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Don Druker, Chicago Reader

1. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz 1974 full review
2. Chinatown 1974 Polanski's film suggests that the rules of the game are written in some strange, untranslatable language, and that everyone's an alien and, ultimately, a victim. full review
3. The Conversation 1974 Coppola manages to turn an expert thriller into a portrayal of the conflict between ritual and responsibility without ever letting the levels of tension subside or the complicated plot get muddled. full review
4. The Great Gatsby 1974 Director Jack Clayton seems overawed by the opulence of the production as well as by the mythic presence of Fitzgerald -- and the result is a film of shimmering surface brilliance and almost complete lack of focus or substance. full review
5. Charley Varrick 1973 full review
6. The Day of the Jackal 1973 It's a polished and exciting thriller, mercifully unburdened with heavy political/philosophical digressions. full review
7. Jesus Christ Superstar 1973 The music quickly becomes monotonous, and the operatic dialogue is silly right from the start. full review
8. Serpico 1973 A virtuoso performance by Al Pacino and some expert location work by Sidney Lumet add up to a tour de force genre piece that transcends the supercop conventions to create a moving, engrossing portrait of Frank Serpico. full review
9. Ulzana's Raid 1972 full review
10. Billy Jack 1971 full review
11. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970 Affectionately conceived, chock-full of marvelous subtleties, this meticulously constructed adventure-romance shouldn't be missed. full review
12. The African Queen 1951 The direction is often questionable, but the screenplay (by James Agee, John Collier, Huston, and Peter Viertel from C.S. Forester's novel) is a model of tight construction. full review
13. Union Station 1950 full review
14. I Was a Male War Bride 1949 Howard Hawks's darkest comedy (1949) -- a loosely constructed, episodic film that traces the progressive humiliations suffered by Free French army captain Cary Grant. full review
15. The Lady Vanishes 1938 This is vintage Hitchcock, with the pacing and superb editing that marked not only his 30s style but eventually every film that had any aspirations whatever to achieving suspense and rhythm. full review
16. The Bride of Frankenstein 1935 Whale added an element of playful sexuality to this version, casting the proceedings in a bizarre visual framework that makes this film a good deal more surreal than the original. full review
17. A Farewell to Arms 1932 full review
18. Faust 1926 As atmospheric and menacing a work as the expressionist movement ever produced. full review
19. Go West 1925 full review