A stunning visual account of man's struggle for survival in the 21st Century, a time when replicant life forms are beginning to surpass humans not just in intelligence but emotions, raising questions about our concepts of self. A post-modern sci-fi classic, THE great Hollywood movie of the '80s, the last great pre-computer film done with smoke-and-mirrors SFX and the definitive cult arthouse Sci-Fi film. This is the second version re-edited by Ridley Scott; all the good bits remain, with the onl find out more...

A stunning visual account of man's struggle for survival in the 21st Century, a time when replicant life forms are beginning to surpass humans not just in intelligence but emotions, raising questions about our concepts of self. A post-modern sci-fi classic, THE great Hollywood movie of the '80s, the last great pre-computer film done with smoke-and-mirrors SFX and the definitive cult arthouse Sci-Fi film. This is the originally released version with no unicorns in a dream, a voiceover to keep y find out more...

Lumet's complex and atmospheric thriller is based on a real event. Pacino is superb as the neurotic and incompetent gay bankrobber who needs the money from the robbery to finance his lover's sex change operation. The film's beauty is it's closely detailed psychological observation. Excellent.

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An excellent black comedy, handsome thriller and a tall story that keeps you guessing as it unwinds. The genuinely ridiculous plot (a man pays a couple of goons to 'pretend' to kidnap his wife in order to get his paws on his in-laws' 'ransom' money) is completely credible as mighty plans fall apart, spiralling ever more beyond the protagonist's control and leaving us marvelling at the complex stupidity of human nature. A modern classic.

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Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence. find out more...

Hitchcock's masterpiece. A news photographer is confined to his apartment by an injury and spends his days watching the neighbours. He comes to believe that he is witnessing the preparations for a murder. Based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich. Suspense, ambiguity and voyuerism; total brilliance! find out more...

The original and best version of the detective thriller classic. Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate the gambling debts of a rich man's daughter, but is plunged into a twilight world of intrigue, blackmail and violence. Stylish and gripping. find out more...

Billy Custigan is a rookie cop, but his background in the city's underbelly makes him the perfect man to infiltrate the mob and bring down kingpin Frank Costello. Police officer Colin Sullivan is as straight as an arrow to most who know him, but he's Costello's main man within the police department. Each knows of the existence of the other, but neither knows his identity. This is a world where every piece of information gleaned carries with it the possibility of discovery and death and the relen find out more...

Laughton's only stab at directing, with Mitchum giving a stunning performance as the psychopathic preacher who, whilst in jail for a minor offence, hatches a devious plan to get his hands on the loot stashed by his condemned cell-mate. Set in '30s rural America, the film polarises into a struggle between good and evil for the souls of innocent children. Laughton's deliberately old-fashioned direction throws up a startling array of images: an amalgam of Mark Twain-like exteriors (idyllic riversid find out more...

Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London two gifted young magicians competitive relationship descends into a bitter rivalry that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, their mutual loathing and jealousy in danger of destroying not just themselves but everyone around them. Prestige is, though at heart a drama, so tightly bound it puts many a conventional thriller to shame, and marks yet another intelligent, populist tour de force from ‘Memento' Christopher Nolan. And if you li find out more...