The 50 Best Guy Movies Of All Time

Men's Journal

The 50 Best Guy Movies of All Time were selected by the editors of Men's Journal.

1		Dirty Harry In San Francisco a rooftop killer has already murdered two people, and now he's kidnapped a girl. He threatens to let her suffocate unless the city pays his ransom demand. Harry 's out to get him. Directed by Don Siegel.  Starring Clint Eastwood. R
2		The Godfather A chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Starring Marlon Brando & Al Pacino. Based on the book The Godfather by Mario Puzo. R
3		Scarface The chronicle of a Cuban refugee, a small time hood, who blasts his way to the top of Miami's cocaine underworld. Directed by Brian De Palma.  Starring Al Pacino. R
4		Die Hard Tough New York cop John McClane finds himself in a tight situation when an office building in Los Angeles is taken over by terrorists. Apart from himself, everyone else in the building - including his wife - is held at gunpoint while their captors spell out their demands. The FBI are called in to survey the situation, but McClane has other plans for the terrorists. Directed by John McTiernan.  Starring Bruce Willis & Alan Rickman. Based on the book Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. R
5		The Terminator In the year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of the planets have devised the ultimate plan. They will reshape the future by changing the past. The plan requires something that feels neither pity, pain, nor fear - a Terminator . Part man, part machine, the Terminator is sent back to present-day Earth to kill Sarah Connor, a young woman whose life will have great significance in the years to come. Sarah has but a single ally - Kyle Reese, a young soldier sent from the future to protect her. The fate of the world lies with two humans who must defeat an unstoppable killing machine - the Terminator.  Directed by James Cameron.  Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger & Linda Hamilton. R
6		Road Warrior Story is set in the post-nuclear outback of Australia where a battle is raged by a tiny band of civilized survivors and a group of barbarians over a precious cache of gasoline. Directed by George Miller.  Starring Mel Gibson. R
7		The Dirty Dozen A U.S. army major is assigned a dozen convicted military prisoners to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of Nazi officers during World War II. Directed by Robert Aldrich.  Starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, & Charles Bronson. Based on the book by E.M. Nathanson. NR
8		The Matrix Perception: Our day-in, day-out world is real. Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it. Directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski.  Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, & Carrie-Anne Moss. R
9		Caddyshack The story centers around Danny Noonan, who is desperate to win the college scholarship awarded to the best caddy at Bushwood Country Club. Also involved are a millionaire who wants to turn the golf course into a a new property development and a greenkeeper who is about to start World War III--against a gopher. Directed by Harold Ramis.  Starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, & Bill Murray. R
10		Rocky Rocky Balboa, the underdog, gets his million-to-one shot at love, self-respect and the world heavyweight boxing crown and comes out a winner. Directed by John G. Avildsen.  Starring Sylvester Stallone & Talie Shire. PG
11		Full Metal Jacket Vietnam war drama which begins with a depiction of the brutality of Marine Corps training and then shifts to Vietnam, focusing mainly on a group of Marines responding to the Tet Offensive of 1968. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.  Starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, & Vincent D'Onofrio. Based on the book The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. R
12		Dr. No James Bond, Agent 007, is sent to Jamaica to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a British secret service agent. Directed by Terence Young.  Starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, & Joseph Wiseman.  Based on the book Dr. No by Ian Fleming. NR
13		The Killer Jeffrey is the killer hired by the mob for one last job. Lee is a relentless cop whose mission is to stop Jeffrey at all cost. The two enemies form a strange bond that blurs the line between good and evil. When Jeffrey is double-crossed by the mob in a shootout, Lee picks up his trail in a church while Jeffrey's mistress is caught in a crossfire. Directed by John Woo. Starring Yun-Fat Chow. R
14		Raging Bull Based on the true story of Jake La Motta, a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Starring Robert De Nero. Based on the book by Jake La Motta. R
15		Bullitt An all guts, no glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.  Directed by Peter Yates.  Starring Steve McQueen. Based on the book Mute Witness by Robert L. Pike. PG
16		Enter The Dragon Enter the Dragon takes Lee to the island fortress of a criminal warlord, whose martial arts academy covers up opium-smuggling and prostitution activities. To avenge the death of his sister, Lee infiltrates the stronghold and enters Han's brutal martial arts tournament--a breathtaking visual feast of competitions fusing skills in karate, judo, tai kwan do, tai chi chuan and hapkido, staged by Lee himself. Directed by Robert Clouse.  Starring Bruce Lee. R
17		Apocalypse Now A special services officer is assigned to find and terminate the command of a renegade officer who has disappeared in the jungles of Cambodia where he is waging a war of his own. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, & Martin Sheen. Inspired by Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. R
18		Goodfellas Henry Hill had always wanted to be a gangster, until three decades later when his life comes crashing down around him. Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, & Joe Pesci. Based on the book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi. R
19		Reservoir Dogs They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush, and the ruthless killers realize one of them is a police informer. But which one? Directed by Quentin Tarantino.  Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, & Steve Buscemi. R
20		Fight Club When a ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a soap salesman channel their aggresion into therapeutic " fight clubs", an eccentric woman gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. Directed by David Fincher.  Starring Edward Norton & Brad Pitt. Based on the book Fight Club by Chuch Palahniuk. R
21		The Usual Suspects Police investigating an exploded boat on a San Pedro pier discover 27 bodies and $91 million worth of drug money. The only survivors are a severely burned Hungarian terrorist and Roger Kint, a crippled con-man. Reluctantly, Kint is pressured into explaining what happened on the boat. His story begins six weeks earlier with five criminals being dragged in by New York police desparate for suspects in a truck highjacking, and ends with the possible identification of a criminal mastermind. Directed by Bryan Singer.  Starring Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benico Del Toro, Kevin Pollack, & Kevin Spacey. R
22		Blazing Saddles The new sheriff and his sidekick, retired gunfighter Waco Kid, protect the town of Rock Ridge from the men who want to run the railroad through the town. Directed by Mel Brooks.  Starring Cleavon Little & Gene Wilder. R
23		The Wild Bunch Outlaws on the Mexican-U.S. frontier face the march of progress, the Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters led by a former member while they plan a robbery of a U.S. army train. No one is innocent in this gritty tale of desperation against changing times. Directed by Sam Peckinpah.  Starring William Holden & Ernest Borgnine. R
24		The Maltese Falcon A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their seaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon . Detective Sam Spade wants to find out why - and who's gonna take the fall.  Directed by John Huston.  Starring Humphry Bogart & Mary Astor. Based on the book The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. NR
25		Unforgiven An ex-gunslinger is drawn back into his murderous past when a bounty is put out to avenge an attack on a frontier town prostitute. Directed by Clint Eastwood.  Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, & Richard Harris. R
26		The Seven Samurai A 16th century Japanese village hires professional warriors to fend off bandits. When the samurai arrive, a spectacular series of battles begins. Directed by Akira Kurosawa.  NR
27		Diner Set in 1959, the movie shows how five young men resist their adulthood and seek refuge in their beloved diner . The mundane, childish, and titillating details of their lives are shared. But the golden moments pass, and the men shoulder their responsibilities, leaving the diner behind. Directed by Barry Levinson.  Starring Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rouke, Kevin Bacon, & Timothy Daly. R
28		The Big Lebowski The Dude. One cool guy. Who one day comes home to find two thugs have broken in and ruined his favorite carpet--the one that made the room "hang together." Thing is, they did it because he's got the exact same name as one of the richest men in town, Lebowski . But, hey, no problem, he'll get even. At least he'll get someone to pay for a new carpet.  Directed by Joel Coen.  Starring Jeff Bridges & John Goodman. R
29		Shaft Shaft is hired by a Harlem mobster to find his kidnapped teenage daughter and finds himself up against some Mafia chieftains who want to take over a chunk of the Black Underworld's uptown territory. Directed by Gordon Parks.  Starring Richard Roundtree. R
30		48 Hrs. A story about a rough and tumble cop and a smooth-talking criminal. Contains violence and strong language. Directed by Walter Hill.  Starring Nick Nolte & Eddie Murphy. R
31		The Searchers Ex-Confederate soldier Ethan Edwards is an Indian-hater who believes more in bullets than words. He's out to find his young niece, who's been taken captive by the renegade Comanches who massacred her family. He won't surrender to hunger, thirst, the elements or loneliness. And in his obsessive quest, Ethan finds something unexpected: his own humanity. Directed by John Ford.  Starring John Wayne. Based on the book The Searchers by Alan Le May. NR
32		Platoon A gritty and emotional look at the lives of a platoon of American soldiers as they patrol, fight and die in the jungles of Vietnam, as seen through the eyes of a young recruit. Two veteran sergeants clash when one of them precipitates a massacre of villagers. The first movie in Vietnam veteran Oliver Stone 's Vietnam trilogy. Directed by Oliver Stone.  Starring Tom Beringer, Willem Dafoe, & Charlie Sheen. R
33		National Lampoon's Animal House The members of Delta Tau Chi fraternity offend the straight-arrow people on campus in a comedy which irreverently mocks college traditions. Directed by John Landis. Starring John Belushi & Tim Matheson. R
34		The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly During the height of the American Civil War, a mysterious gunman roams the western frontier. He has no home, no loyalties and no companions until he meets two strangers who are as ruthless and detached as he is. Thrown together by fate, the three men join forces to track down a fortune in stolen gold. Directed by Sergio Leone. Starring Clint Eastwood. R
35		The Longest Yard Filmed on location at the Georgia State Prison, semi-pro football is played with the cons as the heroes and the guards as the heavies. Directed by Robert Aldrich.  Starring Burt Reynolds & Eddie Albert. R
36		Blade Wesley Snipes stars as the tortured soul Blade - posessing powers greater than any man or creature of the night. Blade sharpens his lethal skills under the guidance of a professional vampire hunter. When the bloodthirsty Immortals' lord, Deacon Frost, declares war on the human race, Blade is humanity's last hope for survival. Directed by Stephen Norrington.  Starring Wesley Snipes. R
37		Stripes The outrageous antics of two enlisted men who figure they can save the world for democracy and meet girls! Directed by Ivan Reitman.  Starring Bill Murray & Harold Ramis.
38		North Dallas Forty Depicts an aging pro football player who, through a woman he meets, is drawn away from the masculine, violent world in which he has lived so long. In doing so, he finds himself at odds with the team's management. Directed by Ted Kotcheff.  Starring Nick Nolte & Mac Davis.  Based on the book by Peter Gent. R
39		The Untouchables A fierce, larger-than-life depiction of the mob warlord who ruled Prohibition-era Chicago and the law enforcer who vowed to bring him down. Directed by Brian De Palma.  Starring Kevin Costner & Sean Connery. R
40		The Great Escape In 1943, the Germans opened Stalag Luft North, a maximum security prisoner of war camp designed to hold even the craftiest escape artists. In doing so, however, the Nazis unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military history who worked on what became the largest breakout ever attempted. Directed by John Sturges.  Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, & Richard Attenborough. Based on the book The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill. NR
41		The Three Stooges Larry, Moe, & Curly Joe in various slap-stick comedies. NR
42		The Hustler Itinerant pool shark challenges the top man for the championship, sacrificing everything until he realizes the stakes are too high. Directed by Robert Rossen.  Starring Paul Newman & Jackie Gleason. Based on the short story The Hustler by Walter S. Tevis. NR
43		Slap Shot The coach of a third-rate hockey team signs up some rough and tough players to help his team win. Directed by George Roy Hill.  Starring Paul Newman. R
44		The French Connection New York City detectives "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy Russo hope to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover the French connection . But when one of the criminals tries to kill Doyle, he begins a deadly pursuit that takes him far outside the city limits. Directed by William Friedkin.  Starring Gene Hackman. Based on the book by Robin Moore. R
45		Office Space In this screwball comedy, a cubicle slave tires of mind-numbing corporate life and actively tries to get fired. Instead, his "straight-shooting" attitude gets him promoted, where he can play out his grand embezzling scheme. Directed by Mike Judge.  Starring Ron Livingston & Jennifer Aniston. R
46		Easy Rider An alcoholic attorney hooks up with two part-time, drug-dealing motorcyclists in search of the "American dream." Heading from California to New Orleans, they sample the highs and lows of America the Beautiful in a stoned-out quest for life's true meaning. Directed by Dennis Hopper.  Starring Peter Fonda & Dennis Hopper. R
47		Dazed And Confused The story of the last day of school - and one rowdy night - in the lives of a group of high school students in late May, 1976. Directed by Richard Linklater.  Starring Jason London & Joey Lauren Adams. R
48		The Bridge on the River Kwai British soldiers captured by the Japanese during World War II are forced to construct a strategic railroad bridge which a commando team is instructed by the British High Command to destroy.  Directed by David Lean.  Starring William Holden & Alec Guinness. Based on the book by Peter Boulle. PG
49		Cool Hand Luke A part of a chain gang, Luke is a man who won't or can't conform to the arbitrary rules of his captivity. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg.  Starring Paul Newman. Based on the book Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce. NR
50		Fletch Fletch , an investigative reporter who is constantly changing his identity, becomes involved in frameups, murder, police corruption and forbidden romance. Directed by Michael Ritchie. Starring Chevy Chase. Based on the book Fletch by Gregory McDonald. PG