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Part Three in my multi-part series!! Tonight is 25-10!!

Ok… so… let’s remember, boys and girls, that these films are not ranked by their number, but the top 25 are superior films, in my opinion, to what came before in the list.

And off we go!

25. LEON
Luc Besson’s director’s cut of THE PROFESSIONAL really does help to make this film even better and less American than its predecessor. The sexual/romantic tension is heightened between Leon and Mathilda, which makes you a little uncomfortable, but that’s a good thing. Also… Gary Oldman as Norman Stansfield = one of the best screen villains of all time. “Because I take no pleasure in taking a life if it’s from a person who doesn’t care about it.”

24. THE THIN RED LINE
Not only the best World War II film ever, but the best war film ever. The irony here is that the first time I saw this film, I was so tired that I fell asleep for a good 10 minutes or so. But the rest of the film is still so powerful and unique (at least it was until Malick made THE NEW WORLD, which was just dull) that it’s not so much a visceral war film, but a fascinating meditation on the nature of war itself. I didn’t need additional viewings to glean this, but I love watching this film, if only just to look at it. It’s a beautifully shot film.

23. HEAT
When the tagline read “A Los Angeles Crime Saga”, I really didn’t expect it to be quite as epic as it is. Not only does Mann take the time to explore the inter-relationships of the characters and let the actors give them life, but when the big moments do hit, it’s like a pound of Semtex. Also the documentarian-style street shootout is one of the most tension-filled sequences in any film ever. And Christ, what a cast! Take a look at the names in this film on imdb.com when you get a chance.

22. BATMAN BEGINS
You knew this film was going to be on this list. Don’t look so surprised. As SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE set the standard for great comic book films 27 years earlier, this set the standard for the modern superhero epic. All they needed was to get rid of Katie Holmes the first time out, and it would have been a PERFECT cast. As it is, it’s near-perfect.

21. THE UNTOUCHABLES
Probably the most accurate depiction of “lightning in a bottle” on this entire list, since it’s a Brian de Palma film, and I HATE Brian De Palma. Well shot, great scenes of action and suspense, great performances, great David Mamet script and… wait for it… Most. Gratifying. On-Screen. Death. Ever.

20. UNFORGIVEN
28 years before this film came out, Clint and Sergio Leone had already reinvented the Wagon Wheel with A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, but this film was the first real deconstruction of the genre that made Clint a star. A brilliant script, great supporting performances by Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman (who stole the Supporting Actor Oscar from Jaye Davidson, I know...) and Saul Rubinek, and Clint’s flawless direction make for the best Western ever. And the final scene is one of the great climaxes of cinema.

19. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
A glorious throwback to the great noirs of the 40’s and 50’s, with another stellar cast. I miss Guy Pearce. And the way that Helgeland and Hanson reworked the ridiculously lame James Ellroy novel was just brilliant. A great mystery, great performances by everyone EXCEPT the person who won the Oscar. I could have took or left Kim Basinger, but the ruler of the film? Spacey. Probably one of the great “valediction” scenes ever.

18. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
I have never read any of the books, but I have really enjoyed the films. The first two are fun, but a little too… unsophisticated. This film is so filled with imaginative direction by Alfonzo Cuaron and great performances, particularly by Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman (there’s that guy again!) and by its three stars. The script is witty, charming, dark, and it started the series in a much edgier direction… as edgy as a HARRY POTTER film can be.

17. UNBREAKABLE
Welcome to the beginning of the end of M. Night Shyamalan’s brilliance. A film about a comic book hero that happens to exist in reality. It was such a simple idea, and MNS takes it to the limit. Sam “The Man” rules over this film with a glass fist, but unfortunately the very subtle performance of Bruce Willis tends to get overlooked. This film just took my breath away.

16. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
The most heart-breaking romance of the last several years of cinema. Again, it was a very sad thing that Heath Ledger had to compete against Philip Seymour Hoffman for CAPOTE because I think that this was such a brilliant performance in its subtle and hushed tones and how he refused to wear his heart on his sleeve. Ang Lee did such an amazing job with this film, and it’s very hard to watch because of how amazingly tragic the final act of this film is. But you can’t deny its sheer power.

15. GOODFELLAS
This film did for mob films what THE GODFATHER had done 18 years before. It changed the landscape of what was to come so completely by de-glorifying the mob life and giving film a new language to copy for many years to come. This was the film that ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA was trying to be, but failed rather miserably. It’s really a classic.

14. CHILDREN OF MEN
I remember not really expecting such a great film to come out of this, but wow, was I smacked upside the frickin’ head by it. Clive Owen (who keeps rocking my socks off) gives his finest performance to date as the reluctant hero, and the amazing technical and practical prowess of Alfonzo Cuaron is really a thing of terrifying beauty. It presents a dystopian future that is rooted in Sci-Fi, but still skirts the edge of an all too possible reality. An amazing achievement that was totally ignored by the damnable Academy.

13. FIGHT CLUB
A film so great and bizarre and wonderful, I had to watch it twice in a row. Norton and Pitt make one of the best on-screen couples ever. Fincher takes this film to remind us that SE7EN was not just a lucky shot. Helena Bonham Carter has never been or will never be sexier. And just how quotable can one film be? It grabs you by the bikini areas from the opening credits and just never lets go for a second.

12. THE GRIFTERS
Unfortunately, this is probably the greatest film adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel that will ever exist. I say unfortunately because I want them to make more. Especially with a cast like this film had. John Cusack, Annette Bening (when she was still sexier than hell) and Anjelica Huston rounding out the unholy trinity of main characters was just inspired. And they were awesome. Stephen Frears makes the Thompson dialogue just sparkle like evil fairy dust. And this film has one of the most shocking and nihilistic endings of a non-satire ever.

11. THE CRYING GAME
Before M. Night came around, this film was the granddaddy of twist films. But the twist is not so much in the ‘revelation’, but in how romantic love can develop in the most unlikely situation. Neil Jordan takes what seems to be a political thriller and turns it into one of the great love stories in recent memory. Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson and Adrian Dunbar turn in pitch-perfect performances, but this film truly and undeniably belongs to Jaye Davidson. It’s a film so deeply based on his performance that it’s a real shock that he wasn’t just handed the Oscar.

So take what you will, and comment on the rest. And don’t forget to stay tuned for more when I come back with 10-1 of the Top 95, and then, we go to the ranked Very Top Five Films of the last 25 years!! Coming soon!! Watch this space!!