My 25 best European movies
by kluseba | created - 21 Aug 2011 | updated - 21 Aug 2011 | PublicA little list of great European movies from the big classics over many forgotten gems to modern cinema.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Vidocq (2001)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
Paris, 1830: Vidocq is killed by a mirror masked man. A thief turned investigator, he was working on a case of men killed by lightning. His biographer tries to solve the case.
Director: Pitof | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Guillaume Canet, Inés Sastre, André Dussollier
Votes: 23,090
A little surprise for the head of this list: This visually innovating and stunning masterpiece has a great twisted story, a lot of amazing actors and portrays the dark sides of one of the most stunning cities in the whole wide world. This movie is unforgettable and an absolute must see for anybody that likes the art of cinema.
2. The Door (2009)
103 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A successful artist loses control of his life after his young daughter's death. A chance for a new start appears, but all is not what it seems.
Director: Anno Saul | Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Jessica Schwarz, Valeria Eisenbart, Thomas Thieme
Votes: 6,352
Another little surprise comes right here: This rather unknown fantasy thriller has an amazing plot, brilliant acting and stunning camera work and made it to the second place of my list. I hope that this provocating decision may spread the word about its unqiuenesss and high quality.
3. The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
R | 150 min | Action, Biography, Crime
A look at Germany's terrorist group, The Red Army Faction (RAF), which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings, and assassinations in the late 1960s and '70s.
Director: Uli Edel | Stars: Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, Bruno Ganz
Votes: 40,084 | Gross: $0.48M
A mixture of a great documentary, a character study and an intense gangster movie from Germany about a left winged terror organisation that convinced me from the beginning to the end.
4. Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)
R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life and death as France's Public Enemy No. 1 in the 1970s.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Samuel Le Bihan
Votes: 31,206 | Gross: $0.28M
Another authentic biopic, this time about the French public enemy number one which was the gangster Jacques Mesrine. The acting is of Vincent Cassel is absolutely brilliant in this movie that unites some of the best contemporary French actors.
5. The Snake (2006)
119 min | Thriller
Fashion photographer Vincent Mandel, in the midst of a difficult divorce, is suddenly being accused of rape and extorted. What does his former classmate Joseph Plender want from him?
Director: Eric Barbier | Stars: Yvan Attal, Clovis Cornillac, Pierre Richard, Simon Abkarian
Votes: 2,654
A perfect French 'film noir' with two brilliant main actors which are Clovis Cornillac and Yvan Attal that includes many twists and mysteries.
6. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.
Director: Jim Sharman | Stars: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien
Votes: 166,703 | Gross: $139.88M
The definite English cult musical is not only a highlight of its genre but a masterpiece for the ages.
7. The Experiment (2001)
R | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel | Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Möhring
Votes: 96,064 | Gross: $0.14M
An intense and unforgettable drama coming from Germany that shows us the abyss of the human soul.
8. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
R | 147 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Francesc Albiol
Votes: 265,532 | Gross: $2.22M
A visually stunning historical fiction movie with a gripping story, many amazing actors and beautiful shooting locations.
9. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Not Rated | 66 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein | Stars: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Ivan Bobrov
Votes: 61,387 | Gross: $0.05M
This Soviet propaganda movie was revolutionary from a pure cinematic point of view with its amazing camera works and iconic images.
10. The Pianist (2002)
R | 150 min | Biography, Drama, Music
During WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox
Votes: 910,255 | Gross: $32.57M
The best and most intense movie about the Second World War tells the sad and gripping tale of a Jewish pianist that lives like a fugitive in a dystopian world.
11. The Prestige (2006)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine
Votes: 1,439,136 | Gross: $53.09M
A very well played and gripping tale of two magicians.
12. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,280 | Gross: $1.24M
A visually stunning, epic and majestic movie that doesn't need any words to convince.
13. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,575 | Gross: $20.05M
In my humble opinion, this is Monthy Python's finest hour and an unforgettable comedy filled with memorable quotes and incredibly funny slapstick scenes.
14. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 693,895 | Gross: $167.45M
The new James Bond is not only fast, clever and modern but also more profound, emotional and human than the old version and leads the legendary series to a new peak.
15. Don't Look Now (1973)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Votes: 62,248 | Gross: $0.98M
A slow, scary and intense psychic thriller playing in beautiful locations.
16. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,280
A great and unforgettable early horror classic with an amazing soundtrack, great locations and a truly creepy acting.
17. Vertigo (1958)
PG | 128 min | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
Votes: 426,340 | Gross: $3.20M
One of Hitchcock's big classics: slow paced development, intriguing actors, epic sceneries, dark film noir atmosphere and a couple of twists.
18. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Music
A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson, Eleanor David
Votes: 85,298 | Gross: $22.24M
Even if you don't happen to like Pink Floyd's music, this movie is visually stunning, filled with surreal and fresh ideas and highly experimental. A movie of this kind is iconic and brought the cinematic world something completely new.
19. Nightwatch (1994)
R | 107 min | Thriller
A law student starts working as a night watchman at The Department of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen. His mad friend gets him on a game of dare that escalates. As a serial-killer's victims start piling up at work, he becomes a suspect.
Director: Ole Bornedal | Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sofie Gråbøl, Kim Bodnia, Lotte Andersen
Votes: 17,829
A great and creepy psychological thriller from Denmark that really got me by surprise.
20. Dorian Gray (2009)
R | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall, John Hollingworth
Votes: 68,057
A great English film noir that honours an amazing book with stunning and detailed decorations, a sinister atmosphere and an unforgettable acting.
21. Titanic (1943)
TV-PG | 85 min | Action, Drama, History
Third Reich's Nazi propaganda epic about a heroic fictional German officer on board of the RMS Titanic. On its maiden voyage in April 1912, the supposedly unsinkable ship hits an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean and starts to go down.
Directors: Herbert Selpin, Werner Klingler | Stars: Sybille Schmitz, Hans Nielsen, Kirsten Heiberg, Ernst Fritz Fürbringer
Votes: 1,790
The German version of the well known story convinces with a strong acting, majestic images and well done special effects even if the sidekick stories are slightly influenced and biaised by the Nazi regime.
22. Eden Log (2007)
R | 98 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A man wakes up in an underground cave, next to a dead body. He has no memory of how he got there and starts to try and work his way to the surface and escape from the network of tunnels, which seem to be some kind of ancient civilisation.
Directors: Collen Moore cook Turner, Franck Vestiel | Stars: Clovis Cornillac, Vimala Pons, Zohar Wexler, Sifan Shao
Votes: 6,843
A highly experimental surreal French science-fiction movie with memorable images and a lot less words.
23. Night Watch (2004)
R | 114 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
A fantasy-horror set in present-day Moscow where the respective forces that control daytime and nighttime do battle.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov | Stars: Konstantin Khabenskiy, Vladimir Menshov, Mariya Poroshina, Valeriy Zolotukhin
Votes: 55,351 | Gross: $1.49M
This Russian science-fiction horror tale after a famous novel convinces with great visual effects, a creepy atmosphere and many original ideas.
24. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring
Votes: 45,380
A great homage to one of the best dystopian novels is this simplistic but charming movie that features British and Austrian actors and an amazing French director.
25. The Impasse of Desire (2010)
94 min | Thriller
ROBERT BLOCK (50), a psychiatrist and analyst, discovers that his young wife CAROLE (30) is having an affair with a much younger man. Totally overwhelmed by the situation, his obsession ... See full summary »
Director: Michel Rodde | Stars: Maurice Aufair, Céline Bolomey, Michel Cassagne, Rémy Girard
Votes: 51
A truly well done French film noir with some great acting, good decorations, stunning camera works, a great soundtrack and a complex, diversified and twisted story.
Tell Your Friends