10 Movies That Will Inspire You to Work on Your Screenplay

By Jameson Brown · September 25, 2014

Writing is an inspired activity, hobby and/or career. But that does not mean it only has to come from within. Yes, writing is the extraction of what we are feeling, but a good bit of that is ingested and then filtered back out in our way – our own perspective. Much of this (at least with screenwriters) comes from other films. Other stories help jolt our brain or simply give us enough steam to move forward. Use this list as a cinematic light bulb that helps you finish your story and move it to the next stage.

10. The Godfather: Part II (1974)

The best sequel in the history of film, The Godfather: Part II is a shining example of epic storytelling combined with masterful acting. With each scene building further on the previous one’s suspense, this second entry closes with one of the most memorable, and sad, scenes of all time.

9. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Considered one of the best screenplays ever written, BCATSD finds perfect dramatic and comedic balance between its two leads. Good work, Goldman. Not to mention that Paul Newman and Robert Redford were the only two actors who could correctly depict Butch and Sundance.

8. True Romance (1993)

Tarantino’s first real script, True Romance is briskly paced starting from the opening Elvis dialogue. Mirroring both Badlands (later on this list) and Bonnie and Clyde, Tarantino’s blood-soaked story establishes itself as its own “lovers on the run” entry to the canon. It does this by exemplifying well written [and long] dialogue sequences, highly unique characters and an author not afraid to kill those characters off.

7. The Deer Hunter (1978)

One of the most uniquely structured war stories to be put onscreen, The Deer Hunter is a brutal examination of the Vietnam War’s effect on soldiers’ daily lives upon returning from the war. This film’s back and forth between homefront and Vietnam are what make it so unique; traditional structure takes a backseat. In conjunction with brave screenwriting, The Deer Hunter also features one of the most intense, hard to watch scenes still to date.

6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Lawrence of Arabia is the obvious shining example of an epic, but it’s also an example of an epic done well. Built out of the remnants of T.E. Lawrence’s actual encounters, this sand story is long, lavish in scale and expertly acted.

5. Taxi Driver (1976)

A profound descent of a movie as much as it is a decent of its title character, Scorsese’s Taxi Driver bleeds madness from every pore. Travis Bickle, a loner turned psychopath, is meticulously deconstrcuted as we observe him in the concrete jungle that is New York. Schrader knocks Travis down a notch with each scene and lets us see how an environment and the people in it can effectively crumble one person’s world.

4. American Graffiti (1973)

A culture classic that’s nostalgia is too hard to turn away from, American Graffiti is a movie that puts to screen what George Lucas lived through as a teenager. This film is his young adulthood. With troubled relationships, leaving for college and never being able to escape out of town, this sophmore effort from Lucas packs a lot of thematic elements into one sitting. But it does so in a charming, fun-loving way.

3. Se7en (1995)

An all-time favorite of mine, Fincher’s Se7en is a neo-noir masterpiece that apologizes for absolutely zero, just like its supporting character in the final sequence of the film. Laid out as traditional “Big Sleep” style detective noir, Se7en goes a few steps further with its motives, camera work and characters.

2. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

A movie that purposely owns its stiffness in the beginning, but slowly transcends into something much more human, A.I. is a journey that features some of the most touching moments in recent years. Based on a multitude of writings, including much input and adaptation from Stanley Kubrick, this entry in the SciFi canon ranks among the best.

1. Badlands (1973)

Terrence Malick’s best film (ironically his debut), Badlands is a no bullshit story that does not rely on preachy themes and underlying motives. What makes this story flow so well is that both leads do what they do because they are bored. They simply just want to go on an adventure – try something new. For this reason, though, multiple layers are naturally created for the audience.