131 007 - Best of the best MOVIES
by Ecotaxi | created - 19 Aug 2012 | updated - 19 Aug 2012 | PublicWhy the "007" - well 131 007 is our National phone number in Australia. But why the "007" - well having worked in various shall we say progressive areas of government, I thought it would tickle a few who would rather I not go down the path upon which I am about to embark. For some interesting origins on the whole 007 number see 131007.com.au/007 but back to the list. Evaluated every best of the best movies as recommended by Russell (former police officer from the London Met who owns & runs the 131 007 company in Sydney and across Australia) & whilst those in the know will surely have seen all the movies below as they are, quite simply, amongst the most captivating of movies for their different reasons! But there is more to this list than meets the eye... With a background in advanced riot-policing and counter-terrorism, the 7 lists I will create over the next 7 months are leading to exposure of a major conspiracy the likes of which never comes to the public eye... The challenge: Will exposing said conspiracies be enough, as, one thing I have learned is that between the power of media control and apathy and indifference to the real horrors of this world, by almost the entire population of the planet, may mean that the darkest of secrets may be exposed and yet those responsible will never face atonement. List will be updated daily with more information and growing each day as my time allows...
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Headhunters (2011)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.
Director: Morten Tyldum | Stars: Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Julie R. Ølgaard
Votes: 107,009 | Gross: $1.20M
Foreign movies can be great... this one is truly sensational! If you don't think you can tolerate reading subtitles... think again!
2. The Game (1997)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn
Votes: 429,816 | Gross: $48.32M
If you missed this one, one of the cleverest movies ever made... Sean Penn has earned his stripes in so many movies but this (along with I am Sam of course!) shows off his talents to the max... Someone will remake this movie one day in the not too distant future for sure!
3. 12 Monkeys (1995)
R | 129 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Joseph Melito
Votes: 647,018 | Gross: $57.14M
4. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 703,367 | Gross: $37.63M
Where a child's fantasy meets the brutality of the real world during civil war. A truly wonderous movie with lots of possible mixed meanings and philosophies to engage your mind... the makers of this movie have done it in a rather unique fashion too so it is somewhat groundbreaking in it's own way. Cleverly crafted and engaging throughout... a must see movie to all who appreciate foreign film!
5. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
PG-13 | 145 min | Drama, Romance
The heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Suzuka Ohgo
Votes: 160,912 | Gross: $57.49M
6. A Dangerous Method (2011)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel
Votes: 108,397 | Gross: $5.70M
What a truly remarkable performance by Keira Knightley! Thought provoking and based on true events...
7. Black Swan (2010)
R | 108 min | Drama, Thriller
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
Votes: 825,450 | Gross: $106.95M
8. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz
Votes: 75,182 | Gross: $34.70M
There is so much to love about this movie... the intrigue, fine acting, period costumes and all of the highest quality... if you haven't seen this movie... one every woman will surely enjoy watching so guys... if you want to set up yourself with a lady for a great (movie great that is) night... look no further!
9. Black Hawk Down (2001)
R | 144 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana
Votes: 423,897 | Gross: $108.64M
With "war" affecting so many people globally, i believe that everyone should watch at least one block-buster war movie... & this is my pick in that catergory
10. Johnny Mad Dog (2008)
98 min | Drama, War
A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in the West African Country Liberia.
Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire | Stars: Christophe Minie, Daisy Victoria Vandy, Joseph Duo, Dagbeth Tweh
Votes: 3,537
Continuing in the belief that everyone sought really open their mind to the atrocities of war as it affects so much of the world and seemingly so little is done... this is my pick for the one to hit you where it hurts... blunt reality and the most amazing of performances from children in any movie you will see to date... Saddening but allows us all to realise what horrors are out there and one should ask the question... the child killers in this movie, to whom should we blame for the atrocities children encounter throughout the world and we ought not perhaps demonise the children, but the circumstance that creates them... there is a world of healing and recognition to make this world a better place...
11. Crash (I) (2004)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton, Karina Arroyave
Votes: 449,135 | Gross: $54.58M
12. Snatch (2000)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham, Vinnie Jones
Votes: 911,544 | Gross: $30.33M
Being English, I often get asked which I prefer, Snatch or Lock-Stock... the truth is Snatch is the better movie but Lock-Stock was the original gem... both are must see in my book and Brad Pitt is an actor I have to say performs time and time again (12 Monkeys a great "loon") and in this movie he really does fit the role perfectly or "pucker" more appropriately said ;-)
13. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Eddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Votes: 616,687 | Gross: $3.90M
14. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 461,792 | Gross: $7.76M
Who would have thought Farrell would be so great in a comedy... this is one you will watch again in the future and still laugh as hard...
15. Blow (2001)
R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 275,190 | Gross: $52.99M
Bit of an epic... I'm sure you've seen it... Not quite the proportions of the Godfather movies but makes for a night of sexy viewing... just have to get into that right frame of mind ;-) & with Johnny Depp, an easy task for the ladies I'm guessing... I'll bet many a mug has seen this movie and thought how they could "conquer the world" as their own likeable drug baron... not quite the way things go...
16. Being John Malkovich (1999)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich
Votes: 353,509 | Gross: $22.86M
17. The Last King of Scotland (2006)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington
Votes: 196,113 | Gross: $17.61M
18. Phenomenon (1996)
PG | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall
Votes: 83,844 | Gross: $104.64M
This is definitely one to snuggle up with the other half to on the sofa... great performances all round and just one of those feel good movies... the tests the government did in the movie are but a small % of what would happen in the real world... (more to come)
19. The Constant Gardener (2005)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A widower's transcontinental quest to find answers about his wife's death leads him to explosive secrets.
Director: Fernando Meirelles | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Koundé
Votes: 148,519 | Gross: $33.58M
I remember that I was lucky enough to see this film first at The OPen Air Cinema, Sydney, Australia. It suited the amazing back-drop and luckily the weather was superb. Such a powerful and believable movie with great lead role performances. Patterns of greed in many of these conspiracy style movies are so close to the truth and at the highest level in politics and other positions of trust... when will we ever learn and create systems to stop such travesties... Some great cinematography to be appreciated with a fine wine and close group of friends for a great eve in!
20. Syriana (2005)
R | 128 min | Drama, Thriller
A politically charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved in and affected by it.
Director: Stephen Gaghan | Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, Kayvan Novak
Votes: 134,297 | Gross: $50.82M
Very much a film for those who appreciate a great plot and thought-provoking twists and turns... it was in this movie that I really started to appreciate how good Clooney actually is :-)
21. Body of Lies (2008)
R | 128 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A CIA agent on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisors and Jordan Intelligence.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani
Votes: 239,662 | Gross: $39.39M
A movie that actually gives away some pretty good counter-intelligence and surveillance techniques (as is a growing concern for law enforcement and agencies with the advent of more life accurate movies). There was one clever part which I know would have had many "agency types" wishing that a particular methodology just wasn't shown...
22. Enemy of the State (1998)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A lawyer becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his N.S.A. goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a politically motivated crime.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet
Votes: 259,060 | Gross: $111.55M
well... didn't this one cause a stir... in it's day just a little too close to what was going on... these days however, just know the powers that be have way more sophisticated means of all manner of detection, it really is only ever limited by budget!
23. The Kingdom (2007)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A team of U.S. government agents are sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Votes: 132,324 | Gross: $47.54M
Everyone ought really watch at least one movie where terrorism is a factor... and this is the one. Granted it is full of the stereotypical prejudices but it does the subject matter justice (though if you want a deeper movie then look no further than Syriana) and is horrifically entertaining...
Tell Your Friends