One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and other movies based on books with 8+ IMDb rating

IMDb rating: 9.3

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton

Movie duration: 2 hours 22 minutes

Synopsis: Banker Andy Dufresne (Robbins) is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Shawshank State Penitentiary. Here he befriends a resourceful fellow inmate Ellis Redding (Freeman), usually just called Red. Using his financial skills and maintaining composure in various situations, Andy quickly ingratiates himself to the warden, Samuel Norton (Gunton). Unbeknownst to everyone, he has been plotting an escape for nearly two decades. An inspiration to Red for finding his own path to redemption, will Andy be able to gain freedom?

Why it is great: Based on the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King of all people (I say that because this movie is all about hope, and King is usually known for writing bleak tales about ghosts and monsters), The Shawshank Redemption bombed at the box office despite positive reviews. Since then, it has gained a cult following and now figures regularly on the list of greatest movies ever made. On IMDb, it is the top-rated movie, above films such as The Godfather (1972) and The Dark Knight (2008). Beautifully shot, scored and acted, it is the film’s theme of hope in adverse circumstances that has struck a chord with millions.

IMDb rating: 9.2

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Movie duration: 2 hours 55 minutes

Synopsis: Led by powerful crime lord Vito Corleone (Brando), the Corleone family is a crime syndicate in the post-World War II United States. Vito’s youngest son, Michael (Pacino), distances himself from the ‘family business’ but is forced to take control due to circumstances outside his control. The movie focuses on his transformation from a misfit in the world of crime into a capable mob boss.

Why it is great: One of the best movies ever made, The Godfather is based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 book of the same name and is an utter triumph of storytelling. The superb cast brings life to the story about things like family, power and loyalty. The richly sketched characters and story allow both moments of intense drama and quiet reflection. The visual style of the movie, as well as the score, add to the brilliance.

IMDb rating: 9

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley

Movie duration: 3 hours 15 minutes

Synopsis: An industrialist and member of the Nazi party called Oskar Schindler (Neeson) becomes an unlikely Good Samaritan to more than a thousand Jews after witnessing the persecution and atrocities inflicted upon their co-religionists by his compatriots during the Holocaust. He enlists the services of a Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern (Kingsley) who ensures that as many Jews are said to be important to German war efforts so that they will not be put inside gas chambers by the Nazis.

Why it is great: Based on Thomas Keneally’s 1982 novel of the same name (and true events; Oskar Schindler really did exist), this film sees Spielberg making a sharp departure from his usual filmmaking style of crafting exciting set pieces, action and jump cuts. Here, the camera lingers on the faces of the characters and the movie is almost entirely black and white. Spielberg is both sensitive and unstinting in his portrayal of the Nazi horrors and is helped greatly by Neeson’s career-defining lead performance.

IMDb rating: 8.9

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Bean, Hugo Weaving

Movie duration: 2 hours 58 minutes

Synopsis: In Middle-earth, a continent that is part of a world called Arda, an ancient evil is stirring again. The Dark Lord Sauron, who was vanquished thousands of years ago by an alliance of elves and men, plots his comeback through the One Ring, which is in the possession of Frodo (Wood), a lowly hobbit of the Shire. The ring is no ordinary piece of jewellery as it is a great burden for someone to carry and can corrupt even the most strong-willed. Pursued by the Nazgûl, Sauron’s undead lieutenants, Frodo and his friends, Samwise Gamgee (Astin), Merry (Monaghan) and Pippin (Boyd), are tasked with taking the One Ring to Rivendell, a settlement of elves ruled over by Lord Elrond (Weaving). They are accompanied by a mysterious man called the Strider (Mortensen).

Why it is great: This movie (and the following two films that collectively make up the trilogy) is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s hefty tome, The Lord of the Rings, often shortened to LOTR — which is a single book but is often published in three volumes. Diehard LOTR fans were sceptical when Jackson’s movies were announced. But all doubts disappeared when the first movie was released. It had a truly humongous scale to echo the grandeur of Tolkien’s worldbuilding in the book. Despite all that, the trilogy as a whole was really about its well-rounded characters, portrayed by a stellar (and mostly British) cast.

Here’s how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order

IMDb rating: 8.8

Directed by: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Helena Bonham Carter

Movie duration: 2 hours 19 minutes

Synopsis: An unnamed narrator (Norton) is dissatisfied with his corporate job and materialistic lifestyle and yearns to find a new purpose. He meets a charismatic soap salesman Tyler Durden (Pitt), and together they decide to start an underground fight club as a means of male bonding and a release from the daily stress. As the club grows more and more popular, it devolves into something more dangerous than the narrator had anticipated.

Why it is great: Based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, this movie explores consumerism, identity and rebellion. While Fincher had directed Se7en (1995) before (arguably his best movie), it was with this movie that he crystallised his unique style. Here, the unreliable narrator and non-linear storytelling are not merely gimmicks; they serve to give a peek into the fractured and chaotic psyche of our hero, if he can be called that. And much like Psycho (1960), Fight Club has a hell of a twist at the end that will boggle your mind.

IMDb rating: 8.8

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field, Gary Sinise

Movie duration: 2 hours 22 minutes

Synopsis: A kind-hearted, simple-minded man, the titular Forrest Gump (Hanks) recounts his extraordinary story to strangers at a bus stop. Despite his intellectual disability, he claims to have experienced a truly remarkable life. He was a part of important historical events in 20th-century America. He excelled in college football, fought in the Vietnam War, became a successful ping-pong player, started a lucrative shrimp business, taught Elvis Presley his signature dance move and more. He remains a good and humble man despite his achievements. He also remains in love with Jenny (Wright), his childhood friend.

Why it is great: Forrest Gump is one of those rare movies that vastly improves upon its source material. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. While the book is not bad at all, the movie is more focused and emotionally resonant — perhaps it’s also Hanks’ affecting performance that makes it so good.

IMDb rating: 8.7

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Movie duration: 2 hours 25 minutes

Synopsis: Former gangster Henry Hill (Liotta) recounts his life story as a young Irish-Italian American who gets involved in the Italian-American Mafia in New York and quickly rises through the ranks, thanks to his intelligence and resourcefulness. He is guided by charismatic Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and volatile (and plain insane, if you ask me) Tommy DeVito (Pesci) in organised crime. The lifestyle he describes is not only glamorous but is also full of dangers lurking around the corner.

Why it is great: Based on the non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, this movie is arguably the best of Scorsese’s mob movies. And if you are even remotely familiar with his oeuvre, you know that is saying something. Loud, rambunctious and stylish, it is a stunningly shot and acted movie that immerses you in beautifully recreated 1960s and 1970s New York that is both seductive and perilous, even for mobsters. The soundtrack is astoundingly good — not just the background score but also songs that pepper the narrative.

IMDb rating: 8.7

Directed by: Miloš Forman

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman

Movie duration: 2 hours 13 minutes

Synopsis: Randle McMurphy (Nicholson), a statutory rape convict who pretends to be insane, avoids imprisonment and gets transferred to a mental institution instead. But even there, he does not find things as easy as he would have liked. Patients at the facility are tortured, dehumanised and oppressed by Nurse Ratched (Fletcher), a heartless and cruel woman. McMurphy’s arrival, however, augurs change as he inspires other patients to stand up to Ratched.

Why it is great: Based on Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel of the same name, this movie is an engaging examination of institutionalised oppression and human resilience. There is something raw and evocative about this movie that is often sanitised in other movies of this kind. Nicholson proves, even more here than in The Shining (1980), I believe, why he is one of the greatest film actors this world has ever seen. He is electric, filled with a rebellious energy in the film.

IMDb rating: 8.6

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Cast: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse

Movie duration: 3 hours 9 minutes

Synopsis: In 1930s Louisiana, Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) is a senior prison guard whose job is to oversee death row inmates. A hulking John Coffey (Duncan) is brought to the Green Mile, as the penitentiary is called because of its green linoleum floor. Turns out, he is accused of raping and murdering two little girls. But Paul and other guards cannot find a mean bone in John, who despite his bulk is gentle and childlike in his disposition. Surely, such a man could not have committed such a heinous crime? Things get stranger when it is revealed that John possesses magical healing powers.

Why it is great: Like The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile is directed by Frank Darabont and is based on a Stephen King novel — both movies are set in a prison and share cast members. Darabont directed a couple of truly great King adaptations (also check out his 2007 movie, The Mist). Although The Green Mile is a bleak story, unlike The Shawshank Redemption, it is as impressive in its depiction of the human condition. Despite its moments of pathos, it nevertheless gives glimpses of hope.

IMDb rating: 8.6

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson

Movie duration: 2 hours 46 minutes

Synopsis: Following the attack on House Atreides by Harkonnens, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Ferguson) join forces with the desert-dwelling Fremen to fight for the control of Arrakis. Paul grapples with the weight of being a supposed messiah to the Fremen and his romantic feelings for Chani (Zendaya), a young Fremen woman.

Why it is great: Part Two is, like Dune: Part One, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune (the first movie covers the first half and the second half covers the rest of the novel). Even more than the first movie, the sequel is a grandiloquent visual marvel that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen available. It is more action-heavy than the first movie, and the scale and scope of the battles and worldbuilding will take your breath away. It’s not just bells and whistles, though. The script is taut, and the story is richly thematic, exploring topics like religion and power.

IMDb rating: 8.6

Directed by: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund

Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele

Movie duration: 2 hours 10 minutes

Synopsis: In Rio de Janeiro’s slums, two boys, Rocket (Rodrigues) and Li’l Zé (Firmino) go on diverging paths. While the former becomes a photographer, the latter becomes a ruthless drug lord. The story is also about the birth of organised crime in the city and paints a vivid picture of what life is like in the favelas (the term means slum or ghetto).

Why it is great: Based on Paulo Lins’ novel of the same name, the movie is also inspired by real events. The movie is unflinching, visceral and has a raw quality to it. The filmmaking style makes it almost look like a documentary, as though we are stealing glimpses of real people and their daily lives. City of God was and remains a landmark achievement.

IMDb rating: 8.5

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

Movie duration: 1 hour 49 minutes

Synopsis: Marion Crane (Leigh) is a young woman who has stolen a large sum of money from her boss and is on the run. She takes refuge from a storm in Bates Motel. Run by Norman Bates (Perkins), who appears nice enough, there are hints of something sinister beneath the friendly façade. He appears to live in a house beside the motel in the terror of his unseen but controlling mother. As the night wears on, Marion is attacked by a knife-wielding assailant.

Why it is great: Based on Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, Psycho is the most ‘Hitchockian’ of all Hitchcock movies — the adjective suggesting suspense, unreliable characters, psychological complexity, one-location settings and plot twists. This movie has all of that and more. The twist at the end of the movie is often imitated but never rivalled. Even after multiple viewings, its climactic scene has retained its impact on me. It was a slasher movie before the term was popularised by Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and then Halloween (1978).

Psycho and other classic horror flicks to stream for Halloween on Netflix, Prime, & Hotstar

IMDb rating: 8.2

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello

Movie duration: 2 hours 7 minutes

Synopsis: A billionaire, John Hammond (Attenborough), builds an amusement park on an island and populates it with dinosaurs, genetically engineered by scientists in his employ. To acquire a safety certification, he invites palaeontologist Alan Grant (Neill) and palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler (Dern) to the park. Chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) is also invited, though not by Hammond. During a tour, power systems fail and the dreaded Tyrannosaurus rexes break free, causing chaos. Grant finds himself protecting Hammond’s young grandchildren, Tim (Mazzello) and Lex (Richards).

Why it is great: Based on Michael Crichton’s book of the same name, Jurassic Park is simply the best Spielberg movie according to me. And that alone makes it one of the best movies ever. If Spielberg invented the summer blockbuster with Jaws (1975), he perfected it with Jurassic Park. The movie features visual effects, driven by animatronics and CGI, that hold up astonishingly well even today. But more than the visuals, it is the constant sense of tension that made it so successful and influential. The movie also led to a burst of interest in these prehistoric beasts and might have inspired many kids to take up the field of palaeontology.

IMDb rating: 8.2

Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin

Movie duration: 2 hours 2 minutes

Synopsis: In Texas in the 1980s, Anton Chigurh (Bardem) is a callous and efficient hitman who is tasked with recovering a suitcase of stolen money. The said money is in the possession of Llewelyn Moss (Brolin), a humble welder who found it at the scene of a drug deal gone wrong. The two engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Also involved is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Jones), a cynical cop who is unable to deal with the new-age violence and chaos in his community.

Why it is great: Based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel, this movie nicely illustrates why cinema is primarily a visual medium that does not really require a lot of dialogue or — in some cases — any dialogue. Whatever dialogue is there in No Country for Old Men, however, is punchy and extremely quote-worthy, fleshing out the characters with the precision of Remington Model 700.

IMDb rating: 8

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Cast: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon

Movie duration: 1 hour 38 minutes

Synopsis: Framed as a fairy tale told by a grandfather to his sick grandson, the story-within-a-story follows a beautiful young woman Buttercup (Wright) and her true love Westley (Savage). Westley must rescue Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon), who wishes to marry her against her will. Along the way, Westley encounters numerous challenges and a colourful cast of characters, including a swashbuckling Spaniard swordsman Inigo Montoya (Patinkin) and the gentle giant Fezzik (André the Giant).

Why it is great: Based on William Goldman’s novel of the same name, the movie has everything, be it comedy, romance and adventure. It is also unapologetically derivative and wears its influences on its sleeves. But unlike, say, Shrek (2001), it embraces those tropes instead of parodying them. It’s an instant classic.