8. The Seventh Seal
Ingmar Bergmann is the most cerebral director who has ever lived and The Seventh Seal offers the viewer a chance to see his style completely un-diluted and un-filtered. Bergmann's film has such a sense of remorse over it that it's almost palatable but the greatest feat that he achieves here is that there is a morbid sense of hope at the ending during the famous "dance of death" scene. The story concerns a knight playing chess with death for his life and what could have been a simple story is instead a genius examination of life and death. All of the traits that make Bergmann so popular amongst fans of dark and complicated movies are on display here but in a much more accessible manner. I would argue that Persona, Hour of the Wolf and The Silence are better but The Seventh is easily the most well known of his work and a great starting point when trying to get more into Bergmann's filmography.