1. Bible: The Bible is the guide for life. It covers everything including male friendship: “No greater love is this, to lay down one’s life for a friend.”

2. De Officiis (often titled “On Duties”) by Marcus Tullius Cicero, 44 B.C.: Frederick the Great of Prussia called this the greatest book on morality and ethics ever written. It’s a readable, inspiring outline of the ultimate man’s philosophy.

3. The Republic by Plato, 380 B.C.: A man needs a curious mind all his life. This foundation of Western philosophy will make you question everything.

4. Meditations (Ta Eis Heauton) by Marcus Aurelius, around 180 A.D.: This straightforward outline of Stoic philosophy will benefit every man.

5. The Art Of War by Sun Tzu, thought to be written between 200-400 B.C.: This is an ancient Chinese outline for war. Its humanistic philosophy will surprise and teach things to any man.

6. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, around 700 B.C.: Men, heroism, courage, cleverness, justice … these epics are guides to manhood.

7. The Book of Five Rings by Miyamota Musashi, 1645: One of the greatest Samurai’s who ever lived wrote this guide to manhood.

8. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, 1884: This coming-of-age story tackles racism, propriety, and friendship.

9. Bhagavad Gita, written between the 5th and 2nd centuries B.C.: Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.” The content of the Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna before battle. Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and a prince.

10. The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark, 1957: An old man instructs a boy how to grow into a man.

11. Captain’s Courageous by Rudyard Kipling, 1897: A rich brat is forced to become a man.

12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1953: This haunting tale of censorship tells men to use their minds.


13. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, around 1600: Hamlet is the greatest coming-of-age story ever told.


14. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, 1957: This novel about individual rights and limited government has changed millions of men.

15. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, 1952: This is the story of a man who won’t give up. 

16. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925: This dramatic novel on a man maddened by love will become a part of you.


17. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, 1986: The character Gus is the ultimate man.

18. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, 1933: This lyrical text follows a man’s struggle to be a man in the Great Depression.

19. Will by G. Gordon Liddy, 1980: This autobiography is a thunderous guide to being an honorable man.

20. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1880: This is a drama of faith, free-will, and brotherhood.

21. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843: This work argues that every man should have a generous heart.

22. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, 1605, 1615: The lesson of this book is that men should live in reality.

23. Glory Road by Robert Heinlein, 1963: A man learns how to grow into a hero.

24. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883: A boy does things most men couldn’t.

25. U.S.A. (the trilogy) by John Dos Passos, 1930: Intertwining lives develop a picture of manhood in America.

26. White Fang by Jack London, 1906: A boy saves a wolf that becomes his best friend, and thereby attains a right-of-passage.

27. Big Woods by William Faulkner, 1931: A boy goes on his first hunt with men for bear and doesn’t find a primal connection to nature as much as a path to manhood.

28. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, 1937: Every man should have some adventure to develop his perspective.

29. The Lord of the Rings (the trilogy) by J.R.R Tolkien, 1954-55: Though fantasy, these books are a guide to heroism.

30. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1926: A man navigates love and chivalry as he struggles to be a man without his physical manhood.

31. The Captive Mind by Czeslaw Milosz, 1990: This is a startling and convincing thesis on the virtues of intellectual freedom.

32. Parliament of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke:
This is a cynical but revealing and hilarious diatribe on how the American government really functions. 

33. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek, 1944: This book was seen as heretical for its passionate warning against the dangers of state control.

34. The Aeniad by Virgil, 19 B.C.: This Roman epic is an answer to Homer; it features a hero more in keeping with today’s definition of heroism.

35. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, 1847: Love and social status, virility and weakness between opposing men, question what a man should espouse.

36. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, 1974: This work of historical fiction on the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War outlines courage, honor, and an epic battle for freedom.

37. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, 1946: Frankl chronicles his experiences as a Nazi concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method for finding meaning in life.

38. Two Years before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., 1840: This is an American classic and one of the best coming-of-age books. It recounts a young Harvard mans decision to cut his teeth aboard a merchant sailing vessel on a two-year tour to California between 1834-1836. 

39. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960: Its main character, Atticus Finch, stands heroically up to racism at a critical time in American history. 

40. Natural Right and History by Leo Strauss, 1953: In this relative age, Strauss argues there is a distinction between right and wrong in ethics and politics.

41. Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton, 1908: The author argues Christianity is the “answer to a riddle” of mankind. 

42. Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841: Emerson argues that each individual needs to avoid conformity and false consistency, and to follow his or her own instincts and ideas.

43. Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison, 1953: This novel is narrated by an African American who thinks of himself as invisible in society, a perspective that forces the reader to see others as men, no matter their color or creed.

44. Kokoro by Souseki Natsume, 1914: “Kokoro” literally translates to “heart,” but the book is about a boy becoming a man during Japan’s transition from the Meiji society to the modern era.

45. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, 1987: A spoiled, wealthy man finds out the world doesn’t revolve around him.

46. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, 1939: Philip Marlowe is a private eye who uses a code of justice to stay clean as he investigates blackmail, murder, and mobsters.

47. Shane by Jack Schaefer, 1949: A man comes to town, with him comes justice.

48. Casino Royale by Ian Flemming, 1953: This is the novel that began the James Bond series and created a manly, debonair icon that still affects how men see themselves today.

49. A River Runs Through It by Norman McClean, 1976: Brothers struggle to grow into men as they find a common bond through nature.

50. Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko, 1992: This is a first-person account of how Marcinko developed a counter-terrorism unit and battled military bureaucracy.

51. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, 1776: This classic look at capitalism argues there are unintentional benefits stemming from individuals’ pursuit of their desires and needs.

52. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1962: Based on real accounts and experiences, this story follows a day in the life of a man in a 1950s Soviet prison. 

53. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, 1894: These anthropomorphic tales set in India deal with the rudiments of becoming a man.


54. Gandhi on Non-Violence by Mohandas K. Gandhi, 1965: Gandhi said, “One has to speak out and stand up for one’s convictions. Inaction at a time of conflagration is inexcusable.” This book outlines his basic principles of the philosophy of non-violence (Ahimsa) and non-violent action (Satyagraha). 


55. The Last Lion by William Manchester, 1983: This biography of Winston Churchill captivates, inspires, and teaches men to boldly pursue their dreams.

56. Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends by Allen Barra, 2005: The most famous lawman of all time was the greatest, the legends were mostly true, and he mostly did what was right.

57. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, 1959: This tale of war and adventure follows a young man learning to be a man. 

58. FM 22-100 Army Leadership Manual: From this great little book you’ll learn to put people first and to achieve the mission.

59. The Fight by Norman Mailer, 1975: This first-person account of the “Rumble in the Jungle” is about men going for it all.

60. For Love of the Game by Michael Schaara, 1991: A pitcher wins his last game and discovers what manhood is from a woman he realizes he loves.

61. History of Christianity by Paul Johnson, 1976: Whether you’re an atheist or not, understanding the biggest influence on Western culture in the last 2,000 years is critical to every man.

62. Reflections of a Ravaged Century by Robert Conquest, 2000: This book asks, “How do we account for what has been called the ‘ideological frenzy’ of the twentieth century?” And then answers the question.

63. Memoirs of the Second World War by Winston S. Churchill, 1959: Churchill begins the book by writing: “One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what the war should be called. I said at once, “The unnecessary war.” That’s the honest candor of the man.

64. The Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset, 1930: Gasset warns of a populist rise that will negate individual freedom in Europe; his message is as true today.

65. On Liberty by John Stuart Mills, 1859: This argument for freedom from tyranny is an easy, accessible read every man should flip through.

66. The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, 1923: Most known for his leadership of realist painters (known as “The Eight”), Henri instructs how to find the artist in yourself.

67. Love in the Western World by Denis de Rougemont, 1939: Rougement traces the “courtly love” tradition from its 12th century A.D. orgins through the Romanticism of 19th century to the modern-day consequences of a love that is based on Eros.

68. From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present by Jacques Barzun, 1999: This book will give the well-read man and the agnostic an educated perspective of our time.

69. Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman, 1962: This is a fundamental book on the libertarian philosophy; it focuses on preventing the accumulation of power by any individual or group.

70. The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, 1961: Read this book and your mind will open to your surroundings as never before.

71. The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, 1776: This lyrically written, studiously researched history of Rome will teach you about empire, men, and America today.

72. The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom, 1987: A man must educate himself all his life, argues Bloom, who then shows the way. 

73. 1776 by David McCulough, 2006: This book traces how America heroically began.

74. Good-Bye to All That, Robert Graves, 1958: With criticism for his class, his country, his military superiors, and the civilians who mindlessly cheered the carnage of WWI, Graves outlines the reality of man and war.

75. How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher, 1942: A well-rounded man needs to understand food, this book will make him savor the best.

76. The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson: Every man should know why America fought to be free.

77. The Constitution of the United States of America: So few today know what this bedrock of the U.S. system actually says.

78. Alive by Piers Paul Read, 1974: This is the true story of Andes flight disaster in people were forced to cannibalism to survive. 

79. The King Must Die by Mary Renault, 1958: This novel is an adaptation of the early life and adventures of the mythological Greek hero Theseus.

80. The Sea Witch by Jack London, 1904: An animalistic captain Shanghai’s a scholar and forces him to be a man or die. 

81. Leiningen Versus the Ants, Carl Stephenson, 1938: A plantation owner won’t give up despite the man-eating ants trying to get him and everything he owns. It’s a tale of man’s fortitude despite nature.

82. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, 1924: A man hunts another for sport; along the way they confront mortality.

83. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, 1895: A young soldier in the American Civil War deserts during battle because he thinks it’s senseless, but he later decides he has to find his courage and face his manhood.

84. Spartacus by Howard Fast, 1951: The novel’s portrayal of the Roman slave Spartacus argues man’s most basic universal values are freedom, love, hope, and finally, life itself.

85. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, 1951: Officers aboard a WWII destroyer relieve their captain, but later realize they’d been unjust all along. 

86. The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott, 1935: Webb helps you understand Texas and its great men who held together and solidified a way of life.

87. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, 1719: This novel is written as an autobiography of a man who was castaway on an island and has to find meaning and hope on his own.

88. Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl, 1950: To prove South American’s settled Polynesia, in 1947 Heyerdahl built and sailed a raft from South America to Polynesia. This book is about a man’s quest for truth.

89. Henry V by William Shakespeare, 1599: A party boy must mature to be an inspiring leader of the people and a nation.

90. The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter, 1992: This is the best book about the greatest game.

91. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy, 1993: A man of honor punishes terrible men.

92. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 1954: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a tropical island, and then try to create order. This novel is a riveting look at human nature and of boys trying to be men.

93. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, 1997: This historical fiction follows a deserter from the Confederate Army who travels for months on foot to find his love, a woman who has to learn to support herself. 

94. Reflexions ou Sentences et Maximes Morales by Francois de La Rochefoucauld, late seventeenth century: Rochefoucauld’s Maximes are never platitudes, but in sum are a guide to living as a man.

95. The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham, 1919: An artist sacrifices ethics and humanity to be great—it’ll leave you contemplating ambition.

96. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, 1997: A pair of fraternal twins find that small things in life build up, translate into people’s behavior and affect their lives.

97. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, 1726: Though this was a deeply political work of its day, it’s still relevant because it embraces mans’ adventurism and questions his biases.

98. Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru, 1934: This series of essays were mostly written from an Indian prison as a guide to the world to the author’s daughter. His letters span the world because he didn’t like that school books are often confined to the history and perspective of a single people.

99. Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, 1949: Warren Buffet has described this book as “by far the best book on investing ever written.”

100. Style and the Man: How and Where to Buy Fine Mens' Clothes, by Alan Flusser, 1996: A man needs to know how to dress formally to rise in stature.

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Now Let's Talk Manly Films

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100 MOVIES MEN SHOULD SEE

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1. Ben-Hur, 1959, directed by William Wyler, starring Charlton Heston: As Juda Ben-Hur, Heston is what every man should be, a figure struggling to stand for justice, his people, and family who rises through faith to transcend obstacles in his path. 

2. High Noon, 1952, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly: Gary Cooper marries Grace Kelly and turns in his badge, but then he learns a bad guy he put away years before is arriving on the noon train to meet his old gang and get revenge. Cooper leaves, but then stops his wagon. Grace Kelly pleads, “Don’t go back Will.” Gary Cooper replies, “I’ve got to, that’s the whole thing.” 

3. Godfather series, 1972-1990, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Marlon Brando: These movies are a male how-to guide to preserving your honor in this visceral world. 

4. Rocky, 1976, directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Burgess Meredith: There is nothing more manly than the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Rocky. Watch Sylvester Stallone dig for his manhood, punch a side of beef, and scream “Adrian” as he struggles to be a man. 

5. Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, and Tom Sizemore, 1998: The reasons for wars can be meaningless to the individual, but ties between the band of brothers around each soldier creates bonds of loyalty and bravery that from afar can seem unbelievable. This movie is about men and war.

6. Good Will Hunting, 1997, directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck: Each man has a path he must follow in life—deserting their callings leaves men marooned between chapters in their lives. A psychologist, a girl, and his best friend force Matt Damon along his path. 

7. Casablanca, 1942, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid: Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, is an aloof, debonair, hard-boiled, masculine man until his old flame Ingrid Bergman reminds him he has a heart. 

8. The Seven Samurai, 1954, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune: Okay, guys don’t like to read subtitles; drop the bias this once. A poor Japanese village begs some Samurai to fight off bandits who annually raid the village. Seven Samurai come not for pay, but for honor.

9. The Big Country, 1958, directed by William Wyler, starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, and Charlton Heston: Gregory Peck goes to the American West to marry a rancher’s daughter he’d met in the East, but finds he has to prove he’s a man to her all over again. He does so by not stooping to prove publicly what he doesn’t need to verify.

10. Die Hard, 1988, directed by John McTiernan, starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, and Bonnie Bedelia: A group European terrorists get their worst nightmare: an American man who thinks he’s a cowboy.

11. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994, directed by Frank Darabont, starring Tim Robins and Morgan Freeman: This is a movie about hope. Even in prison, a man can stay a man by keeping his mind.

12. Stand By Me, 1986, directed by Rob Reiner, starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland: Four 12-year-old boys go looking for a dead body, what they find is a coming-of-age event.

13. Walking Tall, 1973, directed by Phil Karlson, starring Joe Don Baker, Elizabeth Hartman: When Bufford Pusser avenges his wife’s murder with a wooden club, you’re proud to be a man. 

14. The Big Sleep, 1946, Directed by Howard Hawks, staring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall: A private-eye stays clean in a dirty cesspool of mobsters and cops on the take because he stays loyal to his manly code of honor.

15. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, and Jean Arthur: A naïve, young U.S. Senator goes to Washington, refuses to be corrupted and finds himself filibustering the great political machine.

16. The “Man with No Name Trilogy” (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), 1964-66, directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood: The term “spaghetti Western” originated from the fact that these are Italian films directed by Sergio Leone about the American West. They feature an anti-hero who fights unflinchingly.

17. L.A. Confidential, 1997, directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and James Crommwell: This just might be the best cop movie ever; it has uncovered corruption, a search for the truth and for justice, and a battle of brains and brawn. 

18. The Vikings, 1958, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, and Janet Leigh: This classic is a how-to guide on fighting and dieing like a man.

19. The Searchers, 1956, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne: When Comanches abduct a little girl, they don’t take into account what one relentless man can do.

20. Full Metal Jacket, 1987, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Mathew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, and R. Lee Ermy: Originally made to show the horrors of war, after this manly flick you’ll feel like you went to boot camp and Vietnam.

21. Dirty Harry, 1971, directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood: “Do you feel lucky punk” was repeated by every school kid for a decade after this manly flick came out.

22. The Dirty Dozen, 1967, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and Jim Brown: This is one of the manliest casts ever gathered; they all come together to tell a story about men willing to die for a second chance in life. 

23. Terminator, 1984, directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton: If you don’t like this movie, you’re probably a girl. 

24. 12 Angry Men, 1957, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda: This is one of the greatest movies on men grappling with justice ever produced.

25. Braveheart, 1995, directed by Mel Gibson, starring Mel Gibson, Sophia Marceau, Catherine McCormack, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, Brendan Gleeson, and James Horner: This movie teaches we must live for love, for brotherhood, and for freedom. 

26. Field of Dreams, 1989, directed by
Phil Alden Robinson, starring Kevin Costner, and James Earl Jones:
This film’s underlying theme is the fulfillment of a man’s dreams, no matter what mistakes he may have made.

27. The Harder They Fall, 1956, Directed by Mark Robson, starring
Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, and Jan Sterling: The climax comes when Humphrey Bogart, who has sold his principles for money, has to sell out completely for his own profit or do the right thing.

28. The Pride of the Yankees, 1942, directed by Sam Wood, starring
Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright: When Gary Cooper delivers Lou Gehrig’s famous line—“Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”—you choke up and know what it is to be a man.

29. Fists of Fury, 1971, directed by Lo Wei, starring
Bruce Lee and Maria Yi: The fight scenes make this movie drip with testosterone, but Bruce Lee’s battle for justice makes it an ultimate man film.

30. Dead Poets Society,1989, directed by Peter Weir, starring Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan Hawke: A teacher shows boys how to find their own path to manhood and thereby unleashes a storm.

31. Gladiator, 2000, directed by Ridley Scott, Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver Reed: When Russell Crowe says, “Father of a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife and I shall have my vengeance in this life or the next,” you shiver.

32. Paths of Glory, 1957, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas: Douglas plays a French officer fighting in WWI who tries to save four soldiers picked at random to be executed for a poorly executed charge on German trenches.

33. The Candidate, 1972, directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Robert Redford and Peter Boyle: This is the story of how politics can slowly, decision by decision, corrupt a man.

34. I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, 1932, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, and Noel Francis: An innocent man is sentenced to 10 years on a chain gang. He escapes but is slowly turned into a criminal.

35. The five early James Bond films with Sean Connery (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Gold Finger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice): James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, thought Connery was a poor choice. But then Fleming’s girlfriend is said to have told him Connery was sexy, so Fleming backed off. After the raging success of Dr. No, he knew Connery was Bond.

36. Any Given Sunday, 1999, directed by Oliver Stone, starring
Al Pacino, and Cameron Diaz: Manhood is not something you earn, but something you keep fighting for all your life. Al Pacino finds this out and then keeps his manhood on and off the field.

37. Attack!, 1956, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, and Eddie Albert: These WWII GI’s question what justice is. Then the lead character decides, “You know what I’ve got to do Joe. You’d do the same thing.”

38. Tombstone, 1993, directed by George C. Cosmatos, starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Eliot, and Bill Paxton: Brotherhood, courage, honor, and justice are the manly themes this Western brings alive.

39. Hoosiers, 1986, directed by David Anspaugh, starring
Gene Hackman, and Dennis Hopper: Hackman plays a hard-luck coach in this underdog basketball story and comes out a man.

40. When We Were Kings, 1996, directed by Leon Gast: This documentary of the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman is about men giving their all.

41. Eight Men Out, 1988,
directed by John Sayles, starring John Cusack, Jace Alexander, and Gordon Clapp: This dramatization of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal argues that men must speak up when they see injustice, or become inculcated in it.

42. Cape Fear, 1962, directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum: As Mitchum plays a criminal who was sent to jail unjustly by Peck, the film navigates a gray area of justice: Do ends justify means?

43. From Here to Eternity, 1953, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, and Phillip Ober: Soldiers stationed on Hawaii just before the attack on Pearl Harbor struggle to be men; some succeed, some die.

44. Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957, directed by David Lean, starring Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Geoffrey Horne: The whistling of the Colonel Bogey March is unforgettable, but this is a man movie because it’s about keeping honor in desperate times.

45. Key Largo, 1948, directed by John Huston, staring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall: Bogart, playing a WWII hero returned home, is confronted by mobsters and forced to figure out what courage really is.

46. Lord of the Rings (the trilogy), 2001-2003, directed by Peter Jackson, starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, and Liv Tyler: This heroic fight against evil makes a complex struggle good men fight every day seem almost simple.

47. Conan the Barbarian, 1982, directed by John Milius, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger: This muscle-bound, rags-to-riches story follows a man on a quest.

48. Gunga Din, 1939, directed by George Stevens, starring Cary Grant, Douglass Fairbanks, jr., and Victor McLaglen: This swashbuckling tale explores courage, honor, and masculine friendship.

49. Bad Day at Black Rock, 1955, directed by John Sturges, starring Spencer Tracy, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, and Anne Francis: This Western film noir follows a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in search of a murdered man, and thereby confronts racism and justice. 

50. The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland: Flynn audaciously jumps of the screen and fights for the underprivileged, even though he loses his wealth in the process.

51. All The King’s Men, 1949, directed by Robert Rossen, starring Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, and Joanne Dru: Willie Stark rises as a politician from a rural county seat and along the way becomes what he rose to stop—it’s lesson in how not to be a man.

52. The Great Escape, 1963, directed by John Sturges, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, and Charles Bronson: Allied soldiers in a German prison camp organize an escape and find out who is selfish and who can be selfless.

53. The Guns of Navarone, 1961, directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, and Stanley Baker: These men are tasked with a desperate mission to take out German cannons in WWII. Selfless courage is their only weapon.

54. The Firm, 1993, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Gene Hackman: A young attorney navigates a path to justice and individual rights through mobsters, dirty lawyers, and an uncaring bureaucracy.

55. North by Northwest, 1959, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason: After being mistaken for a government agent, this average man finds he can be heroic.

56. Farewell to the King, 1989, directed by John Milius, starring Nigel Havers, Nick Nolte, Frank McRae, and Gerry Lopez: In WWII, an American POW escapes a Japanese firing squad and hides out in Borneo where he is adopted by a head-hunting tribe. Before long, he becomes king. This is the story of how power can corrupt a man.

57. Black Hawk Down, 2001, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Hardy: This true story of tragedy and heroism captures modern warfare at its most desperate.

58. Shenandoah, 1965, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, and Katherine Ross: A man struggles to keep a family together in the American Civil War.

59. Sands of Iwo Jima, 1950, directed by Allan Dwan, starring John Wayne, John Agar, Forrest Tucker, and Adele Mara: How to lead by example is what this WWII flick teaches.

60. First Blood, 1982, directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, and Brian Dennehy: A hero shunned by his people struggles for meaning in a country turned inside out.

61. The Quiet Man, 1952, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara: A boxer mistakenly kills another in the ring, and then retreats to the country of his birth to find himself and his manhood.

62. The Longest Day, 1962, directed by Ken Annakin, starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, and Rod Steiger: D-Day and its aftermath unfold in this epic tale on heroism.

63. Big Jake, 1971, directed by George Sherman, starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, and Richard Boone: When a boy is kidnapped, it takes a man to get him back.

64. Captain Blood, 1935, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland: A swashbuckling Errol Flynn courageously manhandles his fate and gets his honor back.

65. The Caine Mutiny, 1951, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, and Van Johnson: Right and wrong, sanity and insanity, causes these men to question motive and with it justice.

66. Run Silent, Run Deep, 1958, directed by Robert Wise, starring Clark Gable, and Burt Lancaster: Egos and revenge clash in this courageous battle of wills.

67. The Bullfighter and the Lady, 1951, directed by Budd Boetticher, starring Robert Stack, Joy Page, and Gilbert Roland: An American longs to be a bullfighter; he ends up learning how to be a man. 

68. The Third Man, 1949, directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles: A man has to decide between friendship and justice.

69. Predator, 1987, directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger: This man versus alien classic screams that sometimes a man can overcome anything.

70. Hamlet, 1948, directed by Laurence Olivier, starring Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, and Jean Simmons: Olivier brings Shakespeare’s greatest play to life as he shows a boy growing into a man.

71. A Man for All Seasons, 1966, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, and Robert Shaw: This is an exploration of the ultimate man’s conscience. 

72. The Patriot, 2000, directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Mel Gibson, Jason Isaacs, Heath Ledger, and Joely Richardson: A man is forced to fight for his family and freedom and along the way to find his honor. 

73. Spartacus, 1960, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, and Peter Ustinov: In his quest for freedom a slave nearly overthrows Rome.

74. Mutiny on the Bounty, 1962, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, and Hugh Griffith: A mutiny erupts to dislodge an abusive captain, and results in a fight for right or wrong despite the rules.

75. Gentleman’s Agreement, 1947, directed by Elia Kazan, starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and John Garfield: A journalist’s exploration of anti-Semitism develops him as a man.

76. Notorious, 1946, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman: Grant has to decide between duty and love as Bergman gives everything to take down a Nazi ring. 

77. The Professionals, 1966, directed by Richard Brooks, starring Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, and Woody Strode: This kidnap-rescue adventure pits men who live by a code of honor against those who don’t.

78. The Natural, 1984, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, and Kim Basinger: A man fights for a second chance despite his age.

79. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and Paul Freeman: Indiana Jones has a schooled intellect and an adventurous spirit; more men should use him as a role model.

80. 3:10 to Yuma, 2007, directed by James Mangold, starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, and Peter Fonda: Both adaptations of this Elmore Leonard short story are manly. A rancher is emasculated in front of his boys, who don’t yet know he’s doing the tougher thing.

81. The Male Animal, 1942, directed by Elliot Nugent, starring Henry Fonda, Olivia de Haviland, and Joan Leslie: A pure jock and a total intellectual compete for the same woman, and the intellectual learns love takes more than brains.

82. Reservoir Dogs, 1992, directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madson, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney: This jewel heist film delves into the darker neurosis of men. 

83. El Sid, 1961, directed by Anthony Mann, starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren: People have forgotten this film, but Heston plays a strong, romantic man who conquers his foes and rises to become a man of the ages.

84. A River Runs Through It, 1992, directed by Robert Redford, starring Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt: Few movies have captured man’s real connection and thus harmony with the earth as this one does. It’s a lesson in brotherhood, family, and our link to nature.

85. Chariots of Fire, 1981,
directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, and Cheryl Havers: This is about men testing the limits of their mortality.

86. The Shootist, 1976, directed by Don Siegel, starring John Wayne: A gunslinger faces mortality, tells his life long code, and goes out on his terms.

87. Patch, 1998, directed by Tom Shadyac, starring Robin Williams and Monica Potter: Humor creates a web of compassion we need in order to live healthy lives argues a man who then has to decide if other men should be trusted.

88. The Magnificent Seven, 1960, directed by John Sturgess, starring Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and James Coburn: This variation on The Seven Samurai pits seven gun slingers against bandits terrorizing a village of farmers.

89. Starship Troopers, 1997, directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Myer, andJake Busey: A rich kid grows up, loses his love, and becomes a leader and hero.

90. Wall Street, 1987, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, and Daryl Hannah: Greed corrupts a young stockbroker, who then has to embrace honesty and take his lumps way or become a villain.

91. Cinderella Man, 2005, directed by Ron Howard, starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti: A man fights against overwhelming odds to keep his family together.

92. It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed: A good man loses faith, but then finds out what the world would be like if he never existed.

93. The Deer Hunter, 1978, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep: Vietnam forces these men to become men or die.

94. Legends of the Fall, 1994, directed by Edward Zwick, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, and Henry Thomas: Brotherhood tears apart and pulls together these men.

95. Fight Club, 1999, directed by David Fincher, starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt: At some time men need to prove themselves physically, if they ever are to be men.

96. Heat, 1995, directed by Michael Mann, starring Al Pacino, Robert Di Niro, Ashley Judd, and Tom Sizemore: Two men face off, both with different codes, only one can win.

97. 300, 2007, directed by Zack Snyder, starring Gerard Butler and Lena Headey: Is it better to die for your country, or to live as a slave? These men answer with action.

98. Zulu, 1964, directed by Cy Endfield, starring Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, and Michael Caine: Courage and honor are tested and questioned in this epic.

99. Platoon, 1986, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe: Is it right to take justice into your own hands? This movie will make you wonder.

100. Lethal Weapon, 1987, directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover: A man finds a reason to live: His fight for justice.

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