The 100 Best Guy Movies – The Ultimate Guide to Manly Cinema

Guy movies. These words immediately conjure up images of fights, car chases, bikini-clad women, and the stubbled mug of John Belushi. But this manly subgenre goes deeper than sex and violence; films for guys can also deal with the pressures of being male, the unique bonds formed between men, and lofty themes such as honor and redemption. Our list of the 100 best guy movies includes a little something for everyone, even members of the opposite gender.

After each film’s title and year of release, additional categories are included. This is where you’ll learn about each manly movie, from the stars on the screen to details on the number of shootouts and knife fights. If you’re unaccustomed to figuring out the obvious, here’s a more detailed explanation:

Starring: As you may have guessed, this category will list the primary stars of the movie, as well as any cameos or before-they-were-famous roles that I deem important.

Synopsis: A brief overview of the film’s plot. Just in case you’re viewing this site while driving or operating heavy machinery, I’ve tried to boil it down to the essentials.

Why It’s Manly: In this section, I’ve included small blurbs designed to pique your interest in each film. I could write paragraphs about each entry and spell everything out, but where’s the fun in that? These mini descriptions highlight manly acts within the movie, but still leave enough to the imagination that you can watch and discover other nuggets of machismo for yourself.

My Favorite Line: One of the great joys of being a movie geek is being able to quote lines from your favorite flicks with fellow cinephiles. In case you’re looking to bulk up your repertoire, I’ve included a memorable line of dialogue from each entry.

Now that we’ve got the preliminaries out of the way, it’s time for the main event. In this corner, weighing in at a svelte 100 entries, I proudly present my list of the best guy movies ever made. And just in case you don’t agree with my selections, you’re more than welcome to list your own favorites in the comments section.

100. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Michael Bates, Patrick Magee

Synopsis: In a dystopian future, a homicidal youth becomes the guinea pig for a government experiment in behavior modification.

Why It’s Manly: The leering visage of Malcolm McDowell. Gang warfare. Rape set to “Singin’ in the Rain.” Death by ceramic penis. Getting wasted on milk. Aversion therapy. A steady diet of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Giant white codpieces. Prison.

My Favorite Line: “Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.”

99. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Starring: Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell and Danny DeVito

Synopsis: A trio of complicated cops are drawn into a web of murder, sex, and corruption in 1950’s Los Angeles.

Why It’s Manly: Kim Basinger’s cleavage. Shotgun massacre at an all-night diner. Russell Crowe as an unstoppable punisher of misogynists. Good-cop-bad-cop using a toilet. Prostitutes who look like movie stars. Police brutality. Missing heroin. The seedy underbelly of Los Angeles.

My Favorite Line: “Something has to be done, but nothing too original, because hey, this is Hollywood.”

98. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Starring: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley Jr.

Synopsis: A British heavy metal band goes on tour to promote their new album and deals with the ensuing chaos.

Why It’s Manly: Freak gardening accidents. Miniature version of Stonehenge. Exploding drummers. Amps that go to eleven. Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal as mimes. Songs such as “Big Bottom,” “Sex Farm,” and “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight.”

My Favorite Line: “These go to eleven.”

97. Evil Dead II (1987)

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Danny Hicks, Kassie Wesley

Synopsis: In a remote mountain cabin, a college student tries to keep from going mad while battling the forces of Hell.

Why It’s Manly: A severed hand replaced with a chainsaw. Undead ballet dancing. A 1973 Oldsmobile. “Tool shed.” Possessed extremities. The sexy professor’s daughter. Laughing inanimate objects. The freakin’ Necronomicon. Killer trees.

My Favorite Line: “Groovy.”

96. Pusher (1996)

Starring: Kim Bodnia, Mads Mikkelsen, Zlatko Buric, Slavko Labovic, Laura Drasbaek

Synopsis: After a deal goes bad, a Copenhagen drug pusher resorts to increasingly drastic measures to pay back his supplier.

Why It’s Manly: A Serbian drug lord who likes to bake. A brutal henchman who dreams of opening a restaurant. Shifty drug mules. A wacky sidekick named Tonny. Prostitute girlfriends. Drug-dealing bodybuilders. Beatings with a baseball bat. The side of Copenhagen that their bureau of tourism doesn’t want you to see.

My Favorite Line: “For instance, there was this Turkish guy once. He fu*ked up and owed Milo some money. So I went over to his place. I’d been there many times before, asking for the money in a polite way, without any luck. Finally, I took a knife, stabbed it in his kneecap and teared the sh*t up. Sometimes, I’d like to have another job. Believe me.”

95. Hard Target (1993)

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Arnold Vosloo, Wilford Brimley

Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck Cajun helps a young woman search for her missing father. In doing so, they run afoul of a secret club that allows the rich to kill the poor for sport.

Why It’s Manly: Wilford Brimley, master archer. The most dangerous game. Biting the tail off a rattlesnake. John Woo’s American directorial debut. Showdown in a Mardi Gras graveyard. Van Damme as a Cajun with a mullet. Piano-playing bad guys.

My Favorite Line: “This is New Orleans…not Beirut!”

94. Oldboy (2003)

Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang

Synopsis: After being imprisoned for 15 years by unknown enemies, a Korean businessman is suddenly released and challenged to solve the mystery behind his captivity.

Why It’s Manly: Hammer-fu. Improvised dentistry. Ambiguous ending. Tragic flashbacks. Live octopus eating. Hotel shadowboxing. Poodle suicide. Unethical hypnosis. White-haired henchmen. Tongue cutting. Dumpling memorization.

My Favorite Line: “How’s life in a bigger prison, Dae-su?”

93. Tin Cup (1996)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson

Synopsis: The owner of a West Texas driving range falls in love and becomes determined to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Why It’s Manly: Pointless wagers between guys. Temper tantrums on the golf course. Craig “The Walrus” Stadler. Waffle House. Winnebago lovemaking. Trips to the pawn shop. Stripper ex-wife.

My Favorite Line: “Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you’re not good at them.”

92. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Starring: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, Salma Hayek, Ernest Liu

Synopsis: A pair of sibling criminals and their hostages seek refuge in a Mexican bar that doubles as a nest for vampires.

Why It’s Manly: Salma Hayek and her snake. Danny Trejo’s chest tattoo. Bullwhips vs. vampires. Undead strippers. Crotch guns. The wit and wisdom of Earl McGraw. Bikers. ‘Nam flashback from Fred Williamson. Benny’s World of Blood. The Gekko brothers.

My Favorite Line: “Fight now, cry later.”

91. The Best of Times (1986)

Starring: Robin Williams, Kurt Russell, Pamela Reed, Holly Palance, Donald Moffat

Synopsis: Thirteen years after he dropped a winning pass in high school, a mild-mannered bank employee re-stages the game and gets another shot at greatness.

Why It’s Manly: Football in the mud. A second chance at glory. Strong supporting cast. A slow-motion climax that can move men to tears. Dogs wearing hats.

My Favorite Line: “You better watch it, Dr. Death! I’m pretty damn fast for a Caucasian.”

90. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Mark Dacascos, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci

Synopsis: A suave 18th-century taxidermist and his Indian companion go hunting for a man-eating wolf in the French countryside and get more than they bargained for.

Why It’s Manly: Native American kung-fu. An unstoppable monster. Crossdressing minions. Taxidermy miracles. A sword made of bone. Underground cults. Monica Bellucci working in a French brothel. A transition shot from a woman’s naked breasts into snow-covered mountains.

My Favorite Line: “Ghost or not, I’ll split you in two.”

89. New Jack City (1991)

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Judd Nelson, Mario Van Peebles, Chris Rock

Synopsis: Mario Van Peebles makes his directorial debut with this tale of cops and crack dealers butting heads in 1980’s New York City.

Why It’s Manly: Free turkeys. Stuttering henchman. The Carter. Chris Rock hittin’ the rock. Undercover cops. Once-cool fashions. An underrated soundtrack.

My Favorite Line: “Sit your five-dollar ass down before I make change.”

88. High Noon (1952)

Starring: Gary Cooper, Lloyd Bridges, Grace Kelly, Harry Morgan

Synopsis: When a old enemy vows revenge, a recently-retired lawman must choose between standing his ground and fleeing with his new Quaker bride.

Why It’s Manly: Old West shootouts. Grace Kelly with a gun. Stubborn integrity. A single lawman taking on multiple outlaws. Sierra Railway No. 3.

My Favorite Line: “Don’t shove me, Harv. I’m tired of being shoved.”

87. Office Space (1999)

Starring: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Gary Cole, Stephen Root, John C. McGinley

Synopsis: After undergoing a botched hypnotherapy session, a perpetually-relaxed computer programmer begins approaching work–and romance–on his own terms

Why It’s Manly: Smarmy bosses. Michael Bolton. Flair. The Bobs. Acts of workplace defiance. Mumbling co-workers. Television’s Kung Fu. Stealing ideas from Superman III. A red Swingline stapler.

My Favorite Line: “I can’t believe what a bunch of nerds we are. We’re looking up ‘money laundering’ in a dictionary.”

86. Out for Justice (1991)

Starring: Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach, Jo Champa, Gina Gershon

Synopsis: A tough Brooklyn cop becomes obsessed with tracking down the criminal (and childhood pal) who killed his partner.

Why It’s Manly: Pool cue showdown. A special forces beret as everyday headwear. Throwing a pimp through a windshield. Fake Brooklyn accents. Puppy rescue. Prominent use of a Beastie Boys’ song. Lots and lots of broken bones.

My Favorite Line: “Just give me an unmarked and a shotgun.”

85. EuroTrip (2004)

Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Travis Webster, Vinnie Jones, Matt Damon, Lucy Lawless, Rade Serbedzija

Synopsis: After graduating high school, four friends travel to Europe and experience a number of outlandish situations.

Why It’s Manly: Mime battles. Crazed truckers. Soccer hooligans. One crazy Pope. Endless stream of hot European women. Foul-mouthed fairy. Goose-stepping children. Sex in a church confessional. Fraternal twins making out.

My Favorite Line: “Dear sweet mother of God…we’re in Eastern Europe!”

84. The Human Tornado (1976)

Starring: Rudy Ray Moore, Lady Reed, Jimmy Lynch, Ernie Hudson

Synopsis: Fleeing from a bogus murder rap, a two-fisted comedian heads to California and takes on a mob boss.

Why It’s Manly: Redneck cops. Fighting against “the man.” Showdown with a Central American nunchuck champion. A rhyming hero. Ridiculous love scenes. The most godawful kung-fu ever filmed. Wacky sound effects. Unforgettable theme song.

My Favorite Line: “Bitch, are you for real?”

83. Chinatown (1974)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Diane Ladd, Bruce Glover, James Hong

Synopsis: Los Angeles private eye Jake Gittes accepts a routine case, but he soon finds himself up to his neck in murder and intrigue.

Why It’s Manly: Knife in the nostril. Murder mystery. Neo-noir. Psychologically damaged women. Yet another film about L.A.’s seedy underbelly. Directed by noted ladies’ man Roman Polanski.

My Favorite Line: “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

82. The Matrix (1999)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano

Synopsis: When he learns that the world around him is just an illusion, a computer programmer joins the rebellion to free the human race from servitude.

Why It’s Manly: Trinity’s outfit. Endless slo-mo fight scenes. Waves of henchmen getting karate chopped and riddled with bullets. The dojo scene. “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine. Way less pretentious than the two sequels.

My Favorite Line: “Welcome to the real world.”

81. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Synopsis: A middle-aged slacker with a passion for bowling gets drawn into a kidnapping plot thanks to a case of mistaken identity.

Why It’s Manly: Bowling. Anything involving Jesus Quintana. Julianne Moore in a valkyrie costume. A urine-stained rug. Sam Elliott’s moustache. Logjammin’. White Russians. The fu*king Eagles. Unsuccessfully scattering a pal’s ashes. Walter’s rage-fueled tirades.

My Favorite Line: “That rug really tied the room together.”

80. Seven

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, R. Lee Ermey, Gwyneth Paltrow

Synopsis: A veteran homicide detective breaks in his hot-headed replacement while following the trail of a serial killer who’s inspired by the seven deadly sins.

Why It’s Manly: Set in a city where the rain never stops. “What’s in the box?” Plenty of brooding. The most lethal strap-on ever. A brilliant madman. The wise old cop and the passionate young cop.

My Favorite Line: “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.”

79. Swingers (1996)

Starring: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham

Synopsis: Unemployed Hollywood actors discuss pop culture and seek romance in the midst of the swing revival of the late ’90s.

Why It’s Manly: Vegas, baby, Vegas. Dealing with a break-up. Swing dancing. Vince Vaughn before the act got stale. Hollywood nightlife. 1960’s music. Wayne Gretzky’s bleeding head.

My Favorite Line: “You’re so money and you don’t even know it!”

78. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif, Scatman Crothers

Synopsis: When a charismatic criminal winds up in a mental institution, he sets about inspiring the patients and engaging in a contest of wills with the cruel head nurse.

Why It’s Manly: Imaginary baseball play-by-play. Nearly choking the bitchy villain to death. Indians with superhuman strength. Deep sea fishing. Electroshock therapy. Learning to stand on your own two feet.

My Favorite Line: “Which one of you nuts has got any guts?”

77. There’s Something about Mary (1998)

Starring: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, Chris Elliott, Sarah Silverman, Jeffrey Tambor

Synopsis: Thirteen years after a disasterous prom date, a young man hires a seedy private eye to track down the love of his life.

Why It’s Manly: Brett Favre. Horrific zipper accident. Unethical private investigators. Devious cripples with British accents. The entire cast singing “Build Me Up Buttercup.” Fake tans and ratty dogs. Unintentional hair gel. Cameron Diaz as the coolest chick ever.

My Favorite Line: “What about Brett Fav… ruh?”

76. Ghostbusters (1984)

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson

Synopsis: Three oddball parapsychologists get fired from their jobs and open up a business in New York City that specializes in trapping ghosts.

Why It’s Manly: Getting slimed. A possessed Sigourney Weaver showing off some leg. Proton packs. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Smartass scientists.

My Favorite Line: “We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!”

75. Deliverance (1972)

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox

Synopsis: Four businessmen head down a Georgia river in canoes, but a random encounter with inbred locals leads to rape and murder.

Why It’s Manly: Shooting hillbillies full of arrows. Exploring the great outdoors. Fractured limbs. Lying to the cops. Dueling banjos.

My Favorite Line: “I bet you can squeal like a pig. Weeeeeeee!”

74. Rolling Thunder (1977)

Starring: Wiliam Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Dabney Coleman, Linda Haynes, James Best

Synopsis: After a robbery results in the death of his wife and child, a tormented, one-handed Vietnam veteran sets out to take revenge on those responsible.

Why It’s Manly: Using a grindstone to sharpen your hook. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane as a bad guy. 2,555 silver dollars. POW groupies. Gunfight in a Mexican brothel. Trash compactor mutilation.

My Favorite Line: “I’m gonna kill a bunch of people.” (when asked why he’s pulled out a gun)

73. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong

Synopsis: A macho trucker battles an immortal Chinese sorcerer and his supernatural minions in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Why It’s Manly: The Pork Chop Express. Mullets. Mass kung-fu battles. 2000-year-old Chinese curses. The Hell of the Upside Down Sinners. An inflatable henchman and one who wields lightning. A six-demon bag.

My Favorite Line: “I’m a reasonable guy. But, I’ve just experienced some very unreasonable things.”

72. Top Gun (1986)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skeritt, Michael Ironside, Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan

Synopsis: A hotshot Navy pilot attends TOPGUN flight school, romances an instructor, and battles his personal demons.

Why It’s Manly: Aerial dogfights. Kenny Loggins. Macho swagger. Loads of colorful nicknames. Did I mention Kenny Loggins?

My Favorite Line: “Come on, Mav, do some of that pilot sh*t!”

71. The Usual Suspects (1995)

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin

Synopsis: Five criminals meet in a police line-up and are later forced to pull a job for a mysterious crime kingpin.

Why It’s Manly: The bogeyman of the criminal underworld. A twist ending. Quintet of crooks. A massacre in the L.A. harbor. Benicio del Toro mumbling like a madman. $91 million in cocaine.

My Favorite Line: “Keaton always said, ‘I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of him.’ Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze.”

70. Airplane! (1980)

Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Synopsis: When the crew is stricken with food poisoning, it’s up to a traumatized ex-fighter pilot to safely land a passenger plane.

Why It’s Manly: An obsession with gladiator movies. Jive talking. NBA pilots. Glue-sniffing air traffic controllers. An autopilot named “Otto.”

My Favorite Line: “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.”

69. Sorcerer (1977)

Starring: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Ramon Bieri

Synopsis: Four criminals attempt to transport truckloads of unstable dynamite through the jungles of Central America.

Why It’s Manly: Flaming oil wells. A village filled with criminals and assorted lowlifes. Sweating nitroglycerin. Crossing a rope bridge during a storm…in a truck filled with explosives. Central American bandits.

My Favorite Line: “Managua…sh*t, there’s no way I can go to Managua.”

68. Blazing Saddles (1974)

Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, Mel Brooks

Synopsis: A corrupt Old West politician attempts to run off the residents of a frontier town by getting a black man appointed as their new sheriff.

Why It’s Manly: Punching out horses. The first fart scene in cinematic history. A villain convention. Breaking the fourth wall. Sultry German singers with outrageous accents. Politically incorrect humor.

My Favorite Line: “Excuse me while I whip this out.”

67. The Transporter (2002)

Starring: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, Francois Berleand, Ric Young

Synopsis: An ex-soldier specializing in transportation has his world turned upside down when he looks inside his latest cargo and discovers a young Asian woman.

Why It’s Manly: Fighting while covered in grease. Diving out of a cropduster while in mid-flight. Living life by a set of rules…and then breaking them for a worthy cause. A softcore actress going mainstream. Bald guys who kick ass.

My Favorite Line: “Rule #1. Never change the deal.”

66. Shaft (2000)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian BaleToni Collette, Richard Roundtree, Busta Rhymes, Dan Hedaya

Synopsis: A cop resigns from the NYPD in order to bring a wealthy murderer to justice, but first he’ll have to contend with crooked cops and an arrogant Dominican crime boss.

Why It’s Manly: A villain who’s not afraid to stab himself repeatedly with an icepick. Gangstas getting mowed down. A Rastafari cab driver. Lawrence Taylor. One of the greatest theme songs of all time. Leather trenchcoats.

My Favorite Line: “I see you someplace I don’t think you belong…I will kill you.”

65. Taxi Driver (1976)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Albert Brooks, Cybill Shepherd

Synopsis: An ex-Marine takes a job as a taxi driver in New York City and slowly descends into madness.

Why It’s Manly: Pimps. Would-be political assassins. A young Cybill Shepherd. Mohawks. New York City in the wee hours. Adult theatres. Climactic rampage.

My Favorite Line: “You talkin’ to me?”

64. Shogun Assassin (1980)

Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Akihiro Tomikawa

Synopsis: When he’s framed for treason, a once-respected samurai takes his young son and heads across the Japanese countryside on a blood-soaked quest for revenge.

Why It’s Manly: Mutilated ninjas. Murderous female acrobats. The baby cart of death. A lead character who looks perpetually beat down and pissed off. Hacked-off limbs. Samurai trickery. Oversized Asian hats. Hugging a naked villainess to keep warm.

My Favorite Line: “They will pay…in rivers of blood!”

63. Jaws (1975)

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Synopsis: When a summer resort island becomes plagued by a man-eating shark, a trio of unlikely heroes take to the water to end its rampage.

Why It’s Manly: Salty shark hunters. Chum lines. Skinny dipping. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis. A modern-day Moby-Dick. Bruce the great white shark. The John Williams’ score.

My Favorite Line: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

62. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin

Synopsis: In the waning days of the Old West, a pair of likable outlaws flee from the railroad agents hired to kill them.

Why It’s Manly: Laughing in the face of death. Bolivian bandits. Knife fights. Hired killers. Blowing the hell out of a railroad car. One of the most famous freeze frames in movie history. Jumping off a cliff.

My Favorite Line: “Kid, the next time I say, ‘Let’s go someplace like Bolivia,’ let’s GO someplace like Bolivia.”

61. The Cowboys (1972)

Starring: John Wayne, Bruce Dern, Roscoe Lee Browne, Colleen Dewhurst

Synopsis: When his regular employees abandon him in search of gold, a rancher is forced to undertake a 400-mile cattle drive with nothing more than local schoolboys.

Why It’s Manly: The Duke. No women in sight. The wide open spaces of the Old West. Boys becoming men. A 400-mile cattle drive. The distinctive smell of branded flesh.

My Favorite Line: “Big mouth don’t make a big man.”

60. Black Dynamite

Starring: Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson

Synopsis: In this spoof of the blaxploitation genre, a former CIA agent vows to avenge his brother’s murder and take drugs off the streets of his community.

Why It’s Manly: Kung Fu Island. Afros. Making love to multiple women at the same time. Little Chinese legs blown clean off. Black power activists. Doughnuts wearing alligator shoes. A gathering of pimps. Beating a man with his own severed arm.

My Favorite Line: “Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery!”

59. Old School (2003)

Starring: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Pompeo, Elisha Cuthbert

Synopsis: A newly-single guy rents a house near a college campus and is convinced by his pals to start a fraternity for misfits.

Why It’s Manly: Snoop Dogg. Streaking. Sex with high school girls. Senior citizens wrestling with topless women. A tranquilizer dart to the neck. Frat parties.

My Favorite Line: “Well, why don’t you give me your number in case anything happens to my wife.”

58. The Rundown (2003)

Starring: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rosario Dawson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken

Synopsis: A retrieval expert who refuses to use guns is sent to a South American mining town to find and return the smartass son of a crime boss.

Why It’s Manly: Henchmen with bullwhips. Spinning Tarzan ju-jitsu. Stampeding bovines. Hidden South American treasure. Beating up half the roster of a pro football team. Discussing the merits of Muhammed Ali. Amorous monkeys. Hallucinogenic fruit.

My Favorite Line: “That’s a lot of cows.”

57. Blade (1998)

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue

Synopsis: A grim half-human/half-vampire fights a never-ending battle against the forces of the undead.

Why It’s Manly: Smoking while topping off a gas tank. Sprinkler systems filled with blood. Swords. Traci Lords. Punching vampire children. Causing a bloodbath at a rave. Extra crispy fat vampires.

My Favorite Line: “I’m gonna be naughty! I’m gonna be a naughty vampire god!”

56. The Boondock Saints (1999)

Starring: Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, Willem Dafoe, David Della Rocco

Synopsis: A pair of Boston-born brothers set out to violently eliminate crime in their hometown, all while eluding capture from the police, mob, and a gay FBI agent.

Why It’s Manly: Lovable Irish hooligans. Russian mobsters. St. Patrick’s Day. Peep shows. Punching female co-workers. Death by a falling toilet. Legendary hitman. Cauterizing wounds with an iron.

My Favorite Line: “I killed your cat, you druggie bitch.”

55. Star Wars (1977)

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, James Earl Jones (voice)

Synopsis: A motley crew of smugglers, ancient warriors, and young heroes come together to oppose a ruthless galactic empire.

Why It’s Manly: Darth Vader. The theme from John Williams. Lightsabers. Han shoots first. Mos Eisley Cantina. The firepower of a fully armed and operational battlestation. Sexy space princesses with outrageous hairstyles. Monsters lurking in the garbage.

My Favorite Line: “Use the Force, Luke.”

54. Apocalypse Now (1979)

Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne

Synopsis: During the Vietnam War, a traumatized soldier is sent into Cambodia to assassinate a rogue American officer.

Why It’s Manly: Decapitated bodies. Surfing in Vietnam. Ride of the Valkyries. Machete attacks. Philosophical ramblings. Playboy Playmates.

My Favorite Line: “The horror…the horror.”

53. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Kien Shih

Synopsis: A collection of martial artists arrive on an island for a secret–and extremely lethal–tournament.

Why It’s Manly: Jim Kelly’s afro. Bit parts from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Villains with artificial appendages. A deadly hall of mirrors. Shaolin wisdom. A tournament of truly epic proportions.

My Favorite Line: “Boards don’t hit back.”

52. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott

Synopsis: A cunning archeologist is hired by the U.S. Government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Why It’s Manly: Supernatural artifacts. Ancient booby traps. Drinking contests. Third Reich monkeys. Bullwhips. Death by airplane propeller. Kicking Nazi ass.

My Favorite Line: “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.”

51. Road House (1989)

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Marshall R. Teague

Synopsis: A philosophical bouncer takes a new job at a Missouri nightclub and soon becomes embroiled in a feud with a powerful businessman.

Why It’s Manly: Monster trucks. A stuffed polar bear. Sexy female doctors. Grizzled mentors with a chronic limp. Razor-tipped boots. The Double Deuce. Terry Funk.

My Favorite Line: “Pain don’t hurt.”

50. Crank (2006)

Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Dwight Yoakam

Synopsis: On the verge of death thanks to the poison pumping through his veins, an L.A. hitman must keep his adrenaline flowing while tracking down those responsible.

Why It’s Manly: A Beijing Cocktail. Black biker gangs. Sex in public while a busload of Asian schoolgirls watch. Mob doctors. Driving a car through a mall. Stealing a cop’s motorcycle. Getting shocked by a defibrilator. Snorting coke off a bathroom floor.

My Favorite Line: “I wonder how many steaks I could make out of you?”

49. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Jose Ferrer, Claude Rains

Synopsis: Real-life British soldier T.E. Lawrence grapples with the darker side of his personality while organizing a revolt against the Turks during World War I.

Why It’s Manly: Absolutely no women in the cast. Crossing inhospitable deserts. Blood feuds. Guerrilla warfare. Death by quicksand. Bloodlust.

My Favorite Line: “So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people – greedy, barbarous, and cruel, as you are.”

48. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Starring: Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn

Synopsis: A group of hired gunfighters come together to protect a village from bandits.

Why It’s Manly: The testosterone-stirring main theme. Desperate bandits. Shooting a gun out of someone’s hand. Overcoming bleak odds. Bonding with the locals. Killers for hire. Gaining redemption. Bringing a knife to a gunfight.

My Favorite Line: “We deal in lead, friend.”

47. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Dennis Hopper

Synopsis: A rebellious inmate in a 1960’s Florida prison camp fights against the system and inspires his fellow prisoners.

Why It’s Manly: Watching a hot blonde wash a car. Bluffing at poker. Refusing to stay down. Cutting the heads off parking meters. Playing the banjo. Eating 50 hard-boiled eggs in an hour. Spending time in “the box.” Wearing leg irons.

My Favorite Line: “Yeah, well, sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.”

46. The Untouchables (1987)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia, Billy Drago, Charles Martin Smith, Patricia Clarkson

Synopsis: Federal agent Eliot Ness takes on Al Capone and the Chicago mob during Prohibition.

Why It’s Manly: Beating minions with a baseball bat. Creepy assassins. Shooting a dead man in the face. Thompson machine gun. Flinging bad guys off rooftops. Chasing a baby carriage in the middle of a train station shootout. Men who can’t be bribed or intimidated.

My Favorite Line: “You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way!”

45. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Matt Damon, Giovanni Ribisi, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti

Synopsis: During World War II, a detachment of American soldiers bond and fight Nazis while searching for a missing paratrooper.

Why It’s Manly: Landing on Omaha Beach. Heading behind enemy lines. Refusing to abandon fellow soldiers. The best battle sequences ever filmed. Snipers. Sticky bombs. Facing down German tanks. Self-sacrifice.

My Favorite Line: “I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel.”

44. First Blood (1982)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, David Caruso

Synopsis: A Vietnam vet wanders into a small town, gets abused by the local authorities, and goes on a rampage.

Why It’s Manly: Vietnam flashbacks. Police brutality. Falling out of a helicopter. Taking on the National Guard and kicking their ass. Shooting the hell out of a sporting goods store with an M60 machine gun. A grim mentor. Headbands and big-ass knives.

My Favorite Line: “I could have killed ’em all, I could kill you. In town you’re the law, out here it’s me. Don’t push it. Don’t push it or I’ll give you a war you won’t believe. Let it go. Let it go.”

43. The Killer (1989)

Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kenneth Tsang, Kong Chu

Synopsis: An assassin on the verge of retirement takes one last assignment to pay for the surgery of a woman accidentally blinded during one of his jobs.

Why It’s Manly: Ample use of slo-mo during gunfights. An unlikely case of male bonding. Mexican standoff. Twin .45 pistols. Doing one last hit to pay for a medical procedure. Betrayal. Honor. A hitman in a cool white suit. Endless waves of Triad goons.

My Favorite Line: “I always leave one bullet, either for myself or for my enemy.”

42. Braveheart (1995)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Sophie Marceau, Angus Macfadyen, Brendan Gleeson, David O’Hara, Catherine McCormack, Brian Cox

Synopsis: William Wallace fights for the freedom of Scotland during the 13th century.

Why It’s Manly: Mooning opponents across a battlefield. Public torture. Romancing the wife of the enemy. Deer antler to the neck. Every kind of severed body part imaginable. Head in a basket. Getting shot in the butt with an arrow. Crazed Irishmen. Cynical lepers. “Freedom!”

My Favorite Line: “We all end up dead, it’s just a question of how and why.”

41. Rocky (1976)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers

Synopsis: A washed-up boxer falls in love and unexpectedly finds himself getting a shot at the heavyweight title.

Why It’s Manly: Collecting debts for a loan shark. A grizzled trainer with a toboggan. Getting a shot at the heavyweight title. Punching carcasses at a meat-packing plant. Romancing the nerdy chick from the local pet store. Absorbing inhuman amounts of punishment in the ring. Porkpie hat.

My Favorite Line: “You’re gonna eat lightnin’ and you’re gonna crap thunder!”

40. Snatch (2000)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Alan Ford, Rade Serbedzija

Synopsis: An assortment of crooks, rogues, and killers interact in this tale of underground boxing and stolen diamonds.

Why It’s Manly: Feeding your enemies to the pigs. Stealing an 86-carat diamond. Unlicensed boxing. An unkillable Russian. A dog that’ll eat anything. A man with four fingers. Wacky accents.

My Favorite Line: “You show me how to control a wild fu*king gypsy and I’ll show you how to control an unhinged, pig-feeding gangster.”

39. Prime Cut (1972)

Starring: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Sissy Spacek, Gregory Walcott

Synopsis: An enforcer heads to Kansas City to collect a debt from a murderous meatpacker on behalf of the Irish mob.

Why It’s Manly: Mob thugs ground up into meat. Flop houses. Hot girls kept in pens. Getting pursued by a combine. Submachine gun carnage in a field of sunflowers. Stabbing your enemy with a sausage.

My Favorite Line: “And not to get any fancy ideas about turning me or any of my boys into hamburger. You got it?”

38. Duck Soup (1933)

Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx

Synopsis: A bankrupt nation on the brink of war gets a new leader and more hilarity than it can handle.

Why It’s Manly: The mirror scene. Promoting a peanut vendor to Secretary of War. Throwing fruit at the villain. Femme fatales. Painted-on moustaches and novelty cigars. Relentlessly rapid one-liners. A song and dance number about going to war.

My Favorite Line: “You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.”

37. Of Mice and Men (1992)

Starring: Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Ray Walston, Sherilyn Fenn, John Terry, Casey Siemaszko

Synopsis: Two doomed Depression-era laborers dream of earning enough money to buy their own land.

Why It’s Manly: Putting a bully in his place. Undying friendship. Men dreaming about a brighter future. Old dogs and puppies. Sherilyn Fenn in a white dress.

My Favorite Line: “And I get to tend the rabbits.”

36. Field of Dreams (1989)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Timothy Busfield

Synopsis: After hearing voices in his cornfield, a farmer plows under his crop and replaces it with a baseball field.

Why It’s Manly: Playing catch with your father. Making fun of Ty Cobb. Second chances. The Chicago Black Sox. Cracker Jack baseball cards. Watching a game at Fenway.

My Favorite Line: “If you build it, he will come.”

35. The Longest Yard (1974)

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, James Hampton, Michael Conrad

Synopsis: A disgraced NFL quarterback is sent to prison and must organize a team of cons to play against the guards.

Why It’s Manly: Opening car chase. Football to the groin. Broken necks. Brass knuckles. Lynryd Skynyrd on the radio. Boffing the warden’s secretary. Doing hard labor in the swamp.

My Favorite Line: “All I’m saying is that you could have robbed banks, sold dope or stole your grandmother’s pension checks and none of us would have minded. But shaving points off of a football game, man that’s un-American.”

34. 13 Assassins (2010)

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya

Synopsis: In 1840s Japan, a group of samurai are recruited to assassinate a sadistic lord before he can rise to a higher political office.

Why It’s Manly: Committing seppuku. Shooting innocent folks full of arrows. Flaming bulls. Whacking samurai in the head with rocks. Over 200 casualties. Arterial spray. Explosions.

My Favorite Line: “He who values his life dies a dog’s death.”

33. Caddyshack (1980)

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, Michael O’Keefe, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray

Synopsis: The antics of the members and employees at an exclusive country club, including a wealthy playboy, a cigar-chomping real estate tycoon, and a groundskeeper obsessed with a gopher.

Why It’s Manly: Misquoting Zen philosophers. An incredible Cinderella story. A gopher dancing to the music of Kenny Loggins. Lacey Underall. High-stakes golf game. Tacky sports jackets. Baby Ruth candy bar floating in the pool.

My Favorite Line: “Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it.”

32. Platoon (1986)

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David, Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker

Synopsis: An idealistic soldier arrives in Vietnam and finds himself torn between the ideologies of two superior officers.

Why It’s Manly: A less heroic vision of warfare. Civilians getting shot in the head. Friendly fire. Torching a village. Bunny and his shotgun. Charlie Sheen. Suicide attacks. Hiding underneath a pile of corpses. Massive facial scars. Biting a chunk out of a tin can.

My Favorite Line: “Death? What you all know about death?”

31. Any Which Way You Can (1980)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, Ruth Gordon

Synopsis: A bare-knuckle fighter is forced by the mob to compete against a ruthless champion who’s killed or crippled several opponents.

Why It’s Manly: Clyde the orangutan. Bare-knuckle boxing. Bikers getting covered in tar. Honky Tonk music. Cross-dressing primates. Cobra versus mongoose. An epic, climactic brawl.

My Favorite Line: “Right turn, Clyde.”

30. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Mike Starr, Karen Duffy

Synopsis: A pair of good-natured idiots head to Colorado to return a suitcase filled with ransom money.

Why It’s Manly: A van customized to look like a giant dog. Rat poison. Lauren Holly’s bare ass. Riding a moped in the mountains. An orange tuxedo. Bikini models. Spending someone else’s ransom money.

My Favorite Line: “According to the map, we’ve only gone 4 inches.”

29. The Godfather (1972)

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire

Synopsis: A young man gets involved in the family business, which happens to be organized crime.

Why It’s Manly: Toll booth ambush. Kicking the crap out of your brother-in-law. Severed horse head. Going into the toilet empty-handed and coming back out with a pistol. Death by garrote. The importance of family. The corrupting influence of power.

My Favorite Line: “In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.”

28. The Great Escape (1963)

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum

Synopsis: Allied POWs plan their escape from a German prison camp during World War II.

Why It’s Manly: Digging tunnels. Jumping a barbed wire fence on a motorcycle. Bouncing a baseball while stuck in solitary confinement. Outwitting Nazis. Elmer Bernstein’s theme. The eternal coolness of Steve McQueen.

My Favorite Line: “Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability.”

27. Total Recall (1990)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronny Cox, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin

Synopsis: A construction worker in 2084 signs up for a virtual vacation to Mars and comes to believe that he’s actually a secret agent.

Why It’s Manly: Catfight between Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin. One guy, two severed arms. A Martian hooker with three boobs. Kuato. Death by decompression. Sucking chest wounds. Knife-wielding dwarf.

My Favorite Line: “Sorry, Quaid. Your whole life is just a dream.”

26. The Waterboy (1998)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed

Synopsis: A simple-minded waterboy discovers that he has an unusual talent for delivering big hits on the gridiron.

Why It’s Manly: Cajuns. Drunk cheerleaders. Ex-con girlfriends. Captain Insano. Threesomes with your mother and head coach. Form tackling your college professor. Using a lawnmower for transportation.

My Favorite Line: “My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.”

25. Scarface (1983)

Starring: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, F. Murray Abraham, Harris Yulin, Paul Shenar

Synopsis: The rise and fall of a Cuban immigrant turned drug kingpin in 1980’s Miami.

Why It’s Manly: Burying your face in a mountain of cocaine. Death by chainsaw. Colombian drug lords wielding chainsaws. M16 with a grenade launcher. Distinctly 1980’s soundtrack. A coked-up Michelle Pfeiffer. Loud shirts and fast cars.

My Favorite Line: “Say hello to my little friend!”

24. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin

Synopsis: Eccentric knights from Camelot ride off in seach of the Holy Grail.

Why It’s Manly: Bizarre sorcerer named “Tim.” Wedding day massacre. Man-eating rabbit. Tips on how to detect a witch. Coconuts substituted for horses. Giant wooden bunny.

My Favorite Line: “Well, we’ll not risk another frontal assault. That rabbit’s dynamite.”

23. Raging Bull (1980)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent

Synopsis: The true story of the violent public and personal life of Jake LaMotta, a middleweight boxer during the 1940s.

Why It’s Manly: Taking over 60 unanswered punches to the head. Winning the world title. Violent displays of machismo. Beating a pretty boy into a bloody pulp. Neglecting your wife. The complex relationship between brothers.

My Favorite Line: “He ain’t pretty no more.”

22. Predator (1987)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, Elpidia Carrillo, Sonny Landham, Shane Black, Richard Chaves, Kevin Peter Hall, R.G. Armstrong

Synopsis: A special forces team drops into the jungles of Central America on a rescue mission and ends up being hunted by a creature from outer space.

Why It’s Manly: A crapload of firearms. Muscles, muscles, muscles. Chewing tobacco. The tenacity of the human race. Shoulder-mounted lasers. Big ‘ol knives. Skulls as trophies.

My Favorite Line: “I ain’t got time to bleed.”

21. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Starring: Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard

Synopsis: Marine recruits endure the rigors of boot camp and are later shipped off to face the terrors of Vietnam.

Why It’s Manly: Vietnamese working girls who’ll love you long time. Hunting for snipers. Innovative uses for soap. Hardass drill instructor. Alabama black snake. Singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme while carrying an M16.

My Favorite Line: “I wanted to see exotic Vietnam…the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture…and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill!”

20. 12 Angry Men (1957 or 1997)

Starring: (1957: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley, Jack Warden—1997: Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Ossie Davis, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Edward James Olmos, James Gandolfini, Hume Cronyn

Synopsis: A 12-man jury deliberates the fate of a young man accused of murder.

Why It’s Manly: Switchblade knife. Murder trial. Issues of racism and apathy. Putting a bigot in his place. Twelve guys…one location. A look at the way the system is supposed to work.

My Favorite Line: “Suppose we’re wrong.”

19. Lethal Weapon (1987)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Traci Wolfe

Synopsis: A cop on the verge of retirement is partnered with a burnout, and the duo bond while hunting down ex-soldiers who traffic in heroin.

Why It’s Manly: Jumping off a building while handcuffed to someone else. Fighting Gary Busey on your buddy’s lawn. Contemplating suicide. Torture. Henchman holding his arm over an open flame. Lesbian shower scene. Memories of Vietnam.

My Favorite Line: “Go spit!”

18. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

Synopsis: A killer cyborg from the future is sent back to 1990’s Los Angeles to protect the future savior of mankind.

Why It’s Manly: Sawed-off shotgun. Leather pants. Harley Davidson Fatboy. Teaching modern slang to a futuristic cyborg. Linda Hamilton’s muscles. Time travel. Video arcades. Nuclear holocaust.

My Favorite Line: “Hasta la vista, baby.”

17. Animal House (1978)

Starring: John Belushi, Tom Hulce, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Stephen Furst, John Vernon, Bruce McGill

Synopsis: Members of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity wreak havoc and thumb their noses at authority.

Why It’s Manly: Double secret probation. A horse dying of a heart attack. Zit impressions. Illegal parade floats. Toga party. Getting it on with the dean’s drunken wife. Food fight.

My Favorite Line: “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

16. The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Starring: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, Telly Savalas, George Kennedy, John Cassavetes, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Donald Sutherland

Synopsis: American soldiers facing death or life imprisonment are recruited for a suicide mission behind enemy lines just prior to D-Day.

Why It’s Manly: Convicts-turned-commandoes. Refusing to take a bath. A grinning, bald-headed religious fanatic. Continual problems with authority. Death by hanging. German snipers. Wargames. Twelve men with nothing to lose slowly bonding over a common goal.

My Favorite Line: “Killin’ generals could get to be a habit with me.”

15. Desperado (1995)

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo

Synopsis: A vengeful musician carves a bloody path through Mexico in search of the drug lord responsible for the death of his true love.

Why It’s Manly: Steamy love scenes with Salma Hayek. A guitar case filled with guns. Mariachi music. A master of throwing knives. A joke about urinating on someone.

My Favorite Line: “Bless me, Father, for I have just killed quite a few men.”

14. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells, Emil Minty, Michael Preston

Synopsis: An ex-cop battles savage marauders in post-apocalyptic Australia.

Why It’s Manly: Mohawks. Australian Cattle Dog. Supercharged V-8 Pursuit Special. The Humungus. A white-knuckle chase scene during the film’s final act. Snatching snakes before they can strike. Feral kid. The drawbacks to catching a bladed boomerang.

My Favorite Line: “I’m just here for the gasoline.”

13. Rocky IV (1985)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Brigitte Nielsen

Synopsis: A heavyweight boxer faces the unstoppable Russian fighter responsible for the in-ring death of his best friend.

Why It’s Manly: James Brown singing “Living in America.” Training for a fight by chopping down trees and jogging through deep snow. Paulie’s Robot. The Cold War. A big Uncle Sam hat. Trading punches in the center of the ring.

My Favorite Line: “I must break you.”

12. Gladiator (2000)

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi

Synopsis: A general of the Roman Empire is betrayed and forced to become a gladiator.

Why It’s Manly: Getting cut in half by the bladed wheel of a chariot. Tigers. A mad emperor with designs on his own sister. Unleashing hell. Fighting in the Colosseum. Getting revenge regardless of the price.

My Favorite Line: “At my signal, unleash hell.”

11. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Starring: William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Edmond O’Brien, Emilio Fernandez

Synopsis: A gang of aging outlaws head into Mexico for one last adventure while being pursued by railroad agents.

Why It’s Manly: Mowing down the enemy with a Browning M1917 machine gun. You’re never too old to go out with a bang. Shooting an unfaithful girlfriend. Mexican Federales. Locals getting caught in the crossfire. The death of the Old West.

My Favorite Line: “If they move, kill ’em!”

10. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Starring: Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Jonathan Pryce

Synopsis: Unscrupulous salesmen resort to every trick in the book to keep their jobs and turn a profit.

Why It’s Manly: Brass balls. Coffee is for closers. Making an impromptu sale at a Chinese restaurant. A no-holds-barred sales conference. Robbery. Getting interrogated by the cops. Born liars.

My Favorite Line: “We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired.”

9. Black Hawk Down (2001)

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Ewen Bremner, Sam Shepard, Kim Coates

Synopsis: U.S. soldiers fight Somali forces during the real-life Battle of Mogadishu.

Why It’s Manly: Gunship strafing runs. Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Delta Force. U.S. Army Rangers. Making a pot of coffee in the middle of a war zone. Getting blown in half. A convoy forced to drive down narrow streets with armed enemies on all sides. Hosing the blood out of vehicles. Self-sacrifice.

My Favorite Line: “Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit just goes right out the window.”

8. Goodfellas (1990)

Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson, Chuck Low

Synopsis: The story of Henry Hill’s association with the Lucchese crime family and their eventual downfall.

Why It’s Manly: Stabbing someone multiple times with a butcher knife. Giving everyone you meet a $20 bill. Making a big impression on the first date. Having a wife and two mistresses. Pink Cadillac. A psychotic pal who excels at killing and digging graves. Living large in prison. Stealing thousands of dollars without using a gun. Hairpieces tested in hurricane-force winds. Closed casket funerals.

My Favorite Line: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

7. Die Hard (1988)

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Reginald VelJohnson, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, Alexander Godunov

Synopsis: A tenacious New York cop battles terrorists on the upper floors of a Los Angeles skyscraper.

Why It’s Manly: Walking on glass. Making fists with your toes. Humiliating LAPD SWAT. Roy Rogers. Hardcase FBI agents. An armload of Twinkies. Turning someone’s car into Swiss cheese. Tailored business suits from London. Massive explosions. Jumping from the roof of a skyscraper.

My Favorite Line: “Yippie-ki-yay, motherfu*ker.”

6. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Harvey Keitel

Synopsis: The intersecting stories of crime bosses, hired killers, washed-up boxers, and redneck rapists.

Why It’s Manly: Throwing a boxing match. Adrenaline shot to the heart. Hiding a gold watch in your rectum. Big Kahuna Burger. Foot massages. Robbing a restaurant. A headless body. Getting medieval on someone’s ass. Five-dollar milkshake. The Gimp.

My Favorite Line: “Zed’s dead, baby. Zed’s dead.”

5. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef

Synopsis: Three gunfighters cross and double-cross one another while searching for buried Confederate gold during the American Civil War.

Why It’s Manly: Blowing up a bridge. Firing a cannon at someone. Showdown at Sad Hill Cemetery. Forced march across the desert. Quick on the draw. One-armed bounty hunter. Legless informant. Union prison camp.

My Favorite Line: “Every gun makes its own tune.”

4. Fight Club (1999)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto

Synopsis: Following a life-changing encounter with an anarchic soapmaker, a corporate drone helps form an underground fight club.

Why It’s Manly: Acts of social anarchy (aka Project Mayhem). Destroying something beautiful. Creeping out your co-workers. Getting a priest to punch you. Man boobs. Freaky chicks from your support group. Smiling as your flight bursts into flames.

My Favorite Line: “I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.”

3. 300 (2006)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Rodrigo Santoro, Stephen McHattie

Synopsis: When the Persian Empire tries to invade his nation, the king of Sparta mobilizes his fanatical troops and goes to war.

Why It’s Manly: Refusing to surrender. Hunchbacks with funny hats. Slo-mo carnage. Elephants falling off mountains. Taking out a charging rhino with a spear. Killing everything from disfigured giants to guys dressed kind of like ninjas. A badass queen who’s not shy about showing skin. Do kill the messenger.

My Favorite Line: “Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty…For tonight, we dine in hell!”

2. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Starring: Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney, Quentin Tarantino

Synopsis: When a robbery turns into a bloodbath, a gang of criminals convene at their hideout to figure out what went wrong.

Why It’s Manly: Torture set to tunes from the 1970s. A warehouse full of testosterone. Stuffing cops in the trunk. Everybody wants to be Mr. Black. Refusing to leave a tip. Debating the finer points of Madonna’s career. Bleeding to death in the backseat. A four-way Mexican standoff.

My Favorite Line: “If you shoot this man, you die next. Repeat…if you shoot this man, you die next.”

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore, William Sadler

Synopsis: An innocent man gets sent to prison and spends the next two decades plotting his escape.

Why It’s Manly: Corrupt warden. Murderous head guard. Rita Hayworth doing that thing with her hair. Crawling through sewage. Kickbacks. Inmates being inspired by opera. Solitary confinement. The ultimate payback. Breaking parole. Raquel Welch poster from One Million Years B.C.

My Favorite Line: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

That concludes our look at the 100 best guy movies ever made. Of course, new films are being released every week, so it’s likely that this list will have even more deserving entries over the next couple of years. In the meantime, you’ve got plenty of titles to choose from for a night of manly cinema. Now all you need is a copy of Maxim, a plate of nachos, and a fine Cuban cigar.

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