Despite being sadly no longer with us for over 20 years, the films of Stanley Kubrick continue to amaze us and keep his dedicated followers analysing every frame due to his signature symbolism style of story-telling.
His back catalogue also continues to be discovered by new generations of films lovers. Kubrick is the type of director that has a tone that truly expands your imagination of how stories can be told through this medium. While I don't go nuts for most of his works, I always appreciate his craft that is truly gold standard worthy.
What makes the man even more impressive, you can be amazed at his dedication to his work without even seeing any of his films. There is enough books or articles out there that show the amount of detail he put into not just all of his films, but in every frame.
Kubrick has never made a sequel and explored several genres. His has covered sci-fi, horror, crime, period drama, historical epic, satirical comedy and war. Almost of his works are high up in a lot of people's all-time lists of greatest films.
Even with a success, Kubrick only ever directed 13 films in his 46 years of film-making. I have seen all but 1 of Kubrick's 13 films. I have yet to see Killer's Kiss. So with that in mind, below is my ranking of every Kubrick I have seen along with a short review for each of my top 10:
12) Fear And Desire
Like with most Kubrick films, the more times you re-watch it, the more content you start to find to help you understand how compelling it is.
9) A Clockwork Orange - A disturbing yet highly engaging experience that follows a youth gang causing terror in a dystopian future.
Lead by Malcolm McDowell, it explores the importance of evil within human nature and society.
The production design is visually arresting and the themes it covers makes for a great discussion.
Sadly, I will never see 'Singin In The Rain' the same way after seeing this.
8) Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb - A satirical comedy that explores the absurdity of war, particularly the Cold War that was still going on when this film was made.
These types of comedies rarely do it for me. But I did understand what this film was saying, and it is a very effective piece of work that can still be relatable viewing today.
There are some great performances and plenty of iconic lines of dialogue.
7) Barry Lyndon - An effective slow-burning period drama with amazing ground-breaking visuals.
It sees an Irish rogue take the opportunity of the position of an aristocrat to a rich widow. Set in 18th century England, this explores the change in someone's social status, how trust is used and twisted for gain the theories of luck.
The pacing and duration will put people off and general consensus will have people label this as over-rated. But I feel if you give this a chance, you will be absorbed by it.
Set during the Vietnam war, the film focuses on a group of Marine recruits go through a brutal boot camp that transforms into killers.
With the casting of an actual drill sergeant being the highlight of the film, it gives this drama great authenticity and effective imagery to put its message across.
A tragic look at war, the performance of Kirk Douglas and effective long-tracking shots has up there with the best anti-war films ever made.
This is also one of the most accessible films Kubrick has made.
4) The Killing - Kubrick's breakthrough feature sees a veteran criminal assemble a small team to plan a heist at a racetrack during one of its biggest race days of the year.
One of the early heist films that built the foundations for how modern versions are made, this is a slick and tense watch that hasn't dated.
3) The Shining - An 80's horror classic that is one of Kubrick's most analysed features.
When the father moves his family to an isolated hotel for the winter to help with his next novel, a sinister presence influences violence and presents horrific visions.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his most memorable performances. With the added spectacular camerawork, this is a great watch.
2) Spartacus - A historical epic with a star-studded cast that tells the story of a slave that lead an uprising against the Roman Republic.
From the sweeping shots, to the strong performances and to the large scope and scale of the production, everything about it speaks classic epic.
1) 2001: A Space Odyssey - It got mixed reviews when it make out, and it is now seen as one of the most important and greatest movies of all-time. It also got Kubrick's only Oscar win for its visual effects.
It's ground-breaking imagery, moving soundtrack and complex themes makes this a cinematic wonder.
I can definitely understand this movie could be seen as hugely disappointing (a bit like Citizen Kane). But I think this is definitely a film you can appreciate on multiple viewings.
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