Best "Best Picture Winners" - Part 3 of 4

-of the past 40 years. 40-31 30-21

20. The Sting – (1973) – A recent viewing rocketed this highly entertaining and smoothly executed crowd-pleaser to the top 20. Paul Newman is hilarious and Robert Redford deftly carries the complicated film. The supporting cast is a who’s who of mid-70s character actors: Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, etc. and all perform beautifully. It doesn’t really add up to a whole lot, but it’s a first-rate movie movie.

19. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – (2003)
More of a coronation for all 3 films, ROTK contains the best cinematography of the trilogy, but lacks the lessons of the first film and the spectacular ending of the second. But Peter Jackson pulled off the impossible – three 3 hour films that stand alone on their own and add up to the something greater than the sum of their parts.

18. Platoon – (1986)
A little too melodramatic near the end (“I am reality”) and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is probably used a little too much. There would appear to be a lot of clichés if you’re watching it cold, but that’s only because it’s been imitated so much. Oliver Stone’s camera captures the jungle as only a gifted director can, accentuated by his own Vietnam experience. Most notably, the scene in the village is one of the all-time greats: gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, tear-inducing, and morally demanding all at the same time.

17. Rain Man – (1988)
Two unlikely brothers (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman) bond on a road trip from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. Hoffman may have won all the awards, but Cruise is equally impressive, showing a maturity and intelligence he hadn’t even tried in his prior films. Director Barry Levinson’s improvisational style perfectly suits the two lead actors and results in many hilarious exchanges and touching moments.

16. Dances with Wolves – (1990)
Like fellow actor Mel Gibson 5 years later, director Kevin Costner gives us unexpected angles and creates exciting action scenes (especially the one-of-a-kind buffalo hunt). But Costner gives his film much more humor and in doing so, humanizes the Sioux tribe. Costner’s given an excellent plot by novelist and screenwriter Michael Blake. He’s also given an excellent score by John Barry – who provides the major characters (including the wolf) their own separate beautiful theme. It’s also gracefully acted from top to bottom.

15. Midnight Cowboy – (1969)
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman live in squalor and struggle to survive in New York. This is exhibit "A" on unlikable characters being incredibly sympathetic, but I haven’t the first clue how Voight and Hoffman do it. The film remains excitingly edited and entertaining throughout. The sped-up action is a little dated, but everything else feels genuine and applicable to modern life.

14. The Deer Hunter – (1978)
It’s not really a Vietnam movie, but a film about a specific group of people from rural Pennsylvania and how they’re affected by the war. The wedding drags on a bit too long and the deer hunting stuff is too obvious to be profound. But the Russian roulette scenes are electrifying, especially the first time you see it. The ending is moving beyond words. And Robert De Niro carries the film as his character Michael carries his friends through a troubled time.

13. Amadeus – (1984)
Inventive editing and storytelling is combined with some of the best music ever written. The narration flashback device is commonplace these days but is probably done best here (with Forrest Gump a close second). Tom Hulce is supposed to annoy but eventually finds enough depth and emotion to make Mozart multi-dimensional. As Salieri, F. Murray Abraham has the palpable desperation of any struggling, talented artist who can recognize genius – but not achieve it. Salieri may be the “patron saint of mediocrity”; the film is far from it.

12. The French Connection – (1971)
Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider play tough rule-bending cops on the trail of a major heroin shipment. The chase scene is still a landmark and the film remains well-paced with excellent editing. The acting is perfectly realistic and uncommonly interesting. There are lots of great quotable lines. Best of all, the film has the guts to end obscurely and open-ended.

11. Patton – (1970)
A towering performance by George C. Scott and tough crackerjack dialogue from Francis Ford Coppola are front and center in this epic tale of the eccentric genius General George S. Patton. The battle scenes are lacking, especially compared to more recent films, but this isn’t really a war film, but a biopic – one of the greatest ever made. And one with an obvious but rarely heard message: “All glory is fleeting.”