You could debate for hours on end when trying to decide your favourite films of all time. However, some really do just stand out as classics. Despite most of the classics being created in the 20th century, this list has three that were released after 2000, with the most recent being in 2008 - any guess? From gangster epics to fantasy adventures and prison drama tear-jerkers, this list has it all. Here are the top ten best films of all time as ranked by IMDb.

The Italian epic spaghetti Western film was released in 1966 and directed by Sergio Leone. Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Antonio Casale and Aldo Giuffrè star alongside Eastwood. The film's synopsis is: "In the Southwest during the Civil War, a mysterious stranger, Joe (Eastwood), and a Mexican outlaw, Tuco (Wallach), form an uneasy partnership - Joe turns in the bandit for the reward money, then rescues him just as he is being hanged. When Joe's shot at the noose goes awry during one escapade, a furious Tuco tries to have him murdered. The men re-team abruptly, however, to beat out a sadistic criminal and the Union army and find $20,000 that a soldier has buried in the desert."

The Lord of the Rings story revolves around The One Ring, a powerful artefact forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, and so it becomes hobbit Frodo Baggins' mission to destroy it. This journey, with the help of the Fellowship, is the journey the films follow and is crucial in attempting to defeat Sauron and saving Middle-earth. The film was a huge critical and commercial success, and it is still widely considered as one of the most influential movies ever made.

Quentin Tarantino's most famous movie, Pulp Fiction, was released in 1994. It Stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman, among others. The indie crime film's synopsis reads: "Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames); his actress wife, Mia (Thurman); struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Willis); master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer)."

This 1993 classic, starring Liam Neeson is a story of a German industrialist who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish–Jewish refugees from the Holocaust during the Second World War. The film's synopsis reads: "6The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II."

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the last film in the trilogy. Released in 2003, the film stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortensen among many others. It has received a long list of accolades and is loved by many. It's synopsis reads: "The culmination of nearly 10 years' work and conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Hobbits Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the `one ring', while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron's evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith."

The 1957 courtroom drama was directed by Sidney Lumet in his feature debut. It tells the story of: "An eighteen-year-old Latino is accused of having stabbed his father to death. He is presented in a courtroom before a twelve-man jury. Eleven out of the twelve men vote guilty, except for Mr. Davis." It starred Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb and Ed Begley.

The Godfather Part II is both a sequel and a prequel to the original Godfather film. It presents two parallel storylines that follow one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone, played by Pacino, who is the new Don of the family and is trying to protect the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life, while the other storyline follows his father, Vito Corleone, who is played by Robert De Niro. It goes back to his Sicillian childhood all the way to the founding of the family business in New York.

The most recent film to be released (2008) in this list is The Dark Knight. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this a cinematic masterpiece gets back in touch with the dark roots of Batman. It follows Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, as he sets out on a mission to put an end to the remaining criminal organisations causing trouble in Gotham, in particular the criminal mastermind known as the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, who gave an incredible performance shortly before his death.

The original Godfather movie was released in 1972 and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The trilogy follows the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone and the transformation of his son, who transforms from an outsider to a mafia boss. The film's stellar lineup includes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. The film's synopsis reads: "Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Brando). When the don's youngest son, Michael (Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business."

The 1994 masterpiece is an American prison drama movie, written and directed by Frank Darabont. The film was based on Stephen King's 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The moving film did not win awards including Oscars. It's synopsis reads: "Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn't commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years."