10 Top - Rated IMDb Movies Of All Time

 

There are several movie rating sites in the world but the definitive one, across the board, it seems, is IMDb.

People trust the site’s users and algorithm to spew out the most accurate, possible rating for any movie out there. We track down the top IMDb rated movies of all time, to bring to you the quality cinema, loved across the generations.

The Shawshank Redemption | Crime- Drama | 1994 | Rated 9.2

Written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, this iconic and classic movie tells the story of a banker Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for murdering his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. 

The story tracks his time at the prison over the following two decades, during the course of which he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding, played by the phenomenal Morgan Freeman, and then becomes instrumental in a major conspiracy post which the story takes a dramatic twist.

The Godfather | Crime- Drama | 1972 | Rated 9.1

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, this classic mafia drama is based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. Starring an impressive ensemble of film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton, this is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy.

The story, spanning across a decade between 1945 and 1955 in the US, chronicles the powerful Sicilian mafia family - the Corleones, under Vito Corleone, and focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael, from reluctant family outsider to a mafia boss.

The Godfather: Part 2 | Crime-Drama | 1974 | Rated 9.0

Produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo, the film stars most of the ensemble from the first movie, in addition to Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill, and Lee Strasberg. This is the second installment in The Godfather trilogy, following the success of the first film.

Partially based on Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather, the film acts as both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, presenting parallel dramas: one following the events in the 1958 trajectory where Michael Corleone played by Pacino, has taken over as the new Don of the Corleone family, and is protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life, and the other the prequel covers the journey of his father, the young Vito Corleone, played by De Niro, from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise New York.

The Dark Knight | Superhero | 2008 | Rated 9.0

Directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan, this is the second installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film stars Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Michael Caine as Alfred the Butler, Heath Ledger as Joker, Gary Oldman as Police Lieutenant James Gordon, Aaron Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent, alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Batman, Gordon, Dent come together to form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City, but their work is cut out for them because of the criminal mastermind and anarchist - the Joker (Ledger), who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and throw the city into chaos.

12 Angry Men | Courtroom-Drama | 1957 | Rated 8.9

Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Reginald Rose, and starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, Jack Warden and others, the film is adapted from a 1954 teleplay of the same name by Rose. The film follows the story of a jury of 12 men as they deliberate over the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year old defendant, accused of murder,  on the basis of reasonable doubt. In the course of their discussion, the jurors are forced to question their morals and values, to come to a just conclusion on the case, and face their own personal biases and prejudices in the course of the event.

Schindler’s List | Historical-Drama | 1993 | Rated 8.9

Directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian, this cult classic is based on the 1982 non-fiction novel Schindler's Ark by the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Amon Göth and Ben Kingsley.

The film follows the German industrialist, Oskar Schindler and his wife Emilie Schindler, who together saved more than thousand refugees mostly of Polish-Jewish origin, from the Holocaust, by employing them in his factories during the second World War.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Fantasy-Adventure | 2003 | Rated 8.9

Directed by Peter Jackson, and based on the third volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the film is the final installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and is written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson. The film was preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Two Towers (2002).

Continuing the plot of The Two Towers, this epic follows Frodo, Sam and Gollum as they make their way towards Mount Doom in Mordor in order to destroy the One Ring, whilst being unaware of Gollum's true intentions. Meanwhile Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the rest are joining forces together against Sauron and his legions in Minas Tirith.

Pulp Fiction | Crime-Comedy |1994 | Rated 8.8

This neo-noir, black comedy film, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary, is a fan favorite. Starring an explosive ensemble including John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, the film tells several stories of criminal LA.

The film is known for its punchy dialogues, graphic violence and out of chronology story-line and has been described as a touchstone of postmodern film. Its dialogues, in particular, have been referenced countless times in pop culture and cemented Tarantino as a monumental film director.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Spaghetti-Western |1966 | Rated 8.8

Directed by Sergio Leone based on the screenplay by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, this Italian epic Spaghetti Western film is known for its sweeping widescreen cinematography thanks to DoP Tonino Delli Colli. The film’s score and its main theme has been composed by Ennio Morricone.

 With an Italian-led production with co-producers in Spain, West Germany and the United States, it’s based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone and stars Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly".

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Fantasy-Adventure | 2001 | Rated 8.8

 Directed by Peter Jackson, and based on the 1954 novel The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, this is the first installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson, the film features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis. It is the prequel to The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).

Set in Middle-earth, the story follows the Dark Lord Sauron, seeking the One Ring. The Ring has found its way to the Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit. Now, the fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as Frodo and his eight begin their journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, the only place where the magical Ring can be destroyed.