Top Ten Outdoor Movies

The outdoors hasn't exactly been Hollywood's forte. While IMAX and PBS documentaries consistently convey the thrills and splendors of the natural world, narrative films set in the outdoors have a much spottier track record. Plunking down $10 for these films is risky; you hope for the inspirational but often end up with the unwatchable. That's not to say Tinseltown hasn't been trying. Some of the greats of the 30s, 40s, and 50s—Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, and Alfred Hitchcock, to name a few—directed or starred in films focused on nature and adventure. And since its Golden Age, Hollywood has continued to produce winning outdoor films, but the demands of big action and bigger financial returns have lead to many a Vertical Limit for every Deliverance.

So, we at GORP have taken it as our responsibility to cull through the dreck to give you some possibilities. The result is a diverse, opinionated list of wonderful movies that evoke nature or adventure. Can't get out this weekend? Well, grab one of these films and give your outdoor soul some vicarious satisfaction.