Alright, so I wanted to get to the bottom of this whole “most manly movies” thing. I’ve seen lists floating around, but I wanted to make my own, based on my own gut feeling and some, shall we say, “field research.”
Phase 1: Brain Dump and Initial Gut Check
First, I just scribbled down every movie that popped into my head that felt “manly.” You know, the ones that make you want to chop wood, wrestle a bear, or maybe just grow a thicker beard. My initial list was all over the place:
- Die Hard
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Rambo: First Blood Part II
- Predator
- Gladiator
- Braveheart
- 300
I had some obvious action flicks, a couple of westerns, and some historical epics. Seemed like a good starting point, I have to filter all of these movies.
Phase 2: The “Bro-Approved” Screening
Next, I needed some backup. Can’t just trust my own instincts, right? So I called a few buddies, made some popcorn, open the beer. We watched some of these movies together, and for others, we just talked them through – plot points, key scenes, the overall vibe.
The criteria was pretty loose: Does this movie make you feel like a man? Does it make you feel pumped? Would you watch this with your dad, your brother, your son(one day, maybe)? If the answer to most of those was “hell yeah,” it stayed on the list.
Phase 3: Refining the List
After many discussion, and many more beers,I have the result. We argued about a few. Some guys were really into the Rocky franchise, but I felt like only the first couple really fit the “manly” bill. Some wanted to include more modern action movies, but I felt like a lot of them were too slick, too CGI-heavy. Not enough grit.
So, I went back to my list, crossed some off, added a few that came up in conversation, and ended up with a solid list:
- The Godfather
- Fight Club
- Mad Max: Fury Road
I feel pretty good about this list. It’s not definitive, of course. It’s totally subjective. But it’s a list that I feel represents what I think of when someone says “manly movies.”
And hey, even if you disagree, that’s cool. Maybe it’ll inspire you to come up with your own list. Grab some buddies, have some, and do your own research.
