Your 10 Favourite Britsh Films

Brit flicks. Don't quite have the same star feeling about them, but in the last 20 years we have seen some stunning British films which don't get the international recognition that they deserve. So I have decided on a thread of your favourite British films ever. A summary would be great as to why you rate them so much. Here are mine.

1) Quadrophenia 1979 - For me the ultimate British Film!! The soundtrack, mood, culture. Makes me want to be a mod of the 60's. The rawness of it just blows my mind. The film follows little Jimmy trying to find his way in life and find himself an order, a following to belong to. With roles from Winstone, Ash, Sting. For me Phil Daniels is awesome. The drug loving lad who just wants to live in a paradise of love and drugs forever. How his life dismantles itself and spirals out of control is compelling viewing.

2) Sexy Beast 2000 - 'It's f*cking hot!' The start of this film is just immense. Captures the British immigration dream with the laid back attitude, enjoying the lifestyle of sunshine. Everything comes together. Then Don shows up. Bang. One of the best pyschopathic performances ever. Ben Kingsley's performance was Oscar worthy. The mirror scene when shaving just kills me everytime. Winstone as Gal just the loveable lump. Not many times you can say that of a Winstone film.

3) Trainspotting 1995 -It is so difficult to pick Danny Boyle's greatest triumph. He has done so many brilliant films. This one however transcends time. It is brilliant. Never has drug use been so cool and so lax in interpretation. Mcgregor/Bremner/Miller are brilliant but Robert Carlyle steals it as Begbie!! It is a stunning piece of filmography and it will stand the test of time.

4) Football Factory 2004 - The ultimate football adapted film. Danny Dyer may not be everyone's cup of tea, but him and Frank Harper

5) This is England 2006 - Shane Meadows hit the jackpot with this film. Stephen Graham is epic as skinhead Combo. This film just captures the 1980's so imaculately. Thomas Turgoose is refreshing as Shaun. Despite the film spawning some spin off's, the film itself is just timeless and beautiful.

6) The Rise of the Footsoldier 2007 - Just the most epic biopic film I have seen. All I will say is Craig Fairbrass as Pat Tate. Just brilliant. My favourite thug performance. Never turn this guy down if he asks for a pizza

7) Last Orders 2001 - A beauty of a film. Never read the novel. Seen the film many a times and it always touches the emotional buttons. This is my favourite Michael Caine film. Bob Hoskins deserves a mention for such a stunning performance. As friend to Jack and hiding his affair with his wife Amy. It recounts Jack's life and his friends and family and the impact they had in his life. If you have never seen it, I implore that you do. It is a fantastic watch.

8) Layer Cake 2004 - Daniel Craig took his bow in the lead role of XXXX. The story and for me Colm Meaney is just brilliant as Gene. Michael Gambon as Eddie Temple is brilliant with his philosophies and speechs. The build up of the film and it's events and where it is going to lead to is just brilliant.

9) 28 Days Later 2002 - My favourite zombie film ever. Cillian Murphy is superb as Jim and as is Naomie Harris for Selena. Brendan Gleeson deserves a mention for his performance as Frank as man seeking for refuge and hope for himself and his daughter. It is such a stunning film. The bleakness is just fantastic.

10) Kidulthood 2006 - For me the most brutal insight to the reality of the playground wars. The first 20 minutes involving Kate and Sam Peel just makes me cringe mentally because of the starkness of it. I fully endorse this film to anyone not seeing it. Then ending is one of the best I have seen in a film. Telling performance by Noel Clarke.

Don't know about my top 10, but it'd probably include such obvious oldies as 'Zulu', 'The Italian Job', 'Alfie' 'Get Carter' 'Sleuth' (think there might be something of a theme developing here ), anything by David Lean, 'The Third Man', 'The Lavender Hill Mob', 'The Lady Killers', 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'The Wicker Man'

Did you like the remake of Sleuth with Jude Law?

It was Ok, but not as good as the original IMO.
Something about the interaction between Caine and Olivier in the original that, for me, just isn't there in the remake. Probably the result of having two great actors in the original rather than just one and Jude Law in the remake

My faves off the top of my head (in no particular order):

This Is England
Becket
Pri ck Up Your Ears
Monty Python's Life of Brian
The Wicked Lady
Black Narcissus
Riff Raff
Sid & Nancy (Great soundtrack too!)
Twin Town
Rita, Sue & Bob Too
The Firm (that's the one with Gary Oldman made by Alan Clarke)
Trainspotting
Quadrophenia

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Don't know about my top 10, but it'd probably include such obvious oldies as 'Zulu', 'The Italian Job', 'Alfie' 'Get Carter' 'Sleuth' (think there might be something of a theme developing here ), anything by David Lean, 'The Third Man', 'The Lavender Hill Mob', 'The Lady Killers', 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'The Wicker Man'

Hoggy - you may not always call it right on the Cricket Hall of Fame. However, your choice of films is pretty much spot on.

I too like a lot of Michael Caine's work. I would add The Eagle Has Landed to your list.

I'm also very fond of those produced by the Ealing studios. The three you mention are amongst the very best comedies. I would additionally flag an overlooked masterpiece, Dead Of Night. One of the earliest anthology films with different stories being told before coming to a twist in the tail climax; some humour but, unusually for Ealing, a chilling menace running throughout. Highly recommended.

I'm generally fond of good, boys own adventure type films. Not sure if it counts as a British film (it certainly has plenty of Brish actors) but The Great Escape has to be up there. Some wonderful performances in that film; in particular, Angus Lennie as the short lived Scottish pal of Steve McQueen - just as I admire the supporting players in cricket, it's the same with me and films.

The early Bond films with Connery are still enjoyable, the best of the bunch being Goldfinger. If ever a film deserved to be remade, it's On Her Majesty's Secret Service; good plot, decent characterisation and fine action but a totally unsuitable Bond in the form of George Lazenby. Don't waste time remaking classics like Sleuth and The Ladykillers - there's no point; instead, remake something which deserved on many levels to succeed but failed for some specific reason.

Hitchcock directed a mixed bag but his The Thity-Nine Steps with Robert Donat is a personal favourite.

Whilst I accept they have flaws (mainly stemming from trying to do too much on the cheap), the Roger Corman films starring Vincent Price are highly entertaining. Price always gave good value for money. The Masque Of The Red Death is somewhat bizarre but well worth a look; the largely unknown and terribly underused Skip Martin should have received a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in that film.

A totally different film from around the same time as Masque Of Red Death (early 1960s) and totally British is The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner. That is excellent throughout with all playing their parts to perfection.

In a feeble attempt to try and show I'm not totally lost in the distant past, I would sing the praises of two recent films; The King's Speech and, inevitably for me, Fire in Babylon, a British backed film even though about West Indies cricket.

I don't think This Is England is Meadows' best film.

Dead Man's Shoes takes that honour for me and might even be top of my Top 10 list, if I had a Top 10 list.

To add to the Michael Caine love-in, Harry Brown was good too.

THis is tough as there are some really good british films.

I would have ID in my top 3. Superb football hooligan film about an undercover cop who gets drawn in to the violence.

"SHADWELL ARMY"

So many to choose from i would agree with all the films mentioned to be honest

top 3 in no particular order would be

I D
Dead man's Shoes ...........i agree with Il Gialloblu this is Meadows best film
Get Carter

Just looking at the films mentioned so far shows how many great movies Britain has produced. And we haven't even mentioned (as far as I can see) the likes of 'A Matter of Life and Death', 'Mona Lisa', 'The Long Good Friday', 'Kes', 'Don't Look Now', 'Withnail and I', 'Local Hero', 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning', 'Ghandi', 'The IPCRESS File', 'The Draughtman's Contract' and many, many others.
Really is amazing how many good/great films Britain has produced over the years. Very difficult to chose a top 10.

This is going to sound like royal cheese, but I enjoyed Danny Champion of the World with Jeremy Irons. Straw Dogs deserves a mention. Even Braveheart dare I say.

May have missed them, but I'm a bit surprised not to have seen Lock, Stock or Snatch mentioned.

There are probably loads of "period" pieces which the British tend to excel at for whatever reason - talking about Olivier/Branagh Shakespeare through Jane Austen adaptations through Chariots of Fire and beyond. [As a sidenote, I've never seen Chariots of Fire, but would wager that one of the TV channels will be airing it over this Olympic Summer.]

And also, I suspect this audience may loathe them, but I would say that the success of Working Title should be applauded (from a Brit perspective) - mostly in the rom-com area (pick of the bunch for me is probably Notting Hill).

I don't know much about them, but presumably some people might say similar about Hammer Horror and Ealing comedies.

Zulu
The Mouse that Roared Peter Sellars
First Men in the Moon an H G Wells book
The Great St Trinians Train Robbery
Carry on Up the Khyber
Ipcress File
Sink the Bismarck
Ice Cold in Alex
Day of the Triffids 1962 I'm sure this is a British film
Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD The 2nd Dr Who film with Peter Cushing

Green Street anyone?

10 excellent British movies in no particular order

The King's Speech
The Italian Job
Love, Actually
About a Boy
Get Carter
Chariots of Fire
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Full Monty
Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh version)
The Fix


.

Just the one's that spring to mind

A Fish named Wanda
All 3 Python movies
Casino Royale
Slumdog Millionaire
Snatch
Trainspotting
Chariots of fire
Love actually
About a boy
The Italian Job
Time bandits
Nil by mouth

it really depends what you class as a british film..

are all working title films british- even though many are heavily americanised. are the batman films british- they are dual credited to usa and uk..


or do we just include british films based in britain and solely funded by brits.

a recent couple of good brit films, tinker taylor soldier spy and shame..

those two are very much britsh films but most could look at them as american..

Great thread, whilst I'm here I may as well say, I absolutely hate it when the yanks remake a British film and completely ruin it.

My top ten;

10. Football Factory
9. 28 Days Later
8. The Inbetweeners
7. Kevin and Perry Go Large
6. The Business
5. Get Carter
4. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
3. Zulu
2. Snatch
1. Trainspotting

I don't have a top 1. British films are awful.

so what are your favourite films? list them then

MockingJay33 wrote:I don't have a top 1. British films are awful.

You're not a film buff then. I bet there's at least one film you've enjoyed that was a British production.

MockingJay33 wrote:I don't have a top 1. British films are awful.

I don't believe you

I still dont reakon many people realsie how many films are credited british...

everyone allways picks the classic british gritty films set in britain

I think the British film industry is in pretty decent nick, isn't it?

its ok- but if we think about it- we have so much talent- infact probally more talent in terms of high level actors/actresses, production,crew and directors than the USA!! yet most work over there- the last few oscars has seen more british winners than them- but most work in hollywood!

I think its time britain started really looking at this talent and investing bigger in this country and getting more sets and more big budget films coming from britain-gawd knows we have the talent!

Of the last 10 best Picture Academy award winners, 6 are American, 1 French, 1 from New Zealand and 2 are British.

not talking about 'best picture'- what about best director, best actor, best actress , best supporting etc etc. we have the talent and we get countless wins. Time to start making more films on these isles, and let that the bulk of the money come back to this country

btw the return of the king isnt essentially a kiwi film- yes kiwi director, kiwi location- but its heavily funded and produced by americans, and offcourse the writer is british, it is dual credited and rightly so mind!

but we could easily say 7 american winners

And the cast is mostly British...

I recently watched Outcast which was set in Scotland surrounding Scottish witchcraft. Very good watch for those who like those type of films.

I had a thought last night. Is 'The Beach' considered a British film? It was one of Boyle's finest.

The beach was carried out by figment films which is a gb production company- so it is very much a british film- even though usa are dual credited- maybe alot of investment was from the US, and i think they(the us investors) had a lot of influence in how the film was made due to the main characters being switched around(brit to yank and yank to brit form the british written book)

so basically a british film but told what to do by america so the film could be sold to a us audience..

maybe a bit of a sell out but thats the way things go- It may not have been made otherwse, Or if it was it certainly wouldnt have had leonardo as the main character

I see. Great film though, and yet another great role by Dicaprio.

I saw Wild bill last night- Dexter flectures first direction. Brilliant film, highly recommend

Some great films listed there - and I liked the reference to Green Street, probably Elijah Woods worst film ever!

Some others are Human Traffic, Twin Town, Dog Soldiers (which is a classic!), is Wearwolf in London a British film?

I love the Michael Caine gangster/criminal films as well.

And of course people shouldn't forget Ardvark Animations and Nick Park - Chicken Run and Wallace and Grommit stand right up there with Pixar, even though the budget is a lot smaller

Dog Soldiers is great fun. "I hope you choke on me, you piece of ****"

ChequeredJersey wrote:Dog Soldiers is great fun. "I hope you choke on me, you piece of ****"

Isn't the quote from Spoon "I hope I give you the sh!ts you ****ing wimp"

classic

and of course "you may think all women are b!tches, but I'm the real thing .... I guess it's just that time of the month"

that film is awesome

Love the line when putting his guts back in

"My guts are hanging out"

"We'll just have to put em back in"

"They won't Flip fit"

And - "Where's spoon?"

"There is no spoon"

such an endlessly quoatable film

" Sweeping patrols between each of these bunkers - they'll have the whole sector wrapped tighter than an Eskimo's nad-sac. "

Kidulthood, Adulthood, Green Street, The Inbetweeners, King's Speech,

Green Street seriously???

Attack the Blocks is awesome - forgot about that and Shaun of the Dead though I prefer Hot Fuzz.

I'm surprised no-ones mentioned How to Get Ahead in Advertising

i enjoyed green street, and of course, Paul:Hot Fuzz:Shaun of the Dead

shaun of the dead> Hot Fuzz> Paul.

all ok though

I was pretty unimpressed by Paul, but of course Shaun and Hot Fuzz are great - I prefer Hot Fuzz just coz I love action movies and all the references hit home, and it's got Timothy Dalton in it! While I'm not as big on horror films so miss some of the references on Shaun. Both great.

I slated paul after the first time i saw it. Second time i prefered it. Hot fuzz and SOD are both great laughs and i can watch countless times

I know what you mean - I love Shaun and Hot Fuzz, but am pretty so-so about anything else Simon Pegg has done, such as Run Fatboy Run, Paul and Spaced,

Smirnoffpriest wrote:....is Wearwolf in London a British film?

And of course people shouldn't forget Ardvark Animations and Nick Park - Chicken Run and Wallace and Grommit stand right up there with Pixar, even though the budget is a lot smaller

Unfortunately An American Werewolf In London isn't a British made or distributed film. It's American.

Of the Aardman Animation films, The Curse of The Were-Rabbit is much better than Chicken Run I think. It's genius.

It is actually credited UK first- Which doesnt mean a thing if it is only credited for location- So id go along with Carri on that its American. Money from the states, production from the States writing and direction from the states!