AFI’s Top 100 Movies list is back in our brains after Spielberg named The Godfather as the greatest American movie. That is all well and good, but what we really want to know is where he ranks Timecop.
Regardless, since we are completists at The Last Movie Outpost, surely everyone now wants to know the top 100 American movies. Below is the list from AFI. The order can fluctuate through the years, but the same basic movies keep showing up.
Have you seen them all? I have not. Admittedly, I don’t even know the basic plot of some. For example, I had no idea The Philadelphia Story was a romantic comedy starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. I would have guessed it was something about the Declaration of Independence.
Crazily enough, I picked out another film I did not know: Bringing Up Baby. It is a comedy that also stars Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Do Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn star in all of these films? Let’s find out…
AFI’s Top 100 Movies: Tier Four (100-75)
We’ve got a lot of recognizable titles in this group. Their timeframe ranges from the 1920s to the 1990s. We got war; we got history; we got comedy; and we got musicals.
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
99. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
96. SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
93. APARTMENT, THE (1960)
92. PLACE IN THE SUN, A (1951)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
90. JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927)
89. PATTON (1970)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
84. FARGO (1996)
83. PLATOON (1986)
82. GIANT (1956)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
80. WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
79. DEER HUNTER, THE (1978)
78. ROCKY (1976)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
AFI’s Top 100 Movies: Tier Three (74-50)
Surprisingly, Sinners did not show up on this list. The interwebs have declared it the greatest movie ever made and watching it may even cure male-pattern baldness.
74. GOLD RUSH, THE (1925)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
70. FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971)
69. SHANE (1953)
68. AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951)
67. MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962)
66. NETWORK (1976)
65. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
57. THIRD MAN, THE (1949)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
51. PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1940)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
AFI’s Top 100 Movies: Tier Two (49-25)
There is probably a typo in the first entry of this category. AFI likely means the 2025 version of Snow White starring Rachel Zegler. Boba reviewed it, and he assured me it is a 10-star movie. Pay no attention to the date he reviewed it…
49. SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
48. JAWS (1975)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
46. CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
45. STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951)
44. BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915)
43. KING KONG (1933)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
37. BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
32. GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
30. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
27. BONNIE & CLYDE (1967)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
AFI’s Top 100 Movies: Tier One (24-1)
Here we are in the big leagues, the crème de la crème of American films. Can you guess number one? It is not a big surprise. No, it’s not Timecop, you cheeky monkey!
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
23. MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
21. GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
17. AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
13. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
11. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
10. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
9. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
7. GRADUATE, THE (1967)
6. WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
3. GODFATHER, THE (1972)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
Your Top Three Plus And Minus One
Since we are here, we might as well interact with one another like we are real human beings capable of interpersonal relationships.
Which three films stand out to you? Sure, the AFI’s list is good, but we can do better. They don’t have to be your favourite. My personal favourite is Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I’m going to mention three random movies that popped out to me while reading through the list. They are…
A Bridge on the River Kwai: I first watched this movie while on spring break in Florida. My friend and I stayed with an old couple in a retirement community because we had no money. The guy had a collection of VHS tapes. I watched A Bridge on the River Kwai one morning while waiting for everyone else to wake up.
I must have a subconscious William Holden fixation going on in my head because the next one that popped out to me was The Wild Bunch. That was in the first batch of movies rented in my household. I was perturbed that Dad picked out an old western, but once it ended, I likely looked like someone hit me over the head with a 2×4.
West Side Story is the final one that stood out. Love the cast, love the songs, love the story. When I took a Shakespeare class in college, the Romeo and Juliet test was the only one I did well on because I knew it was West Side Story.
If I had to remove a film, I’d toss out…maybe M*A*S*H? I watched it once and have not gone back. Is that a mistake? I honestly don’t remember. Maybe I’m horribly wrong. If so, feel free to mock me mercilessly. I enjoy a good roast, even at my own expense.
What would I put in place of M*A*S*H? I can’t go with A View To A Kill because Bond is too British. How about Sorcerer (1977) then?
Can’t go wrong with a raggedy Roy Scheider and a madcap Friedkin directing junkyard trucks across dilapidated rope bridges…