When deciding on a film to watch
you may be persuaded to opt for a shorter run time. The advantages are always
there: you can be entertained long enough whilst also having time for something
else. Running time seldom equates to quality though in many incidents, the
longer film is usually the better one. How about comparing 182 minute film The Deer Hunter to the 229 epic Once Upon a Time in America – the latter
does provide a 40 minute extension of value. So if you are planning on watching
a lengthy film, here are ten of the best to seek out:
Akira Kurosawa’s grand,
historical masterpiece is easily one of the top ten films of all time. It runs
at 207 minutes but never loses momentum. It is also one of the very first
action films, which became an inspiration for generations of filmmakers (Steven
Spielberg has it as one of his main sources of referral when making his
own
movies).
Beginning with a dialogue-free
show down at a run-down railway station, Sergio Leone starts his essential Western
with style and bravado. The 175 minute film is packed full of tension, gun
fights, and a mesmerizing score from Ennio Morricone. Many may argue Leone’s
Dollars trilogy with Clint Eastwood takes the trophy of the paramount western
though Once Upon a Time in the West is not only
the best of its genre but easily one of the greatest and coolest films ever.
This French romantic tragedy
revolves around the world of theatre actors. The main character Baptiste
(played magnificently by Jean-Louis Barrault) is desperately trying to win the
heart of an actress who is also loved by three other men. On the surface the
film may not sound enthralling but the 163 minute run time is expertly written
and crafted. It is a true cinematic pleasure with practically zero flaws.
The film that brought Al Pacino
and Robert De Niro face to face will always have its place in history. Not only
with a fantastic duo leading the film, Michael Mann’s writing and directing
propels Heat into an array of top
lists. As the tale of bank robbers and cops in chase draws to an end at 170
minutes you are disappointed to see the credits roll. It is surpasses any film
of the cops and robbers genre and helps mark the 1990s as the decade with the
most sublime crime films. 
Breaking the rules slightly on
this list of top ten, Godfather 1 and 2 should not be separated; nor is it easy
to choose one over the other. With the first running at 175 minutes and its
sequel intensifying at 200 minutes, both may take up a lot of your time but you
can never argue that they don’t deserve it. With Part 1 deemed as the greatest
film by dozens of movie magazines and websites, and Part 2 named as the
ultimate sequel, these are two landmark films.
Another break in the rules of the
Top 10 (though, in this writer’s opinion, The
Fellowship of the Ring would be the deciding entry) yet deserving. Arguably
one of the jewels in the cinema-trilogies crown, and a time-consuming one at
that (1st film – 178 minutes; 2nd – 179; 3rd –
201), Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy tale is a monumental
delight.
With a wealth of evidence
relating to the 1970 Zodiac crime case, David Fincher could have made an
inextricably long film. It’s a shame he didn’t (though there are a few more
scenes in the Director’s Cut) but with what he decided on story and
length-wise, he created a mysterious, beguiling and nail-biting crime classic. Actors,
aesthetic and authenticity all form the exacting director’s stunning 157 minute
vision of life during the Zodiac reign.
A thorn in a few movie fans’
sides due to it beating Scorsese’s Goodfellas
to the Best Picture Oscar, Kevin Costner’s tremendous Western Adventure still
deserves plenty of acclaim. 181 minutes
that never stops to thrill, engage or astonish its audience; it is a beautiful
vision of the American plains and life with the Native Americans.
Lawrence of Arabia has an immediate connotation of “epic” when
mentioned in discussion. David Lean holds an extremely wide-lens up to the
story of T. E. Lawrence and captures the sanguine spectacle of the Arabian
Desert as Lawrence marks his history on its sand. Another film that inspired
hundreds of filmmakers and one that never fails to amaze you. One of the most
intricate of cinematic biopics, Lean details Lawrence’s life in a hefty 216
minute run time.
Nolan’s contemporary classic
almost loses out on its place in the list, only just making in to the criteria
at 152 minutes long. A film that will forever be celebrated, not only for its Oscar
winning performance by Heath Ledger but for the majestic aesthetic that Nolan
impeccably constructs.
Notable mentions: JFK (Stone, 1991), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell/Pressburger, 1943), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Dominik, 2007), Stalker
(Tarkovskiy, 1979), The Birth of a Nation (Griffith,
1915), Once Upon a Time in America
(Leone, 1984), The Deer Hunter
(Cimino, 1978), Schindler's List (Spielberg, 1993), The Dark Knight Rises
(Nolan, 2012)
By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Top 10 Films.
By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Top 10 Films.
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