Below is a curated list of top 20 IMDb-rated Hollywood classics, including directors, star casts, IMDb ratings, and brief descriptions. The rankings are based on IMDb’s Top-250 chart and user-generated lists, representing films deeply loved by audiences:
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)(completing the trilogy)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.7
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
- Synopsis: The Fellowship splits; battles for Middle-earth escalate as Frodo draws nearer to Mount Doom. JetPunk
19. Forrest Gump (1994)(widely acclaimed and high in rankings)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.8
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
- Synopsis: A man with a kind heart unwittingly influences historical events; his love for Jenny endures.
18. Se7en (1995)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.6
- Director: David Fincher
- Stars: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Synopsis: Two detectives track a serial killer inspired by the seven deadly sins in a haunting city.
17. Interstellar (2014)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.6
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
- Synopsis: Astronauts voyage through a wormhole to secure humanity’s future in the far reaches of space.
16. Fight Club (1999)(honorable mention, often ranked in top 10)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.8
- Director: David Fincher
- Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
- Synopsis: Disaffected individuals form an underground club that spirals into radical anarchy.
15. Goodfellas (1990)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.7
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
- Synopsis: The true story of Henry Hill’s rise and fall in the Mafia underworld.
14. The Matrix (1999)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.7
- Director: The Wachowskis
- Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
- Synopsis: A hacker discovers reality is a simulation and joins a rebellion to free humanity.
13. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.7
- Director: Irvin Kershner
- Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
- Synopsis: The Rebel Alliance suffers defeat; Luke trains with Yoda while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader.
12. Inception (2010)
- IMDb Rating: ~8.8
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Synopsis: A skilled thief navigates layered dream worlds to plant an idea—a mind-bending heist on consciousness.
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- IMDb Rating: 8.7
- Director: Milos Forman
- Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman
- Synopsis: A defiant patient challenges oppression in a mental institution, with dramatic consequences.
10. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
- IMDb Rating: 8.8
- Director: Sergio Leone
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
- Synopsis: During the Civil War, a trio hunt for buried gold in a tense standoff amid brutal conflict.
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- IMDb Rating: 8.9
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
- Synopsis: A young hobbit begins a perilous journey to destroy an evil ring forged by a dark lord.
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
- IMDb Rating: 8.9
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
- Synopsis: A nonlinear narrative weaving the lives of criminals, hitmen, and oddball characters in chaotic L.A.
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- IMDb Rating: 9.0
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
- Synopsis: The epic conclusion of the trilogy; battles rage as Frodo and Sam near Mount Doom.
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
- IMDb Rating: 9.0
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
- Synopsis: A factory owner risks everything to save Jewish refugees during WWII, defying a genocidal regime.
5. 12 Angry Men (1957)
- IMDb Rating: ~9.0
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam
- Synopsis: A lone juror challenges his peers to look beyond bias and doubt before condemning an accused teen.
4. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
- IMDb Rating: 9.0
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall
- Synopsis: Parallel stories follow the rise of Vito Corleone and Michael’s evolution as the family crime boss.
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
- IMDb Rating: ~9.0
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
- Synopsis: Batman faces his greatest nemesis, the Joker, who wreaks chaos and forces a moral reckoning in Gotham City.
2. The Godfather (1972)
- IMDb Rating: 9.2
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
- Synopsis: A patriarch of a mafia dynasty passes control to his conflicted son amidst family drama and criminal enterprise.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- IMDb Rating: 9.3
- Director: Frank Darabont
- Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
- Synopsis: A wrongfully convicted banker forms a powerful friendship in prison and finds meaning in hope and redemption.
