movie Ive seen in a long time. I suppose it got its point across because I wanted to kill my myself to put myself out of the misery of watching the movie.
Here’s my additions to the list:
Enemy at the Gates – made me go out and buy a Nagant
Quigley Down Under – great work with a Sharps
Band of Brothers – “Did you think that you could win?”
Predator – “You’re an ugly ****”
Predator II – “Who’s next?”
I am so glad to see both Chinatown and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest on this list. They are two of my favourite movies, definitely my two favourites with Jack Nicholson.
“The Last Detail”
“The Great Santini”
“Heaven Knows Mr Allison”
“Tender Mercies”
“The Enemy Below”
Great list. I would ad “Red Dawn” if I could. Love the site keep up the good work!
I highly recommend Life is Beautiful. This movie changed the way that I live my life. I saw the movie when I was in college, at a time when a movie wasn’t good unless it contained gratuitous sex and violence. My roommate brought it home for us to watch because his mom said it was awesome, so I prepared myself for a two hour nap. Holy crapola was I ever surprised. At that point in my life I had never seen a father with such an undying love for his son; a love that could be stopped by ABSOLUTELY nothing. I can honestly say that Life is Beautiful is one of my all time favorite movies.
Great List. How about Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Man Called Horse, and Little Big Man?
This is a great list and definitely gives me some movies I need to rent soon. My additions would have been:
Memento
Pulp Fiction
Apocalypse Now
Three Kings
O Brother Where Art Thou
“Well now,,,aint this place a geographical oddity? Two weeks from everwhere.”
“No thanks Delmar. A third of a gopher would only arouse my appitite, without beddin’ ‘er back down.”
“Well a’int that a coincidence. These two soggy sons o bitches just got saved. I guess I’m the only one that remains unaffiliated.”
Somebody stop me.
What about “The Dark Knight,” I know it’s a comic-book movie, but it really defines the gangster genre. The list is good, it makes me want to resubscribe to NetFlix.
Two that I’d submit for consideration:
Network (1976). A very mid-20th century look at what happens when you take away everything that a man has lived for his whole life. Best line: “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
Breaking Away (1979). One of the best coming of age films ever. It feels very timely again now, given this recession. Best line: “I was proud of my work. And the buildings went up. When they were finished the damnedest thing happened. It was like the buildings were too good for us. Nobody came out and told us that, it just felt uncomfortable, that’s all.”
that is a fairly bolshie, jingoistic, cowboy-centric list. more brawn than brain there i think. i am therefore i think.
Fantastic list! Not sure what I’d remove from it to add a few of my favs which didn’t make the cut . . .
The Dirty Dozen, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Race and A Shot in the Dark (Blake Edwards), Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks), and Silverado.
I didn’t work through all the comments, so maybe somebody already said this but there is an error in your description of Casablanca. Ilse was already married to Victor when Rick and Ilse were seeing each other in Paris. Ilse thought at the time that Victor was dead. When she found out, on the eve of the occupation, that Victor was still alive, she quickly left Rick–causing him to become embittered. However, when Ilse and Victor later entered Rick’s, Victor was not her “new husband,” as your description says, but her long-time husband. Otherwise, well done on the list.
Ahh finally a good list! However, on my own list I would add a few:
McClintock
American History X
Band of Brothers
Mystery Alaska
The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford
Green Mile
Young Frankenstein
Big Lebowski (Absolute Necessity)
I know you have hit the hundred mark, but I would recommend the Lilies of the Field starring Sidney Poitier. It is about a man living alone, pressed into the service of others.
Well, like just about everyone else, I’ve my list of additions. Thing is that most of the 25 or so I’d append have already been added. Here are two that should go on the list:
The Cruel Sea.
Henry V (The Brannaugh [sp] version) “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…”
Great list but I thought it was missing a few:
Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom
The Patriot with Mel Gibson
The Four Feathers—a real old classic, not the newer version
The Outlaw Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood..unless I missed it on the list
Rob Roy with Liam Neeson…I thought this was a great movie but overlooked by many critics
Finally
Trinity Series with Terence Hill…I don’t think they would make the top 100 list but they were great flicks for laughs
Good list, should be 150 movies. A Christmas Story is a must.
This site is great. Normally, when you see a list of movies there are several complaints about them being out-of-date. The problem is that most people today don’t know how to watch a movie.
No Full Metal Jacket? No Big Lebowski?
I guess you should change the name of your post title to :
“100 Must See (AMERICAN) Movies: The Essential Men’s Movie Library !!”
Did you ever heard about French movies ?? European movies ?? Asian movies ??
What about “La grande bouffe” ? “Delicatessen” ?
Some popular French movies – http://www.epinions.com/content_5233156228. Note that I usually hate French movies (too pseudo-intellectual) but “La Grande Bouffe” is a must.
And Emir Kusturica ?? And Kurosawa ?? And Jacques Tati ??
Anyway, it seems we do not have the same taste !!
Braveheart, Remember the Titans, The Karate Kid, Groundhog Day, Top Gun= Is this a joke ?? Really ??
What about Scorsese’s movies ? You prefer “Gang of New York” than “After Hours”, “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas” or “Casino” ?
Cheers
Gr* list. Good work done!
How could you not have the movie Road to Perdition on this list. If you seen the movie then I don’t have to tell you why it belongs.
What, not a single 3 Stooges movie or short? And just a couple of token, white-bread comedies at the end of the list? Totally W E A K.
Great list. I agree with most of them. However, surprised to see missing from the list Dances with Wolves, Castaway, Platoon, Casualties of War, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Bounty, Casablanca, and Romancing the Stone (“Woohoo. It’s turnin’ out to be one Hell of a morning”).
When talking about movies with my friends ONE movie ALWAYS comes up…
Kelly’s Heroes
Thanks for the list. I’d agree on all those that I’ve seen except Gladiator. Russell really gave me the willies in that for some reason.
One of my abiding memories is going to sleep on my father’s lap watching ben Hur at the drive in.
Great List. I would add
300
Kingdom of Heaven
A Perfect World
For The Love of the Game
Good list…two very important man comedies missing: Caddyshack and Slapshot!
I remember watching Papillon, The African Queen and Billy Jack when I was a kid and they all left such vivid memories that I still think about them today.
Great list. I don’t see too many movies, but I have to second many of the choices here. Love “Dead Poets’ Society” and “Groundhog Day.” A big part of manliness is getting the most that you can out of each day.
How about “Gran Torino” as a modern example? That movie is so manly!
Good list,
However, you missed:
We Were Soldiers (how could you miss that one?)
A Few Good Men
Bella (yes, it is about manning up)
Miracle On Ice
A Man for All Season (a classic man’s movie!)
Becket (it doesn’t get more manily than this!)
Oh, and one more:
The The Pursuit of Happyness ( a great man-up movie)
Just for the record… Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom beats the Last Crusade… Hands Down!
I would really like to see these movies in a printable list format. Do you have that?
I wandered across “The Apartment” one night on cable, and stuck around for a few minutes to check out the period piece. Then I saw the actors, recognized a few of them, and stuck around a few minutes longer. Then I saw Shirley Maclaine, and the character interactions, and I was hooked. What starts off as a light-hearted flick really takes some dark and interesting turns. It really is an overlooked movie, and one I would highly recommend.
I’m pretty surprised that movies somehow make you more of a man. This is the most ridiculous article I’ve seen this website post. Lest we forget:
“Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members”
Movies make you less of a man, plain and simple. I realized this over the past year, after being an avid movie watcher and am now in the process of selling or giving away all my DVDs. Seriously, switch the focus back to virtues. The articles on Ben Franklin were fantastic but this is pure fluff.
Well, you’ve got Steve McQueen pretty well covered, but I’d add one more: Le Mans.
The most perfect racing movie ever made, IMHO.
I was 8 years old when it came out, and it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.
No more “kiddie movies” for me after that!
Saw it a bunch of times in the theatres, and then another 237 times or so when I found it on DVD (wore out my player by running it on Loop for about 2 weeks straight)!
Many people criticize it’s lack of conventional story structure, but I love it precisely *because* of that! There’s almost no dialogue in it, and you could just tell Steve McQueen was really driving that car! Cinematography and editing were spellbinding, just like it says on the DVD cover.
A French cinephile point of view…
I agree with many of the movies listed here. But I would like to add some more great American movies.
First of all: My Darling Clementine (1946); probably the most beautiful John Ford movies ever. A Greek tragedy transposed in the Wild West (it’s actually the OK Corral story), with Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp and Victor Mature as Doc Holiday (as well as the ever sexy Linda Darnell. What a Babe! And what a broad too! Possibly on the levels of Bacall and Gardner, but alas too often forgotten nowadays). Like Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda was a wonderful cow boy in Western movies, and certainly the epitome of the type of “Americanness” many Europeans enjoy since the coming of the GI’s in 1944: tall, handsome, cool and relaxed but at the very same time very determined and fond of justice. A “quiet rock”! Not like the ridicule, boasting, hollow, paltry, wan and dull John Wayne (sorry Folks!). Plus the other great esthetical “Americanness” that’s really beautiful in this fabulous movie is the unsurpassed mastery of John Ford to show the grandeur of the American wide open spaces and mostly skies. These qualities are the ones we admire you for, folks, what we expect you to bring to the rest of the world. Please re-discover My Darling Clementine. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful American movies ever.
Never forget Frank Sinatra’s movies! There’s only one in this list, but there are so many… The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) is a masterpiece but I’m not sure the character played by Frank is the epitome of manliness, or at least a “positive” manliness… So let’s re-discover Tony Rome (1966) and The Detective (1968).
And please, my American friends, don’t forget either that, beside Westerns, your civilization also produced one of the greatest literary and cinematrographical genres of the whole 20th century: the so-called “Film Noir”. Actually, these films set the standards for American manliness throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s. And they did a lot for the admiration many Europeans have for your country (even though that feeling can sometime fall under the ultra-complex and paradoxical “love/hate” category). Most of the Films Noirs are absolute “man’s movies”. The list would be too long to name them all.
And, as “The Big Boss” already wrote, what about FOREIGN movies??
- Japanese: Kagemusha and Ran.
- Soviet: The Ballad of the Soldier, Alexander Nevski, Ivan the Terrible
- French: Army of Shadows (1969), La Bandera (1935) and The Great Illusion (1936) are three superb “ultra-manly” movies.
I think the film Life Is Beautiful would have fit perfectly on this list. It’s an amazing tale of sacrifice.
hey Brett,
any chance of getting lists like this in a spreadsheet we could download?
movies, books, or any other list you come up with would be handy to have in a concise version.
Dave
Great list, I’d have included Gods and Generals (I find Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee to be 2 of the greatest role models a man can have), Enemy at the Gates, and Gattaca (another of the “underdog rising above” type movies).
Blake Helgoth — great additions. I’d also considner adding “The Deerhunter,” “October Sky,” and “How Green Was My Valley.” The only one of the 100 posted I’d absolutely leave off is “American Beauty.” If there’s even one decent example of manliness in that movie, I missed it.
A couple of movies that seemed to not have been mentioned….
The Matrix… Fighting for humanity, self discovery/identity, kicking butt…
Unbreakable… this film received a lot of flak and a lot less attention than it’s predecessor “The Six Sense” by director M. Night Shyamalan for not much reason. It’s a wonderful story of a man who struggles with his marriage, his relationship with his son, and his job all because he feels incomplete. This all changes at the end of the movie when he discovers who he really is and his purpose in life.
My two cents worth.
(PS- great to see Ben Hur, Last of the Mohicans, North by Northwest, and many other favourites here!! And I concur with whomever said the Henry V production by Kenneth Branaugh…a masterpiece!)
Great list. I own a lot of these. Glad to see Karate Kid on there too, although I was disappointed to find out they are actually doing a remake of this and Jackie Chan is playing Mr. Miyagi. I wish hollywood would stop doing so many remakes and let great movies stay the way they are.
This would definitely make a top ten list of the top ten best lists of all time… Well researched, well represented, and just top notch all around. Maybe adding the first “Superman” movie, revisiting that one never fails to impress… And agreed, adding another Sergio Leone might’ve been worthwhile…
But come on, folks. Re-watch Tombstone. It is not a good movie, I’m sorry. Nothing there that Unforgiven or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly doesn’t do a thousand times better.
I just rewatched Ghostbusters 1 & 2 with my daughter, she loved them, Bill Murray really had his A-game on in the second one. He must’ve been preoccupied with Razor’s Edge in the first one. I love them both. So much cracks me up in the second one. It always sounds like Louis is saying “Sure the black guy was a big problem for everybody.” and not “Sure the blackout was a big problem for everybody.” I couldn’t believe my ears. Also Bill Murray completely owns everytime he is on screen. Now they are talking Ghostbusters 3 in 2012, and that may be legitimate.
Other than observing that a number of movies on the list might have been merely included as homage to our over-osession with “sports,” a quite good list, otherwise. However one think that struck me is that this list is plainly a Baby-boomer crafting. Are there no movies relating to GenX and GenY that are worthy? Perhaps not? But if not, we are in BIG trouble.
A lot of others have been said but I have to add…
We were soldiers < AWESOME
Crimson Tide is a must for this list.
The Professional
Allow me to be surprised by the fact that many people here make a regrettable confusion: the point here is not to talk about your favorite movies in general, but about the movies each of us considers as being great lessons in manliness. Am I wrong? I could also have listed many movies I really love but doesn’t fit in that category, but I didn’t since we must limit ourselves in the discussion to true “manly” movies.
I could also add that several movies listed here (however good or bad they are is not the point) are not movies about enhancing manliness, but actually real CHILDISH movies. No harm about it per se (some can be really funny and/or touching), just they’re not at all about the very subject of this thread nor about the very subject of this blog either.
Sorry Brett if I’m wrong.
I would add the Jason Bourne series of movies. They are great!
Many blessings,
Art Gonzalez
Manifesting your desires quicker… http://su.pr/3rwgos
Eli July 14, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I think the film Life Is Beautiful would have fit perfectly on this list. It’s an amazing tale of sacrifice.
I watched this my wife one night and i cried my eyes out. seriously. even when i went to sleep.
here is one i love. i dont think i saw it in the list.
“heat” (1995)
Honestly, if were limiting to 100, I mean top, must have 100, we could have replaced all the baseball movies with 61*, with the exception of Pride of the Yankees. Then you make room for Costners Open Range. Best Line, Yer men aint ya?
I dont know how you made this list with no mention of Tombstone. Room for Malcolm X, Groundhog day and Ghostbusters, but no Tombstone? You ought your man card clipped for that.
” But come on, folks. Re-watch Tombstone. It is not a good movie, I’m sorry. Nothing there that Unforgiven or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly doesn’t do a thousand times better.”
Uhhh…Val Kilmers brilliant portrayal of Doc Holliday? Come on. Dont be dense on the Internets.
How could you forget “A man for all seasons”?
Where’s WALL STREET?
Fandango
Some movies that nobody else has mentioned yet:
“The French Connection II” is quite a bit better than its predecessor. Popeye Doyle going cold turkey in a Marseilles jail cell, spitting out French chocolate – “Get me a goddamn Hershey bar!” It doesn’t have the brilliant car chase, but the chase on foot at the end is just as good, and it ends in a pretty morally corrupt place.
“The Lion In Winter.” Seriously, nothing exemplifies manliness more than Peter O’Toole’s Henry II, pulling himself out of bed with a tousled wench, breaking through the ice on top of his washbasin to wash his face, and deciding that it’s time to let his wife out of prison again. A man whose qualities make it possible for him to be “the king, fifty, and alive, all at once.” Probably Katherine Hepburn’s greatest performance is to be had in here too. “He has a knife!” “Of course he has a knife. We all have knives. It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians.”
“Sweet Smell of Success.” This is a nasty bit of business about the coolest character in the coolest job in the coolest period of the coolest city in the history of the human race. Burt Lancaster never played a creepier villain than J.J. Hunsecker, and Tony Curtis is perfect as his desperate, oily, subhuman foil. “I love these dirty streets,” says Hunsecker, and in the hours before the sun comes up and Times Square goes to bed you can see why.
“Before Sunrise.” The second-best seduction-on-a-train in the history of movies. (With that nonsense about Teddy Roosevelt you missed the best line in the first, the indefatigable pickup line, “So what do you do, when you’re not luring men to their doom?”) It’s also the best depiction of what starting to fall in love with someone actually feels like that I’ve ever seen in a movie.
“The Long Good Friday.” Guy Ritchie owes everything to this movie, in which London mobster Bob Hoskins, on the verge of going legit, suddenly finds that things are turning against him, and that even though he ruthlessly dominates every major crime boss in London (at one point, he gathers them together, hanging by their heels, in a slaughterhouse), he has real enemies. Big enemies. Hoskins is mesmerizing and terrifying even while he’s being owned.
“The Hit.” Terence Stampp (is there a single movie with Terence Stampp on your list? Why the hell not? This list has two, and it doesn’t even include “The Limey” because I’m being disciplined) testified against his mobster boss 10 years ago and fled to Spain. John Hurt’s been hired to track him down and kill him. Only when he gets there, he finds a man who’s spent the last 10 years thinking about his death. A strange, disconcerting and suspenseful movie with a surprising amount of philosophical depth, and a very unsettling climax.
Glaring and unforgivable omissions from this list are “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Yhe Last Samurai”, How can you have omitted one or either?
I agree wholeheartedly with 99% of your list, really! But Zulu???? Zulu??? Replace that with Tombstone, and you’ve got it. I might go out on a limb and even replace High Noon with The Big Country (also has Gary Cooper, with the added bonuses of Burl Ives and Charlton Heston). Same theme – doing what’s right, even when people think you’re nuts – but better cinematography. Just a thought.
Relatively recent small film with a traditional view of manly honor and adventure — “Second Hand Lions” with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine.
Which movies, if liked buy a gent, would cause his “Man Card” to be immediately yanked?
Fail Safe
Seven Days in May
Last King of Scotland
Chasing Amy
Wallstreet
Apocalypse Now: “I love the smell of Nepalm in the morning” … CLASSIC!
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
The Terminator
Kung Fu Hustle
Cinderella Man was a typical exercise in truth distortion by Ron Howard. His depiction of Max Baer was slanderous and despicable. Braddock basically sat on the title for two years after he won that fight.
Great List. You could make a list of 500 and not make everyone happy. Ones I would include:
Pulp Fiction
Usual Suspects
Spinal Tap
Animal House
Caddyshack
Matrix
Goodfellas
And a brand new entry: The Hangover
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
From Here to Eternity
Barry Lyndon
Ace of Hearts (Lon Chaney Jr)
Mogambo or Test Pilot – Clark Gable.
The Dirty Dozen – agreed!
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – mentioned above
Sorcerer – Roy Scheider
Commando – Governor Arnold
Swashbuckler – Robert Shaw
The original Taking of Pelham, 1-2-3, again Shaw
The Wild One – Brando
Ian McKellen’s Richard III
Mr. Majestyk – Bronson
Sorry, Trevor Beard, but “Throne of Blood” is Macbeth. “Ran” is King Lear.
Glad to see someone mentioned Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
How about Runaway Train with Jon Voight?
some great films on there, but missing one of the best..
big wednesday
its got surfing ,war, death, and growing up.
its a proper man film, and if you aint seen it, you got to put it ata the top of your list to see next.
You missed a few!
The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
Gods and Generals
The Replacement Killers
Tae Guk Gi
And it’s Maximus Decimus Meridius…”Arelius” must be a reference to Marcus Aurelius, the butcher emperor portrayed in a good light in the film.
Anyone know if Enter the Dragon actually has nude scenes in it though? I haven’t seen it and was curious as to content.
A nit:”It’s a Wonderful Life” is post WWII- and not ’30s-era.
This is a beautiful list, full of movies I want to see for the first time, or movies I want to see a second time or a fifth time.
I would have included “Men in Black.” Sure it’s cartoony. It started as a cartoon. But line for line, it has more manisms than more than half the list.
Again, congratulations.
I second Petro, take off American Beauty and add The Deer Hunter.
Either way, great list, thanks!
Here’s to seconding “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
One of my favorites, and you know its manly if only because its based on the Odysessy.
Another great movie with a southern twist to it is “Big Fish.” It’s about a son trying to learn who is father really is by delving into his tall tales. It’s an incredibly creative, well done movie. For a third, “Forrest Gump” is a classic, certainly more well known than the other two.
I don’t know if I’d include “300″ in my Manly 100 movies. Sure its a war movie, and I thoroughly enjoyed it the first few times I watched it, but so many movies are about men fighting and dying at each others side. For a better war movie that’s not included, I also agree with “Kingdom of Heaven.”
All in all, its a great list. Some of my favorites are on there. Just filling in the Southern gap. Believe it or not, its not all about racism down in the South, and I tend to grow weary of people forgetting the South’s better points (bluegrass, Southern Belles, and the best cooking in the world to name a few).
I agree with whoever said some movies mentioned in the comments section are more childish than manly, like Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski, and perhaps more controversially, the Sergio Leone trilogy, which I find is more about cartoonish macho crap rather than manliness, and this coming from a Clint Eastwood fan.
And I agree about American Beauty. It stands out like a sore thumb.
“Philadelphia” or “Brokeback Mountain” should be here. Being who you are and loving who you love, against all opposition, takes more “manliness” than shooting a gun or throwing a punch. Man up and give some love to the manly gays!
Great list.
Further recommendations:
Gran Torino “Get off my lawn”
Rob Roy “Nothing like a whiff of quim to wake you in the morning”
Apocalypse Now “They were going to make me a major for this, and I wasn’t even in their @#$% army anymore”
The Matador “Margaritas and …”
Raging Bull “Did you @#$ my wife?”
But the last two may not capture the manly tendencies this website is designed to showcase.
And also thank you for not including The Matrix(any of them). Keanu Reeves is only allowed to act because of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures.
I would like to see a Lee Marvin movie on the list!
Three I would have added to the list:
Raging Bull
Treasure of Sierra Madre
The Post Man Always Rings Twice
Great list and some good recommendations, but how does everyone forget “Scarface”?
Can’t believe that you left out Papillon. But its a great list. After my parents divorced, my dad would just drop my brother and me off at the movie theatres whenever he had us for a weekend. So we pretty much learned masculinity from movies. Thanks-
Strange list. Even making allowances for differences in taste, at least 15 of these movies seem to be at best mediocre in quality. Even in a list limited to movies dealing with manliness I would not expect to see them. These movies for example?
Bull Durham
Field of Dreams
The Shootist
Rudy
Gladiator
The Untouchables
Malcolm X
Mississippi Burning
Remember the Titans
Braveheart
The Bourne Identity
Glory
All the President’s Men
Gangs of New York
American Beauty
The Sea Inside? A movie about a man wanting to kill himself. Glorifying euthanasia? That goes against everything that The Art of Manliness is about. Man up! It’s not “politics aside” it is the dignity of life from conception to natural death. Now THAT is manly.
David:
You mentioned Lee Marvin and I agree he ought to have a place on the list.
Aside from the Dirty Dozen, I’d also include…
Hell In The Pacific….In which Lee Marvin & Toshiro Mifune are enemys stranded on an island during WW2. They are enemys who must work together to get off the island. Beautifully directed by John Boorman.
also…
Galipoli…starring young Mel Gibson. What friendship means during war (WW1). Excellent scenes also well well acted.
Personally I think the criticisms of The Shootist miss the mark by a wide margin. Be that as it may. In keeping with the theme of the list, though, I would add “John Wayne and the Cowboys”. It’s as good a “man up” movie as you will find.
You forgot
The Cowboys
The Quiet Man
The Magnificent Seven
The Green Berets
True Grit
The Searchers
OCD, but you quoted the Bourne Supremacy in the Bourne Ultimatum part
identity*
Casino Royale (2006)
The Blue Max
Bang the Drum Slowly
McVicker
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Italian Job
Little Big Man (might be on the list, missed it…) “She was sayin’ no, but I think she meant yes…”
and
The Who: The Vegas Job
I gues I indict myself by admitting I’ve watched many moreTop 100 movies than I have read on the Top 100 Must Read. Shame on me.
I would have included Stalag 17 with William Holden.
I think the list is great.
Just one single suggestion: We were soldiers… one of the best Mel Gibson’s movies.
I’ll agree with Taylor’s exceptions above, except for “Gladiator”, also I second “The Dirty Dozen” and “Second Hand Lions”, with “Gran Torino” as a last minute definite add.
“Rear Window” is Hitchcocks best in my opinion, and the classic close up of Grace Kelly alone puts it on the list.
” The Sandlot” as told though the embellishment of the kids is wonderful and you’ll find several of the kids you grew up with in those characters . Yep, it’s a little corny, but great quotes. ” You’re killin’ me Squints, you’re killin’ me….”
Good list, great comments.
Correction: In “The Natural” the name of the bat is Wonderboy, not Boy Wonder.
For a John Wayne film, I vote for “Rooster Cogburn” in lieu of True Grit. Kate Hepburn is one of only a few that can compete with the Duke on screen, and she more than holds her own.
Also I agree with previous post of “Lilies Of The Field ” with Sidney Poitier.
I suggest breaking this down into sub catagories of ten best. War, Action, Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Sports, Drama, Foreign, Western, and Other. There would obviously be some overlap.
Great list. A few of the older ones weren’t the best choice from the respective eras.
Here is my list of movies that should be included on the Man List:
**= Personal Favorites
Raging Bull
Barfly**
Big Trouble in Little China
Animal House**
The Longest Yard (original)
Deliverance
Last King of Scotland
Outlaw Jose Wales**
Alien
Name of the Rose**
Stand By Me
Missouri Breaks**
The Dirty Dozen
Kelly’s Heroes**
Reservoir Dogs
Dune
The Usual Suspects**
The Wild Bunch
Full Metal Jacket
Papillon**
The Spanish Prisoner
Midnight Run
Catch Me If You Can
The Italian Job (original)
Blazing Saddles
Blood Diamond**
12 Monkeys
Calligula
Clockwork Orange**
Mad Max
The Hidden
Blade Runner
Slap Shot**
Taxi Driver
Big Lebowski**
The Shining
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Apocalypse Now**
The Four Feathers (original)
Toxic Avenger**
The Tao Of Steve**
Goodfellas**
Thunderbolt & Lightfoot
The Flim Flan Man**
Run Lola Run**
Spinal Tap
The Wild One
Easy Rider**
Ong Bak
The Matador
The Warriors**
Escape From New York
Eric the viking
repo man
a clockwork orange
fight club
conan’
Sin City
lady death ‘
heavy metal
1. Fight Club
2. Ocean’s 11
3. Thomas Crown Affair
4. Heat
5. The Fountainhead
6. The Score
Brett, your list is fantastic and I truly believe you’ve narrowed down an impossible to narrow down list quite well. This will help with my wife’s and my Monday movie night tradition. Please do consider a second tier of movie recommendations.
Giving props to someone who mentioned ” Memento” The Battle of Britian, and the Wind and the Lion. Thanks for the list
Gangs of New York? Come on Martins made better Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Mean Streets >>>>>>>>>>> Gangs of New York
Okay, so being a female maybe I shouldn’t really be commenting…but I prefer the movies off of this list over a chick flick anyday. However, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs should definitely be added. I also think American History X and the Goonies belong on this list…maybe even the Boondock Saints. There are so many great movies out there, it’s definitely way too hard to stop at 100.
and definite kudos to whoever suggested A Clockwork Orange!!
While maybe not a “must-see” movie, definitely a prime example of manliness is the documentary “Alone in the Wilderness” (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0009PUAFG). Guy decides to live alone in Alaska, goes off into the wilderness, builds himself a house (with some of the most beautiful hand-crafted, all-wood hinges I have ever seen), and make a living on the land. Did I mention he filmed himself (which means he had to do a lot of what he filmed twice)? Oh, and that he was over 65 years old when he started?
Please read the list BEFORE you say a movie ISN’T on the list.
As far as an omission: “The Black Swan”. (Tyrone Powers) A great pirate movie, excellent sword fighting, and he knows how to treat a woman. LOL
Maybe I am turning in my “Man Card” on this one, but where is “The Wrestler.”
Got to add “The Man From Snowy River”!
Best Line: There are a dozen good brood mares in that mob. I’ll be back for them… and for whatever else is mine.
There are more,
Easy Rider
The Wild One
scarface
no country for old men
a beautiful mind
planet of the apes
gattaca
the patriot
the midnight cowboys
the departed
platoon
the public enemies
patton
http://mensnewsdaily.com/2008/11/28/top-100-men%E2%80%99s-movies-a-work-in-progress/
i love the list, I already printed it and watched 10 out of it
Glad to see Fight Club & Gladiator on there!
Last of the Mohicans is an awesome movie… except the director’s extended edition, which cuts out the hard lines, including the one you listed as the best. Don’t know if you can get the original release on DVD, though. Bah.
I just have to ask, in regards to Old Yeller, can you really say it is a man movie if it makes you cry?
Razor’s Edge. Watched it with the guys at 17. Changed my life.
I liked the list, and obviously there are more than 100 manly movies out there, but I think these ones should have snuck in somehwere:
Tombstone
Dances with Wolves
A Christmas Story
Deliverance
Good list, but how can you leave out Deliverance, Tomestone, and Dances with Wolves?
Good list, but where are these four?
Dances with Wolves
Tombstone
Full Metal Jacket
Deliverance
Also, do you guys think A Christmas Story should be in? Every grown man I know loves that one.
Nice list which includes a few I have not seen. The top of my list of movies of all time is “A Man For All Seasons”. A fabulous movie about the manly character of Sir Thomas Moore that stands up to all of England. even to his death.
Not enough Charlton Heston. Ben Hur is there. That’s great. How about Planet of the Apes, the Omega Man, Soylent Green or the Ten Commandments? Those are must see man movies.
I must say I’m torn on this list. I agree with about half of the posts, but to see so many classics, and so few of the newer movies, heck, where’s Robocop? Spaceballs? Shoot em Up? (alright that last one is debatable as well) but still a decent refference list for my Girlfriend to check.
Either way thanks for the time and post!
Mmmm….Great list.Thnx
The French Connection was about gangs smuggling “women admired and emulated for their achievements and qualities”? I better watch that film again…
I think your spell checker is working overtime – I’m thinking “heroine smuggling ring” should be “heroin smuggling ring”.
Good list though. I’ve got some viewing for the weekend to get through.
A few worthy mentions:
The Third Man
My Man Godfrey
His Girl Friday
The Thin Man
M (The Film by Fritz Lang)
Raging Bull
Taxi Driver
Blade Runner
Life is Beautiful
Hotel Rawanda
The Big Sleep
Take Rasin in the Sun off this list. I love Gangs of New York but how does that make it and Goodfellas or The Departed does not?
Regardless, awesome list. Some real classics on there.
I’d like to include “The Fountainhead” from the book of the same name. Gary Cooper plays the main charter. Easily a man’s man charter.
My Personal Best Westerns:
1. Who Killed Liberty Valance: John Wayne, Jimmy Stuart
2. High Noon: Gary Cooper
I was afraid that 12 Angry Men wasn’t in there, but you didn’t disappoint. I second Hutch’s bid for Goonies. It’s the fun pirate adventure movie you loved as a kid, but looking back you see it for what it really is. A group of boys become men by standing by each other, even with their vast diversity (from Data to Mouth to Sloth), confronting their weaknesses, and ultimately risking everything to save their neighborhood from destruction. Same basic credo for Stand by Me as well.
Maybe I missed it..but how in the world can Deliverance not be on this list??? Once of the best movies of the last century. Somebody enlighten me pls
Did I miss ‘Easy Rider’ and ‘The King of Hearts’ somewhere in this list.
Must to add to the list:
Duck Soup
Magnificent Seven
And please remove any movie with Tom Cruise in it. He’s shown himself many times to be less than a man.
Have you even seen Rocky?? He runs up the stairs at the Art Museum as noted in Rocky 5, and “Eye of the Tiger” isn’t played once until Rocky 3. If you’re gonna write a review about a movie the least you could do is actually watch it.
legends of the fall, band of brothers, the sand pebbles.
Where is the Dirty Dozen?
That has to be up there with some of the manliest things to ever grace a strip of film.
90% of this list is good. but just because a movie is old or boring doesn’t make it manly.
Hell, a manly movie doesn’t even have to be that good.
I think most commenters are forgetting the difference between a manly movie and a cool movie. Why would Boondock Saints be on a list like this? What does it have to do with being manly? Same with Fight Club. Please watch more movies.
Awesome list. Usually I read lists like the IMDB top 100 and feel like barfing. The ones suggested in the comments section are impressive too. I’ll add a few that I didn’t see mentioned in either place:
Hara Kiri: Tatsuya Nakadai getting his revenge, maniacally laughing and throwing the top knot of his adversary in front of the crowd might be the coolest moment in movie history. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk-xztZ7rEU&feature=related
Breaker Morant: “Shoot straight you bastards, don’t make a mess of it!”
The Ox-Bow Incident: Timeless tale of mob justice.
Lonesome Dove: A mini-series but still epically manly. “A man who wouldn’t cheat for a poke don’t want one bad enough”
The Naked Prey
The Day of the Jackal
Thanks for the suggestions, Q. I’ll have to take a look at those.
Yes, I am very fond of these, some of which have seen many times before the case!
Great list, disagree with a few, but you can’t please everybody.
One I would have loved to see on there is Carlitos Way. One of the best movies I have ever seen, and very manly.
Definitely Tombstone, and Papillon (1973)
Starring: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
If you haven;t seen it, this movie will knock your socks off!
Really?
No “Boys in the Hood”?
There is no better movie of a father manning up and teaching his son how to be his own man.
Days of Thunder and The Big Lebowski,Great to get drunk and watch as is Fridays and Talledega Nights.
There is a great man movie you guys left out. It is a must! The Ghost and The Darkness! Based on a true story the book is “The Man Eaters of Tsavo” As always, tbe book was better.
Great line from “The Ghost and the Darkness”
Charles Remington: We have an expression in prize fighting: “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit.” Well my friend, you’ve just been hit. The getting up is up to you.
The Straight Story
There’s something wrong with a “Man’s Movie” list that has “The Apartment” and “Gandhi” on it, but not “300″ and Blackhawk Down.”
12 O’clock High is a must watch. It’s still used as a method of teaching leadership in the military, specifically the U.S. Air Force.
Rush Hour 2
Great list but Shaft should have been included
Yes, a mostly fantastic list! But here are a few of my “Manly” favorites that I didn’t see on the list:
Papillon – Steve McQeen and Dustin Hoffman
Sargeant York – Gary Cooper
To Hell and Back – Audie Murphy
Great work at the compilation! To put a cosmopolitan twist to it, check out John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow; and The Killer. Don’t forget Tom Hanks’s and Paul Newman’s Road to Perdition too!
I would like to include Stand by Me, Hope and Glory and The Princess Bride in the list, all awesome man movies.
You say that The Manchurian Candidate “..follows several former Korean War soldiers who have been brainwashed by the military.” You neglect to say that the military that brainwashed them was the Chinese/N. Korean/Russian ones.
What about “We Were Soldiers”? There is an archetype character for every style of masculinity in that movie. Best line: (after being told he should get a M-16) “Sir, if the time comes I need one, there’ll be plenty lying on the ground.”
I also agree with others that Legends of the Fall should be in there. Band of Brothers should be there too (though technically a miniseries and not a movie).
I would add ‘A long day’s dying’ not well known, but paratroopers trying to get back from behind enemy lines.
Watch Fistful of Dollars with Eastwood, then watch Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Basically, Leone took the idea from Kurosawa. Almost the same exact story. But it’s interesting how context can put a different spin on things.
These were all great picks. Another Bogart would’ve been “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” And I was surprised how many great movies Redford has been in.
umm, we’re forgetting a few necessities here
1) The Big Lebowski (Amazed this one wasn’t on the list, it is by all definitions a man movie)
Tombstone (a story about a man giving everything for what he believes in)
2) Heat (Amazing heist flick)
3) Pitch Black (I say this because of riddick, he is a survivor and does so with knowledge that he is superior, not gloating, just confident)
4) Boondock Saints (brothers doing what is needed and willing to die for it)
5) Office Space (a story of a man taking control of his destiny)
6) Scarface (a man building an empire and living his american dream)
7) Dr. Strangelove (This is the most complete and the most brilliant film ever made)
9) Pulp Fiction (Another man’s movie, i can’t really put my finger on it)
In addition theese movies should definately be taken off this list
1) Star Wars (while i enjoy the original trilogy i find nothing inherently manly or outstanding about the films)
2)Lord of the Rings (three movies about people walking to a volcano then tossing a ring in, not to mention the 10 or so endings after that, theres nothing inspiring or really good about these movies)
3) Groundhog Day (While a decent movie not what I’d call on par with the others on this list)
As I haven’t seen all the movies listed those are all the suggestions I can make
Everyone’s added their suggestions, and some I agree with (We Were Soldiers, Heat, The Departed) and some that I certainly don’t (Pitch Black, Talladega Nights), but I have one single suggestion that I have always liked, but no one seems to know about.
The Edge. Stars Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Hopkins plays a billionaire genius with a photographic memory who is stranded in the Canadian Rockies with Alec Balwin’s character. Thing is, Hopkins knows how to keep cool, and how to survive, and shows himself to be a fantastic leader, despite being a fat old man. Manliest line: “We’re gonna kill the motherfucker!” This line comes when the two men have reached the end of their ropes after being stalked by a grizzly with a taste for blood. These two suburbanites, with nothing more than gumption and a sharp stick, set out to face down an enormous grizzly bear (played by friendly old Bart the Bear, who unfortunately died a little while ago).
If you guys haven’t seen it, it’s a well-done movie, with some excellent acting, and it’s just about being a man. Simply put, it’s all about doing what needs to be done and getting through obstacles, regardless of what comes up. I highly recommend it as a man movie.
The Man Who Would Be King.
How could you have missed this?
“Now listen to me you benighted muckers. We’re going to teach you soldiering. The world’s noblest profession. When we’re done with you, you’ll be able to slaughter your enemies like civilized men. ”
Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer (as Rudyard Kipling), and directed by John Huston.
“Danny never let go of Peachy’s hand, Peachy never let go of Danny’s head.”
Any man who doesn’t break down in tears at the end of this incredible film is no man at all. It’s even got Freemasons in it. Hats on.
What about “The Quiet Man” or ” Mc Clintock!”…..
More modern manly film classics:
Frequency (2000) Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid – A father and son manliness tales that is timeless. I always love stories with a time paradox!
The Passion of the Christ (2004) Jim Caviezel – No explanation necessary!
We Were Soldiers (2002) Mel Gibson – Best Vietnam movie ever. Plays a great counterpoint to all the drunken, drug laced tales of genocide and mayhem and proves real men fought that war for us!
Pirate’s of the Carbbean (All of them) Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom – Many aspects of manliness, courage, commitment and love as well as the unusual effeminate manly-man Jack Sparrow juxtaposed against the prototypical swashbuckling Will Turner.
I grew up on Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. Somehow manliness has gone from having to do what’s right even when it is impossible to violence and aggression for any reason. I applaud that many of those films are not on your list!
Stephen seagal in “Under seige” not on this list? for shame!
The movie is top five in this list !
Where is my Boondock Saints?
how is fight club not on this list?! FIGHT CLUB
For my money, it doesn’t get more manly than The Godfather. It’s all about loyalty to your family and commitment to promises. Just an awesome movie all around.
The Cowboys – John Wayne
I must say, there doesn’t seem to be a Kubrick film on here, most notably Full Metal Jacket.
Two movies to be viewed by every man, Conan the Barbarian and Mad Max: The Road Warrior.
Surely the most manly film has to be ‘Rob Roy’?
One poor man defends his honor to the point of death against rich and powerful enemies (and Tim Roth is one of cinema’s greatest villains).
Also, how about ‘Open Range’?
And, finally, if ‘Gladiator’ rates a mention the ‘Troy’ should also.
Scarface, Casino, Goodfellas. Suppose youve had to vary the genres a fair bit so cant get all of them in there. Papillon’s a classic. Lock Stock or Snatch maybe. Boys from company C is a great film aswell. Cheers 4 the list though, theres some old chestnuts on there defo worth a watch.
I liked the list but I must say that The Boondock Saints should have made the list.
It would be nice if there was a way to just one-click add this whole list to my netflix queue. Great list!
What about the 1920s and 1930s??
I find myself very surprised that sooo many great and very masculine movies with far more talent and masculinity than that of The Karate Kid, Swingers, American Beauty Old Yeller or Groundhog Day? (I honestly don’t know why some of those wound up on that list?) were pushed aside? Maybe its just a lack of knowledge of them, which is understandable,… otherwise,… WOW??
I’d trade all those mentioned and a few others like Top Gun for a trip back in time with such greats with grit, unmatched wit and talent and machismo as,…
Angels With Dirty Faces -1938 James Cagney
Little Ceasar – 1930 Edward G. Robinson
Scarface (THE ORIGINAL!!!) – 1932 Paul Muni
I am a Fugitive From A Chain Gang – 1932 Paul Muni
The Roaring Twenties – 1939 James Cagney
Public Enemy – 1931 James Cagney
The Adventures Of Robin Hood – 1937 Errol Flynn
Maltese Falcon – 1941 Humphrey Bogart
The Sherlock Holmes series of movies from the 1930s with Basil Rathbone
In fact, if I read your list right,.. I don’t think there was one James Cagney movie listed?? Cagney was one of the very biggest and most recognized fellows with that MANLY grit about him throughout his entire film career.
…and what about one of the movies with some of the biggest collections of MANLY scenes within it,….
GONE WITH THE WIND!…
I mean there aren’t many actors or roles in Groundhog Day, Karate Kid, Top Gun or otherwise that can even come close or hold a candle to Clark Gable’s style, wit, and debonair persona that took on anything and anyone in his role as Rhett Butler!
I think you may want to adjust your list.
I would like to nominate “Silverado”.
Come on! “Wonder Boy” was the name of Roy Hobbs’ bat in “The Natural,” Boy Wonder was Batman’s gay sidekick.
I also nominate:
American Gangster, Training Day, Animal House, Batman Begins/Dark Knight, Casino, Goodfellas, True Romance, The Program, Platoon, Miracle, Falling Down and Red Dawn
The French Connection – Could u smuggle a heroine for me please?
If you ask me, the title of this article should be “100 Must See Movies: The Essential Movie Library for Everyone”. I’m a woman and I’ve seen almost all of the films on this list (and my all-time favorite film is “The Godfather”). We women have brains in our heads, too, so why should we settle for the mindless romantic pablum that’s geared toward women on a daily basis? That we’re “supposed” to like?
A list without Lonesome Dove is no list at all.
No Goodfellas either. Atleast you have Cool Hand Luke and Old Yeller.
Ghostbusters? Wow.
Only agree with two: Double Indemnity & Maltese Falcon. Double Indemnity is FRED MACMURRAY; Maltese Falcon is SIDNEY GREENSTREET. The LINE from Double Indemity: “You’re no smarter. Just a little taller!” Rendered by Edward G. Robinson. From Maltese Falcon: “You’re an amazing character, Mr. Spade!” (Sidney Greenstreet).
My three cents:
“From Russia With Love” – is a better Bond movie than “Dr. No” – probably the best Bond movie.
“Warlock” as someone mentioned above? Oh, God no! Good with the original french movie, “The Wages of Fear”. To be a man when you make a commitment you follow through.
“Ronin” – Absolutely amazing car chases and again, commitment.
Your lack of Yojimbo is disturbing.
Wanna be a man? Wanna be a thinking man with the skills of Jason Bourne and the presence of some kinda badass that makes the average guy wet himself? Learn from Toshirô Mifune in Yojimbo.
Not too bad a list, but too many baseball movies!
Diggstown!
I would love to own most of this list. Black Hawk Down, The Last Samurai and Forever Strong are also really good.
Hope this was a working list. I mean seriously….there is certainly some fantastic films that belong on this list by any measure. Others, however, diminish the credibility of your website as an authority on manliness.
No list of this type should exclude The Quiet Man. It seems to be one of the most fitting with manliness and the deposition of your website.
I contribute my personal recommendations to primarily remove the following films due to non-applicability, cheesiness, or otherwise just poorly made movies (this is not to say that I don’t like many of these, but really?):
Flight Club
American Beauty
Ghostbusters
Lord of the Rings
Groundhog Day
Glory
Karate Kid
Star Wars
Die Hard
Remember the Titans
Malcolm X
Manchurian Candidate
Rudy
Gangs of New York
Borne Ultimatum
Outsiders
Bull Durham
Swingers
Saving Private Ryan
First Blood
Braveheart
I’m a bit saddened to see that Jason Statham doesn’t make the list. He’s either the rough-edged good guy, or the bad guy that you’re supposed to sympathise with.
That said, I have about 90 movies to watch before I can get critical.
I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it; maybe not seeing as it’s an Aussie film, but Gallipoli (1981) is a great representation of our lifestyle, mateship, our troops, and their role in WWI.
Another great one others have no doubt mentioned is Gran Torino.
I agree with ‘Four Feathers’ – that was a great film!
The 2002 version is ok…just.
The 1939 version was one of the best lessons on manliness I ever received in a Saturday afternoon matinee.
Blue Velvet – David Lynch
What about /Troy/The Last Samurai/Heat/Predator/The 13th Warrior/Full Metal Jacket/ among others. These are truly great men movies. Really, Heat has to be one of the top 5. What do you think?
Also some other great movies were the 3 underworld movies.
It ammuses me greatly that a lot of the comments are from peeps that haven’t even bothered to read the list, as some of the reccomendations they are complaining are mising are on there!
As for Jason Stratham, he’s either a poor actor or accepts any film given as most are shite!
Am I the only person who’s seen Gone, Baby, Gone? Here’s a man who has a clearly defined code and follows it to the end, regardless of what’s easy or seems like the best choice. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and in the end, he has to live with the costs of following that code. If that’s not being a man, I’m apparently on the wrong list. It’s a refreshing return to cinema’s golden age, when tragedies were tragic by the textbook definition, and everything wasn’t tied up in a neat bow to be spoon-fed to the audience by the time the credits rolled.
And Capra’s schlock was heavy-handed even for the time, but to declare “It’s a Wonderful Life” even watchable is a travesty. I just can’t get behind any movie that doesn’t punish the villain by the end. SNL really had the best ending to that movie.
Lonely are the Brave (1962) — Kirk Douglas
American History X needs to be added.
Iron Cross, Man Who Would Be King
Life is Beautiful? Please.
It is quite challenging if not impossible to create a list of 100 “anything” that will be made up of things that everyone agrees with due to how subjective these lists can be. I think the fair thing to do is to watch every movie on this list before making a criticism.
Great list. One suggestion.
Shawshank Redemption is the worst kind of bad movie — manipulative, overdone, rife with caricatures and contrived situations. Nothing real in this movie. My suggestion to replace it: The Winslow Boy – a surprising turn by David Mamet. Appropriately understated and true to life. There are victories in lives that don’t involve heroine or stormtroopers.
every time i saw Kevin Costner in this list i died a little. except for seagal, costner is the worst of the worst.
Overall a good list. I agree with matthew about Kevin Costner. Movies I would include on the list:
-Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
-Gran Torino
-Good Will Hunting
-Rob Roy
-Four Feathers (1939)
-Star Trek (2009)
Also I don’t remember seeing a Daniel Craig movie on there; Defiance, Casino Royal, and Layer Cake are all good man movies.
Thanks for putting this together i will be coming back to this post for years
I would include “Life Is Beautiful” and “Master and Commander.”