here's my list

[Brin]

....and I always forget some. In no particular order


Shawshank (of course)

Lfe is Sweet (Mike Leigh's sublime slice of English suburban life)

...and Beny and Joon (sort of the American equivalent)

The Last Emperor

The Man who would be King (John huston, after Kipling)

Fargo

Broadcast News

[pmw]

I like the list. I never saw The Man Who Would be King. What are its specific merits (aside from making your top five of course)?

[Johann]

Interesting list... The Last Emperor is incredible. Bertolucci was the first director to be allowed to shoot in "the forbidden city".

[Brin]

the man who would be king is an adventure epic that's also a parable of empire. I think that's why it resonates with us Brits. there are strong performances from sean connery and michael caine as two british soldiers looking for fortunes in Kaffiristan. Connery is mistaken for a god, but uiltimately exposed as a mortal. It's visually stunning, exciting and stirring. It made me go to Kaffiristan two years ago (it's a state in modern Pakistan).

[HorseradishTree]

The Man Who Would Be King was pretty kick butt cool. A good combo of Sean Connery and Michael Caine.