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We’ve been asking actors we love to share their favourite films with us – movies they adore as filmgoers. Today it's the turn of British thesp Riz Ahmed, who’s currently shooting the shrouded-in-mystery sci-fi spinoff ‘Stars Wars Anthology: Rogue One’. You might know Riz from ‘Ill Manors’, ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ or ‘Four Lions’. More recently, he gave a remarkably twitchy Jake Gyllenhaal’s sidekick in the amazing ‘Nightcrawler’.
Here are Riz’s top ten movies, presented in no particular order. He also provides a few thoughts on why the films are so great.
1. The Thin Red Line (1998)
‘This was my first properly spiritual experience watching a film.’
2. La Haine (1995)
‘This French film bristles with authenticity and realism yet offers such a honed and composed vision. It’s probably my favourite film ever. Dangerous, hilarious, bold, game-changing.’
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3. Goodfellas (1990)
‘Is this the coolest film of all time?’
4. When We Were Kings (1996)
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5. The Square (2013)
‘It’s “The Battle of Algiers” for our times. Important, visceral, epic.’
6. A Separation (2011)
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7. The Goonies (1985)
‘The actor Peyman Moaadi in this is masterful, as is director Asghar Farhadi's own daughter, Sarina Farhadi. I frequently tried to recreate this with friends and cousins.’
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
‘This was a defining film for me: the mythology, the CGI, Arnie as a robot and the brilliant (although since underused) Edward Furlong… I'll always love this.’
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9. Hidden (2005)
‘Michael Haneke’s film is impossible to define in terms of genre. It draws you in and will never leave you.’
10. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
‘I’ve picked this for the taut, simmering intensity of Al Pacino and the warm, swaggering charisma of Robert De Niro – along with Robert Duvall's masterfully understated performance. I mean, it's "The Godfather", what can I say?’
You can explore the 100 best movies ever made – as picked by leading actors including Riz Ahmed – here.