Movies

Best '80s drama movies

Written by:
Stacker
November 4, 2022
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Best '80s drama movies

Stacker compiled a list of the best '80s drama movies of all time based on our own Stacker score, a weighted index split evenly between IMDb user rating and Metascore. To qualify, the film had to have drama as one of its genres on IMDb, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 IMDb user votes. Ties were broken by votes.

 

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#50. Blue Velvet (1986)

- Director: David Lynch
- Stacker score: 89.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 120 minutes

#49. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

- Director: Rob Reiner
- Stacker score: 89.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 95 minutes

#48. The Breakfast Club (1985)

- Director: John Hughes
- Stacker score: 89.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 97 minutes

#47. The Verdict (1982)

- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Stacker score: 89.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 129 minutes

#46. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

- Director: Alan Parker
- Stacker score: 89.7
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 47
- Runtime: 95 minutes

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#45. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras
- Stacker score: 89.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 122 minutes

#44. The Color Purple (1985)

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Stacker score: 89.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 154 minutes

#43. The Seventh Continent (1989)

- Director: Michael Haneke
- Stacker score: 89.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 104 minutes

#42. After Hours (I) (1985)

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stacker score: 90.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 97 minutes

#41. Breaker Morant (1980)

- Director: Bruce Beresford
- Stacker score: 90.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 107 minutes

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#40. My Dinner with Andre (1981)

- Director: Louis Malle
- Stacker score: 90.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 110 minutes

#39. The King of Comedy (1982)

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stacker score: 90.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 109 minutes

#38. Ordinary People (1980)

- Director: Robert Redford
- Stacker score: 90.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 124 minutes

#37. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé
- Stacker score: 90.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 141 minutes

#36. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

- Director: Woody Allen
- Stacker score: 90.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 104 minutes

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#35. Babette's Feast (1987)

- Director: Gabriel Axel
- Stacker score: 90.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 103 minutes

#34. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick
- Stacker score: 90.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 122 minutes

#33. The Killer (1989)

- Director: John Woo
- Stacker score: 91.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 111 minutes

#32. Matewan (1987)

- Director: John Sayles
- Stacker score: 91.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 135 minutes

#31. Rain Man (1988)

- Director: Barry Levinson
- Stacker score: 91.6
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 133 minutes

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#30. Akira (1988)

- Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo
- Stacker score: 91.8
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 124 minutes

#29. Salaam Bombay! (1988)

- Director: Mira Nair
- Stacker score: 91.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 113 minutes

#28. The Untouchables (1987)

- Director: Brian De Palma
- Stacker score: 92.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 119 minutes

#27. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader
- Stacker score: 92.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 120 minutes

#26. The Right Stuff (1983)

- Director: Philip Kaufman
- Stacker score: 92.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 91
- Runtime: 193 minutes

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#25. Kagemusha (1980)

- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- Stacker score: 92.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 162 minutes

#24. Brazil (1985)

- Director: Terry Gilliam
- Stacker score: 92.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 132 minutes

#23. Wings of Desire (1987)

- Director: Wim Wenders
- Stacker score: 93.1
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 128 minutes

#22. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

- Director: Woody Allen
- Stacker score: 93.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 107 minutes

#21. Do the Right Thing (1989)

- Director: Spike Lee
- Stacker score: 93.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 93
- Runtime: 120 minutes

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#20. Stand by Me (1986)

- Director: Rob Reiner
- Stacker score: 93.8
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 89 minutes

#19. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan
- Stacker score: 94.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 97
- Runtime: 103 minutes

#18. Goodbye, Children (1987)

- Director: Louis Malle
- Stacker score: 94.1
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 104 minutes

#17. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough
- Stacker score: 94.2
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 191 minutes

#16. Dead Poets Society (1989)

- Director: Peter Weir
- Stacker score: 94.2
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 128 minutes

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#15. Paris, Texas (1984)

- Director: Wim Wenders
- Stacker score: 94.3
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 145 minutes

#14. Blade Runner (1982)

- Director: Ridley Scott
- Stacker score: 94.7
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 117 minutes

#13. Scarface (1983)

- Director: Brian De Palma
- Stacker score: 94.8
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 170 minutes

#12. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch
- Stacker score: 95.1
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 124 minutes

#11. Platoon (1986)

- Director: Oliver Stone
- Stacker score: 95.6
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 92
- Runtime: 120 minutes

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#10. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

- Director: Sergio Leone
- Stacker score: 95.9
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 229 minutes

#9. The Shining (1980)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Stacker score: 96.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 146 minutes

#8. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Stacker score: 96.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 116 minutes

#7. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stacker score: 96.3
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 129 minutes

#6. Fanny and Alexander (1982)

- Director: Ingmar Bergman
- Stacker score: 96.4
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 100
- Runtime: 188 minutes

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#5. Ran (1985)

- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- Stacker score: 97.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 96
- Runtime: 162 minutes

#4. The Boat (1981)

- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
- Stacker score: 98.1
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 149 minutes

#3. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman
- Stacker score: 98.3
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 160 minutes

#2. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

- Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
- Stacker score: 98.5
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 155 minutes

#1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

- Director: Isao Takahata
- Stacker score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 94
- Runtime: 89 minutes

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