The 30 best Drama movies of the 1980s

1. 1

   Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

   directed by Isao Takahata · 89 min · 8.5 6,802 votes

2. 2

   Dead Poets Society (1989)

   directed by Peter Weir · 128 min · 8.3 12,930 votes

3. 3

   Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

   directed by Sergio Leone · 229 min · 8.4 6,192 votes

4. 4

   Cinema Paradiso (1988)

   directed by Giuseppe Tornatore · 155 min · 8.4 4,965 votes

5. 5

   Scarface (1983)

   directed by Brian De Palma · 166 min · 8.2 13,380 votes

6. 6

   Full Metal Jacket (1987)

   directed by Stanley Kubrick · 117 min · 8.1 11,723 votes

7. 7

   Blade Runner (1982)

   directed by Ridley Scott · 117 min · 7.9 15,367 votes

8. 8

   The Elephant Man (1980)

   directed by David Lynch · 124 min · 8.1 4,040 votes

9. 9

   Amadeus (1984)

   directed by Miloš Forman · 180 min · 8.0 4,896 votes

10. 10

    Das Boot (1981)

    directed by Wolfgang Petersen · 209 min · 8.1 2,620 votes

11. 11

    Raging Bull (1980)

    directed by Martin Scorsese · 129 min · 7.9 4,878 votes

12. 12

    Come and See (1985)

    directed by Elem Klimov · 142 min · 8.2 1,945 votes

13. 13

    Rain Man (1988)

    directed by Barry Levinson · 133 min · 7.8 7,296 votes

14. 14

    Paris, Texas (1984)

    directed by Wim Wenders · 145 min · 8.1 2,310 votes

15. 15

    Stand by Me (1986)

    directed by Rob Reiner · 89 min · 7.8 6,718 votes

16. 16

    The Breakfast Club (1985)

    directed by John Hughes · 97 min · 7.7 8,706 votes

17. 17

    Platoon (1986)

    directed by Oliver Stone · 120 min · 7.7 5,259 votes

18. 18

    Ran (1985)

    directed by Akira Kurosawa · 162 min · 8.0 1,900 votes

19. 19

    The King of Comedy (1982)

    directed by Martin Scorsese · 109 min · 7.8 2,652 votes

20. 20

    Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

    directed by Alan Parker · 95 min · 7.9 1,688 votes

21. 21

    Do the Right Thing (1989)

    directed by Spike Lee · 120 min · 7.8 2,067 votes

22. 22

    First Blood (1982)

    directed by Ted Kotcheff · 94 min · 7.5 7,070 votes

23. 23

    Twin Peaks (1989)

    directed by David Lynch · 116 min · 8.5 673 votes

24. 24

    The Color Purple (1985)

    directed by Steven Spielberg · 154 min · 7.7 2,027 votes

25. 25

    Mississippi Burning (1988)

    directed by Alan Parker · 128 min · 7.7 2,014 votes

26. 26

    Wings of Desire (1987)

    directed by Wim Wenders · 127 min · 7.8 1,531 votes

27. 27

    Gandhi (1982)

    directed by Richard Attenborough · 191 min · 7.6 2,559 votes

28. 28

    The Name of the Rose (1986)

    directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud · 131 min · 7.5 3,391 votes

29. 29

    The Last Emperor (1987)

    directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · 163 min · 7.6 1,972 votes

30. 30

    When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

    directed by Rob Reiner · 96 min · 7.4 4,727 votes

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Method: TMDb audience rating weighted by vote count, with a vote floor per list. No position is editorial opinion; it is the catalogue, ordered.

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