The 30 best '80s movies of all time, ranked
There's more to the '80s than shoulder pads and hair metal.
The ‘80s was a pioneering decade for so much: music; technology; er, fashion. But ‘80s cinema was a true golden period - you only have to look at our best 80s movies to see this.
Unfortunately not everyone agrees with this. After the groundbreaking cinema of the ‘70s, the ‘80s were often seen as a bit of a disappointment.
Compared with the serious, gritty films of the previous decade, it’s easy to see why. But then the ‘80s were about something else. While the blockbuster only really took shape in the late ‘70s, the ‘80s saw it in its prime, delivering hit after hit, commercially and critically.
So here’s our list of the 30 best films of the 1980s...
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30. Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee’s controversial take on racial tension in Brooklyn gave the writer/director/actor a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It’s worth nothing that, as of 2018, only four black writers have ever been nominated in this category.
On a small budget, the film was a surprise hit and helped to establish Lee as one of the leading talents of the independent sphere going into the next decade…
29. Blue Velvet
While David Lynch had already made his mark as one of cinema’s most offbeat directors with Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Dune, it wasn’t until Blue Velvet that we finally saw what he was truly capable of.
One of the decade’s most experimental and daring films, it showed us suburban America in a way we’d never seen it before. Lynch’s film also became the topic of endless discussion for its mysterious themes and various interpretations.
28. The King Of Comedy (1983)
The King of Comedy found itself with a whole new batch of fans, thanks to The Joker - a movie that plays (more than) homage to Martin Scorsese’s fantastic film. Robert De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, someone who dreams of being a celebrity, creating his own talk show in his mother’s basement (and in his own mind). What ensues is a movie that shows how far people will go to gain celebrity status and what rejection does to those who are already of a fragile mind.
27. Once Upon A Time In America
Sergio Leone’s first and last (partly) English language film paired him with Robert De Niro, someone who knows a thing or two about the gangster genre. The sprawling epic spanned almost fifty years in the lives of New York’s underworld of crime and its running time has been a cause of controversy ever since its premiere at Cannes.
Originally 4 hours and 29 minutes, it was severely cut for American release, much to Leone’s distaste, but a restored version is now available.
26. Manhunter (1986)
While it may not be as iconic as Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs, Manhunter is a fantastic dip into the mythology of Hannibal Lector - this time played by the chilling Brian Cox. Directed by Michael Mann who pretty much made the look of the 80s with Miami Vice, this is a neo-noir wonder, filled with synths and suspense. Tom Noonan as The Tooth Fairy is worth the price of admission alone, but we also love the grizzled William Petersen as Will Graham.