Empire lists: "The 50 Greatest Independent Films." Intended to highlight movies made without big budgets and big stars in service of creating bolder and more creative films, Empire trots out what it deems to be cinema made with a truly independent spirit. Number 49 is "Run Lola Run." Number 38 is "Grosse Point Blank." Number 24 is "Happiness." Number 12 is "Eraserhead." And, Number One is:

Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Some will bleat that this is an easy, obvious choice, while others will say well, pretty much the same, but nominate differently. Our criteria for deciding the films were: firstly, the circumstances and spirit in which they were made, second, the quality of the result and, finally, its mark on the movie world. This is how Reservoir Dogs gained consensus as the winner. Consider firstly the film's creation: script written in two weeks while the author was in a dead-end day job, it barely changed from first draft to shooting script, and attracted attention by word of mouth. It garnered rave reviews, but Dogs' box office performance wasn't great - again, it had to wait for word of mouth. Most importantly, the magnitude of effect this one film has had on indie culture in the last 13 years is, to say the least, overwhelming. The fact is that more than one generation has had their eyes opened to the long-snubbed world of movie-making's outsiders, be it American mavericks, foreign actioners, or just plain old B-pictures. If it wasn't for Dogs, Hong Kong action cinema would still be a lot more marginal than it is today, and nobody would likely have got around to transferring blaxploitation titles onto DVD yet. You only have to look through the homages and ripoffs that have abounded - how many more films have suited gunmen, feature heists gone wrong, have people talking about pop culture, or 'boast' a fractured narrative? Love or hate it, Reservoir Dogs is the greatest independent movie ever made.

PointBlank

New York, NY

November 2004

DEC 01, 2005 01:33 PM

Isn't "Do the Right Thing" an independent movie (at least as much as Grosse Point Blank is)?

Really...what is the definition of "independent?" Grosse Point Blank, as good as it is, was made by Hollywood Pictures, who were also responsible for (in 1997, and 1996) The Rock, GI Jane, Celtic Pride, Evita, and Jack.

[Edited on Dec 01, 2005 by PointBlank]

[Edited on Dec 01, 2005 by PointBlank]

JohnClement

Silver Spring, MD

January 2004

DEC 01, 2005 01:35 PM

^^^
Definitely.

All of Spike's films could be categorized as such.

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

DEC 01, 2005 01:36 PM

Very cool list.

I had no idea that the Terminator was considered an "Indie" flick.

Koleeta

Los Angeles, CA

May 2003

DEC 01, 2005 01:40 PM

hawt.

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

DEC 01, 2005 01:41 PM

PointBlank said:
Isn't "Do the Right Thing" an independent movie (at least as much as Grosse Point Blank is)?

Really...what is the definition of "independent?" Grosse Point Blank, as good as it is, was made by Hollywood Pictures, who were also responsible for (in 1997, and 1996) The Rock, GI Jane, Celtic Pride, Evita, and Jack.

[Edited on Dec 01, 2005 by PointBlank]

[Edited on Dec 01, 2005 by PointBlank]

I was surprised to see it there. Also surprised to see it ahead of Run Lola Run and Swingers. But that's a different conversation alltogether.