All-Time Top Ten Movie Ensembles...
As Cannes is now breathing down everyones necks, especially mine, I thought something in honour of Tarantinos Inglourious Basterds would be a fitting tribute. So, without further ado, I present the top ten movie ensembles, hopefully youll pick up the kind of flavour Im suggesting here 10. The Longest Yard (1974)
Long before Adam Sandler turned Paul Crewe into a sanitised wimp, Burt Reynolds was creating the perfect anti-hero who somehow captured the hearts of cinema goers everywhere despite being homophobic, racist, and all punchy on his ladys face. It might be an obvious exercise in authority bashing, but the original The Longest Yard still gets the hairs standing up on the back of my neck when Crewes boys stick it to the man on the prison playing field. The rag-tag gaggle of psychotics and murderers at the heart of the action- featuring Jaws himself Richard Kiel and genuine footballing article Ray Nitchke within their ranks- are undeniably one of the greatest group of characters to ever grace the screen. 9. Cannonball Run (1981)
Proof, if it were needed that an ensemble dont necessarily need to be on the same team to be gripping- Cannonball Run channelled the frankly awesome energy of Smokey and the Bandit and added a Wacky Races vibe. It has the most improbably brilliant cast- from Roger Moore, through Sammy Davis Jnr and Dean Martin to Jackie Chan- and should be watched at least once a year. It is honestly a whole world better than you remember: nothing recently has been able to capture the same sense of unbridled fun. 8. Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
192 minutes (originally) of pure madcap comedy- thats either extreme bravery or extreme lunacy. I still cant tell which having watched and rewatched this wonderful comedy- but Im smart enough to recognise that the film featured an incredible amount of comedic talent that mixed together to make an unrelenting, brash, over-the-top movie that has not one dull moment even despite its epic playtime . Total comedic escapism. 7. The Inglorious Bastards (1977)
Oh come on, it picks itself. 6. The Great Escape (1963) Like with Oceans Eleven, the pleasure in The Great Escapes ensemble is that everyone has their own job to do- like cogs in the wheel of efficiency, and it is down to that dynamic that one of the most iconic performances in cinematic history- Steve McQueen as The Cooler King- is so memorable. McQueen was never the most accomplished actor, but he represents an ethos and an attitude that remain painfully difficult to shrug off- and his rogue status in The Great Escape, in the face of such an epic ensemble is the ideal testament to that inherent coolness. 5. Kellys Heroes (1970)
Another film Iha d seen a million times before I truly got why I love it so much- Kellys Heroes is second only to The Dirty Dozen as a war film in terms of character focus and relationship development. In my humble opinion, Hollywood just dont make enough war caper films- something happily being rectified with the emergence of Inglourious Basterds- preferring to focus upon the grit and guts of war in hyper-real fashion, rather than upon the rousing adventurous style that used to be king. 4. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
I debated whether it should be The Seven Samurai in this berth, and the decision to go with this instead was based primarily upon my fondness for the acting performances of Steve McQueen (somewhat predictably), Charles Bronson and James Coburn. An excellent principle for the ensembles assembly, the mercenaries route pretty much guarantees the kind of rugged, anti-hero types I crave in films. 3. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The distance between this and the Number One spot is minutely thin. The Dirty Dozen takes the same criminal ensemble idea as The Longest Yard and introduces it to the richest film genre in terms of action (the ensembles ideal bed fellow). The energy of the group, and their inherent displeasure with their task makes for essential viewing and the movie features some trully remarkable performances especially from the psychotic Telly Savalas and the malcontent Donald Sutherland. 2. Oceans Eleven (2001)
Somewhat controversially I prefer the team on Soderberghs reimagining than on the Rat Pack original: outside of the heavy-weight triumvirate of Dean, Frank and Sammy (and at a push Peter Lawford) I never loved that cast as much as I felt for the 2001 remakes ensemble. The supposedly more peripheral figures of Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Bernie Mac et al have more appeal and actually feel more part of the film than the less important figures in the 1960 classic. 1. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantinos other ensemble movie is still as profoundly affecting as the day in 1992 when audiences were appalled and astounded in equal measure- Reservoir Dogs holds the heady and unique accolade of being the movie for which almost the entire cast will forever be remembered. Tim Roth has put in some astounding performances in his career, likewise Steve Buscemi and even Michael Madsen, but they will forever be Mr Orange, Mr Pink and Mr Blonde. The dynamic established between the characters, especially during that diner scene is yet to be bettered- but then, give it three weeks and I bet were all talking about the La Louisiane tavern sequence replacing the Like A Virgin scene as Tarantinos seminal piece of cinema. Any I've missed? Don't be shy, let me know...