Ok, here’s our seriously debateable list of films of the decade but its that time of year and we had to give it a go. We had to leave many many others out, The Bourne Series, Donnie Darko… we probably should have included Hidden (Cache) but hadn’t seen it, we debated District 9 and the concept of prawns, could have included the renaissance of James Bond (Casino Royale), or The Queen, disagreed about United 93 and Sideways, decided against the brutal and horrific Irreversible (a movie you could only ever watch once), forgot that Being John Malkovich was filmed in 2000, and revelled in the cinematography of The Constant Gardener – with Kenya being a particular passion of ours. So here you have it – a not so perfect list of our top 10 films of the decade (which can’t include Avatar since we haven’t seen it!), with one or two surprise choices :

10. Man on Wire (2008)

This lyrical documentary tells the story of Philippe Petit, who strung a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Centre and danced on it, for no reason other than to create something beautiful for the people far below.

9. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2003)

We had to lump these all together. Mostly this reached our top 10 because of the sheer size and scale of the achievement. Ridiculously brilliant CGI and cinematography, even if the trilogy isn’t particularly our cup of tea.

8. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Set in 1952, The Motorcycle Diaries re-creates a life-changing journey that Guevara made with his friend Alberto Granada. Gael García Bernal plays the 23-year-old medical student who witnesses enough social injustice while crossing Latin America to experience a burning political awakening. This beautifully composed Oscar-winner from the Brazilian director Walter Salles is an engrossing, if romanticised, portrait of a complex icon.

7. The Lives of Others (2006)

A mercilessly efficient account of Stasi surveillance in mid-1980s East Germany is anchored by a haunting performance from Ulrich Mühe, who died from stomach cancer just after the film’s release.

6. Gladiator

Taking a dead genre — the sword’n’sandals movie — and not just reviving it, but creating an Oscar-winning box-office sensation into the bargain. Awesome directing from Ridley Scott.

5. The Dark Knight

At last a film franchise in which the director’s vision triumphs over the tendency to simply rework a homogenous brand. A chilling, brilliant swan song for Heath Ledger as the Joker.

4. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Forest Whitaker gives one of the great performances of the decade as Idi Amin. He nails the Ugandan dictator’s deadly charm — he’s a charismatic monster; part amiable buffoon, part stone-cold killer.

3. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Twelve years after Trainspotting, Boyle produces a dizzying Mumbai-set romance that redefines the possibilities of a progressive yet commercially successful national industry. Oscars abound.

2. Into the Wild (2007)

True Story of Christopher McCandless who after graduating from Emory University, abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Simply touching and brilliant.

1. No Country for Old Men (2007)

The alchemic combination of the Coen brothers’ eloquent precision and Cormac McCarthy’s vivid nihilism makes for a bleakly compelling cycle of violence. The only thing more terrifying than Javier Bardem’s haircut is the clinical efficiency of his murders.

There is one other that should be on this list, which has been omitted and we actually don’t understand why. Sin City (2005) by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Stylistically brilliant.