Paul Newman revels in his role as the sassy and irreverent Luke Jackson, a rebellious prisoner, (sentenced for cutting the heads off parking meters one drunken night!), in one of Florida's notorious prison chain gangs. His refusal to conform wins him the respect of his fellow inmates, but, following the death of his mother, he decides to escape. Newman's role won critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination. A witty and well-observed film, with some very funny scenes, (see the boiled egg race!) find out more...

Phyllis Dietrichson is trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who inspires in her nothing but contempt, but rather than leave him Phyllis decides to kill him and collect on the insurance policy she's had set up with the help of her lover, and naive partner in crime, insurance salesman Walter Neff. The only flaws in their plan are the company's reluctance to pay out so much, the diligence of Neff's increasingly suspicious colleague, (and his 'little man'), and the exemplary ruthlessness of Ph find out more...

Undoubtedly one of Hitch's best. An innocent businessman is mistaken for a spy by enemy agents and learns the true meaning of persecution, while a deceptively beautiful blonde in the pay of his tormentors steals his heart. A tense and compulsively gripping nice-guy's nightmare. Obligatory viewing. find out more...

Hitchcock's masterpiece. A news photographer is confined to his apartment by an injury and spends his days watching the neighbours. He comes to believe that he is witnessing the preparations for a murder. Based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich. Suspense, ambiguity and voyuerism; total brilliance! find out more...

A psycho-chiller/thriller from the master of the genre as the naive young wife of a rich Cornish land owner is haunted by the image of his first glamorous wife, Rebecca. The usual mix of pyschology and fine film making, and widely considered to be one of Hitchcock's best works. Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards. find out more...

Lemmon is an ambitious young corporate executive who finds promotion comes his way most easily by lending out his flat for his superiors to pursue their extra-marital affaires. It all gets too much when a jilted Maclaine attempts suicide in his flat and he has to take the blame. A comedy classic. Won Best Picture at 1960 Academy Awards.

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One of the great sixties films, the one that brought Dustin Hoffman to public notice, as he plays an alienated Los Angelian rich kid searching for a meaning in life and discovering sex. Great movie to be watched, or rewatched, and with a superb soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel. find out more...

A talented young pool whizz-kid being groomed for the big time comes to grief when he falls in love. A downbeat drama with some brilliantly handled and atmospheric pool hall scenes and a low-life romance. Outstanding performances all round. find out more...

Laughton's only stab at directing, with Mitchum giving a stunning performance as the psychopathic preacher who, whilst in jail for a minor offence, hatches a devious plan to get his hands on the loot stashed by his condemned cell-mate. Set in '30s rural America, the film polarises into a struggle between good and evil for the souls of innocent children. Laughton's deliberately old-fashioned direction throws up a startling array of images: an amalgam of Mark Twain-like exteriors (idyllic riversid find out more...