In a Lonely Place (1950) – A screenwriter with a violent streak. A love story unraveling in slow motion. Bogart has never been this raw or tragic.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) – Noir meets Hollywood gothic. A screenwriter gets pulled into the delusions of a faded star. “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.

Double Indemnity (1944) – The blueprint. Insurance fraud, femme fatale, and razor-sharp dialogue. Billy Wilder at his most ruthless.

Touch of Evil (1958) – Orson Welles crafts a dizzying noir steeped in corruption and moral rot. The opening tracking shot alone is worth the watch.

The Third Man (1949) – Postwar Vienna becomes a character of its own in this atmospheric mystery. That zither score. That final shot. Perfection.

The Blade (1995) – Tsui Hark’s gritty reimagining of swordplay cinema. Brutal, haunting, and visually raw.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) – Wuxia with heart. Gravity-defying and deeply romantic.

Drunken Master II (1994) – Jackie Chan at his physical peak. Comedy, chaos, and jaw-dropping stunts all at once.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) – A masterclass in training montages and the journey from novice to master. Gordon Liu made discipline look heroic.

Enter the Dragon (1973) – The global gateway. Bruce Lee’s screen presence, the fight choreography, and the fusion of East/West made this one immortal.