No resulta fácil hacer una selección de las 50 mejores películas de la historia. Con los tiempos que corren, uno se expone a ser vilipendiado en una cena con amigos o, lo que es más arriesgado, en las redes sociales.
Por ese motivo, y por mi cobardía natural, he dejado la decisión a una plataforma del prestigio de IMDB, en la cual los usuarios, muchos de ellos dotados de un excelente criterio. Sí reconozco que muchas de las que aparecen a mí, personalmente, me ha dolido en el alma tener que incluirlas. Sí reconozco que muchas de las que aparecen a mí, personalmente, me ha dolido en el alma tener que incluirlas.
A fecha de hoy (27 de julio de 2021), el ránking de mejores películas según dicha plataforma es el siguiente. Veremos si el tiempo les da la razón, o debemos actualizarlo…
50 La ventana indiscreta
Rear Window (1954)
112min | Mystery, Thriller | September 1, 1954 (United States)
Director: Alfred HitchcockWriter: John Michael Hayes, Cornell WoolrichStars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Summary: A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
49 Hasta que llegó su hora
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
165min | Western | July 4, 1969 (United States)
Director: Sergio LeoneWriter: Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone, Dario ArgentoStars: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale
Summary: A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Countries: Italy, United StatesLanguages: English, Italian, Spanish
48 Casablanca
Casablanca (1942)
102min | Drama, Romance, War | January 23, 1943 (United States)
Director: Michael CurtizWriter: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard KochStars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
Summary: A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, French, German, Italian
47 El truco final (El prestigio)
The Prestige (2006)
130min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller | October 20, 2006 (United States)
Director: Christopher NolanWriter: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, Christopher PriestStars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson
Summary: After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.Countries: United Kingdom, United StatesLanguages: English
46 Intocable
The Intouchables (2011)
112min | Biography, Comedy, Drama | November 2, 2011 (France)
Director: Olivier Nakache, Ãric ToledanoWriter: Olivier Nakache, Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, Ãric ToledanoStars: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny
Summary: After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.Countries: FranceLanguages: French, English
45 Infiltrados
The Departed (2006)
151min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | October 6, 2006 (United States)
Director: Martin ScorseseWriter: William Monahan, Alan Mak, Felix ChongStars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
Summary: An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.Countries: United States, Hong KongLanguages: English, Cantonese
44 Whiplash
Whiplash (2014)
106min | Drama, Music | October 15, 2014 (Philippines)
Summary: A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
43 Gladiator
Gladiator (2000)
155min | Action, Adventure, Drama | May 5, 2000 (United States)
Director: Ridley ScottWriter: David Franzoni, John Logan, William NicholsonStars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Summary: A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.Countries: United States, United Kingdom, Malta, MoroccoLanguages: English
42 La tumba de las luciérnagas
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
89min | Animation, Drama, War | July 26, 1989 (United States)
Director: Isao TakahataWriter: Akiyuki Nosaka, Isao TakahataStars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi
Summary: A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.Countries: JapanLanguages: Japanese
41 Luces de ciudad
City Lights (1931)
87min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | March 7, 1931 (United States)
Director: Charles ChaplinWriter: Charles Chaplin, Harry Carr, Harry CrockerStars: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
Summary: With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.Countries: United StatesLanguages: None, English
40 American History X
American History X (1998)
119min | Drama | November 20, 1998 (United States)
Summary: A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.
Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
39 El rey león
The Lion King (1994)
88min | Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Musical | June 24, 1994 (United States)
Director: Roger Allers, Rob MinkoffWriter: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda WoolvertonStars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
Summary: Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Swahili, Xhosa, Zulu
38 Psicosis
Psycho (1960)
109min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | September 8, 1960 (United States)
Director: Alfred HitchcockWriter: Joseph Stefano, Robert BlochStars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
Summary: A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
37 Tiempos modernos
Modern Times (1936)
87min | Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance | February 25, 1936 (United States)
Director: Charles ChaplinWriter: Charles ChaplinStars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
Summary: The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
36 Terminator 2: El juicio final
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
137min | Action, Sci-Fi | July 3, 1991 (United States)
Director: James CameronWriter: James Cameron, William WisherStars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Summary: A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Spanish
35 Regreso al futuro
Back to the Future (1985)
116min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi | July 3, 1985 (United States)
Director: Robert ZemeckisWriter: Robert Zemeckis, Bob GaleStars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Summary: Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
34 El pianista
The Pianist (2002)
150min | Biography, Drama, Music, War | March 28, 2003 (United States)
Director: Roman PolanskiWriter: Ronald Harwood, Wladyslaw SzpilmanStars: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
Summary: A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.Countries: United Kingdom, France, Poland, Germany, United StatesLanguages: English, German, Russian
33 Sospechosos habituales
The Usual Suspects (1995)
106min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller | August 16, 1995 (United States)
Director: Bryan SingerWriter: Christopher McQuarrieStars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
Summary: A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup.Countries: United States, GermanyLanguages: English, Hungarian, Spanish, French
32 Harakiri
Hara-Kiri (1962)
133min | Action, Drama, Mystery | August 4, 1964 (United States)
Director: Masaki KobayashiWriter: Yasuhiko Takiguchi, Shinobu HashimotoStars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita
Summary: When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so ... Read allCountries: JapanLanguages: Japanese
31 El profesional (León)
Léon: The Professional (1994)
110min | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller | November 18, 1994 (United States)
Summary: Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the... Read all
Countries: France, United StatesLanguages: English, Italian, French
30 Parásitos
Parasite (2019)
132min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller | 5 June 2019 (France)
Summary: A poor family, the Kims, con their way into becoming the servants of a rich family, the Parks. But their easy life gets complicated when their deception is threatened with exposure.
Countries: South KoreaLanguages: Korean, English
29 La milla verde
The Green Mile (1999)
189min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery | December 10, 1999 (United States)
Director: Frank DarabontWriter: Stephen King, Frank DarabontStars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse
Summary: The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, French
28 Interstellar
Interstellar (2014)
169min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi | November 7, 2014 (United States)
Director: Christopher NolanWriter: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher NolanStars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
Summary: A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.Countries: United States, United Kingdom, CanadaLanguages: English
27 El viaje de Chihiro
Spirited Away (2001)
125min | Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery | March 28, 2003 (United States)
Summary: During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Countries: JapanLanguages: Japanese, English
26 Salvar al soldado Ryan
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
169min | Drama, War | July 24, 1998 (United States)
Summary: Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, French, German, Czech
25 La guerra de las galaxias
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
121min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | May 25, 1977 (United States)
Summary: Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue ... Read all
Countries: United States, United KingdomLanguages: English
24 ¡Qué bello es vivir!
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
130min | Drama, Family, Fantasy | January 7, 1947 (United States)
Director: Frank CapraWriter: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank CapraStars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Summary: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, French
23 La vida es bella
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
116min | Comedy, Drama, Romance, War | December 20, 1997 (Italy)
Director: Roberto BenigniWriter: Vincenzo Cerami, Roberto BenigniStars: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
Summary: When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their c... Read allCountries: ItalyLanguages: Italian, German, English
22 El silencio de los corderos
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
118min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | February 14, 1991 (United States)
Director: Jonathan DemmeWriter: Thomas Harris, Ted TallyStars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
Summary: A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Latin
21 Ciudad de Dios
City of God (2002)
130min | Crime, Drama | February 13, 2004 (United States)
Director: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia LundWriter: Paulo Lins, Bráulio MantovaniStars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele
Summary: In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.Countries: Brazil, France, GermanyLanguages: Portuguese
20 Seven
Se7en (1995)
127min | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | September 22, 1995 (United States)
Summary: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
19 Los siete samurais
Seven Samurai (1954)
207min | Action, Adventure, Drama | November 19, 1956 (United States)
Director: Akira KurosawaWriter: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo OguniStars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
Summary: A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.Countries: JapanLanguages: Japanese
18 Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
133min | Drama | November 19, 1975 (United States)
Director: Milos FormanWriter: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman, Ken KeseyStars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman
Summary: A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
17 Uno de los nuestros
Goodfellas (1990)
146min | Biography, Crime, Drama | September 21, 1990 (United States)
Director: Martin ScorseseWriter: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin ScorseseStars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Summary: The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate... Read allCountries: United StatesLanguages: English, Italian
16 Matrix
The Matrix (1999)
136min | Action, Sci-Fi | March 31, 1999 (United States)
Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly WachowskiWriter: Lilly Wachowski, Lana WachowskiStars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Summary: When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.Countries: United States, AustraliaLanguages: English
15 El Imperio contraataca
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
124min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | June 20, 1980 (United States)
Director: Irvin KershnerWriter: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, George LucasStars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Summary: After the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader ... Read allCountries: United States, United KingdomLanguages: English
14 El señor de los anillos: Las dos torres
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
179min | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | December 18, 2002 (United States)
Director: Peter JacksonWriter: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa BoyensStars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Summary: While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.Countries: New Zealand, United StatesLanguages: English, Sindarin, Old English
13 Origen
Inception (2010)
148min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller | July 16, 2010 (United States)
Director: Christopher NolanWriter: Christopher NolanStars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
Summary: A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O.Countries: United States, United KingdomLanguages: English, Japanese, French
12 Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump (1994)
142min | Drama, Romance | 5 October 1994 (France)
Director: Robert ZemeckisWriter: Winston Groom, Eric RothStars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
Summary: The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the events of Vietnam, Watergate, and other historical events unfold through the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, whose only desire is to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.Countries: USALanguages: English
11 El club de la lucha
Fight Club (1999)
139min | Drama | October 15, 1999 (United States)
Summary: An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Countries: Germany, United StatesLanguages: English
10 El señor de los anillos: El retorno del rey
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
178min | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | December 19, 2001 (United States)
Director: Peter JacksonWriter: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa BoyensStars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Summary: A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.Countries: New Zealand, United StatesLanguages: English, Sindarin
9 El bueno, el feo y el malo
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
178min | Western | December 29, 1967 (United States)
Director: Sergio LeoneWriter: Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone, Agenore IncrocciStars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
Summary: A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Countries: Italy, Spain, West GermanyLanguages: Italian
8 Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (1994)
154min | Crime, Drama | October 14, 1994 (United States)
Director: Quentin TarantinoWriter: Quentin Tarantino, Roger AvaryStars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
Summary: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Spanish, French
7 El señor de los anillos: El retorno del rey
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
201min | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | December 17, 2003 (United States)
Director: Peter JacksonWriter: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa BoyensStars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
Summary: Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Countries: New Zealand, United StatesLanguages: English, Quenya, Old English, Sindarin
6 La lista de Schindler
Schindler's List (1993)
195min | Biography, Drama, History | February 4, 1994 (United States)
Director: Steven SpielbergWriter: Thomas Keneally, Steven ZaillianStars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Summary: In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Hebrew, German, Polish, Latin
5 12 hombres sin piedad
12 Angry Men (1957)
96min | Crime, Drama | April 10, 1957 (United States)
Summary: A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.
Countries: United StatesLanguages: English
4 El caballero oscuro
The Dark Knight (2008)
152min | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller | July 18, 2008 (United States)
Director: Christopher NolanWriter: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. GoyerStars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Summary: When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.Countries: United States, United KingdomLanguages: English, Mandarin
3 El padrino II
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
202min | Crime, Drama | December 18, 1974 (United States)
Director: Francis Ford CoppolaWriter: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario PuzoStars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall
Summary: The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Sicilian
2 El padrino
The Godfather (1972)
175min | Crime, Drama | March 24, 1972 (United States)
Director: Francis Ford CoppolaWriter: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford CoppolaStars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Summary: An organized crime dynasty's aging patriarch transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English, Italian, Latin
1 Cadena perpetua
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
142min | Drama | October 14, 1994 (United States)
Director: Frank DarabontWriter: Stephen King, Frank DarabontStars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
Summary: Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.Countries: United StatesLanguages: English