“Perfect“ films

[ska invita]

The Third Man...every frame!

 

[Santino]

Groundhog Day

 

[Idris2002]

The Conformist.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

O Brother Where Art Thou?

I was going to call it a modern classic until I looked it up and found to my horror that it's 20 years old

 

[DaveCinzano]

The Conformist.

I'll put you down for Carry On Regardless

 

[fishfinger]

I'd say Warhol's "Sleep" is perfect. Put it on when you go to bed. It'll be finished when you wake up.

 

[Sprocket.]

The Lincoln Lawyer.

 

[Idris2002]

I'll put you down for Carry On Regardless

I'll put you down for a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, how about that, big guy?

 

[DaveCinzano]

I'll put you down for a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, how about that, big guy?

More of an Emmannuelle kinda fella, I see

 

[krtek a houby]

Raising Arizona.

Could watch it over and over.

 

[Santino]

Groundhog Day

 

[Orang Utan]

I’ve no time for boom boom action movies but eminently watchable again and again are
Gladiator
The Bourne Identity

packed with relentless, seamless hi octane set ups they just roll through the film and time flies, I never get tired or bored of them despite having seen them both loads

Jaws is another I rediscovered on a big screen HD telly and surround sound

I describe them as films that if they start on terrestrial telly you have to watch them ....nowadays I’ll just flick to smart tv and jack em up in HD

watched citizen Kane a few weeks ago and thought it was pump

Gladiator is well boring. It sent me to sleep

 

[Reno]

It occurred to me whilst watching the original version of The Taking of Pelham 123 that this is a perfect film.

As a heist / suspense film and as a piece of entertainment it is virtually flawless. Perhaps the high point of its genre despite being very much a genre film. Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw at the top of their game as they battle each other.

There must be other films which fit into this category. I also thought of Jaws, Stand By Me. Not necessarily the best film ever made from a technical or acting side but masters of their genre and made without trying to be anything other than a good entertaining story.

Does anyone have any other contenders, or equally, feel free to attack my viewpoint, it’s all good

Love The Taking of Pelham 123, I'd definitely have it in the running for most perfect ending/last shot.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

As Knotted said, perfect is overrated. Give me a glorious failure any day over a well-crafted borefest. Nothing Ken Russell did was even close to perfect, but he made some glorious things.

I think Hitchcock's best film is probably Vertigo, but it's uneven in places and the Freudian bits aren't entirely convincing.
His most perfect film is probably Rope, but that's essentially a flim version of a stage play, with a limited ambition.

Kubrick always aimed for perfection. I think Dr. Strangelove is both glorious and just about perfect. The Killing is a near-perfect heist film.

Bela Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies also deserves a mention.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Raising Arizona.

Could watch it over and over.

I like the Coens but I've never warmed to that. It's supposed to be charming, I guess. I don't find it remotely so.

Their first film Blood Simple is probably their nearest-perfect for me.

 

[Ax^]

the big lebowski has to be

 

[Orang Utan]

I like the Coens but I've never warmed to that. It's supposed to be charming, I guess. I don't find it remotely so.

Their first film Blood Simple is probably their nearest-perfect for me.

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY or GTFO

 

[8ball]

the big lebowski has to be

Hmmm.

 

[belboid]

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY or GTFO

No

 

[Ax^]

Hmmm.

 

[Sweet FA]

Point Break

 

[ruffneck23]

Ture romance

 

[Steel Icarus]

The Great Escape
The Sting

 

[SpookyFrank]

Dr Strangelove

 

[Sue]

The Killing is a near-perfect heist film.

I think lots of films these days are unnecessarily long and would be way better if they lost 20 minutes or half an hour or whatever. It's really my biggest bugbear with modern films.

I always use The Killing as an example of what you can do* in 85 mins -- tight, slick, stylish, nothing wasted. Now obviously depends on what kind of a film you're making and what you want to do but often less is way more but much much harder than just...more.

*Well if you're Kubrick anyway.

(And whether you go with the perfect film concept or not, lots of the films mentioned are....very very far from perfect.)

 

[rummo]

The answer is of course

Withnail & I.

End of discussion.

 

[T & P]

I am choosing to interpret ‘perfect’ as completely satisfying, rather than flawless masterpieces of the cinematic arts. From that standpoint...

Pulp Fiction.
Predator.
Groundhog Day.
Trading Places.

 

[krtek a houby]

I like the Coens but I've never warmed to that. It's supposed to be charming, I guess. I don't find it remotely so.

Their first film Blood Simple is probably their nearest-perfect for me.

Have to see it again, it's been over 30 years and found it both fascinating and confusing at the time.

 

[Supine]

Highlander. There can be only one!

 

[May Kasahara]

Election.