Perhaps. A well-produced, edited, and commented documentary that had a few fatal flaws.

1. The lack of a good definition of "thrilling." The way they set it up I could throw any film I wanted on there, and call it "thrilling," as long as it was a "good" movie. They should have done 100 Greatest Mystery Films or 100 Greatest Horror or 100 Greatest Action/Adventure.

2. The repetition of films from the Top 100 Films list. I realize that they are great films, but they should have said "To better represent the greatness of Hollywood, we will not be duplicating films already seen on an AFI list." You could have had a lot more interesting picks that way.

3. Other than that, it was a pretty good list. You have to admire the ample placement of old-time films, and the lack of "The Blair Witch Project" and (thank goodness) "Pearl Harbor."

I think that The Rock and Desperado should have made the list.

Maybe, but how in God's name did Halloween place higher than the vastly superior Terminator 2?

Here's the list, with blatherings.

100. The Adventures of Robin Hood--rather low, if ya ask me. This here features one of the greatest action sequences of all time (the duel between Guy and Robin Hood). Of course, the rest of the film is merely a B-film, but still. SAW

99. Speed, making Keanu Reeves one of the most thrilling stars apparently, right up there with Harrison Ford.

98. Blood Simple--was this the Coen brothers? Is it any good?

97. Safety Last, while Harold Lloyd DID do his own stunts, I have trouble believing that a modern audience would "gasp in horror" as Leonard Maltin said. I dunno. At least from the clip they showed last night.

96. Blue Velvet--the horrifying image of Dennis Hopper sniffing drugs was one of the most scary things in the special.

95. Full Metal Jacket--"What is your major malfunction?!" Gotta love it.

94. The China Syndrome--they forgot to mention this happened BEFORE Three Mile Island.

93. Night of the Living Dead--the first real horror film.

92. Body Heat--they made it look like an upscale porn film. Sheesh. There hadda be better clips. And the commentary here was quite ridiculous.

91. Braveheart--Mel's Scottish warrior makes the cut, but interestingly, his American psycho (from Lethal Weapon) does not.

90. The Poseidon Adventure--represents the disaster craze of the 1970's. Looks good.

89. The Guns of Navarone--actually, the ending sequence is the least effective for me. Getting there was far better in this film, especially the verbal fireworks. SAW

88. 12 Angry Men--so it isn't an action film! This is one of the greatest suspense films ever. When Lee J. Cobb loses it at the end, it does indeed get thrilling, more so than any mindless action film. SAW

87. The Thing from Another World--saw it a long time ago. That's James Arness as the Thing. SAW

86. The Picture of Dorian Gray--Hurd Hatfield plays Dorian Gray. For real.

85. Dracula--this puzzled me, as "Dracula" has always received a bad rap from critics about its pacing, citing the fact it is not suspenseful at all. The clips I have seen make it creaky, but Lugosi is good.

84. Poltergeist--where's "They're heeeere!" clip?

83. The Phantom of the Opera--where's the unmasking clip? C'mon, ya gotta show the good stuff.

82. The Day the Earth Stood Still--where's "Klatau Barada Nikto!" Man!

81. The Omen--this looks creepy to me. I've always been creeped out about this sort of thing. Note that similar content is covered in "Rosemary's Baby."

80. Rebecca--another slightly puzzling selection as most critics seem to prefer other, less widely known Hitch films for suspense value, such as (my favorites) "The 39 Steps," "The Lady Vanishes," and "Foreign Correspondent."

79. The Magnificent Seven--play the trivia game of taking the Magnificent Seven, the Dirty Dozen, and the dudes from the Great Escape, and seeing how many members overlap!

78. Gaslight--a real oldie here. The clip makes it look rather ludicrous.

77. Terminator 2: Judgment Day--Ahnold gets to wax eloquence (kinda) on this film. BOOM!

76. Thelma and Louise--the ultimate chick flick.

75. The Third Man--I wanted this for Christmas, but sadly it appears to be out of distribution right now. Where's "In Italy, under the Borgias..."?

74. Blade Runner--Harrison Ford shoots women in the back! Gets beat up by Rutger Hauer! Darryl Hannah dies! All this and more!

73. Laura--this looks really good too.

72. Platoon--I met a guy at a Shakespeare festival that said he was an acting partner to Willem Dafoe. Thought I'd mention that.

71. Goldfinger--there are more suspenseful Bond films, more action-packed Bond films, more plotted Bond films, but this is certainly representative of the ilk. Nice to have my favorite quote included. SAW

70. Dog Day Afternoon--"Attica! Attica! Attica!"

69. The Wild Bunch--Sam Peckinpah, your cameras await. More blood than at a butcher's convention.

68. Halloween--the only bad thing is that it began the slasher series of films.

67. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre--where's "Badges! We don't need no stinkin' badges!"?

66. The Matrix--this may be unpopular, but the big machine gun fight is just unnecessary. The slow-mo shootout, though, is terrific. SAW

65. The Dirty Dozen--look out Nazis, Hollywood's character actors are going to kick yo butt!

64. Touch of Evil--a pretty darn good film, although quite odd and contains annoyingly amateurish plot angles. Superb cast, including a young Norman Bates (sorta). SAW

63. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?--"But cha are, Blanche! Ya are in that chair!"

62. Spartacus--"I'm Spartacus!" Chop out about a half hour of boring stuff, and you've got a great Roman epic. The beginning is so sensational that it becomes sad near the end. SAW

61. Cape Fear--Robert Mitchum scared me when I watched this film. Unlike the more stylish "Night of the Hunter," this is a realistic film. Mitchum is just the kind of creep that truly exists. SAW

60. The Sixth Sense--sort of a crime how the ads gave the plot away so brazenly. I didn't predict the ending. Anyone else? SAW

59. Planet of the Apes--Charlton Heston has the part that parodists enjoy so much. Thank goodness they didn't spoil the ending. SAW

58. The Bridge on the River Kwai--Alec Guinness in his best role. The ending is sad, thought-provoking, and exciting. SAW

57. All the President's Men--Nixon busted by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman?

56. Frankenstein--I always thought the Monster's death extremely sad.

55. Wait Until Dark--this looks terrific too.

54. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid--I couldn't get into this--perhaps if it had a better pace instead of the ultra-stylish, lugubrious style. SAW (for a while)

53. Pulp Fiction--mixed reviews on this one. Depends how much of a Tarantino fan you are. Pondering the absence of "Reservoir Dogs."

52. Rocky--Sly Stallone begins his film career.

51. Raging Bull--this looks disturbing, but De Niro has the amazing power to pull you in like that.

50. Marathon Man--"Is it safe? Is it safe?" Man, don't see this before a dentist appointment!

49. Ben-Hur--Heston's Oscar-winning role. Yes, that's right, kiddies, Chuck did win an Oscar.

48. Dial M for Murder--there are better Hitchcocks. That is the only suspense scene in the film, and you saw it on AFI's special. SAW

47. Invasion of the Body Snatchers--no relation to "Pod People!" Trumpy, you can do •••••• things!

46. Carrie--John Travolta killed by Sissy Spacek? Hey, sounds promising...

45. Saving Private Ryan--unlike "Pearl Harbor," a WII film that decided not to pull its punches.

44. E.T.--the Hollywood family classic that I never saw (or forgot if I did).

43. The Wizard of Oz--umm, while it's a great film, and yeah that's thrilling stuff, did anyone else think this has been honored quite enough?

42. The Terminator--wasn't one Terminator film enough? They resisted the temptation to put all the Indiana Jones films on.

41. Dirty Harry--that's my man Clint! No Sergio Leone, no independent Eastwood, though. Just him and his Magnum, killing some punks. Ah, well. SAW

40. 2001--another slightly puzzling pick. The beginning is duller than dirt, mind you.

39. Die Hard--"Yippie kay yay!" Bruce with a gun.

38. Notorious--overlooked Hitch that I really want to see.

37. Casablanca--another downright odd pick. When I think heart-pounding thrills, I don't think "Casablanca." Not that it's bad.

36. Bullitt--Steve McQueen begins a series of California car chases.

35. Jurassic Park--it worked. I had my doubts, but it worked. Can't say the same about the sequels. SAW

34. The Night of the Hunter--darn, what is it with Mitchum and scaring kids? This was still scary, as Mitchum not only killed a mom, but chased kids! SAW

33. The Fugitive--that's not Tim Daly! Hee hee.

32. Strangers on a Train--for a thrill documentary, they missed the most thrilling sequence of all, the merry-go-round. SAW

31. Close Encounters of the Third Kind--Richard Dreyfuss has potato problems.

30. The Deer Hunter--Russian Roulette and Vietnam don't mix. Ouch.

29. The Shining--"Heeeeeeere's Johnny!"

28. Fatal Attraction--another odd pick as this was lambasted by a lot of critics.

27. Star Wars--a great adventure. For pure thrills, the sequels outweigh it, though. SAW

26. The Maltese Falcon--Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, Elisha Cook, and Sydney Greenstreet. They all want it. Bogart will stop them. 'Nuff said.

25. Titanic--I prefer the hour before the sinking (or before the rather inane plot) as one gets to see the beauty of the ship. SAW

24. Double Indemnity--the dad of "My Three Sons" decides it's time to live life dangerously.

23. Lawrence of Arabia--I want to see a film with Olivier, O'Toole, and Burton. Anybody know such a film?

22. Taxi Driver--"You talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?"

21. A Clockwork Orange--no clip of the "brainwashing" of Alex. Odd that.

20. High Noon--a western classic that shows how similar Gary Cooper and Harrison Ford were. SAW

19. The Great Escape--where's the way cool music theme?!

18. Vertigo--overrated Hitch, but I need to see it again to really review it. The church tower sequences are classic. SAW

17. The Manchurian Candidate--eliminate Janet Leigh's rather confusing role, and you have a perfect thriller. The scene with the Chinese brainwashers is A-1. SAW

16. Chinatown--that's Roman Polanski as the midget.

15. Deliverance--"Yew sure got a purty mouth."

14. Rear Window--seminal Hitch that is a good "Beginner's Intro to Hitchcock," as the premise is simple, and that scene with Raymond Burr noticing Jimmy Stewart is scarier than heck. SAW

13. Bonnie and Clyde--another slightly puzzling choice in my opinion.

12. King Kong--"'Twas Beauty killed the Beast."

11. The Godfather--"The Godfather," you say? Hmm...one of those too-many-times recognized films.

10. Raiders of the Lost Ark--I would put it higher, in my opinion, as this was one of the greatest action films of all time. It has a great performance from Harrison Ford (and Karen Allen too), plus THAT chase. SAW

9. Rosemary's Baby--Hey, if Ruth Gordon showed up at my door, I'd be scared too!

8. The French Connection--Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider kick some tail.

7. The Birds--doesn't hit into high gear into about a hour in, and then it's great but not classic Hitch, partly because it's sheer candy corn thrills. That doesn't lower the suspense. SAW

6. Alien--John Hurt is, well, hurt, as they say.

5. The Silence of the Lambs--"Hello, Clarice." Can anybody but Hopkins say "Chianti" so evil-like? That's Charles Napier as the guard killed by Lecter in the clip.

4. North by Northwest--an ultimate suspense/mystery/comedy by Hitch. From "You gentlemen aren't REALLY trying to kill my son?" to the crop duster to the auction to Mount Rushmore, this has it all. SAW

3. The Exorcist--never trust Captain Howdy, kids.

2. Jaws--Hey, Spielberg, scared me BOTH times. Masterful picture that has one of the best acting jobs of all time by Robert Shaw as Quint. SAW

1. Psycho--Janet Leigh's reason for not taking showers anymore.

What else is missing? (More as as I think of them...)

The Wages of Fear -- driving trucks full of nitroglycerin 300 miles. Remade as the not-as-good-and-poorly-titled Sorcerer.

Tremors -- great balance of humor and thrills.

Phantasm -- I haven't seen this move for 20 years and it still sticks in my memory.

Evil Dead II -- Low-budget, laughs and scares, that should have ended three minutes earlier than it did.

Tron -- if they chose movies on the list based on one scene, the light-cycle race qualifies. Being parodied in commercials even now, 17 years later. (Something with Tony Hawk)

Wait Until Dark is good.

Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman in possession of a doll full of drugs that a psychotic killer is after.

Steven King voted the final scenes one of his favorite scary-movie moments.

And the Manchurian Candidate is great, especially the climactic scene. (C'mon Sinatra, run FASTER!!)

Much as I love Tremors and Evil Dead II for the B-movies that they are, I really don't think they're thrilling at all.

Manchurian Candidate creeped me out when we watched it as part of our post-AP exam celebration. I can't play solitaire anymore.

Add "War of the Worlds" to "should have been on the list" too!

What? No "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? One of the most disturbing (and least bloody) horror films of my lifetime. The last 45 minutes is literally non-stop suspense and fear. I've never been more "thrilled" in that sense.

One old ghost movie I saw years ago didn't make it, either. Wish I knew the title, but its best moment is this exchange (broadly paraphrased):

"Thanks for holding my hand. I was scared, but I feel safer now."
"I'm not holding your hand."

But aside from a couple scenes, I never found "Notorious" or "Casablanca" that thrilling. Compelling, yes; classic, yes; romantic, yes. But not in the top 100 with regard to thrills.

I was pleased that they included Wait until Dark, though. (Did they ever actually mention in the special that the lead character was blind?) I was on the edge of my seat when I saw that one.

Any votes for "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

One of the commentators alluded to it. One of the main problems I have with the AFI specials is that there should be a few sentences briefly outlining the plot for some poor schlub that hasn't seen the film.

While I thought there was decent suspense in the movie, I really disagree with this comment:

Halloween--the only bad thing is that it began the slasher series of films.

No, there are other bad things: the acting is horrendous, the writing is little more than a watered down porno movie, and I found Michael's apparent immortality more annoyingly unbelieveable than anything. I know that John Carpenter explained that he's supposed to be something inhuman, but it would have been nice if that was actually said in the movie!

I find very little in Halloween that could be described as pornographic. Just a few seconds of toplessness in the first murder, viewed out of focus from behind a mask. Sex had very little to do with the plot, and wasn't even brought up in dialogue any more than in the average movie or TV sitcom.

As for being inhuman, that's what Dr. Loomis was saying throughout the entire film. Michael's miraculous recovery and disappearance are two of the most chililng aspects of the film. It's not until the sequels that he is revealed to be totally indestructible and starts walking out of explosions and stuff.

I do think Halloween would be more highly regarded today without its sequels and all the copycat movies out there. (The Atari 2600 game wasn't all the great, either.)

How about AFI 100 years of terrible movies. Hosted by Joel, Mike and the 'bots.

MikeC:
98.Blood Simple. Yes, it's the Coen brothers. And yes, it's good. Actually, great! My second fave C.Bros film right after Fargo. Funny (those crazy Coens) and frightful.

Mike, love your comments.

Does anyone else think the movies Se7en and The Road Warrior should've been mentioned. Or is it just me?

I haven't seen Road Warrior (is it anything like Megaforce?), but Videohound describes the climactic chase scene as "among the most exciting ever filmed."

I found Se7en absolutely riveting, and I can no longer look at Kevin Spacey without seeing him in that role.

I personally am outraged that "Lost Continent" did not make the list. I mean, just look at the rock climbing sequences in that film!

Disappointing. For a number of reasons. Complaint: as someone as already said, the definition of thrilling. When I hear thrilling, I see action. Otherwise, it does not make the list. If you want to talk about scary now . . . That is another list and another show. Complaint: Too few comedies. Comedies do not get the respect they deserve. Complaint: No animation. Some of the best action is not live action, but animation. Complaint: The choices are too obvious from films too well known. Any list ought include less obvious choices form less well known films. Having said that, here are a 100 films that are 50 times more thrilling then the ones in the other list, if not as fine. One note: Not all of these are strictly American, so technically they should not be included, but I included them anyway. Abbott and Costello Meet Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde: the climatic chase scene -- The Alamo: the battle scenes -- Alias Jesse James: the
climatic shootout -- All Quiet on the Western Front: the scenes of trench warfare -- The Aristocats: the chase scene involving the butler, the two dogs, and the kittens -- Atlantis: the ride to the rescue and the ensuing battle -- Babes in Toyland (1934): the climatic battle scenes -- Babes in Toyland (1961): march of the toys and the climatic battle scenes -- Bank Dick: the climatic chase scene -- Ben Hur: the naval battle -- The Black Hole: the shooting gallery scene -- The Black Swan: the climatic swordfight between Tyrone Powers and George Sanders -- The Bounty: the mutiny scenes -- Bram Stoker's Dracula: the climatic chase scene involving Dracula's coffin, the gypsies, and their pursuers -- Brannigan: the London pub brawl -- A Bridge Too Far: the battle scenes -- A Bug's Life: the circus acts -- Bugsy Malone: the climatic piefight -- Candleshoe: the climatic swordfight between David Niven and Leo McKern -- Casino Royale: the casino scenes -- Charlie Chan and the Dragon Queen: the chase through Golden Gate Park -- Cimarron (1960): the landrush -- •••• the Defiant: the first naval battle -- Dick Tracy (1990): the climatic shootout
-- Duel in the Sun: the race to the railhead -- Dune: the knifefights between Kyle McLachlan and Patrick Stewart or between Kyle McLachland and Sting -- Fall of the Roman Empire: the first battle scenes -- Fancy Pants: the climatic chase scene -- The Four Musketeers: the climatic swordfight between Michael York and Christopher Lee -- The Fuller Brush Man: the warehouse scenes -- Glory: the battle scenes -- The Great Race: the piefight -- The Hallelujah Trail: the non-battles -- How the West Was Won: the shootout on board the train. And as I see I am about out of space and out of time. We will continue this list next week.

Just saw "Kelly's Heroes." Now that deserves a slot--the mine field scene and the ending maneuvers in the small town are heart-pounding.

This continues my list from 7/01. One note before we continue. "**** the Defiant" is also known as "HMS Defiant." Maybe I should have said darn. Now, let us continue. Giant: the restaurant brawl between Rock Hudson and Mickey Simpson -- Ichabod and Mr. Toad: the climatic chase scene in "Ichabod" and the climatic scenes set in Toad Hall in "Mr. Toad" -- Intolerance: the fall of Babylon -- Island of Doctor Moreau (1977): the climatic battle between the animals and the manimals -- Krull: the ride of the fire mares -- Last Remake of Beau Geste: the orphanage brawl -- Lionheart: the climatic swordfight between Eric Stoltz and Gabriel Byrne -- Logan's Run: the climatic shootout between Logan (Michael York) and the Sandmen -- Lord of the Rings (1978): the battle scenes -- Magical Mystery Tour: the chase scene -- Major Dundee: the battle scenes -- Man from Snowy River: the horse round-up -- Masterminds: the chase through the sewers -- The Messenger: the battle scenes -- The Mighty Ducks: the ice hockey games -- Mighty Joe Young (1949): the orphanage fire -- The Mission: the battle scenes -- Mulan: the battle scenes -- The Muppets Take Manhattan: the chase through Central Park -- Muppets' Treasure Island: the battle with the pirates -- Mutiny on the Bounty (1962): the mutiny scenes -- Necessary Roughness: the bar brawl -- The Neverending Story: riding Falkor, the Luck Dragon -- Night and the City: the climatic wrestling match between Stanislaus Zbysko and Mike Mazurki -- North to Alaska: the bar brawl -- The Parent Trap (1998): the fencing scene -- Pearl Harbor: the aerial dogfights -- Pinocchio: the scenes with Monstro the Whale -- Play It to the Bone: the climatic boxing match between Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas -- Princess Bride" the swordfight between Cary Elwes and Mandy Pantinkin -- Quentin Durward: any of the swordfights -- Remember the Titans: the football games -- The Rescuers: the climatic chase scene --
Return to Snowy River: the horseback riding -- Robin Hood (1973): the archery tournament -- Romeo and Juliet (1969): the street brawls -- A Rough Night in Jericho: the shootout in the bar. Again, I see I am running out of space and time, so we will conclude this list next week

This is the continuation from my post of 7/8. San Francisco: the earthquake -- Scaramouche: the climatic swordfight between Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer -- Scavenger Hunt: the climatic chase scene -- Seven Chances: the climatic chase scene -- Sign of the the Cross: the Coliseum scenes -- Siren of Baghdad: the climatic swordfight between Hans Conreid and Charlie Lung -- Sleeping Beauty: from the escape of the prince from the dungeon to the death of the dragon -- Snow White and the 7 Dwarves -- from the ride of the Dwarves to rescue Snow White to the death of the witch -- Son of Flubber: the football game -- Star Wars: the first aerial dogfight after the escape from the Death Star -- Sullivan's Travels: the chase scene -- Swiss Family Robinson (1960): the battle with the pirates -- Tall Tales: the steel driving contest -- The 3 Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze -- the warehouse scenes -- tom thumb (1958): the climatic chase scene -- Tron: the game on the game grid and the subsequent chase scene -- The Undefeated: the Independence Day brawl -- Vera Cruz: the battle scenes -- The War Lord: the attack on the tower -- Waterloo: the battle scenes, especially the slo-mo cavalry charge -- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: "Something's Cookin'" --
Who's Minding the Mint: the climatic chase scene -- Wizards: the battle scenes -- World's Greatest Athlete: the race to the airport -- Young Winston: the cavalry charge -- Zorro (1977): the climatic swordfight between Alan Deloin and Stanley Baker -- Zulu: the battle scenes -- Zulu Dawn: the battle scenes. And this concludes the list of the "100 Most Thrilling Movies." Check one of these out. As I said, they may not be as fine as those others in the other list, but they are 50 times more thrilling. Enjoy

Elmer, for God's sake, PLEASE put that in a readable format!!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY got around to seeing "The Bridge on the River Kwai." For some reason, I always thought it was "The Bridge Over the River Kwai." This is #13 on the AFI Top 100 movies of all time.

I don't really see why this is such a highly regarded film. I was not bored by it, thought the cinematography and acting was excellent, but thought there were some extraneous parts and the first what, hour? is all about the Colonel in the sweat box.

Note: spoilers ahead...


I admit the tension of the arrival of the train was intense, but the denouement left me less than satisfied. The mission leader (the injured man who set off the mortars that killed at least one of his cohorts) leaves the area crying "I had to do it, they may have been captured alive!" Well, the mission was already pretty well known by then, wasn't it?

I thought Col. Nicholson would have some change of heart at the end but not as late as it came -- far too late as far as I was concerned. Speaking as a former Marine, I'd say yeah, he was a collaborator.

Maybe it would take a second viewing to truly appreciate what it has to offer. That would not be the first time that has happened with me. But (HEAVY SPOILER HERE) when the plot is, "They build a bridge, they blow it up" it seems a bit simplistic to me.

I loved David Lean's work in Lawrence of Arabia, and I'm no stranger to appreciating classic movies, but I don't think I'd want to sit through this one again.