15 Best Movies Of All Time, According To Letterboxd

Letterboxd was first established in 2011. What once was a peculiar site for film nerds has grown exponentially in recent years to become a go-to social media app for all kinds of cinema fans. Whether it's casual watchers of motion pictures or die-hard movie fans with Agnes Varda's name tattooed on their backs, Letterboxd has become the place for all of them. Users on this site log movies they've watched and offer up their own ratings or reviews. Such reviews can be a single pithy sentence or a longer treatise full of insight into what makes a piece of art tick.

Events like a big horror director writing a "Madame Web" Letterboxd review (and not holding back) have helped generate so much attention towards this social media platform. However, what really gets people hooked on Letterboxd is the movies themselves. That includes the features comprising Letterboxd's top 500 films list. This regularly updated collection of motion pictures consists of the 500 movies with the highest user ratings on the site. 

The 15 best movies on Letterboxd, according to users (as of this writing), are the ones that rule this list and are often acclaimed masterpieces that encapsulate why people harbor lifelong passions for film. Letterboxd can be useful for more than just humorous reviews of bad movies. It can also be a place to truly savor 15 movies that make this medium worthwhile.

• Cast: Al Pacino, James Caan, Marlon Brando
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 175 minutes
• Where to Watch: Paramount+

When Letterboxd first introduced an official best films of all-time list back in 2013, the majority of the top 15 films were English-language features. Only three of these 15 projects were sound films spoken in a language other than English (all three were Japanese titles). A microcosm of how English-language motion pictures once ruled this list was how its initial number one film was "The Godfather." Today, this project is now at number 15 on Letterboxd's highest-rated feature list, but don't let that take away from this project remaining a masterpiece.

"The Godfather's" absorbing saga of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) initially refusing the siren call of the Corleone mob family's violent ways before succumbing to the gangster life endures as a riveting achievement. Everything, from the pacing to the performances to the harrowing depictions of violence to the commentary on American existence, has as much potency as it did back in 1972. No wonder it's endured as a fixture among the most revered films by Letterboxd users.

• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Where to Watch: Kanopy

What endures as especially astonishing about "Parasite" isn't just its insightfulness as social commentary or the intricate craftsmanship underlying every scene. Arguably, writer/director Bong Joon-ho's most staggering accomplishment here is in making something that's all of those things and more while being wickedly entertaining. "Parasite" is loaded with dark comedy and plot turns that will leave even the most jaded moviegoer gasping. It's just a phenomenal thriller that also has so much precise artistry transpiring under the hood.

Combining searing observations about capitalism with tremendous crowd-pleaser filmmaking would be an impossible task for many. For the helmer of "Snowpiercer," "Mother," and "The Host" (among other features), though, the gloriousness of "Parasite" comes so effortlessly. Best of all, the feature executes all those joyful qualities while also executing an emotional gut-punch of an ending, demonstrating the power of just a camera moving downward. "Parasite" thrills on every level, making it unsurprising that Letterboxd users adore it.

• Cast: Wu Nien-jen, Elaine Jin, Issey Ogata
• Director: Edward Yang
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 173 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Writer/director Edward Yang made movies you could marinate in. His glacial style of filmmaking was a masterclass in unhurried, observational cinema. With this filming approach, Yang lingered on everyday reality, the quiet heartaches and sights that make up so much of our daily lives. These events or interactions that so many movies pass by are the centerpieces of masterpieces like "Yi Yi." Over 173 minutes, "Yi Yi" lets viewers into the lives of the Jian family.

The family members' ages vary, but all are plagued by assorted emotional woes. Whether it's regrets over lost loves, navigating depression, or unexpected romances, everyone is dealing with immense angst, especially after the family's grandmother goes into a coma. These various subplots are as compelling as Wei-hang Yang's cinematography, which vividly and strikingly reinforces how the various Jian relatives are dwarfed by the larger world. We all feel small. We all feel lonely. Cinematic treasures like "Yi Yi" let us grapple with that reality in a quietly mesmerizing fashion.

• Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 195 minutes
• Where to Watch: Peacock

Director Steven Spielberg is known for his soaring moments in blockbuster cinema. Titles like "Jurassic Park" and "E.T." each have absorbing set pieces hinging on incredible John Williams music and Spielberg's visual showmanship. "Schindler's List," though, is one of several features in Spielberg's filmography reflecting this artist's incredible hand at achingly sparse depictions of the world. Most remarkably, this talent fuels a climactic sequence after Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is informed that the Nazi's have been defeated. As he leaves his factory with the various Jewish citizens he's saved, he looks around and sees the various possessions he still owns.

Schindler suddenly breaks down, realizing how he could've sold items like a car or his watch to secure funds to save even more people from the Nazi's. "Schindler's List" gives viewers a harrowing glimpse into a genocide and how its horrors endure even after wars end. Rarely has even a cinema master Spielberg been this emotionally powerful.

• Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 201 minutes
• Where to Watch: HBO Max

In the first top 250 movies list from Letterboxd users, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was "only" in 66th place. That put the feature behind "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Annie Hall," and "Fight Club," among many other features. Over a decade later, further generations of audiences nostalgic for the early 2000s (when director Peter Jackson launched three fantasy movie masterpieces rooted in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth) have propelled it to the 11th slot on the current top 500 list.

How could "Return of the King" not rise in estimation over time? It's a spectacular feat of both blockbuster filmmaking and movie magic. Jackson and company cram so many cathartic crowdpleaser moments into one movie while never forgetting the humanity of its central underdog characters amidst all the chaos. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is more than just the best "Lord of the Rings" movie. It also procured an ascension among Letterboxd users as unsurprising as Gollum's fixation on the One Ring.

• Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino Da Hora, Jonathan Haagensen
• Director: Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 129 minutes
• Where to Watch: Kanopy

Cidade de Deus, Rio de Janeiro, is the titular location of "City of God." It's also the backdrop for one of the most acclaimed movies on Letterboxd. "City of God," hailing from directors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, chronicles several lives inside this area, including criminal Li'l Ze (Leandro Firmino) and aspiring photographer Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues). "City of God's" visionaries uncover many visually creative ways to reflect how richly detailed yet quietly connected the lives of its various characters are.

This is especially true in one unforgettable single-take shot taking place across a lengthy period of time in one fateful apartment. Such richly distinctive visuals are everywhere in this motion picture and lend extra propulsion to a crime saga rife with tragic humanity. Visiting "City of God" is often a harrowing experience, but also one you'll never forget.

• Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima
• Director: Masaki Kobayashi
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 204 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Cinema is often thought of as being a means of escapism, which many films do spectacularly well. However, cinema is a more than versatile enough medium to house all kinds of artistic ambitions, including commenting on the greater world and human nature. Writer/director Masaki Kobayashi embarked on an expansive vision of such lofty goals for cinema with "The Human Condition I: No Greater Love," the first of his three "Human Condition" films.

These titles chronicled pacifist Japanese citizen Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), whose life and worldview are upended as World War II rocks his country. Kobayashi's post-"Human Condition" works, like "Harakiri" and "Kwaidan," were realized with immense craftsmanship that informs every inch of "No Greater Love's" reputation. The most brutal truths and complex facets are hard to comprehend. Works like "The Human Condition I: No Greater Love" deftly confront those elements and, in the process, redefine what cinema's capable of.

• Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
• Director: Frank Darabont
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Where to Watch: Apple TV

The saga of "The Shawshank Redemption's" cultural reputation is truly extraordinary. Part of "The Shawshank Redemption's" untold truth is that it was once a box office disappointment, seemingly overshadowed in 1994 by "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction." However, "Shawshank" quickly developed a life of its own once it hit home video and cable reruns. In this arena, "Shawshank Redemption" was a juggernaut that struck a profound chord with people. It was a hopeful ballad whose characters and performances resonated powerfully with anyone who saw it.

"Shawshank Redemption's" legacy has been so towering that it's often picked by users of various movie-themed websites, like IMDB, as the best feature of all-time. Letterboxd is no exception to this phenomenon. "Shawshank Redemption" currently ranks among the site's ten highest-rated movies ever. Andy Dufresne's prowess is truly eternal.

• Cast: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 202 minutes
• Where to Watch: Paramount+

How on Earth do you top 1972's "The Godfather"? That was the task facing everyone involved in "The Godfather: Part II," a sequel that had to prove there was even more compelling storytelling material within the Corleone crime family. In the end, director Francis Ford Coppola and company wildly succeeded. Part of this victory came from a willingness to embrace new elements that sharply differentiated "Part II" from the original "Godfather." Chief among those elements was a story structure that cut between an older Michael Corleone and a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) at the dawn of the 20th century.

Hopping across time amplified the grand scope of these "Godfather" films while accentuating the long-standing nature of the cyclical violence Michael is now trapped in. Tremendous performances and incredible camerawork were just some of the many achievements in "The Godfather: Part II," which somehow managed to surpass its sublime predecessor. 

• Cast: Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 143 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Nearly every Akira Kurosawa movie features a moment that reminds viewers why movies are so special in the first place. It could be the blocking in a specific scene or performances in titles like "I Live in Fear" that sear into your memory. Kurosawa always had a knack for reaffirming cinema's gloriousness as an artform. His crime thriller "High and Low" is no exception. This story of wealthy man Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), whose chauffeur's son gets snatched by kidnappers, is overflowing with remarkable staging and nail-biting suspense sequences.

The monochromatic color scheme of "High and Low" also does wonders for the production's ominous atmosphere. Not only do the black-and-white hues reflect Gondo's initial streamlined worldview, but they also underscore the intensity of riveting sequences like "High and Low's" kidnapper stalking a tormented woman down an alleyway. Per usual for a Kurosawa film, "High and Low" is not to be missed.

• Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 207 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Of course, Letterboxd users would ensure that multiple Akira Kurosawa movies made it into the site's top ten highest-rated movies. This is a site, after all, that's supposed to be for film aficionados who love discussing projects like "Daisies" and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans". Any discussion of the greatest works cinema has to offer has to heavily emphasize the immense contributions Akira Kurosawa has made to this medium. That includes his 1954 motion picture "Seven Samurai," arguably his most seminal and influential work.

Even after informing so many American remakes (like "The Magnificent Seven") and pastiches, "Seven Samurai's" engrossing majesty still works on its own terms. Watching this title in the modern world, all of "Seven Samurai's" imitators instantly wash away. Kurosawa's sweeping vision, the flawless ensemble cast, and the tremendously involving character arcs all work stupendously. "Seven Samurai" is essentially a 207-minute encapsulation of why Kurosawa is so revered.

• Cast: Aleksei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova
• Director: Elem Klimov
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Grueling. That's the only word one can use to describe "Come and See." This isn't so much a motion picture as it is a grueling depiction of war's immense cost. The saga of Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko) enduring Nazi Germany forces occupying Byelorussia is one of relentless pain and misery. Lives are lost in the blink of an eye. Hopes for salvation are dashed away instantaneously. Nazi officers execute the most ruthless genocidal actions with frightening nonchalance. There, in the middle of it all, is Flyora, his wide eyes bearing witness to the unthinkable.

Everything about "Come and See," right down to it being filmed in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, vividly captures entrapment in ceaseless anguish. Writer/director Elem Klimov (who penned the script with Ales Adamovich) unflinchingly captures the human beings caught in explosions, gunfire, and dehumanization practices fueling war. This isn't just an impactful movie. It leaves you haunted, as if all these events were your own towering memories. "Come and See" isn't just devastating. It's also essential, masterful filmmaking that's more heartbreakingly relevant than ever.

• Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley
• Director: Sidney Lumet
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 97 minutes
• Where to Watch: Kanopy

No list of the greatest movies of all time would be complete without at least one motion picture from director Sidney Lumet. Quietly one of the most prolific filmmakers of the 20th century, Lumet could do anything from tense crime films like "Dog Day Afternoon" to grim examinations of the past bleeding into the present in "The Pawnbroker" to wry, entertaining gems like "Deathtrap." Yet even a director of his stature hit his artistic peak with his directorial debut, the 1957 film "12 Angry Men." 

Adapted from a 1954 teleplay of the same name, the feature takes place in a single courthouse room as 12 male jury members debate whether or not an 18-year-old killed his father. Everyone is convinced this guy is guilty, except for Juror #8. Thus starts a riveting dialogue-driven exercise in which 12 men with vividly distinctive personalities contend not only with a murder suspect's potential guilt, but their own psychological hang-ups. 

There isn't a false note in the whole cast (which includes Henry Fonda, John Fielder, and Lee J. Cobb, among others), while Lumet and cinematographer Boris Kaufman display stunning yet undistracting finesse in the film's visuals. Every aspect of "12 Angry Men" is firing on all cylinders. Wringing so much power out of a single-location film epitomizes why Sidney Lumet was one of the greatest filmmakers.

• Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Kin Sugai, Kyoko Kishida
• Director: Masaki Kobayashi
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 190 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

Many of the best war movies of all time are situated on soldiers armed with weapons, going through trenches and fighting their enemies head-on. With "The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer," writer/director Masaki Kobayashi's expansive look at World War II drastically changing a human psyche goes in a different direction. Kobayashi instead focuses on trilogy lead Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai) and other male characters simply seeking to survive. They've already endured so much, yet their turmoil is far from over as "A Soldier's Prayer" begins.

If you thought the 14 most disturbing movies of all time were hard to stomach, then gird yourselves for "The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer," as various intense set pieces put Kaji through the emotional wringer. As this character's story comes to an end, Masaki Kobayashi lays bare the horrifying cost of war. Even surviving can sometimes be a curse after all the horrors one experiences.

• Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentarō Mikuni, Akira Ishihama
• Director: Masaki Kobayashi
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 133 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel

The (current) top two projects on Letterboxd's 500 highest user-rated films hail from the same filmmaker, Masaki Kobayashi. Normally, centering the top two on a single director might seem hyperbolic. Given that it's Kobayashi, though, this achievement is incredibly understandable. Of course, the "Kwaidan" director would reign supreme. Best of all, Letterboxd patrons have declared one of his most astonishing creations, "Harakiri," the greatest film of all time.

This Jidaigeki ballad begins with Tsugumo Hanshiro (Tatsuya Nakadai) materializing at a Li Clan palace wishing to commit the act of Harakiri. To ruin the specifics of what happens next would be a crime, as it's truly a marvel to witness "Harakiri's" various tragic machinations unfurl. Needless to say, though, the entire movie is a masterpiece and one that blossoms into a saga you can't turn away from. Somehow, "Harakiri" more than earns its spot at the top of this Letterboxd list.