So I was thinking of some more personalized movie content to provide for you Movie Mashers, and I realized that I have never officially compiled my Top 10 List of my favorite movies. So you know what, that’s exactly I did. I spent several hours last week narrowing down my Top 10 List for EVERY movie genre, i.e. Thrillers, Comedy, Horror, etc. To start off with, I’m going to breakdown my my favorite genre, Thrillers. I love well-crafted suspense that puts you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing to the very end. In that regard, I consider Thrillers to be the most engaging genre of film due to its intense audience interaction. Keep checking in to The Movie Mash for a new edition of Top 10 every Thursday.  Check out my Top 10 Thrillers list after the jump.

Before we get to the list, I should mention that this Top 10 List of Thrillers is heavily dominated by David Fincher and Christopher Nolan films. Nolan is my favorite director hands down and Fincher comes in at a close second. So because both of their resumes consist of mostly thrillers, its no coincidence that their films are represented heavily in this list. So lets get to it.

#10 Munich

Of all the accomplishments of Steven Spielberg’s career: two-time Oscar winner, net worth of $4 billion, named one of the 25 most influential people of the 21st Century by Time magazine; Munich is, in MY OPINION, one of his greatest achievements as a director. I know everyone’s going to be shouting out, “What about Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, etc.?” Well you know what, this is my list and I frickin’ love Munich. Based on the true story of the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich, Germany where 11 Israeli athletes were brutally murdered by a group of Palestinian terrorists, Munich is the story of the Israeli revenge on those responsible. And it is intense.

The story has some, of course, serious exaggerations of the pay back assassinations in various countries throughout Europe that was secretly funded by the C.I.A., but the story is so engrossing and the direction is so crisp and nerve-wracking, it doesn’t allow you to glance at your watch, even during its 163 minute run time. Eric Bana is simply badass as the lead Jewish assassin with a conscience and Daniel Craig is awesome as always, playing the British team member who doesn’t give a crap. Munich is simply a badass thriller that everyone should see.

#9 The Prestige

“Are you watching closely?” I’m sorry, The Illusionist who? Yeah, there was only one badass, magician mind-F movie that came out in 2005 and it was The Prestige. The follow-up film to Batman Begins from my favorite director of all time Christopher Nolan, who is represented again later in the countdown, is one of the most unique and complex films to come out in the past decade. In Victorian-era London, two rival magicians play a deadly and diabolical game of ‘one-upsmanship’ to prove who is better. Their game eventually proves deadly as Nolan’s web unravels, revealing a story that will send chills down your spine and an ending that, once the credits start rolling, will make your jaw drop, look at your friends and say “WTF?”

With brilliant performances by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and Nolan’s compelling script and direction, The Prestige is an example of movie-making at its finest. It’s one of those films that, even after watching 25 times like I have, you find something new every time that you didn’t pick up on before that adds to its sheer brilliance and complexity. We only have Christopher Nolan to thank for that.

#8 The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a severely underrated film and one that many movie goers have either forgotten about or have never seen. Ripley was nominated for five Academy Awards in 2000 including Best Supporting Actor for Jude Law and Best Adapted Screenplay. Law’s performance was great no doubt, but I believe Matt Damon’s performance as a 1950′s underachiever who aches to be accepted and live the good life as THE performance of the film. His obsession for acceptance turns disturbing as he attempts to steal the identity of Dickie Greenleaf (Law’s character). The plot turns nerve-wracking and extremely uncomfortable to watch, in a good way, as Damon’s web of lies spins out of control to the point of multiple murders.

The acting is top notch, the writing is elegant and compelling, the scenery is gorgeous (as most of the film takes place in beautiful Venice, Italy) and the direction is suspenseful and magnificent from Oscar-nominated director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient). The Talented Mr. Ripley is an engrossing thriller that any movie lover should watch and most likely will have you on the edge of your seat as Damon’s character’s disturbing obsession turns deadly.

#7 Seven

While thinking of a place to put David Fincher’s breakout thriller Seven on my countdown, I think #7 is a fitting place. While the film centers around the investigation of a psychotic serial killer’s attempt to put a mirror up to his view of a hypocrisy-laden society, and many people would thus classify it as horror, because the film doesn’t show Kevin Spacey’s brutal murders, only the aftermath and ensuing CSI, I put it under the thriller tag.

Seven is one of those films that, after watching, gets under your skin and stays with you for days. The themes and script are so disturbing in nature, it is something that will make movie goers with the even the toughest gag-reflexes to cringe with uneasiness as we see the “wrath” of Kevin Spacey’s psychopathic mind. Seven is the film that put David Fincher on the map, leading into a slew of top-notch thrillers, two of which show up later on this countdown.

#6 Brick

Brick is a film that I’ve mentioned many times on The Movie Mash because it’s an indie thriller that not many people know about. Writer-director Rian Johnson brings us a detective story of the most elaborate kind about a high school student (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who attempts to solve the murder of his girlfriend. His quest for the truth brings him into a scary underground drug war set the suburbs of L.A. that is compelling, unique and fascinating. The most unique aspect of Brick is the dialogue. The script is filled with unusual slang terms that may be complex for some, but is something that any movie goer aching for some originality will surely appreciate.

Brick features the best performance by rising young star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL), who brings a vulnerable intensity to the role of Brendan, an intelligent young man who will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth. Brick is a film many of you may not be familiar with, so if you fall under that category, I strongly encourage you to rent it during your next trip to the video store or while you’re compiling your upcoming que on Netflix.

#5 Panic Room

Many of you might be saying “WTF?” as this film is #5 on my list, but let me tell you, I LOVE Panic Room. The second film on the countdown by director David Fincher, Panic Room is the PERFECT thriller with a wholly original concept. It’s got a top-notch cast, featuring great performances from Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto. What would you do if burglars broke into your house to retrieve millions of dollars stored in an impenetrable a safe room that you have locked yourself in?

Fincher’s direction in Panic Room is mesmerizing and gorgeous to look at. The film has so many tense moments that you’d better have something or someone to latch onto as you’re not sure if this mother and daughter will survive the night. The best part of Panic Room is the interactions between the sympathetic criminal played by Whitaker, and the erratically stupid criminal played by Leto. It’s just a joy to watch. This film is what thrillers are all about and if you’re raising your eye brows at why I placed it so high on my list, I suggest you watch Panic Room again and then we’ll talk.

#4 Mulholland Drive

From the twisted mind of legendary writer-director David Lynch comes my #4 thriller on the countdown, Mulholland Drive. Released in 2001, Mulholland Drive features one of the creepiest, craziest and most thought-provoking thrillers of Lynch’s distinguished career. It also gained him a Best Director Oscar nomination in 2001. The story is about a naive actress from a small town, played by the lovely Naomi Watts, who comes to Hollywood in search of stardom, but soon finds herself in a complex lust obsession with a famous actress that soon turns deadly.

That is my spoiler-free synopsis that is not completely accurate, as the film is such a mind-F that it takes us on a psychological roller coaster nightmare that cannot be explained until you watch it. The film is so complex, that included with the DVD when purchased, is a list of clues for you to look out for during the movie in order to dissect this rubix cube of psychological anarchy. The film’s last 15 minutes is so mind-bending and insane, that you literally will develop a facial disorder as your jaw will drop to the floor. If your a fan of thrillers or movies in general that will make you think, watch Mulholland Drive IMMEDIATELY.

#3 The Game

We now wrap up the Fincher domination with my favorite David Fincher film, The Game. Released in 1997, two years after Fincher’s break-through thriller Seven, The Game is a nerve-wracking thriller with one of the best twist-endings in movie history. Michael Douglas is probably the greatest actor of all-time at portraying uptight, rich executives who have their lives brutally interrupted. The Game is no different as Douglas displays his vulnerable acting chops as a man whose life is falling apart in front of his eyes, one piece at a time, and there is nothing he can do about it.

What I love about Fincher, and Nolan as well, that makes them featured a combined five times on this countdown, is the dark, disturbing atmosphere their direction and cinematography brings to their films. The eery tones of gray and black are constantly present, creating a permanent ambience of uneasiness. Fincher is a master of suspense, and in The Game, his direction is so precise, you have no idea who/what is lurking around the corner to mess with Michael Douglas next, which is why it’s #3 on my list.

#2 Memento

“Remember Sammy Jankis?” Memento was released in 2000, the second feature film co-written and directed by my favorite director of all time, Christopher Nolan. Memento is based off the short story Memento Mori, written by Christopher’s brother and writing partner Jonathan Nolan. The film is so unique, complex and compelling in its narrative structure, (it basically unfolds in reverse) that it quickly garnered universal critical acclaim and even gained the Nolan Bros. an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The story is hypnotic and truly engaging; acting like a cinematic puzzle that the audience has to piece together as the movie unfolds. Guy Pearce gives a brilliant performance as Leonard, a man who suffers from a memory-loss condition that requires him to tattoo important information on his body during his quest to track down his murdered wife’s killer. It’s so ground-breaking that during my Intro. to Film Study class in my Junior year of college, we spent the latter part of the semester analyzing it’s avant garde stamp the film put contemporary neo-noir filmmaking.  It’s probably one of the most original premises ever concocted by a filmmaker and is the sort of film that truly makes you appreciate the power of movies.

#1 American Psycho

I’ll just start off by stating that American Psycho is tied with The Dark Knight for my favorite film of all time. Released in select theaters in 2000, American Pyscho made its mark as a cult classic when it released on DVD, spawning an underground legion of fans who can quote the countless outrageous lines of Patrick Bateman verbatim. “Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?…” Bateman asks his nemesis Paul Allen seconds before he chops his body into bits in a hilariously-twisted fashion. While the film could be considered more of a comedic satire more than a thriller, because of the diabolical nature of the plot, I have to categorize it with a “thriller” tag.

The film is twisted, suspenseful and outrageously hilarious, featuring the best performance of star Christian Bale’s career. His portrayal of a capitalistic, material obsessed 80′s stock broker is mesmerizing and unforgettable. I’ve probably seen this film a couple hundred times over the years and it gets better every time; especially when watching it with some one who has never seen it before.

Stay tuned for next week’s Top 10 Sci-Fi movies.

What Do You Think? Discuss.