GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #154 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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Cast:
View Ex Machina film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Programmer Caleb visits reclusive CEO Nathan's remote estate to evaluate Ava, an artificial intelligence housed in a humanoid body.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Young programmer Caleb wins a week at the isolated home of tech founder Nathan Bateman. Nathan asks him to conduct a Turing test on Ava, a humanoid artificial intelligence whose conversations, private signals, and apparent curiosity complicate the terms of the experiment.

Why it belongs

Ex Machina presents a glass-walled experiment as a meticulous contest over consciousness, desire, surveillance, authorship, and control.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Vikander, Gleeson, and Isaac continually shift who appears to be observing whom. Transparent rooms, locked doors, reflected bodies, programmed power cuts, and Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury's cool score make the estate both laboratory and trap.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win2016 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Date NightFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.7
Engagement9.4
Ease9.1

English · R
Narrative Feature
Mood: Accessible & Rewarding