Best 1980s Drama Movies
Looking for the best 1980s Drama movies? These are the 48 highest-rated 1980s Drama titles in our catalogue, led by The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro, Grave of the Fireflies and Cinema Paradiso. The list is ranked by audience score; open any title for its cast, trailer and legal places to watch.
1. The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1989)
★ 9.0/10
The story of the hijacking of the Itallian liner Achille Lauro by four militants of the Palestine Liberation Front, in 1985, who demanded the release of several Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli prisoners. On their…
2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
★ 8.5/10
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned…
3. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
★ 8.4/10
A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
4. Dead Poets Society (1989)
★ 8.3/10
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern…
5. They Don't Wear Black Tie (1981)
★ 8.3/10
Otavio is an idealistic union leader trying to organize workers at a factory to resist the company's exploitative practices. His son, Tião, one of the employees, is more of a realist and doesn't want to risk losing his…
6. The Broken Landlord (1985)
★ 8.2/10
The landowner (Agha) of the Haraptar village marries off his old father with the young and beautiful Kiraz. But on the nuptial night, his father dies and everything starts to go bad for the Agha. Due to the long…
7. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
★ 8.1/10
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
8. Will (1981)
★ 8.0/10
A girls’ basketball coach battles a heroin addiction while mentoring a 12-year-old street kid adopted by Will and his wife.
10. Mortuary (1983)
★ 8.0/10
After a college dare goes wrong, the investigating officer arrests his son and locks horns with his estranged wife while trying to find the truth.
11. Recollections of the Yellow House (1989)
★ 7.9/10
Lisbon, 1989. A middle-aged poor man, tormented by an illness, lives in a cheap room in a family boarding house, in the old section of the city's waterfront.
12. Rain Man (1988)
★ 7.8/10
When car dealer Charlie Babbitt learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond and that his father's $3 million fortune is…
13. Mississippi Burning (1988)
★ 7.7/10
Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in…
14. Glory (1989)
★ 7.5/10
Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
15. 'night, Mother (1986)
★ 7.5/10
A mother and daughter spend a night together after the daughter reveals that she will kill herself by the end of it.
16. The Big Blue (1988)
★ 7.5/10
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving…
17. Empire of the Sun (1987)
★ 7.5/10
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the…
18. Why Would I Lie? (1980)
★ 7.5/10
Cletus is a compulsive liar. He prefers the term 'fabrication' to lie though. When Cletus becomes a social worker he's assigned the case of a boy called Jorge (with a 'J') who was taken from his mother. Cletus sets out…
19. Ölüm Yolu (1985)
★ 7.5/10
The film tells the love story between an escaped convict and the daughter of a famous businessman. Zeynep is the daughter of a well-known businessman. She is returning from vacation with her fiancé Tarık. A prison…
20. Alişan (1982)
★ 7.5/10
The film tells the story of Alişan, who is trying to escape from his bloodthirsty pursuers. Alişan is released from prison, where he was serving time for murder. Unable to return to his hometown of Urfa due to blood…
21. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
★ 7.4/10
Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's determined not to let…
22. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
★ 7.3/10
A disk jockey goes to Vietnam to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service. While he becomes popular among the troops, his superiors disapprove of his humor.
23. Pushpaka Vimana (1987)
★ 7.3/10
An unemployed man, who dreams of living it large, finds a rich man drunk and lying in the sewer. Things take a turn when he imprisons him and takes his identity to get a taste of his lifestyle.
24. School on Fire (1988)
★ 7.3/10
A young schoolgirl, Yuen Fong becomes caught in a tragic stranglehold of triad activity after she testifies in court over a triad beating. When this news reaches the triad leader Brother Smart, Yuen Fong must pay him…
25. Big (1988)
★ 7.2/10
When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside…
26. Casualties of War (1989)
★ 7.2/10
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
27. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
★ 7.2/10
Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -- despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to…
28. Wall Street (1987)
★ 7.2/10
A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider, whom takes the youth under his wing.
29. When the Tenth Month Comes (1984)
★ 7.2/10
In the final days of the war, Duyên faces a daily struggle to take care of her young son and ailing father-in-law, all the while hiding from them the fact that her husband has recently been killed in battle.
30. Palombella rossa (1989)
★ 7.2/10
Michele is an MP for the Italian Communist Party who loses his memory in a car crash, though hardly anyone around him seems to notice. During a crucial water polo match on the eve of election day, he gradually begins…
31. The Lost Boys (1987)
★ 7.1/10
When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.
32. Field of Dreams (1989)
★ 7.1/10
Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers…
33. Ariel (1988)
★ 7.1/10
A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.
34. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
★ 7.0/10
Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
35. Bloodsport (1988)
★ 7.0/10
An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.
36. Women (1985)
★ 7.0/10
Liang Pao-erh joins the carefree Spinsters' Club when she discovers her husband is having an affair. Despite the seemingly happy front that her sisters put on, beneath it all, each of them secretly yearns for a man in…
37. Chandni (1989)
★ 7.0/10
Fate leaves Chandni shattered as her love Rohit disappears from her life. She meets Lalit and they befriend each other until Rohit knocks on her door.
38. Islak Mendil (1982)
★ 7.0/10
Ümit, who lives in a poor neighborhood, makes a living by singing on the streets. One day, at his son's circumcision ceremony, he runs into his wife Necla, whom he separated from years ago. The couple separated years…
39. Wrong Side of the Road (1981)
★ 7.0/10
Port Adelaide to Point Pearce. Cars, cops, cattle stations and driving rock and reggae. Two days in the lives of Aboriginal bands, US MOB and NO FIXED ADDRESS. These were two of the first Aboriginal bands to be writing…
40. High School Memories (1981)
★ 7.0/10
A group of friends from High School reminisce about their early sexual conquests when they get together again years later.
41. The Wind of Ayahuasca (1983)
★ 7.0/10
A love story of a sociologist and a girl from country in the magic-religious context of Amazon.
42. sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
★ 6.9/10
Ann, a frustrated wife, enters into counseling due to a troubled marriage. Unbeknownst to her, her husband John has begun an affair with her sister. When John’s best friend Graham arrives, his penchant for interviewing…
43. Yoksul (1986)
★ 6.9/10
A kind-hearted tea maker works in a bustling commercial inn, where his good nature makes him an easy target. The business owner takes advantage of his generosity, while the woman he loves manipulates him for money…
44. A Season in Hakkari (1983)
★ 6.9/10
An urban Turkish teacher is transferred for political reasons to a backward Kurdish village in the mountains near the Iranian border. He is welcomed with distrust, but during that harsh year the mutual cultural…
45. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
★ 6.8/10
When a casino-owning dog named Charlie is murdered by his rival Carface, he finds himself in Heaven basically by default since all dogs go to heaven. However, since he wants to get back at his killer, he cons his way…
46. Lock Up (1989)
★ 6.8/10
Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration…
47. Kickboxer (1989)
★ 6.8/10
If your enemy refuses to be humbled... Destroy him. Accompanied by his brother Kurt, American kickboxing champion Eric Sloane, arrives in Thailand to defeat the Eastern warriors at their own sport. His opponent…
48. Scrooged (1988)
★ 6.8/10
Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series…
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