In a recent post on X Stephen King presented his own top list of the best films of all time: the list includes Hollywood classics and noir standards, as well as top comedies and, quite expectedly, his own adaptations.
The writer clarified that he lists the films not by rating, but in an arbitrary order.
“My 10 favorite films (besides Misery, Escape from Shawshank, The Green Mile, Stand by Me)
The Shining, as you can see, is not on the list. This is quite expected, given King's public disapproval of Stanley Kubrick's interpretation of his cult horror novel. However, the film is considered one of the best adaptations of the writer's works.). In no particular order: “The Conjuring, The Godfather 2, The Getaway, Groundhog Day, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Jaws, Mean Streets, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Double Indemnity.
The list includes such well-known directors as William Friedkin, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Billy Wilder, and Steven Spielberg (the latter twice) — as well as two films each by legendary actors Humphrey Bogart, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert De Niro. It is also largely dominated by the classics of the 70s (which is not surprising, given that King was coming of age at that time, in his 20s). Below is a little more detail about each of the films.
1. Sorcerer (1977)
The film tells the story of a quartet of men who are in a Latin American country and for various reasons cannot return home. Eventually, they agree to an offer from an oil company to transport explosive nitroglycerin in trucks for $10,000. The drivers have to travel about 200 miles, where danger lurks around every corner.
It’s an interesting choice, given that The Conjuring was criticized by the press and failed at the box office. Perhaps because it was released only a month after the huge success of Star Wars in 1977. Over time, it came to be called an “underrated masterpiece,” and director William Friedkin called it one of his “most personal and complex projects.”
IMDb rating: 7.7 з 10
2. The Godfather Part II (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola’s famous crime drama starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, which is a direct sequel to The Godfather (1972). The film presents two parallel storylines: the story of young Vito Corleone, who, fleeing his family’s enemies, came from Italy to the United States and learned to survive in a cruel and hostile world, and the story of his son Michael, who, having inherited his father’s fortune, became one of the most influential people in the country in the late 50s.
“The Godfather 2 has won six Oscars, including the director’s award and the title of the best film of the year. Today, the film is considered one of the best sequels in the history of cinema, although Coppola himself recently stated that “gave her a bad example of Hollywood”.
IMDb rating: 9 з 10
3. The Getaway (1972)Here we assume that King is referring to the 1972 version, not the 1994 remake.
An action movie in the style of Bonnie and Clyde starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. The plot tells the story of bank robber Doc McCoy, who is in prison. His wife negotiates with one of the officials for his release, but the price for this will be another bank robbery. Doc’s cunning plan worked well until everything went wrong. And so he, his wife, and a whole lot of money are on the run from the bandits who are chasing them.
The movie is based on the 1958 novel by Jim Thompson, and King is a big fan of his work.
IMDb rating: 7.3 з 10
4. Groundhog Day (1993)
The story takes place in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The main character — Phil Connors (Bill Murray), who constantly experiences the same day, February 2, Groundhog Day. Interesting fact: in 2014, the Whatculture website analyzed a scene from the movie and Phil’s recollections of past days and calculated that he had spent 12395 days in the time loop, excluding leap years, or 33 years and 350 days.
The film is a well-known hit in its genre and has inspired a wide range of subsequent time-loop films, from Palm Springs (2020) to Happy Death Day (2017).
IMDb rating: 8 з 10
5. Casablanca (1942)
Like any respectable moviegoer, King did not ignore Casablanca — the ever-quoted and devastatingly moving romantic drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, set against the backdrop of World War II.
The plot focuses on the inner conflict of a man who has to choose between love and dignity, between the woman he loves and the need to do the right thing — help her and her husband, a leader of the Resistance, escape from Casablanca to continue the fight against the Nazis.
IMDb rating: 8.5 з 10
6. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
John Huston’s neo-western adaptation of Bruno Traven’s novel of the same name.
Two poor Americans, Dobbs and Curtin, arrive in the Mexican town of Tampico, where they take on hard work for which they are not paid. At a lodging house, they meet an experienced gold miner, Old Howard, and later all three of them buy equipment, weapons, and food and set out to find gold. The old man warns that gold changes people, makes them greedy and cruel, but Dobbs and Curtin do not believe him.
IMDb rating: 8.2 з 10
7. Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s classic thriller, considered the “first summer blockbuster” and having just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The film is set on Amity Island, where a small resort town of the same name is located. A young girl, Christina Watkins, goes swimming at night and falls victim to a shark. Over time, the number of victims increases, and the local police chief, a marine biologist and an old sailor try to track down the beast.
IMDb rating: 8.1 з 10
8. Mean Streets (1973)
The first of several collaborations between director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, which tells the story of young mafia men in the Italian neighborhoods of New York.
The plot centers on four guys who are in the shadow of their older relatives. Tony, an Italian 30 years old who runs a local bar; Mike, who claims to be a serious mafia dealer; Johnny Boy, who borrows money from everyone without any intention of returning it; Charlie, the religious nephew of the local mafia boss, who seeks to implement the ideas of the great Francis of Assisi, but does it “on the streets”.
IMDb rating: 7.2 з 10
9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Another legendary Spielberg film in the science fiction genre.
The plot centers on an electrician from Indiana whose quiet and ordinary life is turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO. Now Roy Neary is obsessed with the search for aliens.
IMDb rating: 7.6 з 10
10. Double Indemnity (1944)
Billy Wilder’s film noir based on the novel of the same name by James Caine. The title of the movie is a reference to a traditional clause in insurance policies of the 1940s that guarantees double payment if the insured dies from an unlikely accident.
In the story, an insurance agent Walter meets the “fatal blonde” Phyllis. The woman manipulates him and convinces him to free her from her abusive husband, and at the same time secure their future together, by slipping him a policy with a “double insurance” clause.
IMDb rating: 8.3 з 10
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