Five greatest ensemble casts in Hollywood movies

Al Pacino and Marlon Brando in The Godfather 1

Of course, a great ensemble cast can be made up entirely of stars, like Ocean's Eleven, but the same rule applies: no one is allowed to be greedy and overshadow the rest. Another rule is that a great ensemble cast must perform a significant number of scenes as an ensemble.

Here's a list of 5 movies that vaunt of their great ensemble casts.

1. The Godfather: Once again, Coppola's masterpiece heads up a Top five list. Marlon Brando's monstrous Don Vito may haunt the film, but it's the electrifying interplay of his sons James Caan as bull-headed Sonny, John Cazale as quisling Fredo, Al Pacino as quietly inscrutable Michael--that holds the attention of the audience. This all time classic depicts how the sons are drawn inexorably into the family business as the transference of power from one generation to the next, becomes imperative in this all-time classic.

2. The Philadelphia Story: George Cukor's captivating romantic comedy about a society heiress (Katherine Hepburn) whose wedding is disrupted by her rakish ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a cynical newspaper reporter (James Stewart), qualifies as one of the greatest ensemble casts.

3. Reservoir Dogs: Tarantino's impeccably stylish, exultantly gory first movie ushered in a new era of ensemble crime flicks. Courtesy of Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn and Eddie Bunker, this movie has a lasting impact.

4. The Royal Tenenbaums: a superb cast, headed by Gene Hackman in tandem with Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Danny Glover, makes this movie a top-rated ensemble play. The characters individually epitomise the various strains of emotional wreckage wrought by dysfunctional families and lives that have peaked too soon.

5. Ocean's Eleven: The original Eleven was a shabby, boring affront to its audience but Soderbergh's remake trounces it with a blinding constellation of stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, who appear to be having fun, rather than just doing the movie because they have to.