Much imitated but never equalled, this is the definitive space nightmare. The crew of a commercial spacecraft are stalked by a stowaway, mutating monster of veracious appetite. Weaver puts in a splendidly believable performance as the resourceful Ripley. Taut script and awesome special FX. find out more...

Phyllis Dietrichson is trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who inspires in her nothing but contempt, but rather than leave him Phyllis decides to kill him and collect on the insurance policy she's had set up with the help of her lover, and naive partner in crime, insurance salesman Walter Neff. The only flaws in their plan are the company's reluctance to pay out so much, the diligence of Neff's increasingly suspicious colleague, (and his 'little man'), and the exemplary ruthlessness of Ph find out more...

Perhaps Caine's defining role as the ruthless London villain in Newcastle to sort out some gang bovver. When he finds out his niece has become embroiled with some very seedy characters, his involvement becomes far deeper. A violent and slick thriller with an excellent feel for both time and location and a comment on the despair of Britain in the 1970s. find out more...

Brilliant black comedy with Cusack as a hitman who goes home for his high school reunion. While he's there he's got one last job to do, and a long lost love to win back, but first he's got to shake off a rival, "The Grocer" (Aykroyd), who's hellbent on recruiting him to an "assassin's union"! Superb. find out more...

Bob Hoskins is outstanding as the charismatic Cockney gang boss whose empire begins to inexplicably crumble around him as he tries to pull off an ambitious deal. Excellent acting, a gripping plot and an utterly convincing portrayal of the London underworld make this a truly remarkable gangster film. find out more...