I decided not to include real life serial killers (or the films based on them), because as much fun as killers are in fiction, I do not find real killers fascinating, interesting, or important in any way. Also, I decided to eliminate from contention any character that has any sort of supernatural powers.

10. John ‘Jigsaw’ Kramer – Saw

Jigsaw would likely be higher on this list if he had actually killed anyone in the film. However, he clearly deserves to be here because of the shear amount of people who perish as a result of his actions. Jigsaw seeks to teach his victims lessons about life, which also makes him unique to this list. The physical, but primarily mental tests he gives his captives allows them to make choices which can either lead to their freedom or death. Unfortunately, the choices are usually too difficult or lead to unexpected consequences, making the victim’s escape futile.

9. Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher and Billy Loomis – Scream

Both killers in Scream are equally compelling, even for a high-school horror film, which clearly did not need depth in either of its villains for success. Stu’s (Matthew Lillard) motivation most likely boiled down to mental illness combined with peer pressure. His mental illness in the film is never mentioned, but his personality clearly has sociopathic tendencies. Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) on the other hand plans an elaborate revenge plot, which really necessitated genius (which is hidden far beneath the surface in the film) to accomplish.

Together, Billy and Stu strike fear into an entire town, especially the local high school, while attempting to make their crimes look inspired by horror films. They nearly get away with the entire plot, even stabbing each other to create the impression that they were victims themselves. Ultimately their plan is foiled by the target of their scorn, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Oddly, in several sequels, others attempt to kill Sidney, and despite her mental instability, weak physical stature and overall naïveté, they fail miserably.

8. Kevin – Sin City

Perhaps the least realistic of all the killers on this list, Kevin (Elijah Wood) qualifies as a disgusting villain, not only for his murder, but also for cannibalism. Able to get away with virtually anything he pleases, because of the general corruption of the city and his political connections, he does whatever he likes. Mostly killing prostitutes, he’s able to be free for years, until killing Marv’s (Mickey Rourke) love. Marv, in my personal favorite of all the Sin City stories, physically outmatches Kevin and gives him a fitting punishment for his crimes. The unflinching gaze of Kevin while being devoured by dogs cements his place on this list.

7. Captain Spalding, Otis P. Driftwood, and Baby Firefly – The Devils Rejects

The Devil’s Rejects, Rob Zombie’s 2005 follow-up to House of 1,000 Corpses, provides a chilling and horrifying look at the greatest serial killer family in film. Its superiority to the previous film results from its pace and the characters further depth, as well as its success at casting the police as villains. This extremely violent look at a family that takes joy in killing, and sometimes may even turn on each other, shows how any family, even the most gruesome of ones, manages to come together in order to overcome adversity. In this case, the adversity is the police, who hope to capture, torture and kill the family as vengeance against their previous crimes.

6. Anton Chigurh – No Country for Old Men

I’m sure many will argue that Anton (Javier Bardem) is not a serial killer at all. It seemed as though he just wanted the money in the briefcase that he thought belonged to him. However, like Dexter explains to George ‘The Skinner’ King (Jesse Borrego), his desire for the money is merely an excuse to kill, not the real reason. This fact is clearly illustrated when Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) offers Anton the location of the briefcase in exchange for being spared, yet Anton kills him anyway. Again, after her husband is already dead he kills Carla Jean Moss (Kelly MacDonald) as punishment to the deceased Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) with no real reason or provocation.

This character, the first of two on this list to earn an Oscar for their portrayal, horrifies the audience with his casual nonchalance while killing on a whim or after coin toss. His creepy demeanor imprints his villainous nature on the history of film.

5. Norman Bates – Psycho

Anthony Perkins portrays Norman Bates to perfection in the film Psycho. His character, suffering from severe mental illness as a result of years of abuse from his mother, appears normal to everyone else, as he presents himself as a humble business owner and son. His multiple personalities and deranged relationship with his mother lead him to kill anyone who threatens his mother’s wishes. His own lack of ability to realize the death of his mother and his adoption of her personality further illustrates his psychosis and makes him one of the most memorable and well known characters ever in film.

4. Earl Brooks – Mr. Brooks

Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) hails from perhaps the worst reviewed film referenced on this list, but that does not take away from his fantastic character. Mr. Brooks, clearly the most similar on this list to Dexter Morgan, loves his family, business and killing random strangers. However, like Dexter, he attempts to use peer groups, like alcoholics anonymous, to cope with his ‘dark passenger.’

Unlike Dexter, his ‘dark passenger’ is an actual character in the film. Marshall (William Hurt) adds most of the humor in the film (don’t even get me started on Dane Cook), and gives a visual aid to understanding the inner struggle of Mr. Brooks. Earl and Marshall together create a character far richer than the predictable storyline and overall weak supporting performances can offer. However, this character alone makes this direct to video film worth viewing.

3. Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs introduced audiences to two of the greatest serial killers in film. In fact, Buffalo Bill may have made this list, if not for standing in the shadow of Hannibal Lecter. Likely one of the most terrifying characters presented here (in large part to the threat of becoming dinner), Hannibal Lecter manages to accomplish a certain degree of heroism in the film. Assisting Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) in the hunt for Buffalo Bill, a former psychiatric patient of Lecter, he gains the trust of the viewer, despite his gruesome acts. He further builds this trust as a result of his affectionate relationship with Starling, and shows respect towards her while defending her against her superiors and his warden.

Hannibal’s stunning escape from captivity illustrates his ingenuity, agility and brutality. Easily the most memorable scene from this film, he ruthlessly kills the guards and then wears one of their faces as a mask to escape in an ambulance. These set of events shock the audience and the other characters for their sheer gruesomeness and ingenious.

2. Patrick Bateman – American Psycho

The ongoing debate about whether or not Patrick Bateman (Christain Bale) actually killed anyone is irrelevant to his distinguished status as a serial killer (It is worth noting that there are extremely convincing arguments to suggest its reality, but that is not the point of this discussion). His obsession with pop music and desire to ‘fit in’ counter his loathing for the lifestyle and people that he attempts to emulate. The constant internal struggle leads him to murder in order to cope with his psychosis.

The scene with the homeless man grants ample insight into Bateman’s mind. His loathing for anything difficult to understand from his perspective and his total rejection of compassion or sympathy are both illustrated here. Also, this murder directly results from his own perception of disgrace after his ‘bone’ business card fails to impress his peers more than Paul Allen (Jared Leto). This low self image continues to facilitate murders throughout the film and Bale plays the role meticulously.

1. John Doe – Se7en

The top three on this list were exceptionally difficult to order because of their long-lasting and disturbing impressions on the mind of the audience. I choose John Doe to top them for several reasons. Most of all, he is the most dynamic and complex character on this list. His divine motivations and his anonymous identity (interestingly as anonymous as the city he dwells) make him a mysterious, albeit realistic, villain that seems to strike at random individuals. Their crimes, in which he uses them as examples for the world, are general behaviors we take for granted as harmless. However, during the dialogue of the final fifteen minutes, the audience is lured into a sense of sympathy for his motivations.

Also, his killing methods range for each victim. Each of the murders is carefully crafted, realistically portrayed, and essential to the theme of the film. In one case, his intended victim, Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) is not even killed, though his fate is as bad or worse than the other victims. In the end, we’ve all come to believe John Doe; his acts will be studied and analyzed for generations to come. And in our world, John Doe (and the film Se7en) inspired a rash of (usually far inferior) serial killer films in the late 1990s.

Honorable Mention:

Buffalo Bill – Silence of the Lambs, Elijah ‘Mr. Glass’ Price – Unbreakable, Buddy ‘Syndrome’ Pine – The Incredibles

Note: You can listen to all the songs for free, but it requires a Lala.com account. It only takes a few moments!

10. Iron & Wine / Such Great Heights

Original: Postal Service

Sam Beam isolated the mellow core of 2003’s hyperkinetic original, slowed it down, and stripped it to the bare essentials. The original Such Great Heights remains a hip techno-pop masterpiece, but after listening to both, Beam’s take is the more credible — I believe the story he tells is his own more than I do Ben Gibbard.

Many people think the Postal Service version is the cover and Iron & Wine the original, which is understandable since both were released on the same eponymous EP in advance of the the Postal Service’s LP Give Up. But it is indeed a Postal Service original.

9. Pearl Jam / Last Kiss

Original: J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers

Not Even Flow, not Better Man, not even Jeremy went as high as Pearl Jam’s 1998 cover of The Cavaliers’s 1964 hit single. The idea to cover the song came about after frontman Eddie Vedder found an old record at an Antique Mall. He convinced the rest of the band to try out the song and eventually they recorded it, spending only a couple thousand dollars mixing the tune, producing one of the band’s most minimalist recordings. It ended up reaching no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, higher than any other Pearl Jam song, and had a similar reception abroad.

As to why Vedder was able to improve on the original, it must be something to do with his naturally morose baritone — love or loathe his voice, few can convey sadness and loss like he can. Regarding the cover, guitarist Stone Gossard said,

You can try album after album to write a hit and spend months getting drum sounds and rewriting lyrics, or you can go to a used record store and pick out a single and fall in love with it.

8. The Beatles / Twist & Shout

Original: The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers’s cover of the original in 1962 (the song was first recorded by The Top Notes a year earlier) made the song famous: peaked at no. 17 on Billboard’s Top 40 chart. Successful though it was, if that had been the end of it, we wouldn’t be talking about this song now. Once the Fab Four recorded a version of it for 1963’s Please Please Me, it forever entered the public consciousness.

Most people are familiar with Lennon’s smashing lead vocals, the first take of which was used for the recording. But most people don’t know the reason producer George Martin saved this song for last:

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, and the cold’s effect on his voice is audible in this recording. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance, a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that ‘every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper.’

7. Aimee Mann / One

Original: Three Dog Night

Aimee Mann burst on to the the scene in the 1980s as the frontwoman for the group ‘Til Tuesday. Her later solo career received much critical acclaim but little commercial success; that is, until P.T. Anderson used three of her songs on the soundtrack to his 1999 human interest drama Magnolia.

One song in particular “One”, a cover of the 1969 Three Dog Night hit (itself a Harry Nilsson cover), showcased Mann’s unique talents to a broader audience. Her gruff, melancholic voice is soothing and draws the listener more deeply into the song’s emotion than the original ever did. In fact, it made such an impression on Anderson, it may well be the reason he produced the film in the first place. In Anderson’s words:

I had a lot of ideas floating around in my head, probably too many ideas, and she’s a really good friend of mine, and was privy to stuff she was working on. It was great to have her music as a thing to latch on to, to help corral all the stuff that was sort of circling around in my brain. So I wanted to just adapt Aimee’s songs, like you would adapt a book or a play.

6. Ben Harper / Strawberry Fields Forever

Original: The Beatles

For the soundtrack to 2001’s I Am Sam, Ben Harper recorded his cover of a popular Beatles tune. And while virtually all are terrific (or at least interesting) takes on the classics, I’m going to go out on a controversial limb and assert that Harper’s actually improves on the psychedelic original. This is no small feat, since even to this day original Beatles recordings sound contemporary: there’s something timeless about Lennon & McCartney’s songwriting prowess.

Recorded in 1967 during a particularly difficult time in Lennon’s life — he was exhausted from a long tour, his marriage to Cynthia Powell was failing, and he was taking increasingly larger amounts of drugs — the song required 45 hours over 5 weeks to record and at its heart is a story of his feelings of isolation and loneliness as a child in Liverpool. Ben Harper tapped into these same feelings the way the other artists on the soundtrack didn’t, taking the melody and its meaning to a higher level.

5. The Byrds / Mr. Tambourine Man

Original: Bob Dylan

When the Byrds covered Dylan’s original and included it as the title track of their first album, it went straight to no. 1 in both the US and the UK. They got a hold of an early version of the song, before Dylan released it on his Another Side of Bob Dylan album in 1965, and as a result released it just two weeks after he did. The song is one of just three that was included twice in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, since both The Byrds’ version and Dylan’s own version are included. Both versions also received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.

4. Matt Weddle / Hey Ya!

Original: Outkast

Outkast’s ubiquitous hit single Hey Ya! received a delicate folk makeover courtesy of Obadiah Parker frontman Mat Weddle in 2006. His open mike cover was uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral, garnering millions of views in just a few months. Even though Andre 3000’s version was a smash hit single, spent months in the top 5 and won a Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative performance, Weddle coaxes out the central heartbreak of the song that was obscured by the original’s pop sensibility.

3. Jeff Buckley / Hallelujah

Original: Leonard Cohen

Transcendent, otherworldly, divine — we run out of superlatives quickly when it comes to Jeff Buckley’s 1994 cover of the Leonard Cohen original. And while there’s something of a cottage industry out of covering Cohen songs, few do it better. Buckley’s version is almost revelation, like the muse that originally delivered it must have gotten mixed up and visited Cohen first when it should have been Buckley all along. There’s not much we can say about this one: just listen to it. You’ll understand.

2. Michael Andrews & Gary Jules / Mad World

Original: Tears for Fears

Arranged by Michael Andrews and sung by Gary Jules, this haunting, low-fi cover version was released on the soundtrack to 2001’s Donnie Darko. Absent the pop synthesizers and high-energy percussion of the 1982 original, the Andrews/Jules version includes only a voice, a piano, and a cello. It’s much slower and simpler than the original, though more richly melodic — it was recorded first as a rough cut to see if director Richard Kelly would be interested; he ended up using that same rough cut for the soundtrack.

When the song was released as a proper single in 2003, it became a runaway hit, reaching no. 1 for a brief time in the UK — a feat the original, itself a single, never accomplished. In 2004, CNN asked Tears for Fears about Andrews/Jules cover. Frontman Roland Orzabal said they loved it; he graciously acknowledged he thought it better than his own original and that it caused the band to rethink the song.

1. Jimi Hendrix / All Along the Watchtower

Original: Bob Dylan

Really, you could take all these songs, put them in any order you like, and you’d still have a solid list so long as this song remains at #1. There’s no greater example of one artist capturing the spirit and and power of another artist’s song and breathing new life into it than Hendrix’s cover of All Along the Watchtower. He connected with it on a different plane and created something altogether new as a result.

Now, a song like this is not recorded over night: it was the result of months and months of effort. Hendrix became increasingly dissatisfied as the song progressed and overdubbed more and more guitar parts, moving the master tape from a four-track to a twelve-track to a sixteen-track machine. Sound engineer Tony Bongiovi recalled:

Recording these new ideas meant he would have to erase something. In the weeks prior to the mixing, we had already recorded a number of overdubs, wiping track after track. [Hendrix] kept saying, ‘I think I hear it a little bit differently.’

In live performances since, Dylan himself has subsequently played it more and more like Hendrix’s version. Dylan described his reaction to hearing Hendrix’s version thus:

It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn’t think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day.

He went on to say, “I liked Jimi Hendrix’s record of this and ever since he died I’ve been doing it that way… Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way.”

Honorable Mentions:

- Nirvana / The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)
- Dixie Chicks / Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
- Ryan Adams / Wonderwall (Oasis)

10. Mariano Rivera

You can have a debate about who the greatest hitter of all-time is, or who the greatest outfielder, catcher etc. But when it comes to who the greatest closer of all-time is, there is no debate — it’s Mariano Rivera. With a World Series ERA of 0.75 and 39 World Series saves, Rivera has dominated baseball in the last decade. Since 1999 “The Panama Express” has played in nine All-Star games, captured three World Series rings, won the Rolaids Relief Man Award five times, and led Major League Baseball in total saves three times.  No closer has come anywhere near that kind of dominance in the last ten years.

9. Michael Schumacher

Although he has been retired for a few years, Schumacher is still the stick by which we measure Formula One drivers. He won seven F1 championships, including five in a row from 2000-2004. Schumacher was one of the highest paid athletes in the world during the past ten years, second only to Tiger Woods, and many credit him with being the world’s first billionaire athlete. There is talk of him making a comeback next season, possibly with the Mercedes team, if this takes place count on him adding more wins to his already sterling legacy.

8. Jimmie Johnson

With 47 wins, 179 top ten finishes, and 23 pole positions, Jimmie Johnson has dominated NASCAR over the past decade. Johnson just won his fourth straight NASCAR points series title, but only the most die-hard NASCAR fans even know who he is. Perhaps if he got into fights like Tony Stewart, he would garner more respect from NASCAR fans. Instead, Johnson just quietly dominates his sport one race at a time.

7. Serena & Venus Williams

OK, so technically Venus and Serena are two separate athletes, but they are sisters, and let’s be honest these two have defined women’s tennis over the last ten years. Over the past decade only two women not named Williams have managed to win Wimbledon. When she is not being fined $80k for doing her best John McEnroe impression, Serena Williams dominates the tennis world. She has won the Australian Open so often that it might as well be named after her. Venus in like manner has managed to win 41 total titles and has dominated Wimbledon over the past decade. Don’t forget the two have combined to win 16 doubles titles as well.

The Williams sisters are the two highest earning female tennis players of all-time, and when they are finished with their careers, they may also be equally regarded as the two greatest tennis players of all-time.

6. Sebastien Loeb

Since 2004 anyone in the World Rally Championship not named Sebastien Loeb has been driving for second place. Loeb has simply dominated the top spot in the sport. Driving a car around a track at high speeds is difficult enough, but take away all that nicely laid tarmac, throw in rocks and dirt, add a little snow and you have a recipe for disaster, but that is what the WRC is all about. The man dominates year in and year out with seemingly little effort. One year Loeb broke his arm while mountain biking, subsequently he missed the last four races of the season, but he still managed to win the championship because he was so far ahead in points.

5. Ryan Giggs

When it comes to soccer one franchise stands above the rest as the pinnacle of excellence: Manchester United. Ryan Giggs has spent his entire career with Man U, and is the most decorated player in English football history. Giggs has won seven Premier Leagues, two F.A. Cups, two UEFA Champions League Cups, and a FIFA Cup all in the last ten years. Other players may be more popular for dating former pop stars or filling highlight reels, but none have won as much hardware as Giggs has. Ryan Giggs plays international soccer for the Welsh national team, so he has not been very visible on the international stage, but he has dominated the English Premier League like no one else.

4. Shaquille O’Neal

Out of the last ten NBA Finals Shaq has played in five, won four, and been the Finals MVP three times. The only person who comes even close to that kind of dominance in the NBA over the last decade is Tim Duncan.  Shaq led the league in field-goal percentage seven times and led the league in scoring once during the last ten years. He has also managed to do something neither Michael Jordan nor Kobe Bryant have ever managed- win a championship without Phil Jackson.

3. Tom Brady

Tom Brady does one thing better than any other QB in the NFL- win games. Sure, perhaps Peyton Manning is technically a better QB, and Brady may have benefited from the whole “spygate” scandal, but Brady has managed to win three Superbowls and play in a fourth. He also lead the Patriots to an 18-1 record two years ago and only Jim McMahon and Joe Montana can claim that kind of a record in the annals of pro football. Brady has also set several NFL records including: Most passing touchdowns in a single quarter (5), most passing touchdowns in a single season (50), and largest touchdown to interception difference (42).

2. Roger Federer

Over the past ten years Roger Federer’s dominance has faced only two challenges: Raphael Nadal and mononucleosis. With 61 career titles and an 81% career winning percentage, Federer has been destroying his competition on a consistent basis since turning pro in 1998. He held the top spot in world tennis rankings for a record 237 weeks, which is almost five years of pure dominance.

Raphael Nadal has made a name for himself as being the one person who can consistently beat Roger Federer (on clay mostly), but once you get past Nadal there really is no player that has challenged King Rog. Wimbledon and the US Open belong to Federer, having dominated both events since 2003. Finally, given the history of superstars in tennis it is impressive to note that Roger has become the all-time career earnings leader as well.

1. Tiger Woods

Why does anyone care about Tiger’s marriage and personal life? Whether you are in the most exclusive country club in the world, or you are at a fast food joint in a sketchy neighborhood, you will find someone who is a Tiger Woods fan, no other athlete on this list has that sort of universal appeal. Thus, when Tiger has marriage problems and wrecks his Escalade it is literally international news.

To begin to understand how much Tiger Woods means to golf, all one has to do is look at TV ratings. After wining the US Open in 2008, Woods had season-ending knee surgery; the TV audience for golf dropped a staggering 55% for the PGA Championship with Woods gone. No other athlete in sports has that kind of influence on audience size…period!

Tiger is third on the all-time list for PGA Tour wins. Sam Snead had 82 Tour wins in 30 years, Jack Nicklaus had 73 Tour wins in 25 years, Tiger has 71 Tour wins in just 14 years. As dominant as every other athlete is on this list, Tiger is easily twice as good as anyone before him. Barring any major injury, or an even stranger car crash, Tiger will hold almost every Golf record in the book by miles when he retires. Tiger WoodsIS golf. If he were to retire tomorrow the PGA would be in a full-blown crisis.

Tiger has also dominated Forbes list of highest paid athletes for the past ten years. When you look at all his achievements there is no doubt that he is the most dominant athlete of the decade.

Think of one you’ve seen recently. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe? All tall. Or how about classic films? Carey Grant, Humphrey Bogart (thanks, Clovis), Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda — six feet at the shortest. There’s just something about his height that gives a leading man the presence to be in charge and convincingly so.

But not all leading men fit the archetype. Several famous, successful leading men buck the trend and make a name for themselves despite lacking the je ne sais quoi that comes with above-average height and we figured it was time to give them the recognition they deserve. In this list, we present the top 10 short leading men and review some of the films that made them famous.

Note: For our purposes, we define “tall” as 5′ 10″, or one inch greater than the the US national average. And in order to be considered a “leading man”, the actor must have appeared in at least two feature films as the principal male character. Finally, in ranking the actors, we took into consideration not only how famous they are but also how much below the 5′ 10″ they fall.

10. Woody Allen (5′ 5″)

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Famous more for his writing and directing than for his acting, Woody Allen nevertheless occupies a special place on the list for his influence on modern film. His movies span the gamut from slapstick and screwball comedies to serious dramas and out of his twenty-one Academy Award nominations, he’s won three (though not for Best Actor). 1977’s Best Picture Annie Hall, which he wrote, directed and starred in, set the standard for modern romantic comedies.

In addition to the 5′ 6.5″ Diane Keaton — whom he’s starred with at least a half dozen times — Allen has played a lead role opposite a number of famous (and much taller) leading ladies: Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Kirstie Alley, Sharon Stone, and Debra Messing. He’s not gotten by on his looks, though some women find him irresistible — he’s a good example of where intelligence and self-deprecating humor make up for physical stature.

So influential is Allen’s work, that essentially any role on television or film you see that features the anxious, brainy, urban Jew character started with him. If Allen hadn’t formed the archetype in the 1970s, there might not be a Jerry Seinfeld, David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler or Judd Apatow today.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: Annie Hall (1977)
Most Famous Role: Harry Block (Deconstructing Harry, 1997)

9. Richard Dreyfuss (5′ 5″)

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Best known for his role in Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Mr. Holland’s Opus, Richard Dreyfuss was (at the time) the youngest actor ever to win an Academy Award for Best Actor (at 29, for 1977’s The Goodbye Girl, beating out Mr. Allen from above). His first film part was actually a small, uncredited role in The Graduate, in which he had one line: “Shall I call the cops? I’ll call the cops.”

Dreyfuss has a special ability to make annoyingly vain, arrogant and whiny characters seem both heroic and likable. Perhaps because his off-screen personality mirrored his roles, he developed a reputation for being hard to work with. After a meteoric rise in the late ’70s, he was poised to become a major star in the 1980s but blew it on booze and drugs. Out of rehab, his career rebounded with films like Stakeout, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and What About Bob?, establishing him as a both a terrific comedian and dramatic actor.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: American Graffiti (1973)
Most Famous Role: Roy Neary (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977)

8. Dustin Hoffman (5′ 5″)

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Among the most interesting things about Mr. Hoffman’s breakthrough role in The Graduate (aside leading opposite the 5′ 6.5″ Anne Bancroft) was that he got the part after negotiations with Warren Beatty and Robert Redford — both much taller leading men — fell through, at a time when it was rare indeed for a leading man to be so short. Most everyone else on this list can thank him for paving the way.

A highly versatile and respected actor, Dustin Hoffman counts two Academy Awards, six Golden Globes and three BAFTAs among his accomplishments. His best films include Midnight Cowboy, All the President’s Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie (which he played in drag), Rain Man, Captain Hook (in the eponymous fantasy starring Robin Williams), and my personal favorite, Bernard the existential detective in 2004’s I Heart Huckabees.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: The Graduate (1967)
Most Famous Role: Raymond Babbitt (Rain Man, 1988)

7. James Cagney (5′ 6.5″)

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An actor best known for his work in the 1920s and ’30s, James Cagney was ranked eighth among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time by the American Film Institute. (It’s somewhat ironic that he dressed as a woman for his first performing role, in a vaudeville revue called Every Sailor.) One of the highest paid actors of his time, Cagney twice won the Oscar for Best Actor and is best remembered for playing Depression-era gangsters.

Cagney was equally loved and loathed in the dozens of film roles that demonstrated his range as an actor. For his performance as Tom Powers in The Public Enemy, the New York Herald Tribune described him as “the most ruthless, unsentimental appraisal of the meanness of a petty killer the cinema has yet devised.” The scene in which Cagney smashes a grapefruit into Mae Clarke’s face is viewed by many critics as one of the most famous moments in movie history.

You may remember his famous line from Taxi! (“You dirty rat!”), although he never actually said it. The closest he came was: “Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or I’ll give it to you through the door!”

Notable Films

Breakthrough: The Public Enemy (1931)
Most Famous Role: Martin “Moe the Gimp” Snyder (Love Me or Leave Me, 1955)

6. Gary Oldman (5′ 9″)

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Gary Oldman is perhaps the greatest character actor never to take home an Academy Award — not even nominated! — and is certainly a contender for most gifted on this list. He’s tackled some really tough roles, dark and morally corrupt and varied across the board, including Beethoven in Immortal Beloved, Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy, Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK, Sirius Black in Harry Potter, Mason Verger in Hannibal, and, of course, Count Dracula.

He’s English but you wouldn’t necessarily know it, since he’s mastered virtually every kind of spoken English accent. He had a brief, Emmy-nominated run on Friends as Joey’s acting teacher and you may remember him most recently as Commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight. Fun short leading man fact: he was married to the six-foot tall Uma Thurman from 1990-1992.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: Sid & Nancy (1986)
Most Famous Role: Count Dracula (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992)

5. Jack Lemmon (5′ 9″)

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One of America’s finest comedians, multiple Oscar-winner Jack Lemmon starred in over 60 films throughout his more than five decades in Hollywood. During his tenure, Lemmon worked alongside a number of legendary (and tall) leading ladies, including Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Janet Leigh, Shirley Maclaine, Rita Hayworth and Sophia Loren. (Some guys have all the luck.)

Many of his most notable films were produced in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, including Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, Mister Roberts, The Apartment (which took Best Picture in 1960) and Save the Tiger, for which he won Best Actor. But unlike a lot of his acting contemporaries, Lemmon also did some of best work late in his career. In 1993, he teamed up with longtime collaborator Walter Matthau for the surprise hit Grumpy Old Men, which introduced the pair to a new generation of audiences.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: It Should Happen to You (1954)
Most Famous Role: Joe Clay (Days of Wine and Roses, 1962)

4. Buster Keaton (5′ 5″)

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Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton VI (yes, that’s six) died in 1966, so most modern audiences are unfamiliar with his silent-film body of work. But Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton’s “extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, [when] he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies” and called his film The General “one of the supreme masterpieces of silent film making.”

His real gift lay in physical comedy: slapstick, sight gags and stunts performed at great physical risk. A scene from Steamboat Bill Jr. required Keaton to run into the shot and stand still on a particular spot. Then, the facade of a three-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. Keaton’s character emerged unscathed, thanks to a single open window which passed directly over him. The stunt required precision, because the prop house weighed two tons, and the window only offered a few inches of space around Keaton’s body.

He became a matinee idol and a precursor to the modern leading man as sex symbol, all without uttering a word. For this and his small frame, he earns a top spot on our list.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: Butcher Boy (1917)
Most Famous Role: Johnnie Gray (The General, 1927)

3. Al Pacino (5′ 7″)

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A virtual unknown before his breakthrough role as Michael Corleone, Al Pacino has gone on to define the modern gangster and every other Mafioso role since is in his shadow. The Godfather routinely tops many “best of” lists largely on the strength of his performance, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. At the time, Pacino was something of a gamble — Francis Ford Coppola pushed for him to play the role against the wishes of the studio. One of its main objections? He was too short.

His career took off in the 1970s, with a string of gritty, unforgettable lead roles in Serpico, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and …And Justice for All. Pacino was nominated for Best Actor in all four. And though his career took something of a dive in the 1980s (including Scarface, which we at The Pulp List think is highly overrated), he bounced back in the 1990s with roles in The Godfather: Part III, Glengarry Glen Ross, Donnie Brasco, Heat and Scent of a Woman, for which he finally took home the gold. He may occasionally be prone to overacting lately, but his unmistakable voice makes up for what he lacks in height.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: The Godfather (1972)
Most Famous Role: Michael Corleone (The Godfather, 1972)

2. Tom Cruise (5′ 7″)

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We’d be remiss if we failed to include Mr. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV — truly, he’s a short leading man’s leading man and arguably the most famous actor on our list. Thrice nominated but never awarded an Oscar, he has been a part of some of the highest profile flicks in history: Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, Rain Man, Jerry Maguire and Minority Report. In most of his earliest roles, he played the handsome bad boy (Days of Thunder, anyone?), mostly light fare with little substance. But more recently he’s taken some risks and revealed additional depth with unusual roles in Magnolia, Collateral and even Tropic Thunder (which is worth seeing if only for his brief, but memorable, cameo).

It’s true that he may be more famous now for his offscreen antics, tabloid marriage (his third) to a woman 17 years his junior, and bizarrely creepy Scientology orientation video (be sure to check out Jerry O’Connell’s spoof). Whether negative public perception will have a lasting effect on his career remains to be seen.

Notable Films

Breakthrough: Risky Business (1983)
Most Famous Role: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Top Gun, 1986)

1. Michael J. Fox (5′ 4.5″)

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One of the rare television stars to make the successful jump to the big screen (and back), our top spot goes to the shortest actor on the list, Michael Andrew Fox. (If you’re curious where the “J” came from, check out his Wikipedia profile.)

At 5′ 4.5″, it’s hard to believe that Fox would be able to hack it all as a leading man, since there are few actresses that wouldn’t tower over him, but he seems to have done quite well for himself. On account of his natural good looks, winning charm, and onscreen charisma, he landed the iconic 1980s role of young Republican Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and then went on to star in the Back to the Future trilogy, Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Succe$s, and Bright Lights, Big City. In 1996, he went back to television for a successful four-year run on Spin City before retiring following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. He has since returned playing playing smaller roles most notably a paraplegic in the highly acclaimed Denis Leary firefighter drama Rescue Me.

At his height, it’s tough to find leading ladies that match up well. For starters, Fox’s Family Ties girlfriend Ellen, played by Tracy Pollan, is 5′ 6″ (they married in 1988). Fortunately, Lea Thompson played the lead in Back to the Future and she’s only 5′ 4″, just the right height. Fox filmed the original Back to the Future in the evenings after shooting wrapped up for Family Ties. When it opened in 1985 it spent eleven straight weeks at #1 and grossed almost $400 million worldwide, establishing him forever as a bankable (and unlikely) Hollywood leading man. No doubt his Teen Beat cover-boy looks helped win over girl fans, which helps explain the success.

Like Pacino before him, one of the producers of Family Ties (Brandon Tartikoff) felt that Fox was too short in relation to the actors playing his parents and tried to have him replaced (Fox only got the gig after Matthew Broderick turned it down). After his later box office successes, Fox presented him with a custom-made lunchbox with the inscription “To Brandon, this is for you to put your crow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J. Fox.”

Notable Films

Breakthrough: Back to the Future (1985)
Most Famous Role: Alex P. Keaton (Family Ties, 1982-1989)

Honorable Mention:

Joe Pesci 5′ 4″
Billy Crystal 5′ 7″
Robin Williams 5′ 8″
Mel Gibson 5′ 9″
Robert Redford 5′ 9″
Robert DeNiro 5′ 9.5″
Paul Newman 5′ 9.5″
Jack Nicholson 5′ 9.75″

How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains? Well, if coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we’d have been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind. You better believe things had been different. I’d have gone pro in a heartbeat. I’d be making millions of dollars and living in a big ol’ mansion somewhere, soaking it up in a hot tub with my soul mate. Oh, man! I wish I could go back in time. I’d take state!

We laugh because we can relate. Thank goodness for Hollywood — it turns our dreams into reality with the time travel movie. Here we highlight the best depictions of this genre on the silver screen.

*Note*: we tried our best to list the movies in order of relevance to the genre. These are not necessarily in order of “best movie”, which is hard to define.

15. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

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Not only one of the best “stoner” movies of all time, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure provides an entertaining history lesson filled with humor and memorable characters. It not only introduced us to Alex Winter but more importantly to mega-star Keanu Reeves. George Carlin fills out the the cast as their guide “Rufus” who provides them with their time travel vehicle: the phone boot.

Excellent Adventure was well-received in 1989 and despite the premise of two idiots traveling through time, it is a relatively smart comedy. The duo goes back to retrieve actual historical figures to bring them to the present time in order to complete their history project. A society from the future aids them so they do not fail — ultimately, they save the world. Sophisticated time travel? No. Entertaining? Hell yes.

14. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

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Sometimes you wish you could go back in time and do some things differently. In Peggy Sue Got Married, Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) gets such a chance: she’s travels back in time to relive her senior year of high school to fix all that’s gone wrong with her Hollywood dreams and future husband (Nicholas Cage). People can forget the good times in their lives since the bad weighs more heavily on the conscience. Peggy Sue is all about “second chances”, a compelling theme that drives many examples in the genre.

This was the first domestic box office success for director Francis Ford Coppola since Apocalypse Now and it made Cage a household name. In the end, Peggy Sue wakes up in a hospital room and realizes it was all a dream — or was it?

13. Planet of the Apes (1968)

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Ahead of its time in its ideas and epic in its scope, Planet of the Apes is as legendary as any sci-fi movie ever made. When a group of astronauts comes out of light speed after a couple of millennia traveling in space, they land on a planet they believe to be many light years from earth. What they find is a race of beings that resemble apes but who can talk and walk upright like humans.

Planet of the Apes was notable for a number of things: the quality of prosthetic makeup used to create the alien apes, a kiss scene between a human and an ape, and a finale that left the water cooler abuzz for days. Charlton Heston’s successful performance spawned a franchise of four more films.

Our advice? Stay away from the 2001 remake; it will only disappoint you.

12. Pleasantville (1998)

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Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon star as twin siblings who lose themselves in the reality of their dysfunctional family life by watching a 1950s-era black and white TV show called Pleasantville. When a TV repairman (Don Knotts) shows up with a mysterious remote control, the pair are transported into the show and become the children of the fictional family.

Before long, the movie’s serious nature is revealed: Pleasantville is really a jeremiad about discrimination. As the kids teach the conventional and prudish people of Pleasantville about ideas they never dreamed of, the world within the show begins to transform into color. But the “perfect” 1950s family and lifestyle also begins to unravel and the characters are forced to confront the ills and travails of the real world. No conventional story about time travel, Pleasantville aims to entertain and instruct.

11. The Time Machine (1960)

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H.G. Wells’s classic novel is transformed to the big screen in 1960’s The Time Machine. In an unusual twist, George (Rod SteigerTaylor, thanks Vern) travels forward in time instead of back against the backdrop of a cautionary tale of war and the nature of humanity.

The special effects were groundbreaking — they’d have to be to pull off the year 802,701 AD convincingly. Steiger’s performance in fighting the Morlocks, an evil race that fed on future humans, was way ahead of its time (even if it was portrayed in the novel 65 years earlier).

Again, skip the remake and see the original. It is a testament to great movie-making.

10. Star Trek (2009)

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The most anticipated movie of 2009 delivered. From the strong performances by newcomer Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock), to Leonard Nimoy’s reprisal of the seasoned Spock, to the stunning effects from JJ Abrams and crew — this movie may do for Star Trek and science fiction what X-Men did for comic book adaptations. Filled with action, innuendo and inside jokes, the latest Star Trek may be the best one.

This time we witness the beginning of Kirk and Spock’s careers with Starfleet. James T. Kirk has to come of age quickly when his father’s killer, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana), threatens not only the future of Starfleet but all of mankind. Abrams did what few thought was possible — he revitalized the franchise, introduced the mythology to new audiences while bringing along millions of happy Trekkies and producing a summer blockbuster in the process. All of which is a feat almost as unlikely as time travel itself.

9. Time Crimes (2007)

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One of the great things about time travel movies is watching the endless loop of the space-time continuum unfold — and the possibilities it contains — while trying to keep up with the headaches it brings from trying to figure it all out. Prime example? Spanish director Nacho Vigolando’s Los Cronocrímenes or Time Crimes delivers all this and more. Vigalondo takes us on the whirlwind ride of an ordinary guy Hector (Karra Elejalde) and his journey to keep space and time in order.

Where Time Crimes really shines is in its attention to detail and ability to avoid the normal plot holes and time traps of the typical time flick. So many movies insult the viewer’s intelligence; not so here. When Hector realizes who the man in the pink bandage is, it leaves him (and the audience) gasping and clamoring for more. (We won’t spoil it here.)

8. Primer (2004)

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A former mathematician and engineer, Shane Carruth was responsible for the scientifically accurate and exceptionally credible Primer. The movie explores the exploits of two scientists who build a device that allows them to travel back in time to for financial gains (and later to fix their personal lives).

Similar to Time Crimes, Primer portrays time travel in the realistic sense — it uses actual science instead of fantasy as the vehicle for travel. The dialogue is dense and at times may leave the viewer confused. If you can figure out the premise, you’ll appreciate how big budget blockbusters are not the only means of entertainment in today’s movie scene: Primer was made on a budget of only $7,000.

7. Donnie Darko (2001)

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The success of Donnie Darko shows how strong the independent movie scene has become in recent years — you could compare its mainstream success in the fantasy category to that of The Boondock Saints to gangster/action.

Set in the 1980s, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to dream a strange dream: a demon rabbit tells him to do unthinkable acts that expose people what they truly are. It looks at first like your garden-variety teen paranoid-schizophrenic behavior but soon turns into time travel “worm holes” and that lead to an epic, shocking finale.

Director Richard Kelly wrote and directed Donnie Darko to massive cult success. It also spawned the career of the Gyllenhaal siblings who appear as brother and sister in the movie. The dialogue is brilliant:

Gretchen: My mom had to get a restraining order against my stepdad. He has emotional problems.
Donnie: Oh, I have those too! What kind of emotional problems does your dad have?
Gretchen: He stabbed my mom four times in the chest.
Donnie: Oh.

and:

Donnie: You are such a fuckass.
Elizabeth: Did you just call me a fuckass? You can go suck a fuck.
Donnie: Oh, please, tell me Elizabeth, how exactly does one suck a fuck?

6. Time Bandits (1982)

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The first of two entries for Director Terry Gilliam, Time Bandits is a fantasy escape set in England about a neglected boy (Craig Wornock) and his foray into a fantasy world. One evening, when a knight on horseback charges out of his bureau, the boy — lead by a band of dwarves — begins a mysterious journey and becomes engulfed in the struggle between good and evil.

Occasionally Time Bandits feels a little archaic but the overall quality of the story makes up for any flaws. With an all-star English British (Thanks Linusbern) cast including Sean Connery, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Shelley Duvall, Time Bandits paints a picture of what every boy dreams — to be carried off on a fantastic journey through space and time. Oh, and saving the planet while you’re at it.

5. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

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Ahhh, the Borg: everyone’s favorite Star Trek villain. They travel from world to world “assimilating” its inhabitants, destroying it in the process. In Star Trek: First Contact, The Borg finally figures out how to destroy Starfleet, who is responsible for defeating the Borg and sending them into exile for generations: go back in time and prevent the formation of Starfleet altogether.

Using the Next Generation cast in their first solo feature, Jonathan Frakes (also playing Commander Riker) directs this gem in the franchise. The scenes between Data (Brent Spinner) and The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) are especially brilliant.. As always, the crew of the Enterprise reign supreme — no shocker there — but the ride is well worth the price of admission.

4. 12 Monkeys (1995)

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Featuring a superb cast that includes Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, David Morse and Madeleine Stowe, the second Terry Gilliam entry on our list is the futuristic thriller 12 Monkeys. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a seemingly deranged prisoner sent back in time to find out the exact cause a plague that destroys most of humanity and makes the earth’s surface uninhabitable. As the jabbering madman Jeffrey Goines, Brad Pitt has an intense deviousness that works for the film’s central mystery.

Or, could be Cole just a lunatic — it’d be easier to know if he didn’t keep vanishing in front of people. Gilliam keeps the audience guessing, and that’s one of the film’s strengths: we’re never really sure we know what we’re seeing. Taut, suspenseful, and darkly brooding, 12 Monkeys absolutely repays repeated viewings.

3. Groundhog Day (1993)

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The highly popular and grossly underrated Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, is not your typical time travel movie. The story follows a nasty weatherman Phil (Murray) and his television producer Rita (MacDowell) as they go to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the annual Groundhog Day shadow-seeing celebration. But not all is as it seems in this quiet country town…

Phil doesn’t travel through time, per se, but he does replay the same day over and over, each time understanding a little more about human nature and the people around him. In the beginning, he uses the day for his own personal gain, but slowly begins to change his tune and brings the town together. Seeing his different reaction to the same annoying people every day is priceless.

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

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When James Cameron announced he finally planned to produce a sequel to 1984’s Terminator, expectations ran high. But he delivered big time with 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800 sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, and Cameron’s ex-wife) in order to prevent the birth of her son, who would lead the resistance against the machine. Only this time, Schwarzenegger’s cyborg has been rewired by Connor in the future and sent back in order to protect his younger self (Ed Furlong) from the more advanced and deadly T-1000 model (played by James Robert Patrick thanks Douglas).

Cameron really turned up the special effects, using flash-forwards to give a glimpse of his vision of this post-apocalyptic nightmare. He built upon earlier techniques (from the Abyss) to create the T-1000, which is composed of a liquid metal that can mold into any object that doesn’t require complex parts. When the T-1000 shifts shape from the floor to an identical twin of a mental ward security guard and then promptly turns his finger into a dagger, stabbing the guard in the eye, audiences were in awe. The movie has a few holes, but they can be easily overlooked as the quality of this picture is superb and it has aged surprisingly well. A rare critical and commercial hit.

1. Back to the Future (1985)

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Every so often there comes along a movie that is so good that it defines its genre, makes the career of its actors and stands the test of time across many generations. If you were a child of the 1980s you grew up with Back to the Future. You can quote the lines and identify with the characters; no doubt every time you see the actors in other projects you refer to them by their BTTF name. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s visionary time travel romp has endured and firmly rooted itself in the pop culture consciousness.

We learn quickly that the McFly family’s youngest son Marty (Michael J. Fox) is the rebel of the brood and his friendship with the odd, eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) forms the core of the story. Doc’s DMC Delorean is so famous it has become synonymous with time travel and even today you’ll find people who know what a “flux capacitor” and “1.21 gigawatts!” Marty travels back back to 1955 and and helps his parents during their teen years in order to save his own present (without erasing his existence in the process). Zemeckis’s vision of 1955 has captured generation after generation.

Despite some flaws, Back to the Future is and remains the canonical time travel film. Fox’s performance was first rate and on the strength of it alone it makes the top of our list. Zemeckis spared no detail: look closely and you’ll see that the mall in Hill Valley was originally called the “Twin Pines Mall” before Marty goes accidentally runs over one of the trees on the farm where the mall would be built. Later, we see its name changed to the “Lone Pine Mall“.

The two sequels are entertaining, true, but fail to recapture the magic of the original. Back to the Future is the consummate time traveling movie and takes its rightful spot at the top of our list.

Honorable Mention

Back to the Future III (1990), The Terminator (1984), Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986), Scrooged (1988), Frequency (2000), Army of Darkness (1992), Time After Time (1979), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Timecop (1994).

Note: Animation was not considered during the selection process.

10. Jean-Claude Van Damme

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The greatest western martial arts actor (with apologies to Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Mark Dacascos, and Michael Jai White), Jean-Claude Van Damme became one of the biggest action stars in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For a short time, he rivaled even Arnold Schwarzenegger in that category. That he faded into direct-to-DVD obscurity (with the noteable exception of JCVD) should not tarnish the early success of his career, including films such as Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, and several others.

Van Damme’s greatest film — if you ignore the acting — is the cult hit Bloodsport. It depicts the real life Frank Dux, who claimed to have been the first westerner to win the Kumite, a Chinese martial arts tournament. In terms of fight choreography, Bloodsport excelled at creating novel one-on-one fights. In particular, the final battle between Dux and his antagonist (Bolo Yeung) lives on as a triumph of ’80s martial arts camp.

9. Michelle Yeoh

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Perhaps better known for her beauty and acting prowess, Michelle Yeoh is a trained dancer who lacks formal training in martial arts. Despite this, Yeoh became the greatest female martial arts star in modern times when she solidified her international fame with Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In the film, she portrays a security expert-for-hire, conflicted over love and loyalty, who ends up the mentor of a young fighter (Zhang Ziyi). Her own struggle over career and family choices mirrors that of her protege, resulting in a complex, believable character that viewers can relate to and sympathize with. And who also happens to have awesome fight sequences.

8. Shintarô Katsu

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Along with his brother, Tomisaburo Wakayama of the Lone Wolf series, Shintarô Katsu is the most renowned sword fighting star in film history. Portraying the blind swordsman Zatôichi in a total of 27 films, Katsu created astonishing action sequences that accompanied great stories. A testament to the continued excellence of these films (I certainly have not seen them all) is that the 17th installment was remade for American audiences.

7. Cheng Pei-Pei

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The first and greatest female superstar of martial arts film, Cheng Pei-Pei may be best known to western audiences for her villainous role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the murdering Jade Fox. That film, with its stellar female cast and characters, could be seen largely as an homage to Cheng Pei-Pei’s filmography as a kung fu hero.

However, the film that thrust her into the spotlight was Come Drink With Me. It marked the first time a female martial arts star carried a film on her own and the accomplishment changed martial arts cinema forever.

6. Sonny Chiba

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Sonny Chiba, the greatest Japanese martial arts star and a contemporary of Bruce Lee, was more rugged and less graceful in his fighting style than his counterpart. In The Street Fighter series, for example, Chiba uses brute force and violence to defeat his opponents. His role in Street Fighter was so famous that Tarantino honored him True Romance, though you may remember him better in his cameo as the sword-smith Hatori Hanzo in Kill Bill Vol. 1.

5. Stephen Chow

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Arguably the greatest martial arts star-turned director, Stephen Chow’s résumé speaks volumes to his skill and dedication to film. Chow created the mo lei tau sub-genre as well as two of the most internationally successful martial arts films (Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle). More than just action sequences, these films incorporate great stories and comedy; both won awards.

4. Gordon Liu

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Gordon Liu made his fame portraying the ways of Shaolin monks on screen throughout his career. He catapulted to fame with the success of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in which he follows the complete training and eventual mastery of a real-life Shaolin monk. The formula for such films set the stage for a long career illustrating Shaolin techniques and ideas. Liu also had two roles in Quentin Tarantino’s recent Kill Bill saga: first as Johnny Mo, the frontman of the Crazy 88’s, and second as the cruel tutor Pai Mei.

3. Jet Li

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Over the last 25 years, Jet Li has established himself as one of the fastest, most graceful fighters in film. His unique fighting style creates the illusion of weightlessness and his skill and precision led to immense popularity in the 1980s. His legendary roles in the Once Upon a Time in China series involve not only the historic battles of imperialistic forces invading China, but also the threat of a cult and an assassination plot. The richness and detail of these films set the standard for the genre and the popular success of this trilogy turned Jet Li into an international star.

2. Jackie Chan

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Jackie Chan and his stunt crew have created some of the most tantalizing, exciting and funny action/fight sequences over a period spanning more than 30 years (and counting). His proficiency in creating successful films and inventiveness in using props during fights helped him practically create the martial arts/comedy sub-genre.

The Legend of Drunken Master, not released in theaters in the west until several years after its original release, contained an unbelievable amount of stunt and fight choreography (including the mind-bending drunken boxing) which perfectly balanced comedy with and a compelling story. My personal favorite scene was the tea-house brawl with the bamboo — now a common location and weapon of choice in martial arts cinema — but used to perfection in this film.

1. Bruce Lee

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Bruce Lee is an uncontroversial pick as the greatest martial arts movie star of all time. This consensus is largely based on Lee’s impact on the film world which introduced western audiences to kung fu films for the first time. Beyond merely starring in films, he created an entirely new form of martial arts called jeet kun do. His untimely death at the young age of 32 only adds to his legendary status.

His breakout role in The Chinese Connection was instrumental in elevating fight choreography in film but it was his portrayal as Kato in The Green Hornet television that cemented his onscreen talent and charisma. He actually overshadowed the star of the show, becoming perhaps the most popular sidekick ever. His prowess, reputation and impact on martial arts and kung fu films can’t be overestimated, so Mr. Lee takes the top spot.

Stars to watch out for: Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Zhang Ziyi

(Author’s note: No completely animated films were considered for these rankings.)

10. Legend (1985)

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Ridley Scott ventures into the fantasy genre after establishing himself as a premier sci-fi director to much acclaim. His skill in directing special effects developed in Alien and Blade Runner transforms into a delicate practice of beauty in his 1985 morality tale Legend. The glitter-filled world is a triumph of the time and sets the mood for the film in impressive form.

The carefree fantasy world turns into a virtual hell when the action shifts to the layer of Darkness and his minions. Mia Sara (Does she count as a beautiful special effect?) watches in horror as her ‘wedding dress’ dances in these halls until the dark lord makes his striking entrance through a mirror to confront the captured beauty.

9. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

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Perhaps the story of a liar might be the best story of all. Terry Gilliam makes his required appearance on this list, one that may eventually be overshadowed by the upcoming Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This story takes the viewer on an incomprehensible journey, which includes visits into the stomach of a whale, on the moon with Robin Williams’s floating head, and into the depths of a volcano. The film is as beautiful as it is odd.

8. King Kong (2005)

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King Kong is a familiar story delivered by Peter Jackson with fantastic CGI throughout. As soon as the explorers reach the steep cliffs of ‘Skull Island,’ the viewer knows he’s in for a visual treat. A lush jungle island with dinosaurs, giant insects, and man-eating slugs are all fabricated to create the beautiful and deadly island.

The greatest visual highlights all feature Kong. In particular, two stunning sunsets that he shares with Naomi Watts as well as a delightful snowy moment on a frozen New York City lake show Kong’s true nature as a kind (albeit giant) primate who belongs in nature.

7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon introduced many westerners to the Chinese mythology of martial arts masters with super-human powers. These abilities, especially weightlessness, lead to several visually stunning scenes, in which the actors fly across rooftops and over waterfalls, guiding the audience on a journey through Chinese scenery.

The most memorable and beautiful of these scenes features two of the main characters dueling on the treetops of bamboo. The beauty of the scene is perfectly complemented by the subtle music score which creates a serene experience for the viewer, even during a violent conflict.

6. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

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The first of three films on this list that feature a young girl who escapes to a fantasy world, Pan’s Labyrinth features the shocking and often violent reality of her tragic childhood. The beautiful special effects create the incredible fantasy world that Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) discovers upon her arrival to Capitán Vidal’s (Sergi López) military stronghold. After reading a fantasy book, the story becomes her reality and she meets a fairy who leads her to the titled faun.

The faun requires her to accomplish several challenges before taking her rightful place as princess of a magical kingdom. On the way, she encounters an ugly giant toad and a beautiful banquet which is guarded by a faceless creature. However, within the story, this fantasy world is overshadowed by Vidal’s brutal repression.

5. The Abyss (1989)

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Beginning as a traditional undersea adventure, The Abyss transforms into a beautiful tale of warning to humanity’s self-destruction. As the crew members of an undersea oil rig encounter ‘intelligent’ creatures in the abyss, they face challenges from within their ranks in trying to understand and cope with their shocking discovery.

James Cameron delivers state-of-the-art special effects as always, creating moving bodies of water (see picture above), undersea ‘aliens,’ and a shining suboceanic city.

4. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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One of the most famous films in history, The Wizard of Oz utilized color as part of the story in a novel way: dazzling sets envisioned in technicolor reveal a shining yellow brick road, a munchkin town, and the bold emerald city. These colors stand in sharp contrast with the sepia-toned Kansas, subtly hinting at the colorful fantasy world.

3. MirrorMask (2005)

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In MirrorMask, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop brings us a world from the imagination of Neil Gaiman. Making up the majority of the film, this imaginary world’s dark tone at times looks like something that dropped out of a Salvador Dali painting.

In the reality of the film, the visuals are inspired by the imagination of the primary character, who draws herself many of the designs seen before she enters the fantasy world. Her journey through the fantasy is one of self-discovery in which she learns to conquer her selfishness and to love her family, especially her ailing mother.

2. The Fountain (2006)

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Quite possibly the greatest visual effects not created by a computer, The Fountain is the host of astonishing scenes of interstellar nebulae created by a secret blend of ingredients that include oils and cayenne pepper. The futuristic scenes take place on a uniquely designed snow globe-esque living spaceship en route to the Mayan underworld, a dying star. The natural ingredients and technique create a truly chaotic environment which surpasses the capability of computer renditions and elevates this film to the top of our list.

Equally beautiful are the Inquisition age scenes, both in Spain and the Americas. This portion of the film climaxes at the tree of life, also gorgeously produced without the assistance of computer generated imagery. The beautiful effects, combined with the poetic script and perfect score combine to create an artistic masterpiece.

1. What Dreams May Come (1998)

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What if the afterlife was simply the adaptation or inspiration of what you made with your life? What Dreams May Come is the unforgettable meditation of Hamlet about the afterlife and the effects in this powerful film essentially become the story: they are not secondary to it.

In this film, the afterlife for Chris (Robin Williams) is a direct representation of what made him the most happy in life. After gathering the strength and confidence to leave the earth behind, he enters his heaven in the center of one of his wife’s (Annabella Sciorra) paintings. Before that world transforms to a realistic paradise, the audience witnesses an impressionistic version of nature, complete with swirls of paint which follow a bird in flight.

Chris then undergoes a journey to his late wife. This journey first takes him to a heaven inspired by his daughter’s (Jessica Brooks Grant) mobile. Soon after, he proceeds to a hell, inspired by his son’s (Josh Paddock) toys. Each representation of the afterlife is supremely executed, leaving the audience in awe of the film. The final product is the most beautiful special effects ever created in a feature film. Because of the masterful way director Vincent Ward and cinematographer Eduardo Serra crafted their unusual tale around the gorgeous computer-generated scenes, this film grabs our top spot.

Looking forward to: Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, Terry Gilliam’sThe Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

20. The Untouchables

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Brings a whole new meaning to “batting clean-up”. Some of the scenes were laughable — much like Connery’s ATTEMPT AT AN (Does that clear it? He was playing an Irish character) English Irish Accent — (thanks Josh), but the movie was shot well and DeNiro was excellent as usual. Al Capone is a not only a legend in mafia lore but also an icon that exemplified the American Dream, albeit through violent and illicit means. Nevertheless, he captured the imagination of the American public and this movie maybe be the best portrayal of the man they called “Scarface”.

19. State of Grace

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Can you go wrong with a crazy Gary Oldman (wait…that’s pretty much all his movies), a solid Sean Penn and the steel-jawed Ed Harris? We think not. Darkly shot and richly acted, this gritty Irish mob tale gave us a great story of family and betrayal, not to mention sparked the fire between Penn and his current wife Robin Wright. Seriously, we envy this guy: first the Material Girl and then Princess Buttercup.

18. Get Shorty

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Elmore Leonard’s adaptation of a Hollywood loan shark trying to break into movie producing produces genuine laughs and admiration for a revived Travolta. This was his second showing after playing the now-legendary role of Vinny Vega in Pulp Fiction (no relation) that relaunched his career. The dialogue is full of wit and humor and boasts a robust cast including Danny DeVito, Rene Russo, Gene Hackman, and James Gandolfini.

17. Mean Streets

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The second of six showings for DeNiro on our list is his earliest role and possibly — after a young Vito Corleone — his strongest. Throw in a similarly youthful Harvey Keitel and you cannot miss. Though flawed in many ways, “Mean Streets” shows us a Scorcese on the verge of stardom who would continue to keep us coming back for more with every succeeding film.

16. Donnie Brasco

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Johnny Depp and Al Pacino have amazing chemistry in one of Pacino’s few roles where his penchant for over-acting was held in check. Depp’s innocence and subsequent descent into the underworld was beautifully portrayed — his versatility, charisma and instincts as a screen actor go underappreciated. Few other contemporaries have his ability to lose himself in a role so completely: seeing only the character, not the man playing it, is the hallmark of superb acting. (cf. Cate Blanchett on the women’s side.)

Why on earth doesn’t he take on more similar, serious roles instead of constantly teaming up with Tim Burton for colorful caricature movies? (Though it’s true we loved Edward Scissorhands. Willy Wonka, not so much.)

15. Carlito’s Way

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True, Al Pacino’s Carlito was a memorable performance, but who could forget John Leguizamo as Benny from the Bronx? Add Viggo Mortenson, Luis Guzman and an Afro-styled Sean Penn and we have one for the ages. How many of us have crooned the line:

“You think you’re big time? You’re gonna f#$%in’ die big time!”?

Priceless!

14. Snatch

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Guy Ritchie’s sophomore junior effort (thanks Nathan) was especially hip with its cockney-tongued Irish/Gypsy (thanks K) Brad Pitt gives us a rich (and sweaty) performance as a gambling boxer with a steel chin. Grisly and disturbing at times, it still resonates with its closing revenge scene that brings much satisfaction to the viewer.

We also want to mention that watching this flick makes us wish Benicio del Toro did more movies, because despite the relatively small role as Franky Four Fingers, no one could play a Hasidic Jew diamond thief better. (See also a mumbling Fred Fenster.)

13. The Godfather Part 3

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The only installment in the franchise that did not take home the best picture award (although it was nominated) didn’t just ride on the coattails of its predecessors: it was a great film on its own merits. But once again, Coppola cast a female role poorly — in this case, his daughter Sofia — which leaves a whole lot to be desired.

The film is much-maligned in comparison with the overwhelming success of the first two installments but we’re convinced the story is solid and portrays the final chapter of the Corleone family with admirable tenderness and grace. The hot-tempered Andy Garcia made us believe that he really was the heir-apparent to the Corleone throne as James Caan’s bastard son and his evolution from fiery youngster to competent don was so effortless we hardly noticed it was happening.

Just when we thought we were out of the gangster movie game, Coppola pulls us back in!

12. Once Upon a Time in America

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Sergio Leone’s gripping and extremely long tale of the origins of the mafia in America is led once again by Robert DeNiro and an all-star cast. At a shade under four hours, be prepared with lots of popcorn and soda and leave the loved ones with attention deficits at home. No movie on this list, even the king sitting at the top, may be more faithful to details and atmosphere. From beginning to end, the film draws you into the spectacular sets and powerful dialogue.

11. Casino

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Fantastic epic about Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro who revolutionized Vegas while destroying those around them. DeNiro and Pesci make an amazing team which is probably the reason they have been cast together in, oh, about 400 films. No one (with perhaps the exception of Tarantino) mixes tremendous scripts, colorful wardrobes, glorious soundtracks and magnificent direction to make a balanced film as well as Scorcese.

10. Payback

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Mel Gibson stylizes one of the classic characters in modern films in this intrepid and dark gangster drama. The whole movie is shot in shades of blue which lends realism to its mood and delivers the goods in terms of “coolness”. The premise is hilarious as the anti-hero goes after the bad guys for the monumental sum of… uhhhh… $80,000 $70,000? (thanks Travis) Watch this movie and tell me: when you have rooted more for such an ignoble character?

9. True Romance

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Written by Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott, this love story is cast by a who’s-who of nineties’ stars and features an unforgettable scene by Patricia Arquette and James Gandolfini in his pre-Sopranos days. In virtually every shot there is a cameo of some sort from an actor who would become famous in the near future. (We don’t want to give up the names because it is more fun to watch and recognize them.) Outside of “Pump up the Volume”, Christian Slater has never been better, although we do have a weird thing for “The Legend of Billie Jean”.

8. Reservoir Dogs

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What do you get when you mix seven gangsters, a undercover cop and a score gone wrong? A work of art that has inspired countless projects since and made a star out of Quentin Tarantino. Most of the movie takes place in an abandoned warehouse, and outside of the main characters the cast totals about three. Make no mistake: it is not for the faint of heart, but it features one of the most compelling scripts ever produced.

Mr. Brown: Yeah, yeah, but “Mr. Brown”? That’s little too close to “Mr. S#%t”.
Mr. Pink: Yeah, “Mr. Pink” sounds like “Mr. P#$$y”. Tell you what, let me be Mr. Purple. That sounds good to me. I’m Mr. Purple.
Joe: You’re *not* Mr. Purple. Somebody from another job’s Mr. Purple. You’re Mr. Pink!

and:

Mr. Pink: You kill anybody?
Mr. White: A few cops.
Mr. Pink: No real people?
Mr. White: Just cops.

I am stopping right now to watch it again.

7. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

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Guy Ritchie brings the goods in this complex, twisty urban London crime thriller. With tons of laughs, quirks and unforgettable characters — not to mention some indecipherable British accents — it may need a few screenings in order to get the full scope of the film. The movie created a whole new world of British slang and introduced us to Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones.

6. The Usual Suspects

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Brian Singer directs this stunning crime thriller with a solid cast and shocking conclusion that had the water cooler buzzing for months. How this one missed out on major awards was beyond most of us, but at least Spacey took home the gold (it may have been a supporting role, but it stole the show). The cast was phenomenal and Singer was amazing in direction, but Christopher McQuarrie’s script is once in a lifetime.

5. Pulp Fiction

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A massive and brilliant film that that may be rivaled only by #1 on this list in terms of a gangster films. Reviving several careers (not just Travolta’s — what was the last thing you remember Uma Thurman doing?) and launching others (this was Sam Jackson’s big break), it brought a whole culture of lingo and slang into popularity. In terms of pop influence, this one may top our list. The story is told on a backward timeline that is brought together at the satisfying conclusion.

Although Travolta got the Oscar nod, Samuel L. Jackson’s monologue in the beginning may be one of the best ever. Also featuring Tim Roth, Eric Stolz, Ving Rhames, Patricia Rosanna Arquette (thanks Ccrow) and a small cameo by Steve Buscemi.

4. The Departed

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Scorsese finally took home the hardware in this 2006 remake of 2002’s Infernal Affairs. Jack Nicholson was vintage, DiCaprio was sinfully good and Damon and Baldwin more than delivered. The musical score was perfect and the dialogue was brilliant. What an ending! After the initial shock wears off, it has you wanting more.

(Some argue that this was a make-up after Goodfellas failed to take home the bald statue, but we feel that it is epic film making in its own right.)

3. Goodfellas

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From beginning to end this film leaves you awestruck. The characters, the vocabulary, the power-driven performances and the directions took on a life of their own and gave us one of the best films in the last quarter century. Pesci and DeNiro were never better and Ray Liotta is excellent as the lead, but it may have been Paul Sorvino as Paulie that brought it all together. The director’s band of mafioso thugs delivered better than ever and we should be thankful this movie is in our lives. (OK, that may be a little strong. But did we mention we like it?)

2. The Godfather Part 2

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Here is where the controversy begins (in our minds, at least). Many feel the second was better than the first, but we defend its spot here. It was lengthy, sure, and too dark at times (literally, not figuratively — though we hear the Blu-ray brings out a whole new world), but at the same time massively luminous in its depth and scope. Even smaller support roles the likes of Bruno Kirby, Lee Strasberg and a young Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior from the Sopranos) left us clamoring for more.

No one will ever forget the moment that Michael figured out who betrayed the family and the tragic decision he makes as a result. All in all, a classic that would be top five on any list.

1. The Godfather

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What can we say? The greatest film ever made, with an emphatic period, was at its heart not concerned with a vivid portrayal of gangsters or violence, but a tale of family drama spanning two generations.

There was not a flaw from beginning to end and the film made stars out of several of its actors. From the immortal Marlon Brando, to Al Pacino, James Caan and the legendary John Cazale, this family lived and breathed with us for the last forty years and no matter how many times you watch the movie, it never grows old. The film’s greatest strength revolves around the relationship between father and son(s) as it tracks young Michael’s gradual, inevitable transition from innocent war hero to family don. Vito Corleone’s only wish was that his beloved youngest son not follow in his footsteps: And so it was that the pained look on Brando’s face upon waking from his coma and learning of Michael’s tragic fate conveyed silent volumes of anguish, heartbreak, fear and loss.

Like all masterpieces, this film endures in our memory long after we’ve watched it. How many lines can we recite? How many characters do we know? How many times do we philosophize about it? There may never be an equal and all films — gangster or otherwise — will always aspire to its greatness.