Alexander Korda's Epic Adventure... Based on the Novel by A. E. W. Mason

Starring: John Clements, Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, June Duprez, Allan Jeayes, Jack Allen, Donald Gray, Frederick Culley, Clive Baxter, Robert Rendel, Norman Pierce

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"With me it was more than fear. My father despised me. He believed me to be a coward. His belief turned fear into reality." – Harry Faversham

Why watch this? It's a timeless classic about a man's cowardice and honor.

Plot Summary: Harry Faversham is a British Army officer who resigns his commission just before his regiment is deployed to Sudan to fight rebels. His friends and fiancée give him four white feathers, a traditional symbol of cowardice, prompting him to embark on a journey of redemption, in disguise, to prove his courage. This adventure sees him undertake daring feats to secretly aid his former comrades, ultimately striving to restore his honor and return the feathers that branded him a coward.

London Films; United Artists

When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go

Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead, Israel Contreras

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"My name is Jaguar Paw. I am a hunter. This is my forest. And my sons will hunt it with their sons after I am gone!" - Jaguar Paw

Why watch this? You will literally feel like you have been transported to the Mayan past.

Plot Summary: Set in the Mayan civilization, a young hunter named Jaguar Paw has his life violently disrupted when he is taken captive, for sacrifice, by hostile raiders. He is taken to a Mayan city, and narrowly escapes being beheaded. Jaguar Paw now must outrun his brutal pursuers through the jungle to save his family.

Touchtone Pictures, Icon Prod.;
Buena Vista Pictures Distributing

The great adventure! The great entertainment!

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, David McCallum

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Are all American officers so ill-mannered?" - Von Luger

Why watch this? A great WWII POW film with an all-star cast.

Plot Summary: A group of Allied prisoners of war, considered notorious escape risks, are all transferred to a high-security German POW camp during World War II. Despite the camp being supposedly escape-proof, the prisoners, representing various Allied nations, collaborate on an ambitious plan to engineer a mass breakout through a series of expertly disguised tunnels.

The Mirisch Company; United Artists

Love is the greatest adventure of all.

Starring: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Nicol Williamson, Denholm Elliott, Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Haigh, Ian Holm, Richard Harris

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've hardly lost a battle, and I don't know what I've won. 'The day is ours, Robin,' you used to say, and then it was tomorrow. But where did the day go?" - Robin Hood

Why watch this? It's a bittersweet story of what happened to Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

Plot Summary: The story picks up the classic Robin Hood legend years after Robin's peak, finding him and Little John returning to England disillusioned from the Crusades. They discover that Maid Marian has become an abbess, and their reunion unfolds as they navigate their changed circumstances and rekindle their complicated relationship. Robin is forced to confront his aging and a changed world, leading to a final conflict with his old adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Rastar; Columbia Pictures

Between the wind and the lion is the woman. For her, half the world may go to war.

Starring: Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"The American grizzly embodies the spirit of America. He should be our symbol! Not that ridiculous eagle - he's nothing more than a dandified vulture." - Theodore Roosevelt

Why watch this? Connery knew how to pick a great script. This epic is breathtaking.

Plot Summary: In 1904 Morocco, a powerful Berber chieftain kidnaps an American woman and her children to incite an international incident and challenge European colonial powers vying for control of the region. Meanwhile, President Theodore Roosevelt, seeking re-election, uses the kidnapping as an opportunity to project American strength and influence on the world stage.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Herb Jaffe Prod.;
United Artists

A Hero Will Rise.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, Tomas Arana

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." - Maximus

Why watch this? It's an award-winning film featuring Russell Crowe at his manly best.

Plot Summary: Maximus is a respected Roman general who is betrayed and cast into slavery when the power-hungry Commodus seizes the throne. Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and fight for his life, but his determination to avenge his family and the former emperor fuels his rise through the ranks of the arena. His journey becomes intertwined with a quest for justice against the corrupt Commodus and the hope of restoring honor and freedom to Rome.

Universal Pics, Scott Free Productions,
Red Wagon Ent.; DreamWorks Dist.

The tale of a lad, a lass and a locomotive

Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Frederick Vroom, Frank Barnes, Charles Henry Smith, Joe Keaton, Mike Donlin, Tom Nawn

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Please don't lie - I don't want you to speak to me again until you are in uniform." - Annabelle Lee, to Johnnie Gray, regarding his enlistment rejection

Why watch this? Before Chaplin, there was Buster Keaton, and he was a comedic genius.

Plot Summary: At the start of the American Civil War, Johnnie Gray, a train engineer aboard The General, is rejected from service. This brings shame upon him and infuriates his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee. A year later, when Union spies seize The General, Annabelle is captured and held captive. Johnnie rushes to free her, using any means available including a handcar and bicycle. Eventually Johnnie boards a locomotive called the Texas, but accidentally leaves the Rebel troop car behind. This starts an epic adventure where a lone man must stop the Union army, get back his favorite engine, and win back Annabelle Lee.

Buster Keaton Prod., Joseph M. Schenck
Productions; United Artists

Better if all these men were dead. Think about it!

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Atsushi Watanabe

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I get paid for killing. And this town is full of men who deserve to die." - Yojimbo

Why watch this? This Japanese samurai film is as good and any American Western.

Plot Summary: This tale features a wandering rōnin looking to sell his sword to the highest bidder. By chance, he lands in a small town locked in a vicious power struggle between two bickering bosses. At first he plays both sides against each other, but finally decides to rid the town of both. He is caught, however, and beaten almost to death.

Kurosawa Production; Toho

Mightiest of All Romantic Adventures! ...Storming it's way to the screen with unbelievable excitement!

Starring: Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Vincent Price, Lana Turner, Angela Lansbury, Frank Morgan, Keenan Wynn

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"To die among friends. Can a man ask more? Can the world offer less? Who wants to live 'till the last bottle is empty? It's all-for one, d'Artagnan, and one for all." - Athos

Why watch this? Gene Kelly's skills are unmatched when it comes to choreographed spectacle.

Plot Summary: Young d'Artagnan travels to Paris seeking to join the King's Musketeers, but his impulsiveness quickly leads him into challenging three of the elite swordsmen to a duel. However, instead of fighting each other, they unite against Cardinal Richelieu's guards and become inseparable friends. D'Artagnan and his new companions become entangled in courtly intrigue and political maneuvers orchestrated by Richelieu, working to protect the honor of the Queen of France.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Loew's Inc.

Clark Gable as the daring mutineer in the screen's most exciting adventure story!

Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Movita, Mamo, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Dudley Diggs, Donald Crisp

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I'll live to see you - all of you - hung from the highest yardarm in the British fleet." – Captain William Bligh, as his mutinous crew casts him adrift in a rowboat.

Why watch this? Laughton's performance as Captain Bligh - he's such a nasty old curmudgeon.

Plot Summary: On a perilous journey across the Pacific to secure breadfruit plants from Tahiti, the HMS Bounty's crew endures the increasingly sadistic tyranny of Captain Bligh. First Mate Fletcher Christian, initially attempting to tolerate Bligh's cruelty, eventually rallies the tormented sailors to seize the ship and remove the captain from command. The consequences of this mutiny on the high seas lead to further adventure and the potential for severe retribution as the story unfolds.

Frank Lloyd, Irving Thalberg;
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The finest cast ever assembled re-lives history's most powerful story of love and rebellion.

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Tony Curtis

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"And maybe there's no peace in this world, for us or for anyone else, I don't know. But I do know that, as long as we live, we must remain true to ourselves." - Spartacus

Why watch this? It's the first great gladiator masterpiece.

Plot Summary: This is the story of a Thracian slave, Spartacus, sold into brutal gladiatorial training in the Roman Republic. Witnessing the cruelty and oppression of his masters, Spartacus inspires and leads a burgeoning slave rebellion against the might of Rome. This revolt sparks a major conflict that challenges the Roman establishment and its ambitious figures vying for power.

Bryna Prod.; Universal International

Never stop fighting till the fight is done

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way!" – Jim Malone

Why watch this? A great, if romanticized, account of the Elliott Ness story.

Plot Summary: Federal Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Prohibition-era Chicago, determined to bring down the notoriously powerful and corrupt gangster Al Capone. Facing widespread corruption within the city's police force, Ness realizes that traditional methods are insufficient to tackle Capone's illegal empire. He assembles a small team of trustworthy lawmen who are unburdened by fear or bribes to confront the ruthless crime boss and his network of organized crime.

Art Linson; Paramount Pictures

The Mighty Warriors Who Became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Town

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Isao Kimura, Daisuke Katō, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba, Minoru Chiaki

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself." - Kambei Shimada

Why watch this? This is Kurosawa's great masterpiece about farmers at war with invading bandits.

Plot Summary: In feudal Japan, desperate villagers facing repeated bandit raids decide to hire samurai for protection. They find Kambei, an aging but skilled samurai, who reluctantly agrees and recruits six other masterless warriors to defend the village. The seven samurai train the villagers in defense tactics and prepare for the bandits' inevitable return.

Toho

Every man dies, not every man really lives.

Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick MaGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Hanly, Ian Bannen, James Cosmo, David O'Hara

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk fought for William Wallace. He fights for something that I never had. And I took it from him, when I betrayed him." - Robert the Bruce

Why watch this? This is a powerful film about historical Scotland and its hero, William Wallace.

Plot Summary: This story features William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads a rebellion against the tyrannical King Edward I of England. Wallace unites his people and fights for Scotland's independence, driven by personal tragedy and a desire for freedom. His bravery inspires a nation and leaves a lasting legacy in their struggle for freedom.

Icon Productions, The Ladd Company;
Paramount Pictures

Stripped of everything - they lived and loved and fought as if there were no tomorrow...

Starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Burgess Meredith, Patricia Neal, Brandon DeWilde, Dana Andrews, Tom Tyron, Paula Prentiss, Jill Haworth, Stanley Holloway, Franchot Tone, Patrick O'Neal, Carroll O'Connor, Henry Fonda

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 100 #96 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of In Harm's Way

"Old Rock of Ages, we've got ourselves another war. A gut bustin', mother-lovin' Navy war." - Cmdr. Paul Eddington, after the attack on Pearl Harbor

Why watch this? One of the best films ever about the US Navy.

Plot Summary: During the immediate aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy Captain Rockwell "Rock" Torrey finds himself reassigned to a desk job following a controversial decision in battle. While adjusting to this new role, he begins a romance with nurse Maggie Haynes and attempts to reconnect with his estranged son, Jere, who is also serving in the Navy. As the war intensifies in the Pacific, Rock is given a chance at redemption when he is tasked with leading a crucial and dangerous mission against the Japanese forces.
 

Dad's Preview: This film is not a typical Wayne war movie. It focuses on the effect war has on the men and women embroiled within it. It paints a realistic picture of the lives of Navy personnel. Wayne's Rock Torrey can command a ship, but his marriage failed and his own son hates him. Kirk Douglas' Paul Eddington knows how to get things done, but he is hiding a violent temper beneath his easy-going persona. We also see the savagery of Naval sea battles, where ships fire huge shells at one another, causing incredible damage and mutilate the sailors on board.

Otto Preminger; Paramount Pictures

A Mighty Motion Picture Of Action And Adventure!

Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Jose Ferrer, Claude Raines, Omar Sharif

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior. He was also the most shameless exhibitionist since Barnum & Bailey." – Jackson Bentley

Why watch this? An epic movie about a man who's life was, in itself, an epic.

Plot Summary: T. E. Lawrence is a British officer, who navigates the complex politics of the Middle East during World War I. Tasked with liaising between the Arabs and the British against the Ottoman Turks, Lawrence becomes increasingly drawn into the Arab cause for independence. He unites disparate Arab tribes, leading them in daring raids and victories against the Turks, but struggles with his identity and the conflicting loyalties between his British origins and his adopted Arab allies.

Horizon Pictures; Columbia Pictures

The Hunt Is On.

Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, Fred Thompson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against our old adversary — The American Navy." - Capt. Ramius

Why watch this? The best submarine film ever made, IMHO.

Plot Summary: Marko Ramius, a Soviet submarine captain commanding the innovative stealth submarine Red October, unexpectedly alters course and heads toward the United States. Suspecting Ramius has gone rogue, both Soviet and American navies launch their own hunts for the submarine. However, CIA analyst Jack Ryan believes Ramius might be trying to defect, a theory he must prove before an international incident erupts.
 

Dad's Preview: I do love a good submarine movie. Run Silent, Run Deep (1958). Crimson Tide (1995). This stands alone at the top. Based on Tom Clancy's novel, this takes us deep into a Cold War sea battle where a Russian sub has gone missing, and the US sends its own sub to intercept her, that is, before she can moor near the US coast and launch ICBM missiles. Sir Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin are excellent in their leading roles as Jack Ryan and Soviet Captain Ramius.

Mace Neufeld Productions;
Paramount Pictures

The spectacular story of America's first astronauts.

Starring: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Sam Shepard, Lance Henriksen, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, Pamela Reed

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It takes a special kind of man to volunteer for a suicide mission, especially when it's on national TV." – Chuck Yeager

Why watch this? It's an educational, and thoroughly engaging, film about the U.S. space program.

Plot Summary: Based on Tom Wolfe's book, the film chronicles the early days of the American space program, focusing on the lives of the first astronauts. It follows their selection and rigorous training as they strive to be the first Americans in space, juxtaposed with the exploits of legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager.

The Ladd Company; Warner Bros.

The African Queen (1951), Director: John Huston, rated PG for some war violence

Bogart the King is back with the 'Queen!'

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Theodore Bikel, Walter Gotell, Peter Stanwick

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!" – Rose Sayer

Why watch this? It's a wonderful adventure film from the 50's with two Hollywood icons.

Plot Summary: Set during World War I, in German East Africa, Charlie Allnut, a rough-and-tumble Canadian riverboat captain, finds himself thrown together with a strait-laced British missionary named Rose Sayer. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey down a treacherous river on Charlie's dilapidated boat, the African Queen, facing natural dangers and German forces. Despite their vastly different personalities and frequent arguments, an unlikely bond develops as they navigate their perilous mission.

Horizon Pictures, Romulus Pictures;
United Artists

An epic adventure and passionate romance unfold against the panorama of a frontier wilderness ravaged by war.

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, Jodhi May, Steven Waddington, Wes Studi, Maurice Roëves

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #21 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Last of the Mohicans

"When the Grey Hair is dead, Magua will eat his heart. Before he dies, Magua will put his children under the knife, so the Grey Hair will know his seed is wiped out forever." - Magua

Why watch this? This classic American frontier story is a flawless work of art.

Plot Summary: During the French and Indian War in 1757, three trappers must escort a British colonel's daughters through the dangerous American wilderness to the safety of Fort William Henry. Their journey is complicated by the betrayal of a treacherous Huron guide, leading to an intense struggle for survival against hostile enemy forces. As the group battles through the rugged frontier landscape, the eldest daughter, Cora, and the Mohican scout, Hawkeye, form a profound connection amidst the escalating conflict.

Michael Mann, Hunt Lowry; 20th Century Fox

A Tale of the Christ

Starring: Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #15 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Ben-Hur

"We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live." - Quintus Arrius

Why watch this? It's epic scale is hard to comprehend in this CGI digital age.

Plot Summary: Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, is falsely accused of an assassination attempt by his childhood friend, the ambitious Roman tribune Messala. After being sentenced to the galleys as a slave, Ben-Hur vows to seek vengeance for his family's destruction and his own unjust suffering. His quest for justice eventually leads him to a dramatic confrontation with Messala in a high-stakes chariot race.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Loew's Inc.