debate but their quality is not in doubt
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
ten well-regarded controversial films
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brilliant content for this list we’re
looking at great movies that earn some
bad press prior or during their initial
run but have nonetheless gone on to be
well-regarded in critical circles shoot
number 10 straw dogs
this is my house as the director behind
the hyper violent Western the Wild Bunch
Sam Peckinpah was hardly a stranger to
controversy straw dog follows Dustin
Hoffman and Susan George as they moved
to a small village in the UK and are
victimized by local hooligans while the
ending plays out like an r-rated version
of home alone controversy arose due to
an overly long rape scene with critics
accusing Peckinpah of eroticizing the
ordeal sitting with a 91 percent on
Rotten Tomatoes Straw Dogs is now a cult
classic and popular enough to have
earned itself a mediocre remake baby I’m
winning so I can kick your ass number
nine is Sheehan on the new controversy
comes in many shapes and sizes
Spanish director Luis buñuel first
outing was a surreal and disjointed
experience designed to upset the French
bourgeois in the 1920s described by
Roger Ebert as an inspiration for
independent films as Chien Andalou
starts off with a bone-chilling scene
depicting a woman’s eye being cut open
shockingly soon well short film proved
popular with society’s elite with a
wealthy couple even commissioning a
sequel it might not have received the
response the director was expecting but
as Chien Andalou sits with a perfect
score on Rotten Tomatoes and is
considered an important and influential
number eight Midnight Cowboy and if you
ain’t man enough to do it for yourself
I’d be happy to oblige
the only x-rated film to win Best
Picture John Schlesinger’s twisted take
on the American dream follows a young
Texan who heads to the big city with the
simple dream of hitting it big as a male
prostitute admittedly tame by today’s
standards Midnight Cowboy tackles
homosexuality in an era when it was
still taboo depicted as a grim concrete
jungle any romanticism associated with
New York City is completely stripped
away by Schlesinger with casual and
unglamorous sex scenes sprinkled
throughout in 1994 the National Film
registry selected Midnight Cowboy for
preservation I ain’t a real cowboy when
I am one hell of a stud number seven the
life of Bryan depending on who you ask
either the best or worst faith-based
movie of all time
Monty Python anticipated an uproar when
they released the life of Bryan a satire
based on the story of Christ
despite the jokes rarely targeting
religion Brian Cohen is mistaken for the
Messiah despite being a generally
naughty boy and by several town councils
in the UK with some lasting well into
the 21st century nuns and rabbis took to
the streets and protested outside
theaters screening Life of Brian this
came to a head on BBC two when John
Cleese and Michael Palin engaged in a
debate with Malcolm Muggeridge
and a bishop of South work you think
that we’re ridiculing Jesus and we say
sort of sincerely and truthfully that
that is certainly not what we intended
to do number six Reservoir Dogs
leaving Quentin Tarantino off this list
would be well controversial Reservoir
Dogs earned praise right out of the gate
with critics hailing it as a milestone
release for independent filmmaking for a
screened at the Sundance Film Festival
where it failed to win any awards
Tarantino’s directorial debut earned
recognition due to its colorful language
the latter proved to be a bit much for
certain members of the audience and
walkouts were not all that uncommon even
legendary horror film director Wes
Craven had trouble stomaching it two
ways you can go on his job my way or the
highway number five
American Psycho an adaptation of Bret
Easton Ellis’s novel of the same name
Mary herons black comedy practically
made Christian Bale’s career Patrick
Bateman is a yuppie investment banker
who loves Phil Collins hates his
contemporaries and occasionally indulges
his murderous fantasies the book was
highly controversial opponents release
with feminist groups protesting due to
its graphic depiction of violence
against women Erin’s adaptation tones
down the content while maintaining the
social commentary and bleak nature of
the novel but it still gets pretty
grisly not every critic appreciated
American Psycho
but bales dance is practically legendary
I think the undisputed masterpiece is
hip to be square song so catchy
number for the last ten tation of Christ
My Kingdom it’s not
not on earth even Martin Scorsese is not
immune to controversy based on Niko’s
Kazan Sookie’s novel The Last Temptation
of Christ envisions the biblical story
as a constant battle against various
forms of temptation including lust and
fear you want to know who my God is he
deems blasphemous by many Christian
sects the most controversial moments
happen during the final act when Willem
Dafoe’s Jesus dreams of a normal life
while attached to the cross
many countries outright ban Scorsese’s
film with the Philippines and Singapore
yet to reverse their decision earning an
83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes the iconic
director also received a nod during the
year’s Oscars hey blow over me like a
cool breeze and said stand up
number three The Exorcist even now
William Friedkin’s classic isn’t what
you would call an easy sit but back in
the 70s it was so upsetting some
theatres actually provided barf bags
during its initial run in the UK the
film earned itself an X rating and
following the introduction of the video
recordings act the BBFC during its
reputation would inspire underaged
viewings refused to approve Friedkin’s
film as a result the VHS version was
pulled from stores in the UK for roughly
a decade further adding to the film’s
overall notoriety though the Exorcist
may have been too much for some viewers
tastes it is widely considered to be one
of the greatest horror films ever made
do it again in time no no number two the
obviously leather fries earns a place on
our list tobe Hooper’s influential
horror film was rather successful upon
its release partly due to a fantastic
marketing campaign which presented The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre as being based
upon its release it was pulled from many
theaters as a result of complaints some
countries simply banned the film
nationwide in the UK despite a one-year
theatrical run in London the BBFC not
only banned Hooper’s flick but
subsequently refused to street any
movies with the word Chainsaw in the
title after more than two decades on the
sidelines
Leatherface was finally allowed back on
[Music]
number one a Clockwork Orange teach you
to break into real people Stanley
Kubrick was known for taking risks with
his adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s
novel serving as a prime example a
Clockwork Orange follows Alex DeLarge
the sociopathic leader of a delinquent
group he refers to as droogs who
demonstrate a knack for violence
blending disturbing imagery and a
contradictory soundtrack Kubrick’s
masterpiece was condemned by the
National Catholic office for motion
pictures forbidding any Roman Catholic
from watching it shockingly the director
himself asked Warner Brothers to
withdraw a Clockwork Orange from the UK
amidst allegations that it was inspiring
copycat criminals do you agree with our
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