A Glean movie guide
IMDb’s All-Time Greatest Hits
The gold standard of cinema.
The definitive cinematic masterpieces as voted by millions of fans worldwide.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Shawshank Redemption
A profound exploration of hope and friendship within the walls of a state penitentiary.
Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.
- 02
The Godfather
The definitive crime epic detailing the complex transition of power within a powerful Mafia dynasty.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
- 03
The Dark Knight
A gritty, high-stakes superhero thriller defined by an iconic performance from Heath Ledger.
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
- 04
The Godfather Part II
A rare sequel that expands the original's legacy by weaving together two generations of the Corleone family.
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
- 05
12 Angry Men
A masterclass in tension and dialogue as a single juror challenges a room full of certain convictions.
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
- 06
Schindler's List
A harrowing yet deeply moving account of humanity and courage during the Holocaust.
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
- 07
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
An epic conclusion to the fantasy trilogy, delivering unmatched scale and emotional payoff.
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
- 08
Pulp Fiction
A stylish, non-linear journey through the Los Angeles underworld that redefined 90s cinema.
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
- 09
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The ultimate Spaghetti Western, famous for its iconic score and tense three-way standoff.
While the Civil War rages on between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hitman, and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.
- 10
Forrest Gump
A heartwarming journey through American history seen through the eyes of an extraordinary, simple man.
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
- 11
Fight Club
A visceral and provocative look at consumerism and identity with one of cinema's most famous twists.
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
- 12
Inception
A mind-bending heist thriller that explores the architecture of dreams with stunning visual precision.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.