Top 5 - Movies that Were as Good or Better then the Book

It is very rare for a movie to be as good as the book or better than the book they were based on. Here are my top 5 for movies that were able to turn this trick.

1. The Godfather
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. The Dead Zone
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
5. (tie) LA Confidential (tie) Thank You for Smoking

Honorable mention goes to The Silence of the Lambs.

I almost put The Quiet Man with John Wayne on the list but that would have been a bit of a stretch since it was based on a short story and not a novel.

To me the hallmark of a movie that equals or surpassed the book is the fact that you can no longer read the book without picturing the actor from the movie. Read The Godfather and it is impossible not to picture Brando as Don Corleone. Ditto Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and all the other main characters for the rest of the movies on the list.