Explosions, athletic underdogs, high body counts, excessive fist-fighting, deadpan sarcasm, well-done fantasy stories, conniving super-villains and hilarious drunken exploits are sure to draw your attention. If the main character has an amazing catchphrase, that’s even better. Here are 10 films (in order of release) that every man should own and love:

Dirty Harry (1971)

A rough-and-tumble cop with a bad attitude who bends and breaks the rules to stick it to the bad guys is a man’s movie hero. The film showcases Clint Eastwood in arguably his most memorable role, and spawned one of the most classic film lines in history (see below).

Standout performances: Clint Eastwood shines as Harry Callahan.

Favorite factor: Best Rule-Breakin’ Cop Movie.

Essential quote: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”

The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990)

The Godfather is commonly considered one of the greatest films of all time. Francis Ford Coppola’s films tell the story of the Corleones, an Italian-American family woven into a life of crime. Routinely topping lists of the greatest movies ever made, The Godfather and its sequels have cemented their place in pop culture and have remained important and meaningful to audiences nearly forty years after the original release. Men, like the critics, love these movies and hold them in high esteem.

Standout performances: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall lead an amazing and talented cast.

Favorite factor: Best “Family” Film.

Essential quote: “Leave the gun. Take the canoli.”

Rocky (1976)

If you’ve suddenly got “Gonna Fly Now” stuck in your head, you’ve definitely seen Rocky once or twice. In the classic sports story, an underdog boxer in Philadelphia trains to take on a heavyweight champion in an exhibition fight, to prove to himself and the world that he has what it takes to be a contender. Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in this film that made him a household name. Rocky Balboa’s pursuit of his version of the American dream makes Rocky one of the most beloved sports films of all time and the title character a cultural icon.

Standout performances: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, Talia Shire as Adrian, and Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed.

Favorite factor: Best Boxing Movie.

Essential quote: “Yo, Adrian!”

Animal House (1978)

If you’ve ever been to a toga party, you can probably thank Animal House. Popularizing the toga party was one among many of the film’s triumphs: it also launched the National Lampoon brand and made a star of John Belushi. The college film is full of fraternity hi-jinks, drunken escapades, practical jokes, road trips, and even puking on the dean. Plus, it’s Kevin Bacon’s film debut! After this film hit theaters, every college-aged man was dying to be a Delta.

Standout performances: John Belushi as John Blutarsky, Tim Matheson as Eric Stratton, Donald Sutherland as Professor Jennings, and John Vernon as Dean Wormer.

Favorite factor: Best College Movie.

Essential quote: “Seven years of college down the drain.”

Scarface (1983)

Scarface is over 25 years old, but still seems to appeal to each new generation in some way. (On any given episode of MTV’s Cribs, a rapper has Scarface playing on a big screen TV.) It tells the tale of Tony Montana, who comes to Miami from Cuba and quickly gets involved in the cocaine-laden crime of the Miami underworld. Though too violent for some mainstream audiences, Scarface has developed quite a cult following and Tony Montana has become a recognizable staple of film history and pop culture. Scarface is widely regarded as one of the best gangster movies of all time.

Standout performances: Al Pacino plays Tony Montana to perfection.

Favorite factor: Best Gangster Movie.

Essential quote: “Say hello to my little friend!”

Die Hard (1988)

Does this film even need an introduction? John McClane, a New York cop, is played to bad-ass perfection by Bruce Willis as he gives hostage-holding terrorists a taste of their own medicine. Guns, explosions, and a healthy dose of wit make testosterone-charged Die Hard a man must.

Standout performances: Bruce Willis as John McClane and Alan Rickman (in his first film role) as Hans Gruber.

Favorite factor: Best Blow-Stuff-Up Movie.

Essential quote: “Yippee-ki-yay” . . . well, you know you the rest.

Field of Dreams (1989)

I don’t want to meet the man who doesn’t get choked up watching Field of Dreams. In the film, a farmer named Ray, living with his wife and young daughter in Iowa, builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield to connect with his deceased baseball-loving father after a voice tells him “if you build it, he will come.” Lo and behold, a lineup of deceased players from the 1919 White Sox, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, begin playing baseball in the field and Ray eventually connects with his father and finally gets to play a game of catch with his dad. The sweet, emotional story holds a place in the hearts of men everywhere. Come on, guys: it’s okay to cry.

Standout performances: Kevin Costner as Ray (in just about the last good thing he did), Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson, and James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann.

Favorite factor: Best Sentimental Movie.

Essential quote: “If you build it, he will come.”

Fight Club (1999)

The first rule of Fight Club is “don’t talk about Fight Club”… but it has to be on a list of must-see movies for men. A complicated storyline, dual identities, chaos, Brad Pitt at his best as fearless Tyler Durden, and a bunch of beaten and bloody faces… isn’t it easy to see the appeal? Fight Club, based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk, is predicated on the idea that you don’t really know yourself until you’ve been in a fight. So what’s a lonely insomniac to do but join an underground club where all he does is fight other guys? Oh, and in his spare time, make soap and fall in love with a woman who might be as crazy as he is. Fight Club speaks to a disillusioned generation corrupted by greed and angry that they won’t grow up to be millionaires or rock stars. Men love this movie for the action and the story, and because maybe there’s a Tyler Durden lurking deep down in everyone.

Standout performances: Edward Norton as the Narrator, Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer, Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, and Meatloaf as Bob.

Favorite factor: Best Mayhem Movie.

Essential quote: “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

The Departed (2006)

You’ve got to say the title with your best Boston accent when you talk about The Departed. The gritty film (about undercover cops and organized crime) with a stellar cast picked up Academy Awards for writing, editing and motion picture of the year, and earned Scorsese his first directing Oscar. With a talented cast, intense plot, and repeat viewing potential, The Departed has quickly become a staple in the modern man’s movie collection.

Standout performances: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Anthony Anderson, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin all deliver.

Favorite factor: Best Boston Accent Movie.

Essential quote: “No one gives it to you. You have to take it.”

The Hangover (2009)

The most recent release to make this list, The Hangover became a smash hit in the summer of 2009. A classic tale of a bachelor and his three buddies road tripping to Vegas before his wedding turns into a what-happened-last-night farce when the buddies (uptight Stu, jerk Phil, and weird but genuine Alan) lose the groom. In order to find their friend and get him back in time to get married, they must retrace their steps – which isn’t as easy as it sounds when it involves an abandoned baby in the closet, a stolen cop car at the valet, and Mike Tyson’s pet tiger in the bathroom. Directed by Todd Phillips (whose other comedies, Old School and Road Trip, are also staples in male movie collections) and starring some of the funniest men in Hollywood, The Hangover will make you laugh ’til it hurts – but at least you’ll remember it in the morning.

Standout performances: Bradley Cooper as Phil, Ed Helms as Stu, and Zach Galifinakis as Alan, with hilarious cameos by Jeffrey Tambor, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, and of course, Mike Tyson.

Favorite factor: Best Drunk Movie.

Essential quote: “You probably get this a lot. This isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace, is it?”

Honorable Mentions:

Best Raunchy Comedy: American Pie

Best Bowling Movie: The Big Lebowski

Best Movie Featuring Kilts: Braveheart

Best Hero vs. Villain Movie: The Dark Knight

Best Stoner Movie: Dazed and Confused

Best Teen Movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Best Golf Movie: Caddyshack

Best Smart Guy Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Best Christmas Movie: Lethal Weapon

Chick Flick It’s Okay to Like: Mean Girls

Best “I’ve Got 12 Hours to Kill” Movies: Lord of the Rings trilogy

Best Import: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Best Workplace Comedy: Office Space

Best Bloody Movie: Rambo

Best Shoot-Em-Up Movie: Reservoir Dogs

Best Patrick Swayze Movie: Roadhouse

Best Feel-Good Sports Movie: Rudy

Best John Wayne Movie: The Searchers

Best Coming of Age Story: Stand By Me

Best Movie Starring a Future Politician: Terminator

Best Musical: This is Spinal Tap

Best Funny Fat Guy Movie: Tommy Boy

Best “Hey, It Was the 80s” Movie: Top Gun

Best Academy Award Winner: Forrest Gump

Best Prison Break Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Best Hockey Movie: Slap Shot

Best Sex Quest Movie: Superbad

Best Nostalgia Movie: Star Wars

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