1. Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut
Stanley Kubrick is a director who never made anything other than truly compelling movies and Eyes Wide Shut is no different. No other director has had a career as consistent as Kubrick which is more than enough to earn his movie its place at #1. He never had a decrease in creativity or filmmaking prowess and Eyes Wide Shut ended his career in a way that all directors can only dream of by presenting a film that not only felt like a brilliant end to his career, but also a promising new step in his development as a storyteller. Kubrick's style was very clinical and precise but also full of a passion and energy that ran through every movie he ever made. He always preferred to give his audience an ambiguous narrative for them to decipher which would leave them thinking about his movies long after the credits rolled. Eyes Wide Shut is no different and the thing that makes it the best swan song in film history is it feels like another masterpiece in Kubrick's continuing filmography. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman also deserve much praise for their performances. They are able to present a couple on the edge with such a manic self loathing that mirrors the way each successive Kubrick film explores a new facet in the exploration of humanity. In his older films he preferred to deal with single people in his approach but by making Eyes Wide Shut about a couple he was able to explore the intricacies of human relationships in a way that makes his final film one of his most powerful. Thanks so much for reading and I'd love to hear any films you thought should have made the list.