100 best long movies for when you're stuck inside

- Director: Xavier Dolan
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 168 minutes
- Metascore: 73

This Canadian drama tracks the struggles of a transgender woman, played by Melvil Poupaud, over the course of 10 years. Director Xavier Dolan made it in memory of real-life transgender woman Luce Baillargé. The film won two awards at the 2012 Canne Film Festival, including the Queer Palm.

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 317 minutes
- Metascore: 70

The uncut version of this historical drama runs for more than five hours and breaks down into two parts. Spanning four decades in Italy, it chronicles the rise of fascism through the eyes of two central protagonists portrayed by Robert De Niro and Gérard Depardieu. Director Bernardo Bertolucci went well over schedule and budget during production.

- Director: Kenneth Branagh
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 242 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Shakespeare's iconic play gets all the breathing room it deserves in this Oscar-nominated adaptation. Director and star Kenneth Branagh changes the century while leaving the bard's original prose intact. Richard Attenborough, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Gérard Depardieu all make appearances.

- Director: Robert Altman
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 188 minutes
- Metascore: 79

Robert Altman followed 1992's "The Player" with this Los Angeles-based dramedy, which alternates between various storylines. Ever the economic director, he completed filming in a little over two months. Featured in the ensemble cast are Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Downey Jr., Madeleine Stowe, Matthew Modine, Jack Lemmon, Frances McDormand, Andie MacDowell, Lily Tomlin, Huey Lewis, Lyle Lovett, and Tom Waits.

- Director: Spike Lee
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 202 minutes
- Metascore: 72

Featuring a peak performance from Denzel Washington, Spike Lee's biopic tells the story of civil rights activist Malcolm X. It follows him from his early days as a small-time hustler to his rise as one of the nation's most important orators. Belabored by various clashes and a ballooning budget, the film's production was nearly as controversial as its subject matter.

- Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: 88

The making of this French drama was an exhausting process that involved hundreds of hours of shooting and countless takes. It centers on the exploratory romance between two young women, played by Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, which has life-changing repercussions. Both the film's explicit content and its director have been the subject of controversy ever since its release.

- Director: Andrzej Wajda
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 160 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

For her thesis project, a young Polish filmmaker finds a subject in a fictional 1950s propaganda hero Mateusz Birkut. What begins as the search for a lost bricklayer becomes a sweeping examination of political corruption. Director Andrzej Wajda released a follow-up called "Man of Iron" in 1981.

- Director: Hu Bo
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 230 minutes
- Metascore: 86

The debut feature film from director Hu Bo provides a dire glimpse of life in modern China. Set in the city of Manzhouli, it follows different residents as their lives and stories intertwine. Tragically, Bo committed suicide shortly after finishing his first cut.

- Director: Elia Kazan
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 174 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Filmmaker Elia Kazan depicts the harrowing journey of his own uncle with this timely drama. Set in the 1890s, it confronts a Turkish immigrant with various obstacles on his path to America. Stunning cinematography and a largely unknown cast bring the story to life.

- Director: Wim Wenders
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 175 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

This black-and-white drama from Wim Winders concluded his informal "Road Movie Trilogy." It follows two men as they travel along the East German border, encountering people and places in disrepair. A prime example of New German Cinema, it strikes a unique balance between the literal and the metaphorical.

- Director: Chantal Akerman
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 202 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

In this evocative character study, a widowed housewife, played by Delphine Seyrig, turns occasional tricks in the midst of her daily routine. What seems like an exercise in repetition slowly builds to an unexpected climax. It was once dubbed in Le Monde as "the first masterpiece of the feminine in the history of the cinema."

- Director: Lindsay Anderson
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Having previously collaborated on 1968's "if…," actor Malcolm McDowell and director Lindsay Anderson reunited for this poignant dramedy. McDowell reprises the role of British everyman Mick Travis, whose naive ideals are undermined through a series of misadventures. Beyond the absurdist veneer is a scathing satire of life in a capitalist society.

- Director: Aku Louhimies
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

While this is the third adaptation of an epic Finnish novel, it's the first to draw from that novel's unedited manuscript. Set during World War II, it chronicles the ongoing battles between Finland and the Soviet Union. Despite mixed reviews, the film broke a domestic box office record during its opening weekend in Finland.

- Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Julia Ormond and Richard Harris star in this sweeping blend of costume drama and slapstick comedy. It mostly takes place in 19th-century Russia and portrays the romantic exploits of an American woman. Legendary film composer Eduard Artemev provided the original score.

- Directors: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald, Bernhard Wicki
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: 75

Following D-Day from both Allied and German perspectives, this World War II drama employs a massive ensemble cast. Presented as a docudrama, it leads up to the historic invasion while touching down on key players and key events alike. It was the most expensive black-and-white movie ever made until 1993's "Schindler's List."

- Director: Philip Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 193 minutes
- Metascore: 91

Like the Thomas Wolfe book upon which it's based, this historical drama goes behind the scenes of early American spaceflight. Authentic aircraft models were built for the shoot, as was a motion control camera system called the Cruciflex. A box office flop during its initial release, the film is now considered a classic.

- Director: Cecil B. DeMille
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 220 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

It's the story of Moses as only director Cecil B. DeMille could tell it, in what turned out to be his final film. Charlton Heston plays the biblical figure, who's tasked from above with freeing the slaves from Egypt. Cinematographer John P. Fulton created special photographic effects for the film and won an Academy Award for his effort.

- Director: George Cukor
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 170 minutes
- Metascore: 95

Rex Harrison portrays an elitist professor who wagers that he can turn a flower girl Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey Hepburn, into a member of high society. Hepburn might not perform her own singing, but she's nevertheless a delight to behold. The film was a smash holiday hit, dominating at the box office and winning eight Academy Awards.

- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 168 minutes
- Metascore: 68

Tarantino's second foray into the Western genre takes place in the middle of a Wyoming winter storm. While holed up in a haberdashery, rugged characters play their own deadly version of "Survivor." Opt for the 168-minute version or stream the extended four-part miniseries, which clocks in at 213 minutes.

- Director: David Fincher
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 166 minutes
- Metascore: 70

With David Fincher at the helm of this tale that takes on a dark visual tone, Brad Pitt plays a man who ages in reverse. Screenwriter Eric Roth previously wrote 1994's "Forrest Gump," making this film a spiritual, and inferior, successor of sorts. It's based on a short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

- Director: Peter Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 169 minutes
- Metascore: 58

Peter Jackson continues to explore Tolkien's Middle Earth with the first of three lucrative prequels. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, embarks on a perilous journey to the Lonely Mountain, where a vicious dragon awaits. Shot in tandem with the other installments, this one employs a unique frame rate of 48 FPS.

- Director: James Cameron
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 194 minutes
- Metascore: 75

Former Fox studio head Peter Chernin once described the making of this historical epic as "hell on a level unimaginable." As brutal as that production may have been, it yielded one of the most successful films of all time. Set aboard the ill-fated cruise ship, it tells a story of forbidden romance between two young lovers, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

- Director: Theodoros Angelopoulos
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 170 minutes
- Metascore: 73

The first installment in a planned trilogy spans from 1919 to just after World War II. Living in a small Greek village, two young refugees fall in love against a backdrop of constant turmoil. Director Theodoros Angelopoulos passed away before he could complete the trilogy's final film, which intended to cover modern Greek history.

- Director: Wojciech Has
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 182 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

History and fantasy collide in this 1965 Polish film, which opens in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. When a young officer finds his grandfather's manuscript, the story jumps back in time and takes on mythical proportions. Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola helped restore the film, which was also one of Jerry Garcia's personal favorites.

- Director: Ermanno Olmi
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 186 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Taking cues from the neorealist movement, this three-hour drama depicts peasant life in late 19th-century rural Italy. Director Ermanno Olmi's masterful use of scenery and character brings the past to life with stunning authenticity. The movie won a number of major awards, including the Palme d'Or at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.

- Director: Fritz Lang
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 242 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

The first film in a decades-spanning series, this silent-era thriller centers on criminal genius Dr. Mabuse, played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge. A master of disguise and manipulation, he enacts unlawful schemes of every variety. Many say that his character set an early template for numerous movie and comic book supervillains to come.

- Director: William Wyler
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 166 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Two families feud over land and water in this epic Western from William Wyler. Presented in Technicolor, it features lavish interior sets and sweeping panoramas of the American West. Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston star, as does Burl Ives in an Oscar-winning performance.

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 172 minutes
- Metascore: 91

Director Franklin J. Schaffner's acclaimed biopic overcame various obstacles on its way to the big screen. It stars George C. Scott as General George S. Patton Jr., whose methods during World War II were as effective as they were controversial. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 197 minutes
- Metascore: 87

Decades before "Gladiator," there was this action-packed epic with similar themes. Inspired by historical figures, it follows the slave Spartacus, played by Kirk Douglas, as he leads a revolt against the Roman Republic. Original director Anthony Mann was fired just two weeks into the shoot and replaced by Stanley Kubrick.

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 209 minutes
- Metascore: 94

Scorsese's latest mob saga is a more solemn affair when compared to previous efforts. It tells the story of former hit man Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, who claims responsibility for the murder of Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. According to numerous reports, much of the movie's $175 million budget went toward de-aging technology.

- Director: Richard Linklater
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 165 minutes
- Metascore: 100

This literal coming-of-age drama was filmed by Richard Linklater over the course of 12 years. It follows Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, as he goes from a daydreaming young boy to confused adolescent. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke star as Mason's parents, both of whom experience struggles of their own.

- Director: Jean Eustache
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 210 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

In the midst of the sexual revolution, three Parisians engage in an intellectually charged love triangle. If the title isn't a dead giveaway, the film explores themes of sex and romance through an overly analytic lens. It won both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Grand Jury Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival.

- Director: Jan Troell
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 191 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

This acclaimed drama follows the 19th-century journey of a small Swedish family as they try to reach American soil. The most expensive Swedish film of its time, it brings every struggle to life with unsparing detail. A 1972 sequel called "The New Land" picks up where this one leaves off.

- Director: Edvin Laine
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 177 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

The first of three adaptations, and the second one to appear on this list, this Finnish drama takes place during the Continuation War. Hoping to reclaim territory from the Soviet Union, Finland begrudgingly joins forces with Nazi Germany. More than half of Finland's population went to see this movie in theaters, making it the most successful release in the country's history.

- Director: Luchino Visconti
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 186 minutes
- Metascore: 100

The year is 1860 and Sicily is in a state of constant sociopolitical turmoil. Within the walls of his lavish estates, the Prince of Salina, played by Burt Lancaster, reflects upon the inevitability of change. This film and its famous 40-minute ballroom sequence was a major influence upon American auteurs such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

- Director: Taylor Hackford
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: 47

Jimmy Santiago Baca drew inspiration from his own life story when writing the script for this three-hour crime drama. Set in East Los Angeles from 1972 to 1984, it follows three fellow gang members as they embark down separate paths. Some of the principal actors lived with real-life gang members while researching their roles.

- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: 84

Kurosawa returned to the samurai genre with this vivid war film, which takes place in feudal Japan. When a powerful leader dies, a petty thief is hired to impersonate him. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival and received two Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Foreign Language Film.

- Director: Norman Jewison
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 181 minutes
- Metascore: 67

One of Broadway's longest-running musicals paved the way for this award-winning drama from Norman Jewison. Set in pre-revolutionary Russia, it punctuates themes of destitution and despair with uplifting song-and-dance numbers. Brisk direction and lively performances keep the film moving at an energized pace.

- Director: William Wyler
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 170 minutes
- Metascore: 93

Upon returning to their small town, three World War II veterans struggle to adapt in this landmark drama. Director William Wyler personally cast non-professional actor Harold Russell, who'd lost both his hands during a demolition exercise. A massive box office success, the film won seven Academy Awards.

- Director: Federico Fellini
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 174 minutes
- Metascore: 95

Fellini's ode to the "sweet life" trails a philandering journalist, played by Marcello Mastroianni, around Rome for a week. Equal parts endearing and satirical, it offers an insider snapshot of the Roman upper class. This film marked the first of many collaborations between Fellini and Mastroianni, who was often viewed as the director's alter-ego.

- Director: David Lean
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 197 minutes
- Metascore: 69

Director David Lean worked with a team of "dedicated maniacs" when bringing this epic saga to life. It chronicles the romantic exploits of Yuri Zhivago as he survives brutal hardships during the Russian Revolution. Sweeping vistas were filmed on location and a legendary ice palace was constructed inside a Madrid studio.

- Director: Lars von Trier
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: 60

Like most work from controversial director Lars von Trier, this disturbing drama is not for the faint of heart. Presented as a stage play of sorts, it puts a young woman, played by Nicole Kidman, through the wringer in a small Colorado town. An explicitly American parable, the film explores themes of hypocrisy and exploitation.

- Director: Oliver Stone
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 189 minutes
- Metascore: 72

Oliver Stone cranks the conspiracy dial all the way up in this Oscar-winning drama. While investigating the Kennedy assassination, DA Jim Garrison, played by Kevin Costner, uncovers a dangerous plot of wide-reaching proportions. Reportedly riddled with inaccuracies, the film takes a "Rashomon"-style approach toward the act of perception itself.

- Director: Robert Wise
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 172 minutes
- Metascore: 63

A failed nun, portrayed by Julie Andrews, serves as governess to seven unruly children in this blockbuster musical. Co-star Christopher Plummer later claimed that the role of Captain von Trapp was among his biggest challenges. Citing the film's "awful and sentimental and gooey" nature, he "had to work terribly hard to try and infuse some miniscule bit of humor into it."

- Director: Richard Attenborough
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 191 minutes
- Metascore: 79

The concept of nonviolent protest remains inextricably linked with Mohandas K. Gandhi and that's largely thanks to this biographical drama. Ben Kingsley plays the title role, a central figure in India's fight for independence in the 19th century. Two decades in the making, the film touches down on Gandhi's most important historical moments.

- Director: Kevin Costner
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 181 minutes
- Metascore: 72

Kevin Costner plays a Civil War lieutenant who, while staying at a military post on the Western frontier, befriends the local American Indian tribe. A number of scenes were shot on-location near South Dakota's Triple U Standing Butte Ranch, home to the world's largest privately owned buffalo herd. This film famously beat out "Goodfellas" in the Best Picture race at the 1991 Academy Awards.

- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
- IMDb user rating: 8
- Run time: 188 minutes
- Metascore: 77

On the heels of 1997's "Boogie Nights," Paul Thomas Anderson turned out this surprisingly earnest drama. It takes place over the course of a single day in California's San Fernando Valley, intersecting various characters and storylines. Vying for total creative control, Anderson played a direct role in the film's marketing.

- Director: Abel Gance
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 240 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

According to legend, an early cut of this silent-era epic ran for up to nine hours. Envisioned as the first part in a series, it traces the infamous military general from his school days to his 1797 invasion of Italy. Director Abel Gance employs a wide range of cutting-edge techniques, making this movie a perennial favorite among cinephiles.

- Director: Sion Sono
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 237 minutes
- Metascore: 78

Sion Sono consistently churns out provocative fare and this 2008 effort is no exception. It centers on the strange love triangle between three emotionally damaged individuals. Palpably ambitious, the film walks a fine line between camp and artistry.

- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 188 minutes
- Metascore: 86

An aspiring writer returns to his hometown with hopes of publishing his "quirky auto-fiction meta-novel" in this Turkish drama. That leads to philosophical musings and a confrontation with his gambling addict father. Writing for RogerEbert.com, critic Tomris Laffly called the film a "slow-burning and unexpectedly humorous character study."

- Director: Edward Yang
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 173 minutes
- Metascore: 93

Edward Yang's three-hour masterpiece chronicles the ongoing struggles of a middle-class family in Taipei. Novelistic in scope, it connects multiple storylines through both overarching narratives and underlying psychological motifs. It won the Palme d'Or at the 2000 Cannes Festival.

- Director: John Mathew Matthan
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 174 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Fueled by personal tragedy, a determined police officer, played by Aamir Khan, hunts for cross-border terrorists. Director John Mathew Matthan spent seven years performing research and putting the film together. A high point of Bollywood cinema, it endures as an ever-prescient cult classic.

- Director: Chen Kaige
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 171 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

This award-winning drama juxtaposes 50 years of Chinese history with the story of two rising opera stars and the woman who comes between them. Lush visuals and dramatic themes make for a compelling masterwork, which functions on multiple levels. Nominated for two Oscars, it won both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

- Director: Emir Kusturica
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 167 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Spanning five decades of Yugoslav history, this surrealist black comedy takes viewers deep into the Serbian underground. Misperceptions of the world above have dramatic repercussions for each subterranean dweller. Director Emir Kusturica's rapturous style generates constant exhilaration, no matter how dark the subject matter gets.

- Director: Ingmar Bergman
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 188 minutes
- Metascore: 100

One of Bergman's best-known works follows two wealthy siblings as they come of age in early 20th-century Sweden. An assortment of quirky supporting characters enter the fold and help give this film its lasting legacy. Those who love the 188-minute theatrical version should check out the director's cut, which features more than two hours of additional footage.

- Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 169 minutes
- Metascore: 58

Born and raised on an ocean liner, a musical prodigy, played by Tim Roth, cultivates his talent without ever stepping foot on land. As with previous films like 1988's "Cinema Paradiso," Giuseppe Tornatore infuses bygone history with unadulterated charm. Initially a flop, this film dominated at the Chinese box office during a recent re-release.

- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 167 minutes
- Metascore: 90

Andrei Tarkovsky's adaptation of an iconic sci-fi novel goes big on psychological and philosophical themes. Set aboard a distant space station, it puts a visiting psychologist in contact with a strange alien force. Dripping with introspection and emotion, the film is often regarded as a humanist counterpunch to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

- Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 224 minutes
- Metascore: 84

The word "lagaan" translates to "tax" and the members of a small Indian village are unable to pay it to British colonizers. That paves the way for a winner-takes-all cricket match in this Indian sports drama, set during the British Raj. Not only does Hindi superstar Aamir Khan play a lead role, but this was the first film from his namesake production company.

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 185 minutes
- Metascore: 89

One of Kubrick's most overlooked films takes place in 18th-century England and follows the misadventures of Irish opportunist Barry Lyndon, portrayed by Ryan O'Neal. Natural lighting and authentic details effectively transport the viewer back in time. This also might be the closest one gets to the director's famously unrealized Napoleon project.

- Director: William Wyler
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 212 minutes
- Metascore: 90

A spectacle in every sense of the word, William Wyler's historical epic was the most expensive production of its time. Charlton Heston plays the title character, a Jewish prince who's sold into slavery and set on a path for revenge. The movie's 11 Oscar wins is an all-time record that's matched only by "Titanic" and "Return of the King."

- Directors: Victor Fleming
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 238 minutes
- Metascore: 97

Producer David O. Selznick spent more than two years searching for the right talent when bringing Margaret Mitchell's bestseller to the big screen. Spanning the antebellum and reconstructionist eras, the film centers on atypical Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, played by Vivien Leigh. When adjusted for inflation, it remains the highest-grossing movie of all time.

- Director: Michael Cimino
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 183 minutes
- Metascore: 86

Michael Cimino's classic drama examines the impact of war on both the individual and interpersonal psyche. Following small-town friends into Vietnam, it takes spiritual cues from "The Godfather" saga by way of its sprawling scope and talented cast. In his original four-star review, critic Roger Ebert called the film a "progression from a wedding to a funeral."

- Director: Stanislav Rostotskiy
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 188 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Based on a book of the same name, this Russian anti-war film centers on an all-female garrison during World War II. Divided into two halves, it explores various backstories before adopting a darker tone and action-driven narrative. The film was remade in 2015 to less acclaim.

- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 196 minutes
- Metascore: 88

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan culled inspiration from authors Anton Chekhov and Fyodor Dostoyevsky when crafting this acclaimed drama. As winter falls in Anatolia, a hotel turned makeshift shelter brings out the worst of its inhabitants. One of IMDb's top-rated movies, it won both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 205 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

This experimental biopic traces the life of 15th-century Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev, portrayed by Anatoliy Solonitsyn. Uncompromising in style and subject matter, it sparked immediate controversy in the Soviet Union. Multiple cuts exist and Tarkovsky himself endorsed a shorter one, which clocks in at 186 minutes.

- Director: Stanley Kramer
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 179 minutes
- Metascore: 60

A fictionalized version of actual events, Stanley Kramer's courtroom drama takes place in the wake of World War II. As four Nazis stand trial for crimes against humanity, retired judge Dan Haywood, played by Spencer Tracy, pursues justice at all costs. To drive home its message, the film incorporates real-life footage of German death camps.

- Director: Anurag Kashyap
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 321 minutes
- Metascore: 89

Originally shot as a single film, this sprawling Hindi crime drama was divided into parts for the Indian market. Spanning decades and generations, it chronicles the bloody feud between three vicious crime families. Thrilling action sequences and engaging characters keep the more than five-hour run time moving at a breakneck pace.

- Director: John Sturges
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 172 minutes
- Metascore: 87

In this seminal escape film, Allied POWs try to spring hundreds of fellow prisoners from a German camp during World War II. Steve McQueen leads a talented cast, which includes James Garner, Richard Attenborough, and Charles Bronson. The story and its characters are loosely inspired by real-life people and events.

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: 73

Scorsese employs every trick in the book when telling the story of mob-fronted casino head Sam "Ace" Rothstein, portrayed by Robert De Niro. Flanked by problems on every side, Rothstein's journey signifies the end of an era in Las Vegas. Most filming took place at The Riviera Hotel & Casino, upon which the movie's fictional Tangiers was based.

- Director: Michael Mann
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 170 minutes
- Metascore: 76

Taking the "cops and robbers" subgenre to new heights, Michael Mann's crime saga remains a quintessential Los Angeles story. Criminal mastermind Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro, must contend with Lt. Vincent Hanna, played by Al Pacino, while planning a major heist. The movie's center of gravity is an epic shootout, which required military weapons training and intensive rehearsals.

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 180 minutes
- Metascore: 75

No stranger to extended run times, Martin Scorsese dedicates three perfect hours to the life and crimes of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Culling from Belfort's own memoir, the movie documents every hedonistic impulse humanity can muster. Shady financing deals helped make the film happen and that seems oddly appropriate.

- Director: Sergey Bondarchuk
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 422 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Tolstoy's tome gets the treatment it deserves with this seven-hour adaptation, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Initially released in four installments, it straddles multiple tiers of society as Russia takes on Napoleon and his army. The film was intended as a show of the Soviet Union's cinematic prowess at the height of the Cold War.

- Director: Luchino Visconti
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 177 minutes
- Metascore: 84

Upon moving from a small village to Milan, five brothers struggle to adapt to big city life in this Italian drama. The story breaks down into different chapters and respectively follows the path of each brother. Roger Ebert cites it as an early influence on American gangster films, including "The Godfather."

- Director: David Lean
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 228 minutes
- Metascore: 100

David Lean's masterpiece tells the story of British officer T.E. Lawrence, played by Peter O'Toole, who united Arab tribes in a fight against the Turks during World War I. While most of the shooting took place in Spain, filming and production spanned three continents. The movie won seven Academy Awards and served as a major influence on directors like Steven Spielberg.

- Director: Brian De Palma
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 170 minutes
- Metascore: 65

Like a grindhouse-themed answer to "The Godfather," this bloody crime saga follows the rise and fall of cocaine kingpin Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino. Oliver Stone researched the international drug trade and kicked his own cocaine habit before writing the script. Critically maligned upon its release, the film is now viewed as a masterwork of pulp violence.

- Director: Mel Gibson
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: 68

Mel Gibson's penchant for self-sacrifice and brutal violence are on full display in this beloved blockbuster. It tells the story of 13th-century Scottish rebel William Wallace, played by Gibson, who led an uprising against the British tyranny. Gibson called upon both real-life soldiers and members of the still-active Wallace clan to play extras.

- Director: Sergiu Nicolaescu
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 203 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

This Romanian war film centers on a 16th-century Wallachian ruler named Mihai Viteazul aka Michael the Brave. Facing opposition from the Ottoman and Austrian Empires, he unites three separate provinces into one country. Awash with monumental battle scenes, this is arguably the biggest historical epic in Romanian film history.

- Director: Edward Yang
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 237 minutes
- Metascore: 90

Edward Yang's crime drama takes place in 1960s Taiwan and grapples with a number of sociopolitical themes. Based on actual events, it finds a young boy, played by Chen Chang, getting swept up in the violence between two warring gangs. The film currently holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90% on Metacritic.

- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 185 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Kurosawa plays to all his strengths in this harrowing drama, which takes place in 19th-century Japan. Upon his arrival at a free clinic, a young doctor is unceremoniously tasked with helping an older one. Still prescient after five decades, the film seeks spirituality through suffering while exploring the class divide.

- Director: Marcel Carné
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 189 minutes
- Metascore: 96

Filmed during the Nazi occupation of 1945, this French drama transports viewers to the 19th-century Parisian theater world. It tells the story of an enigmatic courtesan, played by Arletty, who's pursued by four different suitors. Originally marketed as France's answer to "Gone With the Wind," the film is arguably more nuanced in its scope.

- Director: Sergio Leone
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 229 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Decades after redefining the Western, filmmaker Sergio Leone took on the American gangster subgenre. Straddling two separate time periods, he connects and reconnects a group of Jewish hoodlums. The film was once disastrously re-edited for American audiences and then later restored to its uncut glory.

- Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 181 minutes
- Metascore: 78

This massive blockbuster pits the Avengers against the almighty Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin, and goes out with an emotional bang. Shot on a reported budget of nearly $400 million, it was the fastest film to reach $2 billion at the worldwide box office. Phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will kick off with the release of "Black Widow" in November—according to the latest rescheduling.

- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Run time: 165 minutes
- Metascore: 81

A slave named Django, played by Jamie Foxx, is unchained and set free in Quentin Tarantino's revisionist Western. With help from a bounty-hunting dentist, played by Christoph Waltz, he embarks on a dangerous rescue mission. Blood-soaked violence and signature dialogue ensue.

- Director: Masaki Kobayashi
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 181 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

The second part of a celebrated trilogy continues the tale of Japanese pacifist Kaji, played by Tatsuya Nakadai. Assigned to one of Japan's toughest armies, Kaji struggles to retain his ideals in the face of numerous hardships. It's all based on a six-volume novel of the same name.

- Director: Masaki Kobayashi
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 208 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Part one of "The Human Condition" trilogy gives Kaji, played by Tatsuya Nakadai, his first taste of harsh reality. While supervising Chinese prisoners in a humane manner, he comes up against a corrupt system. It plays into the continuing theme of trying to reap empathy out of a cruel world.

- Director: Béla Tarr
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 439 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Director Béla Tarr grapples with Hungary's communist history in this seven-plus-hour drama. It focuses on a desolate farming community, whose plans are upended by the arrival of a mysterious visitor. On BFI's list of The 100 Greatest Films of All Time, this one lands at #35.

- Director: Marco Tullio Giordana
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 366 minutes
- Metascore: 89

What was first conceived as a TV miniseries became this two-part Italian drama. Going from 1966 to 2003, it tracks political and cultural movements through the lens of a family saga. At the heart of the story are two brothers who practically leap out of the cinematic world they inhabit by the time the final credits roll.

- Director: Sergio Leone
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 165 minutes
- Metascore: 80

Sergio Leone followed his iconic Dollars Trilogy with yet another groundbreaking spaghetti Western. To protect a widow and her plot of land, two men, played by Jason Robards and Charles Bronson, take on a heartless assassin, played by Henry Fonda. Multiple cuts of the film exist, including one that runs for 171 minutes.

- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Run time: 207 minutes
- Metascore: 98

Seven samurai protect a small village in this oft-imitated adventure film from Akira Kurosawa. Set in 16th-century Japan, it balances thrilling action sequences with a range of humanist themes. This movie took the #1 spot in a recent BBC Culture poll of the 100 greatest foreign language films.

- Director: Frank Darabont
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Run time: 189 minutes
- Metascore: 61

After helming 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption," Frank Darabont returned for another Stephen King adaptation. Michael Clarke Duncan plays an innocent man sitting on death row who changes the lives of those around him. According to legend, it took Darabont just eight weeks to generate a working script.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Run time: 169 minutes
- Metascore: 91

This gripping World War II drama sends a group of U.S. soldiers behind enemy lines in search of a paratrooper, played by Matt Damon. Filming the opening battle sequence cost $12 million and required thousands of gallons of fake blood. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Director.

- Director: Christopher Nolan
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Run time: 169 minutes
- Metascore: 74

Set in an all-too-real future, Christopher Nolan's sci-fi drama follows a team of explorers into the furthest reaches of space. For one man, played by Matthew McConaughey, the wide-reaching journey has personal and philosophical ramifications. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Timothée Chalamet, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Topher Grace, Matt Damon, and Casey Affleck also star.

- Director: Peter Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Run time: 179 minutes
- Metascore: 87

Hobbits Frodo, played by Elijah Wood, and Sam, played by Sean Astin, continue their journey to Mordor in this fantasy-based sequel. Expanding upon Middle Earth, it introduces a shifty CGI creature by the name of Gollum, played by Andy Serkis. The 40-minute Battle at Helm's Deep took 120 days to film and is widely considered one of the greatest battle sequences of all time.

- Director: Masaki Kobayashi
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Run time: 190 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

The final chapter in Masaki Kobayashi's harrowing trilogy takes place in the wake of a major defeat. Disillusioned from combat, Kaji, played by Tatsuya Nakadai, travels behind enemy lines and ends up as a Russian POW. A dark and unforgettable fate lies ahead.

- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Run time: 247 minutes
- Metascore: Data not available

Tarantino originally envisioned "Kill Bill" as one long film and still looks at it that way. Divided into chapters, it puts a former assassin, played by Uma Thurman, in pursuit of the man, played by David Carradine, who betrayed her. Watch both parts at once to experience this bloody saga as it was meant to be seen.

- Director: Peter Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Run time: 178 minutes
- Metascore: 92

After decades of failed attempts, J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy finally received a live-action adaptation of blockbuster proportions. In this first installment, two hobbits set out to destroy an all-powerful ring. By the time the trilogy wrapped, it had grossed $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office.

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Run time: 195 minutes
- Metascore: 94

Spielberg battled with inner doubts and external studio forces when bringing this primarily black-and-white drama to the big screen. It tells the true story of industrialist Oskar Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, who saved more than 1000 Jews during World War II. The film went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

- Director: Peter Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Run time: 201 minutes
- Metascore: 94

Peter Jackson's revered trilogy goes out with three-and-a-half hours of epic adventure. On the run from evil forces, Frodo and Sam approach Mount Doom with the ring in their possession. The film won a whopping 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- IMDb user rating: 9
- Run time: 202 minutes
- Metascore: 90

Saddled with keeping his family in power, Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, squares off against a new adversary in this exalted sequel. The story also jumps back in time to show how the whole saga began, with Robert De Niro playing young Vito Corleone. Director Francis Ford Coppola retained total control during production, even as he visited multiple locations.

- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- IMDb user rating: 9.2
- Run time: 175 minutes
- Metascore: 100

From the complex characters to the epochal cinematography to the quotable dialogue to the iconic score, "The Godfather" delivers on every front. In telling the story of the Corleone crime family, it peels back the curtain on history and power alike. The slate of awards and box office success are mere afterthoughts when one considers the lasting influence of this signature work.