1. Trainspotting
2. The Third Man
3. Withnail and I
4. The Italian Job
5. Sexy Beast


It’s very easy to put down ‘classics’ when these all-time-best-of-lists are presented. The more recent films often suffer, and sometimes suffer unfairly. My remit when compiling this list was, what British Films do I remember, loved, and would watch again and again? This might be terribly unpopular with high brow critics, who would surely place “Brief Encounter” above the more mainstream “Sexy Beast”, but sod ‘em, this is my list.

Trainspotting defined a generation. Born Slippy was a landmark song. The cast have gone onto various career highs and lows, as have the film-makers. But this film just got everything right, at the right time. Finally, there was a film that gave British film a voice, and not one that kept saying “Carry On”, “James Bond”, “Merchant Ivory type” or old David Lean classics. This grabbed your attention with an off-putting subject and made you listen. Some condemned it, but again, to them I say “Sod ya!”. Choose life, and choose this DVD. Classic.

I love The Third Man. Don’t know when or how I got to watch it for the first time, but it’s a timeless film. The script, the direction, the cinematography, the catchy tune, the monumental cameo from Orson Welles. I just hope they don’t tarnish it’s memory with a Stallone remake…


Withnail and I. Nothing to add here that will convince you if you don’t already love this.

Aghast at the shocking sounding remake, I urge all to get this and see off what must be inferior tosh. We all know Caine’s lines from years of bad impressions, and the trio of minis is still being ripped off by adverts today. All hail Camp Freddy!

As Trainspotting had done 6 years before, it re-awoke a slumbering industry and reminded people that you shouldn’t just keep copying films that have worked before. For heaven’s sake, this was a gangster movie when everyone was sick of them – so hats off to Jonathan Glazer for doing SOMETHING to make it watchable. Many praise the disturbing work of Ben Kingsley in this, and rightly so, but if it wasn’t for the huge framed Ray Winstone looking so utterly petrified, it wouldn’t have worked half as well – a superb double act in a superb film. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 6 years before someone takes up the baton again.