Best 1986 movies

 

Stacker compiled a list of the best 1986 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. Data is as of October 2026.

#20. Manhunter
- Stacker score: 85.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (votes: 94,000)
- Metascore: 75
- Director: Michael Mann
- Actors: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen
- Runtime: 2 hours
- Rating: R
- Box office: $8,869,519

#19. The Color of Money
- Stacker score: 85.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.0 (votes: 103,000)
- Metascore: 77
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Actors: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
- Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $52,293,982

#18. Manon of the Spring
- Stacker score: 87.2
- IMDb user rating: 8.0 (votes: 26,000)
- Metascore: 70
- Director: Claude Berri
- Actors: Yves Montand, Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil
- Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $3,940,542

#17. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Stacker score: 87.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.0 (votes: 45,000)
- Metascore: 80
- Director: John McNaughton
- Actors: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
- Runtime: 1 hour 23 minutes
- Rating: Unrated
- Box office: $609,939

#16. Hoosiers
- Stacker score: 87.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 58,000)
- Metascore: 77
- Director: David Anspaugh
- Actors: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
- Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $28,607,524

#15. Down by Law
- Stacker score: 87.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (votes: 59,000)
- Metascore: 75
- Director: Jim Jarmusch
- Actors: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni
- Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $1,435,668

#14. Children of a Lesser God
- Stacker score: 88.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (votes: 20,000)
- Metascore: 80
- Director: Randa Haines
- Actors: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie
- Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $31,853,080

#13. A Better Tomorrow
- Stacker score: 88.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (votes: 30,000)
- Metascore: 78
- Director: John Woo
- Actors: Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- Box office: $240,938

#12. Little Shop of Horrors
- Stacker score: 88.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (votes: 97,000)
- Metascore: 81
- Director: Frank Oz
- Actors: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia
- Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Box office: $39,032,001

#11. Blue Velvet
- Stacker score: 88.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.7 (votes: 250,000)
- Metascore: 75
- Director: David Lynch
- Actors: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper
- Runtime: 2 hours
- Rating: R
- Box office: $8,551,228

#10. A Room with a View
- Stacker score: 90.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (votes: 53,000)
- Metascore: 83
- Director: James Ivory
- Actors: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliott
- Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes
- Rating: Not Rated
- Box office: $20,966,644

#9. Jean de Florette
- Stacker score: 90.7
- IMDb user rating: 8.1 (votes: 30,000)
- Metascore: 75
- Director: Claude Berri
- Actors: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil
- Runtime: 2 hours
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $4,940,939

#8. The Fly
- Stacker score: 91.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (votes: 228,000)
- Metascore: 81
- Director: David Cronenberg
- Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
- Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $40,456,565

#7. Stand by Me
- Stacker score: 91.3
- IMDb user rating: 8.1 (votes: 497,000)
- Metascore: 76
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Actors: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman
- Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $52,987,763

#6. Mona Lisa
- Stacker score: 91.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (votes: 20,000)
- Metascore: 85
- Director: Neil Jordan
- Actors: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine
- Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $5,794,184

#5. Castle in the Sky
- Stacker score: 91.9
- IMDb user rating: 8.0 (votes: 201,000)
- Metascore: 78
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Actors: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui
- Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $1,144,377

#4. The Sacrifice
- Stacker score: 94.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.8 (votes: 36,000)
- Metascore: 85
- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- Actors: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Allan Edwall
- Runtime: 2 hours 29 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Box office: $223,015

#3. Hannah and Her Sisters
- Stacker score: 97.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.8 (votes: 82,000)
- Metascore: 90
- Director: Woody Allen
- Actors: Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Michael Caine
- Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Box office: $40,084,041

#2. Aliens
- Stacker score: 97.7
- IMDb user rating: 8.4 (votes: 851,000)
- Metascore: 84
- Director: James Cameron
- Actors: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
- Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
- Rating: R
- Box office: $85,160,248

#1. Platoon
- Stacker score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.0 (votes: 478,000)
- Metascore: 92
- Director: Oliver Stone
- Actors: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
- Runtime: 2 hours
- Rating: R
- Box office: $138,530,565