FILM: THE FIVE BEST FILMS

The Spanish Prisoner (PG)

David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner is as cool and calculating as his other film work - a crafty little thriller which gives the brain a two-hour work-out. Bonus points for hiring Steve Martin to play sinister.

Zero Effect (15)

Bill Pullman is a hoot as Daryl Zero, the world's greatest private investigator, in this comedy from 22-year-old Jake Kasdan (son of Lawrence). His performance is manic, even seething, yet brimming with compassion.

The Last Days of Disco (15)

Go to Whit Stillman's chronicle of the early 1980s dance scene expecting another Boogie Nights and you'll be disappointed - this is something more subtle, witty and perceptive.

Love and Death on Long Island (15)

Anyone insulted by what Visconti did to Death in Venice should turn to Richard Kwietniowski's tentative love story for comfort. John Hurt is the fuddy-duddy who falls for an American teen idol (Jason Priestley).

The X Files (15)

Mulder and Scully's first big-screen outing is no great progression from the television series, though what you get is expertly woven tension - even if it does finally add up to just another conspiracy theory.

FIVE BEST REVIVALS

La Haine (15) Riverside W6, Tues

Whatever happened to Mathieu Kassovitz? He made a much maligned film called Assassin(s), then decamped to LA. La Haine is his finest hour so far - a tough but compassionate tour of the Parisian suburbs.

Lost Highway (18) Brighton DoY, Wed

When David Lynch's disturbing psychological thriller was released late last year, it barely caused a ripple. Actually, it ranks alongside Blue Velvet and Eraserhead - enigmatic, infuriating and impossible to forget.

Psycho (18)

What was Hitchcock's most perfectly conceived and executed work? Psycho is in the running: 38 years on, it is still blackly funny, effortlessly chilling and a pretty succinct encapsulation of the joys of cinema.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (U)

What most modern adventure films lack is the sense of fun that makes this 1938 swashbuckler such a breeze to watch. Errol Flynn is the quintessential dashing hero, while Basil Rathbone is eminently hissable.

La Grande Illusion (U)

Renoir's haunting and poetic study of a blossoming friendship between two French PoWs (Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay). Made in 1937, its profound vision and generosity still endure today.