Where To Watch Francis Ford Coppola’s 15 Best Movies, Ranked

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Rachel Ulatowski

Rachel Ulatowski

JustWatch Editor

After a 13-year hiatus from directing, legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has returned with a new film, Cannes premiere. A prominent figure in the New Hollywood film movement, Coppola is often hailed as one of the greatest directors of all time for his cinematic masterpieces with larger-than-life characters and rich stories. For those interested in delving into his work before Megalopolis, this guide will demonstrate where to watch his 15 best films.

Even those unfamiliar with Coppola will likely have heard of his best film, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone blew audiences away.

While the sequel, Robert de Niro) life.

Another movie that almost eclipsed The Godfather in quality and impact is Apocalypse Now. It is based on Joseph Conrad’s thought-provoking novel Heart of Darkness but switches the setting to the Vietnam War. Featuring the talents of Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, and Laurence Fishburne, Apocalypse Now is one of the most haunting, mesmerizing, and unforgettable war epics of all time.

Although often overshadowed by The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, The Conversation also warrants special mention in discussions of Coppola’s greatest works. The movie follows surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), who faces an intense moral dilemma when he realizes the couple he has been tailing may be at the center of a murder plot. It’s a simple plot, but the layers to the story are numerous as viewers delve deep into the nightmarish sense of paranoia and probe questions of morals and power.

In addition to four of the greatest movies of all time, Coppola has made many more well-received hits ranging from the zany and amusing Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

If you’re looking for more of Coppola’s greatest works, see below for where to watch his 15 best films ranked by their quality, popularity, and historical significance.

  1. The Godfather

    The Godfather

    1972

    # 1

    Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

  2. Apocalypse Now

    Apocalypse Now

    1979

    # 2

    At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.

  3. The Godfather Part II

    # 3

    In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

  4. The Conversation

    The Conversation

    1974

    # 4

    A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

  5. The Rain People

    The Rain People

    1969

    # 5

    When a housewife finds out she is pregnant, she runs out of town looking for freedom to reevaluate her life decisions.

  6. Bram Stoker's Dracula

    Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1992

    # 6

    In 19th century England, Count Dracula travels to London and meets Mina Harker, a young woman who appears as the reincarnation of his lost love.

  7. The Outsiders

    The Outsiders

    1983

    # 7

    When two poor Greasers, Johnny and Ponyboy, are assaulted by a vicious gang, the Socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.

  8. You're a Big Boy Now

    # 8

    Post-teen virgin moves to New York City, falls for a cold-hearted beauty, then finds true love with a loyal lass.

  9. Rumble Fish

    Rumble Fish

    1983

    # 9

    Rusty James, an absent-minded street thug, struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation and longs for the days when gang warfare was going on.

  10. The Rainmaker

    The Rainmaker

    1997

    # 10

    When Rudy Baylor, a young attorney with no clients, goes to work for a seedy ambulance chaser, he wants to help the parents of a terminally ill boy in their suit against an insurance company. But to take on corporate America, Rudy and a scrappy paralegal must open their own law firm.

  11. Peggy Sue Got Married

    # 11

    Peggy Sue, on the verge of a divorce, faints at her 25th high school reunion, and wakes up to find herself back in 1960, leading her to try to spot and correct the mistakes that led to disappointments and an unhappy marriage.

  12. Tucker: The Man and His Dream

    # 12

    Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1945. Engineer Preston Tucker dreams of deg the car of future, but his innovative envision will be repeatedly sabotaged by his own unrealistic expectations and the Detroit automobile industry tycoons.

  13. New York Stories

    New York Stories

    1989

    # 13

    Get ready for a wildly diverse, star-studded trilogy about life in the big city. One of the most-talked about films in years, New York Stories features the creative collaboration of three of America's most popular directors, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, and Woody Allen.

  14. Tetro

    Tetro

    2009

    # 14

    Bennie travels to Buenos Aires to find his long-missing older brother, a once-promising writer who is now a remnant of his former self. Bennie's discovery of his brother's near-finished play might hold the answer to understanding their shared past and renewing their bond.