There's a little secret I need to tell you guys. America isn't the only place that makes movies. Crazy, right? Yes, many a countries do the movies. Some have real good ones too! So me and the usual crew have decided to make a list of the 10 best from a country closely related to our own, the drooling dandies that couldn't keep a hold of the raging beast that is Americas need to fight something. Yes, I'm talking about the good ole, second place UK. They are arranged in descending order so read on ahead. Fair warning. I haven't seen every British movie, being as I'm not British. So take the list without however many grains of salt you want. But there's enough range here I feel to be a good list. Feel free to check out the lists of the crew, my fellows Josh Paige and Mike Natale, for their lists on the subject as well. And at the bottom of the list is a poll for the next list we will do, it's entirely up to you (rhymes). So continue on, and enjoy.
10. In Bruges
Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes
This movie is just a blast of fun. If I only had to give one reason why it was on here, it's that. Just a completely hilarious black comedy. But a little more on the subject is necessary I guess. The movie is written, directed and acted perfectly. Following two hitmen on a forced retirement after a botched job, we see them as they interact with the locals of Bruges. Farrell is just on fire, proving he has more to him than his looks while Gleeson is just perfect as the grizzled older hitman who tries to mentor Farrell. Things don't go so well when boss Ralph Fiennes shows up and all comedic yet heartbreaking hell breaks loose. A moral ambiguous picture about dealing with guilt and past mistakes, it manages to do something most movies find hard. That's finding a balance between being funny and emotional without falling too deeply into one side, or not being as adept at one or the other. It was a total surprise when I saw it and has stuck with me too this day.
9. Snatch
9. Snatch
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Dennis Farina, and Brad Pitt
There is nothing more going on underneath this movie. This is all surface level but it is such a rollicking good time, the British version of a Tarantino movie. Filled with a bunch of memorable characters played by great actors, the movie never stops. It's at it's core, a movie about a diamond heist/missing diamond. Guy Ritchie made a splash with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but this is where he really broke out. He is on fire here, keeping everything going and somehow being convoluted but not a mess. When the movie ends, you get it. It all comes together. It's not some uber complicated, deep soul searching mystery. This is a movie that is just pure fun, the only movie like that on the list. Even if the rest of the movie sucked, it would be worth it for Brad Pitt as the mumbling gypsy.
8. A Clockwork Orange
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick McGee, and Michael Bates
I'm not gonna lie. I have no idea how to write about this movie. On one hand, I don't really love it like I do the two movies it ranks higher than. But on the other hand, it is still a movie with an insane amount of power that still has the capability to shock an audience. Set in a distant future, kids are basically running free and are just a bunch of little shits. Following Alex DeLarge as he leads his own little gang of cocks, or Droogs as he calls them, we see how evil these bastards are. But when he gets arrested, the government takes drastic steps to change him. They essentially rewire his brain to have a killer migraine whenever he thinks of doing something bad. An oddly prescient movie about kids being able to do what they want cause parents just have no control and don't really care. It also deals with the politicos using this kid, an asshole of an extreme measure he may be, for their own gains no matter what it does to him. And it also tackles the idea of free will by way of a piece of trash. Kubrick forces us to really consider the idea of free will and if it's worth a damn by showing Alex be abused and basically tortured to try and be "good" which is against his very nature. It's a very challenging movie and one I admire very much. But it's a movie I'll never love, same with Kubricks other movies. There's always something that rubs me the wrong way. Then again, that might be the point. Either way, it's important and deserves to be mentioned here.
7. 28 Days Later
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson, and Christopher Eccleston
The zombie sub genre of horror had been stuck in place for what seems like forever, the typically slow and shambling monsters. Not that they were all bad or anything. But there was no change. So Danny Boyle decided to say fuck it and make a movie that changes it up. Instead of a small little movie set in one location, it follows a group in a movie that plays more like an outbreak thriller than a zombie movie. But the biggest change of all comes from the portrayal of zombies as running and snarling beasts. People like to bitch and say they aren't zombies, they are just infected with a virus. Which I counter with, "So a fucking a zombie?". But this movie brings a dirty and gritty documentary-esque style to the zombie movie, so it feels all the more real and creepy when Cillian is standing in front of Big Ben and no one else is around. Boyle directs the hell out of this movie, bringing the scares and the thrills. Equally entertaining and scary. It's a big game changer of a movie and even though I have some issues with how the third act unfolds, I dig what it was trying to do, it still deserves a mention as it changed and revitalized a genre.
6. Skyfall
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, and Javier Bardem
As the universe would have it, a movie that every Bond fan was not anticipating after the mess that was Quantum of Solace ends up being the best Bond movie. Is it the most iconic? No, nothing in the franchise will ever reach the iconography of Connerys era. But as a Bond movie, and just a movie in general, it is the best one in simple terms. It is a movie about James Bond and his place in the world, looking back at his history and his future. It finishes off the story of Bond becoming Bond that was started in Casino Royale and ignored in Solace. Mendes, an obvious fan, brings his A game that has been missing for a while. He nails the tone a Bond movie needs to have while molding it into the Craig era, so it's gritty and action packed and has real stakes but it also has fun and has a sense of humor. Craig is at his best here, finally able to play the Bond the end of Royale hinted at. Not to mention getting Bardem as maybe the best bad guy in the series, maybe only beaten by Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love. He's the Joker for the Bond series, the twisted inversion of Bond and what he could become if he doesn't look out. It's a beautiful damn movie, not surprising as it was shot by Roger Deakins. It's honestly the pinnacle of the series and it brings the franchise full circle, with Bond back in that office from Dr No, about to get orders from the new and male M. Bond is back and the UKs most iconic movie franchise gets its due.
5. Trainspotting
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald, and Robert Carlyle
Danny Boyle is back with a tale of a bunch of degenerate shits, a group of Scottish junkies. Following Ewan as Renton, we fall down the rabbit hole of nastiness. It really is just an absolute filthy looking and feeling movie. These guys are all fucked up. Some may not be evil, but they have so many issues that they just don't care what they have to do. It's really set up perfectly with Renton sticking his hand down a shit filled toilet looking for the drugs he accidentally shat out of his ass he had hidden up there. The movie has fun and is a breezy movie with plenty of hilarious moments, but it'll go dark. So dark it really took me by surprise. It doesn't get much darker than a baby dying. Boyle again is on fire here, directing like his life depends on it. The acting is superb, Ewan giving maybe his best performance. Everyone brings there A game, even if it can be nearly impossible to hear them with their working class Scottish accents. This is a movie that hits hard and leaves you feeling rotten. It doesn't reach Requiem For A Dream level nastiness (thank fuck), but it isn't a fun ride by the end. As dark as dark comedies get, it more than deserves its placement here.
4. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Director: David Lean
Starring: Alec Guinness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins
David Lean has made many movies before he tackled this legendary epic. But this is a big leap and the sign of where he was gonna go with his film making and the mark he was gonna leave on cinema. Tackling a story about POWs during WWII and the British way of getting the job done right, Lean makes a very epic yet human story. Lean takes his time, letting everything sink in. You get a feel for the place and the people. He gets great performances out of the cast, specifically from Alec Guiness. Guiness is iconic as the British officer who sticks to the rules explicitly and feels that a job should be done to the highest standards, even if it's done by force. The fact that Lean made a close to 3 hour movie set during a war with almost no action, yet keep it totally engrossing is an amazing feat. A movie this powerful, this masterfully made from top to bottom doesn't come around often. So of course it has to show up on this list.
4. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Director: David Lean
Starring: Alec Guinness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins
David Lean has made many movies before he tackled this legendary epic. But this is a big leap and the sign of where he was gonna go with his film making and the mark he was gonna leave on cinema. Tackling a story about POWs during WWII and the British way of getting the job done right, Lean makes a very epic yet human story. Lean takes his time, letting everything sink in. You get a feel for the place and the people. He gets great performances out of the cast, specifically from Alec Guiness. Guiness is iconic as the British officer who sticks to the rules explicitly and feels that a job should be done to the highest standards, even if it's done by force. The fact that Lean made a close to 3 hour movie set during a war with almost no action, yet keep it totally engrossing is an amazing feat. A movie this powerful, this masterfully made from top to bottom doesn't come around often. So of course it has to show up on this list.
3. The Cornetto and Blood Trilogy
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
I cheated here and put three movies into one slot, but there is a reason. This thematic trilogy of buddy comedies set in genre films with hearts of gold round out the three best comedies from the UK. Hell, these three are some of the best in the world. From taking on zombie, action movies, and invasion stories the trio at the helm here tackle what it means to grow up and the various friendships and relationships that one has to go through as they age. The best of the bunch in my opinion is Shaun of The Dead, a perfect movie that still keep me laughing the entire time. Hot Fuzz is hilarious but doesn't hit me as hard as it comes with a bit of fat on it. Then there's The World's End, a funny fucking movie that loses steam in the third act. But I won't go and say none of them are good. They're great. No embarrassing moments in the trio. Edgar Wright proves his worth as a director through and through, maturing through each one. If it wasn't for Gareth Evans, Wright would be the best at shooting close quarters combat. Pegg made a name for himself in these roles and proves why he is a top tier comedian. And Frost is the best sidekick, playing the loveable idiot and the straight man throughout the trilogy. These are comedies at peak form, advancing the genre and making a mark on the industry. True works of fucking art.
2. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, and Orla Fitzgerald
This is a movie that is purely a personal pick. Personal in the fact that movies about the relationship between brothers usually gets to me. Set during the hey day of the IRA and the fight against Britain for Irish freedom, this movie hit all the right buttons for me. The cast is great, featuring Cillian's finest performance IMO. Ken Loach directs with a firm hand, making everything real yet dramatic enough to sustain interest. It's a visually gorgeous movie and makes me ache for a Blu Ray release of this. It's a heartbreaking movie that needs to be seen by all. It's an under the radar gem and I love every second of it. A true powerhouse and deserves its place.
1. Lawrence Of Arabia
Director: David Lean
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Shariff
Not only is this movie the best fucking movie to come out of the UK, it's one one of the best damn movies anywhere. It's a masterpiece of epic proportions that David Lean was apparently building to his entire career. Epic is almost too small a word to describe this. Momentous or game changing is the more apt. This is film making at peak form. Not many have outpaced the directing, acting, cinematography, story or impact of this movie. And even fewer have merged them into one. Lean lays down his legacy and could have walked away right after. Peter O'Toole gives one of, if not, the best performance ever in his first God damned leading role. Following the adventures of the famed TE Lawrence, this movie is just filled with the emotions and the feeling that this is something unseen before or after. I don't have much to say that hasn't come before or can fit in anything even remotely brief enough for a list, so I'll just end it with this. Cinema today would be a much different and very worse place without this movie. A tour de force.
- Tom Lorenzo
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