Best 1981 movies

Stacker compiled a list of the best 1981 movies of all time based on our own Stacker score, a weighted index split evenly between IMDb user rating and Metascore. The top movie on this list has a Stacker score of 100; the remaining movies are ranked relative to it. To qualify, the film had at least 10,000 IMDb user votes and a Metascore. Any ties were broken by number of IMDb votes.

#20. The Fox and the Hound
- Stacker score: 80.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (votes: 108,000)
- Metascore: 65
- Director: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens
- Actors: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey
- Runtime: 1 hour 23 minutes
- Rating: G
- Box office: $63,456,988

#19. Arthur
- Stacker score: 81.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.9 (votes: 33,000)
- Metascore: 69
- Director: Steve Gordon
- Actors: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud
- Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $95,461,682

#18. Gallipoli
- Stacker score: 81.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 44,000)
- Metascore: 65
- Director: Peter Weir
- Actors: Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr
- Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $5,732,587

#17. The Great Muppet Caper
- Stacker score: 82.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (votes: 18,000)
- Metascore: 70
- Director: Jim Henson
- Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
- Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
- Rating: G
- Box office: $31,206,251

#16. On Golden Pond
- Stacker score: 84.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (votes: 37,000)
- Metascore: 68
- Director: Mark Rydell
- Actors: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda
- Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $119,285,432

#15. The Evil Dead
- Stacker score: 85.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 245,000)
- Metascore: 71
- Director: Sam Raimi
- Actors: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor
- Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Rating: NC-17
- Box office: $2,400,000

#14. Escape from New York
- Stacker score: 86.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (votes: 168,000)
- Metascore: 76
- Director: John Carpenter
- Actors: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine
- Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $25,244,626

#13. Possession
- Stacker score: 87.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (votes: 52,000)
- Metascore: 75
- Director: Andrzej Zulawski
- Actors: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen
- Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $1,158,473

#12. Time Bandits
- Stacker score: 87.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.9 (votes: 73,000)
- Metascore: 79
- Director: Terry Gilliam
- Actors: Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, John Cleese
- Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $42,365,581

#11. Reds
- Stacker score: 87.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (votes: 26,000)
- Metascore: 76
- Director: Warren Beatty
- Actors: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann
- Runtime: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $40,382,659

#10. Chariots of Fire
- Stacker score: 87.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (votes: 69,000)
- Metascore: 78
- Director: Hugh Hudson
- Actors: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell
- Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $58,972,904

#9. Body Heat
- Stacker score: 88.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 43,000)
- Metascore: 77
- Director: Lawrence Kasdan
- Actors: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna
- Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $24,058,838

#8. Thief
- Stacker score: 89.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 45,000)
- Metascore: 78
- Director: Michael Mann
- Actors: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson
- Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $11,492,915

#7. The Road Warrior
- Stacker score: 90.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (votes: 209,000)
- Metascore: 77
- Director: George Miller
- Actors: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston
- Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $23,667,907

#6. Prince of the City
- Stacker score: 90.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 10,000)
- Metascore: 80
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Actors: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy
- Runtime: 2 hours 47 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $8,124,257

#5. Diva
- Stacker score: 93.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (votes: 15,000)
- Metascore: 88
- Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
- Actors: Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frédéric Andréi, Roland Bertin
- Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $183,425

#4. My Dinner with Andre
- Stacker score: 94.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.7 (votes: 29,000)
- Metascore: 83
- Director: Louis Malle
- Actors: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer
- Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $5,073

#3. Blow Out
- Stacker score: 94.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 72,000)
- Metascore: 86
- Director: Brian De Palma
- Actors: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow
- Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $12,000,000

#2. Das Boot
- Stacker score: 99.4
- IMDb user rating: 8.4 (votes: 282,000)
- Metascore: 85
- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
- Actors: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
- Runtime: 2 hours 29 minutes
- Rating: 85Metascore
- Box office: $11,487,676

#1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Stacker score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.4 (votes: 1.1 million)
- Metascore: 86
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
- Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $248,159,971