THE movie that made David Fincher a long time favorite director. Great acting. Especially from Morgan Freeman. His tone and overall persona was perfect for the role. Cinematography was perfect. Gritty and dark, it was almost like it's own character of the film. I realize that's often said about locations and such about films, but that's how it is for this fim. And hands down when I think of a truly great story, this movie pops into mind first and foremost. It was an incredibly clever script. Regardless of it being horribly depressing, it is a movie I can still watch over and over again. Replay value makes a movie rank high with me.
I can keep this one short and sweet. This is the only movie with a twist that absolutely wowed me. Hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Truly innovative. Truly a masterpiece. Also the only movie to ever have it's entire cast put at the top of my favorite actors list.
I can't ignore this one. It won't come as a surprise to anyone as to why I love this movie and why it is in my top 5. Heath Ledger gave a performance most actors should aspire to provide in their work. To me, a great actor is someone who can completely step away from who they are and act like a completely different person. That is something you don't find very often anymore. There's very little difference between the majority of characters George Clooney, or Paul Rudd, or Owen Wilson play these days. Ledger on the other hand, did it perfectly. It wasn't Heath Ledger in this film, it was The Joker. It's not a surprise Christopher Nolan decided that for the third film, the joker will not be included. I'm sure out of respect for the deceased star and also just for the fact that I don't think anyone else could pull it off. Another highlight of this film was Aaron Eckhart. It was a pleasant surprise to see Two Face as a dark and sad character rather than the colorful and annoying Tommy Lee Jones version from Batman Forever.
Does this really need any explanation? It's my favorite comedy. It's random. It's ridiculous. The cameo appearences were hilarious and everyone did a great job with their characters. When it comes to comedy films, quotability is what makes it great, and I can damn near quote the entire film. Hell it's the only reason why I know ANY lyrics to Afternoon Delight.
Last but certainly not least....
If you asked anyone around the time this movie was released if they were interested in seeing it you would only get this in response: "What is Equilibrium?" I worked in a movie theatre at the time, no joke, and I didn;t hear about it until one day before it came out. One of my managers who had screened it the night before came into work and told me how good it was. So on opening day, in the afternoon, I went to watch it. It was me and one other person in the theatre which I think could've seated around three hundred people. I was shocked. The movie had good acting. It is a somewhat cliche but well told story. And the highlight of the film is the imagery. It's very cold and colorless through the beginning and as the main character starts to develop feelings, the world around him seems to gain life. It is a shame Kurt Wimmer hasn't come out with a good movie since because this film showed a lot of promise. If you have not seen it, it's well worth a rent if you don't want to buy it. You'll have to go to a Blockbuster or a netflix account to find it though. If any redbox had this I'd be amazed.
That's my top 5. Keep in mind, I am not claiming these are the five greatest films ever. I am saying these are my five favorite fims of all time. And even with me, I can contest a couple with myself.
