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100 incredible movies that everyone needs to see before they die

Published May 25th, 2016 4:10PM EDT
Best American Movies of All Time
Image: MGM

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There is an overwhelming amount of media to consume in 2016.

You can catch up on the latest episodes of a network TV show, go to the theater to watch a multi-million dollar blockbuster, log in to Netflix to binge on the latest original series or jump on a PlayStation 4 to play a 60-hour game.

With so much content at our disposal, it’s easy to just give up and watch Seinfeld reruns, which is why it’s always nice to have a list of suggestions from others.

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Last year, BBC Culture polled film critics from around the world in order to create a list of the best American movies of all time. A few weeks ago, someone decided to make a brilliant montage of all the films, which you can watch below:

Here’s the entire list of films that made the cut, from #100-#1:

  • 100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
  • 99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
  • 98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
  • 97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
  • 96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
  • 95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
  • 94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
  • 93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
  • 92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
  • 91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
  • 90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
  • 89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
  • 88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
  • 87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
  • 86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
  • 85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
  • 84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
  • 83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
  • 82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
  • 81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
  • 80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
  • 79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
  • 78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
  • 77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
  • 76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
  • 75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
  • 74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
  • 73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
  • 72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
  • 71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
  • 70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
  • 69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
  • 68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
  • 67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
  • 66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
  • 65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
  • 64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
  • 63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
  • 62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
  • 61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
  • 60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
  • 59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
  • 58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
  • 57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
  • 56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
  • 55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
  • 54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
  • 53. Grey Gardens (Albert, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1975)
  • 52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
  • 51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
  • 50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
  • 49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
  • 48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
  • 47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
  • 46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
  • 45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
  • 44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
  • 43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
  • 42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
  • 41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
  • 40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
  • 39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
  • 38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
  • 37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
  • 36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
  • 35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
  • 34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
  • 33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
  • 32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
  • 31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
  • 30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
  • 29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
  • 28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
  • 27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
  • 26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
  • 25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
  • 24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
  • 23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
  • 22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
  • 21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
  • 20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
  • 19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
  • 18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
  • 17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
  • 16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
  • 15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
  • 14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
  • 13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
  • 12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
  • 11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
  • 10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
  • 9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
  • 8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
  • 7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
  • 6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
  • 5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
  • 4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
  • 3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
  • 2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
  • 1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.