A Glean movie guide
The All-Time Greats
The gold standard of cinema.
The definitive list of the most critically acclaimed films in cinema history.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Shawshank Redemption
A deeply moving story of hope and friendship that consistently tops audience polls worldwide.
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
A masterful exploration of family and power that is frequently cited as the greatest film ever made.
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 drama that redefined the superhero genre through its complex portrayal of chaos.
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
Schindler's List
A harrowing yet essential portrait of humanity and courage during one of history's darkest chapters.
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.
- 05
12 Angry Men
A masterclass in tension and dialogue as twelve jurors debate a life-or-death verdict in a single room.
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
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
An epic conclusion to the fantasy trilogy that set a new bar for cinematic scale and technical achievement.
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.
- 07
Pulp Fiction
A stylish, non-linear journey through the Los Angeles underworld that changed independent film forever.
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.
- 08
Seven Samurai
A foundational action epic that remains the gold standard for ensemble storytelling and choreography.
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
- 09
Parasite
A razor-sharp social thriller that blends dark humor with a biting critique of class dynamics.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 10
Spirited Away
A breathtakingly imaginative journey into a spirit realm that stands as an animation masterpiece.
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
- 11
The Silence of the Lambs
A chilling psychological game of cat-and-mouse between an FBI trainee and a brilliant cannibal.
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
- 12
The Matrix
A groundbreaking sci-fi spectacle that challenged our perception of reality with iconic action sequences.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.