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Top Films of the 1980s (#1-200)

Rank Title Year Director(s) Overall
Rank
1 Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott 12
2 The Shining 1980 Stanley Kubrick 22
3 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 Steven Spielberg 27
4 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 Steven Spielberg 28
5 The Empire Strikes Back 1980 Irvin Kershner 29
6 Back to the Future 1985 Robert Zemeckis 30
7 Raging Bull 1980 Martin Scorsese 44
8 The Princess Bride 1987 Rob Reiner 47
9 Aliens 1986 James Cameron 50
10 The Thing 1982 John Carpenter 63
11 Do the Right Thing 1989 Spike Lee 75
12 The Terminator 1984 James Cameron 80
13 Die Hard 1988 John McTiernan 85
14 Brazil 1985 Terry Gilliam 114
15 When Harry Met Sally… 1989 Rob Reiner 130
16 Blue Velvet 1986 David Lynch 133
17 This Is Spinal Tap 1984 Rob Reiner 143
18 My Neighbor Totoro 1988 Hayao Miyazaki 144
19 The Fly 1986 David Cronenberg 147
20 Ghostbusters 1984 Ivan Reitman 151
21 Once Upon a Time in America 1984 Sergio Leone 157
22 Akira 1988 Katsuhiro Ôtomo 175
23 Ran 1985 Akira Kurosawa 186
24 Amadeus 1984 Milos Forman 190
25 Airplane! 1980 Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker 196
26 Full Metal Jacket 1987 Stanley Kubrick 198
27 Grave of the Fireflies 1988 Isao Takahata 210
28 RoboCop 1987 Paul Verhoeven 213
29 Das Boot 1981 Wolfgang Petersen 217
30 Return of the Jedi 1983 Richard Marquand 219
31 Scarface 1983 Brian De Palma 220
32 Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988 Robert Zemeckis 225
33 A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 Wes Craven 248
34 Fanny and Alexander 1982 Ingmar Bergman 253
35 Shoah 1985 Claude Lanzmann 254
36 Come and See 1985 Elem Klimov 255
37 Platoon 1986 Oliver Stone 268
38 Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986 John Hughes 270
39 Cinema Paradiso 1988 Giuseppe Tornatore 275
40 Wings of Desire 1987 Wim Wenders 277
41 Evil Dead II 1987 Sam Raimi 288
42 Dead Poets Society 1989 Peter Weir 291
43 Stand by Me 1986 Rob Reiner 307
44 Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan 1982 Nicholas Meyer 317
45 The Road Warrior 1981 George Miller 325
46 The Goonies 1985 Richard Donner 335
47 The Blues Brothers 1980 John Landis 351
48 Paris, Texas 1984 Wim Wenders 353
49 Tootsie 1982 Sydney Pollack 359
50 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Steven Spielberg 370
51 Predator 1987 John McTiernan 374
52 The Elephant Man 1980 David Lynch 385
53 The Evil Dead 1981 Sam Raimi 397
54 Poltergeist 1982 Tobe Hooper 398
55 Withnail & I 1987 Bruce Robinson 407
56 The Breakfast Club 1985 John Hughes 418
57 Videodrome 1983 David Cronenberg 421
58 Dirty Dancing 1987 Emile Ardolino 423
59 Field of Dreams 1989 Phil Alden Robinson 430
60 An American Werewolf in London 1981 John Landis 431
61 Batman 1989 Tim Burton 486
62 Heathers 1988 Michael Lehmann 488
63 Moonstruck 1987 Norman Jewison 498
64 Chariots of Fire 1981 Hugh Hudson 504
65 The Little Mermaid 1989 Ron Clements and John Musker 505
66 The Decalogue 1989 Krzysztof Kieslowski 508
67 Big 1988 Penny Marshall 515
68 Bull Durham 1988 Ron Shelton 518
69 The Karate Kid 1984 John G. Avildsen 521
70 Escape from New York 1981 John Carpenter 528
71 The Untouchables 1987 Brian De Palma 533
72 Glory 1989 Edward Zwick 562
73 Caddyshack 1980 Harold Ramis 563
74 Hannah and Her Sisters 1986 Woody Allen 567
75 The Killer 1989 John Woo 569
76 The Right Stuff 1983 Philip Kaufman 589
77 Raising Arizona 1987 Joel Coen 591
78 A Fish Called Wanda 1988 Charles Crichton 598
79 The Thin Blue Line 1988 Errol Morris 604
80 Blood Simple 1984 Joel Coen 609
81 Labyrinth 1986 Jim Henson 611
82 Say Anything… 1989 Cameron Crowe 615
83 Stop Making Sense 1984 Jonathan Demme 622
84 A Christmas Story 1983 Bob Clark 624
85 Gandhi 1982 Richard Attenborough 626
86 Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982 Amy Heckerling 640
87 Repo Man 1984 Alex Cox 658
88 Rain Man 1988 Barry Levinson 667
89 The NeverEnding Story 1984 Wolfgang Petersen 672
90 Coming to America 1988 John Landis 681
91 Near Dark 1987 Kathryn Bigelow 697
92 Sans soleil 1983 Chris Marker 700
93 Koyaanisqatsi 1982 Godfrey Reggio 704
94 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 Hayao Miyazaki 710
95 Fitzcarraldo 1982 Werner Herzog 712
96 The Color Purple 1985 Steven Spielberg 719
97 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 1988 David Zucker 721
98 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984 Steven Spielberg 722
99 Superman II 1980 Richard Lester 723
100 Dead Ringers 1988 David Cronenberg 725
101 Friday the 13th 1980 Sean S. Cunningham 738
102 Kiki’s Delivery Service 1989 Hayao Miyazaki 740
103 The Vanishing 1988 George Sluizer 743
104 Beetlejuice 1988 Tim Burton 748
105 Hoosiers 1986 David Anspaugh 754
106 Re-Animator 1985 Stuart Gordon 761
107 Broadcast News 1987 James L. Brooks 765
108 The Last Emperor 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci 779
109 Stranger than Paradise 1984 Jim Jarmusch 809
110 They Live 1988 John Carpenter 815
111 Top Gun 1986 Tony Scott 816
112 Trading Places 1983 John Landis 818
113 Au Revoir, les Enfants 1987 Louis Malle 819
114 Time Bandits 1981 Terry Gilliam 821
115 The Long Good Friday 1980 John Mackenzie 834
116 Gremlins 1984 Joe Dante 840
117 Lethal Weapon 1987 Richard Donner 862
118 The Big Red One 1980 Samuel Fuller 863
119 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 1988 Pedro Almodóvar 865
120 Blow Out 1981 Brian De Palma 872
121 The King of Comedy 1982 Martin Scorsese 875
122 Empire of the Sun 1987 Steven Spielberg 876
123 My Left Foot 1989 Jim Sheridan 890
124 Terms of Endearment 1983 James L. Brooks 894
125 Crimes and Misdemeanors 1989 Woody Allen 904
126 Hellraiser 1987 Clive Barker 906
127 Midnight Run 1988 Martin Brest 908
128 Sex, Lies, and Videotape 1989 Steven Soderbergh 909
129 The Natural 1984 Barry Levinson 920
130 The Killing Fields 1984 Roland Joffé 930
131 Body Heat 1981 Lawrence Kasdan 957
132 Down by Law 1986 Jim Jarmusch 961
133 Planes, Trains & Automobiles 1987 John Hughes 979
134 Pretty in Pink 1986 Howard Deutch 986
135 The Purple Rose of Cairo 1985 Woody Allen 990
136 My Beautiful Laundrette 1985 Stephen Frears 997
137 First Blood 1982 Ted Kotcheff 1011
138 Pee-wee's Big Adventure 1985 Tim Burton 1017
139 After Hours 1985 Martin Scorsese 1021
140 The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 Rob Epstein 1028
141 Laputa: Castle in the Sky 1986 Hayao Miyazaki 1039
142 28 Up 1984 Michael Apted 1040
143 A Room with a View 1985 James Ivory 1043
144 The Abyss 1989 James Cameron 1045
145 The Lost Boys 1987 Joel Schumacher 1059
146 Sophie's Choice 1982 Alan J. Pakula 1075
147 Little Shop of Horrors 1986 Frank Oz 1076
148 She's Gotta Have It 1986 Spike Lee 1087
149 Local Hero 1983 Bill Forsyth 1088
150 The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover 1989 Peter Greenaway 1102
151 Heaven's Gate 1980 Michael Cimino 1107
152 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986 John McNaughton 1115
153 Gregory's Girl 1980 Bill Forsyth 1131
154 Back to the Future Part II 1989 Robert Zemeckis 1133
155 Tron 1982 Steven Lisberger 1134
156 Gallipoli 1981 Peter Weir 1137
157 Beverly Hills Cop 1984 Martin Brest 1143
158 Roger & Me 1989 Michael Moore 1149
159 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 1989 Stephen Herek 1155
160 The Secret of NIMH 1982 Don Bluth 1156
161 Where is the Friend's Home? 1987 Abbas Kiarostami 1170
162 Dressed to Kill 1980 Brian De Palma 1174
163 Possession 1981 Andrzej Zulawski 1176
164 Eight Men Out 1988 John Sayles 1185
165 Purple Rain 1984 Albert Magnoli 1186
166 Day of the Dead 1985 George A. Romero 1197
167 The Sacrifice 1986 Andrei Tarkovsky 1202
168 Wall Street 1987 Oliver Stone 1212
169 Tampopo 1985 Jűzô Itami 1246
170 Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters 1985 Paul Schrader 1248
171 Ordinary People 1980 Robert Redford 1249
172 The Outsiders 1983 Francis Ford Coppola 1255
173 Babette's Feast 1987 Gabriel Axel 1256
174 L'Argent 1983 Robert Bresson 1257
175 Out of Africa 1985 Sydney Pollack 1259
176 The Color of Money 1986 Martin Scorsese 1269
177 Cruising 1980 William Friedkin 1270
178 Born on the Fourth of July 1989 Oliver Stone 1295
179 Fatal Attraction 1987 Adrian Lyne 1312
180 Kagemusha 1980 Akira Kurosawa 1326
181 Witness 1985 Peter Weir 1335
182 Histoire(s) du cinéma 1989 Jean-Luc Godard 1340
183 Hairspray 1988 John Waters 1341
184 The Verdict 1982 Sidney Lumet 1346
185 Tongues Untied 1989 Marlon Riggs 1347
186 Dangerous Liaisons 1988 Stephen Frears 1376
187 Sixteen Candles 1984 John Hughes 1389
188 Working Girl 1988 Mike Nichols 1405
189 Conan the Barbarian 1982 John Milius 1410
190 Steel Magnolias 1989 Herbert Ross 1415
191 Major League 1989 David S. Ward 1422
192 A City of Sadness 1989 Hsiao-hsien Hou 1443
193 The Fog 1980 John Carpenter 1455
194 The Decline of Western Civilization 1981 Penelope Spheeris 1461
195 Nostalgia 1983 Andrei Tarkovsky 1478
196 Top Secret! 1984 Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker 1492
197 Zelig 1983 Woody Allen 1493
198 On Golden Pond 1981 Mark Rydell 1497
199 Desert Hearts 1985 Donna Deitch 1498
200 Jean de Florette 1986 Claude Berri 1504
Go to the next 197 films
This page was last modified on April 9, 2025