Dir: Stephen Frears, 1988 (10*)

A scathing examination of psychological manipulation and emotional torture among jaded French aristocrats. Glenn Close is the master of cruelty, and former lover John Malkovich her witting instigator, Valmont. Close delights in orchestrating seductions, using Valmont, and delights in both keeping him at bay and destroying the innocence of others, notably Uma Thurman and moralistic preacher wife Michelle Pfeiffer, in her best and Oscar-nominated role. From a 1670 play, not dated at all, in fact, so modern that it was remade as Valmont, and updated to modern times as Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar. As good as psychological studies get, Close’s best film performance by far, truly unforgettable.