The 1980s produced dozens of classic crime movies, many of which are still just as popular today. Directors like Brian De Palma, Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann all created some of their best crime movies in the ’80s, adding to their substantial track records in the genre. There were also some high-profile box office hits, proving that crime was a popular genre at the time.
The 1980s offered a wide variety of great crime movies, from comedic capers like A Fish Called Wanda to dark thrillers like Thief. Any fan of the genre can find something to admire from the decade. Even if they aren’t familiar with some of these films, they will be able to recognize their most iconic moments, and the way that their styles continue to influence other filmmakers decades later.
10 Witness (1985)
Harrison Ford Delivers A Career-Best Performance
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buy Not available Not available *Availability in US Release Date February 8, 1985 Director Peter Weir Cast Harrison Ford , Kelly McGillis , Lukas Haas , Josef Sommer , Jan Rubes , Alexander Godunov , Danny Glover , Brent Jennings
Many of Harrison Ford’s best movies came out in the 1980s, including the original Indiana Jones trilogy, two Star Wars sequels and Blade Runner. Between these franchise hits, Ford also found time for some interesting standalone movies, with Witness arguably being the best of the bunch. Witness remains the only movie which has scored Ford an Oscar nomination, and it’s a great showcase for his talents as a dramatic actor.
Witness features Ford as a detective who goes undercover within an Amish community to protect a young boy, the only witness to a brutal murder. The clash between the peaceful lives of the Amish and the rough crimes of the detective’s experiences is reflected in Witness’ two competing narratives. It’s a meditative romance story as well as a violent, nail-biting thriller, and it succeeds on both counts.
9 Blow Out (1981)
Brian De Palma’s Thriller Brings The Best Out Of John Travolta
Brian De Palma ruled the crime genre in the 1980s, creating multiple genre classics that have aged brilliantly. Blow Out is just one of these, and it shouldn’t be overlooked amid Brian De Palma’s other movies. John Travolta plays a sound effects technician recording audio for a low-budget slasher film who inadvertently witnesses a car crash. Soon, he uncovers a political conspiracy that rocks him to his core.
Brian De Palma ruled the crime genre in the 1980s.
De Palma is often described as a disciple of another great crime director, Alfred Hitchcock, and Blow Out showcases several Hitchcockian techniques. Of course, the plot bears some similarities to Hitchcock’s “wrong man” movies, like Rear Window, North By Northwest and The 39 Steps, but De Palma injects many of his own ideas into the story to make it his own. One eye-catching choice is his use of split-diopter shots, which is a clever way of visualizing sound.
8 Raising Arizona (1987)
The Coen Brothers’ Comedy Is Still Hilarious
Raising Arizona remains one of the best Coen brothers movies, and it’s an early example of their flair for crime comedy, which comes up again in later hits like Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading. The story follows a criminal and a cop who get married and try to have a baby, eventually kidnapping one from a local millionaire who has quintuplets when they struggle to conceive a child of their own.
Raising Arizona has some elements of myth to highlight the absurdity of the criminal charade.
Raising Arizona has some elements of myth to highlight the absurdity of the criminal charade, and this suits the expansive desert landscape perfectly. Nicolas Cage’s witless kidnapper often seems woefully out of place in this world. He’s a loving simpleton without the aptitude to understand the strange situation he finds himself in. Naturally, the Coens have plenty of fun toying with him, turning the law, luck and the forces of the universe against him.
7 Thief (1981)
Michael Mann’s Film Debut Was An Immediate Hit
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buy *Availability in US Release Date March 27, 1981 Director Michael Mann Cast James Caan , Tuesday Weld , Willie Nelson , Jim Belushi , Robert Prosky , Tom Signorelli , Dennis Farina , Nick Nickeas
Thief is a return to the style of older French heist thrillers like Rififi and Bob Le Flambeur, with James Caan playing the role of a safecracker trying to get his life back on track, still scarred by a long prison stretch. Michael Mann’s film debut showcases his eye for the spectacular and his mastery of tension, two things which he rarely had the time or the budget for when working on TV dramas.
Michael Mann’s film debut showcases his eye for the spectacular and his mastery of tension.
Thief is a visually striking film, with Frank’s dangerous escapades often colored by the neon lights of the city at night. This sets the stage for a propulsive drama that pushes the safecracker to his limits, as his dreams of a peaceful future are repeatedly shattered by the remnants of his troubled past. Caan is superb as Frank, proudly showcasing his bravado and assuredness, but hinting at a deeper level of jaded apathy.
6 King Of Comedy (1982)
Martin Scorsese And Robert De Niro Team Up Once Again
Many of Martin Scorsese’s best movies flaunt his dark sense of humor, including Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street and Casino. The King of Comedy, as the title suggests, also gets plenty of laughs, but Scorsese’s crime thriller has other concerns. It’s hard to extricate the humor from the rest of the story, since comedy is central to the main character’s journey, and the ending shows society to be one big joke.
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Martin Scorsese has always been a titan of the crime genre, and The King of Comedy is one of his films that shows he can do much more than fast-paced mob movies. The King of Comedy explores a different kind of crime, one born out of personal anguish and aspiration. It’s a character study of a completely unique character, although Rupert Pupkin’s fixation on the glamour of celebrity is something that’s all too common.
5 The Untouchables (1987)
A Superb Cast Bring Prohibtion-Era Chicago To Life
The Untouchables tells the story of Elliot Ness’ crusade to rid Chicago of bootleggers during the prohibition era, bringing him into conflict with Al Capone and his associates, although some elements of the story are heightened or completely fabricated. Despite some historical inaccuracies, The Untouchables’ portrayal of a corrupt, crime-ridden Chicago is utterly engrossing, with enough glamour and violence to enhance the drama.
The Untouchables’ portrayal of a corrupt, crime-ridden Chicago is utterly engrossing.
The Untouchables features several top-notch performances. Sean Connery won an Oscar for his performance as a no-nonsense beat cop, but Robert De Niro’s mugging Capone, Kevin Costner’s conflicted Ness and Andy Garcia’s brash rookie all have their share of unforgettable moments. The Untouchables may be most famous for the scene on the train station steps, or Capone wielding a baseball bat, but it should be enjoyed as a whole.
4 Clue (1985)
The Board Game Adaptation Has Become A Cult Classic
Clue adapted the popular board game long before movies like Barbie, The Lego Movie and Trolls brought such ideas into the mainstream. Its strange premise is probably one reason why it was met with such a muted response upon release, but the biggest problem was the fact that each screening of Clue only showed one of its multiple endings. This gimmick didn’t go over well with moviegoers.
Clue’s multiple endings reflect the way that people can draw different conclusions based on similar evidence in a game of Clue, and the idea that Clue has endless variations from the same starting conditions. After these endings were all cut together one after another for the home release, Clue quickly gathered a cult following. The solution to a murder mystery is rarely as entertaining as the game of trying to figure everything out, and Clue is one of very few movies that can keep the mystery going while providing some form of closure.
3 Batman (1989)
Tim Burton Revitalized A Tired Character
Tim Burton’s darker take on Batman revived the original vision of the character, moving away from the campy fun of Adam West’s portrayal in the 1960s. Even though Michael Keaton was primarily known as a comedic actor at the time, his casting turned out to be an inspired move. He and Jack Nicholson both deliver compelling performances as Batman and the Joker, respectively.
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In some ways, Batman helped birth the modern superhero genre, and Burton’s intelligent layering of crime film elements is something that still persists. Of course, Batman has gotten progressively darker and grittier, but other superhero movies have also been influenced by Burton’s style. Although there are some cartoonish aspects of Batman, the story is primarily about a gangster who wreaks havoc on a city after suffering a severe disfigurement.
2 A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
A Top-Class Crime Comedy With A Stellar Cast
A Fish Called Wanda features both John Cleese and Michael Palin, and it has the same irreverent sense of humor as their work together as part of Monty Python. However, A Fish Called Wanda is also a more grounded and traditional story, with more emotion and payoff than Monty Python’s style would ever allow for. Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis make up the American contingent in the culture clash comedy.
Related 25 Best Heist Movies Of All Time, Ranked The best heist movies can be comedies, dramas, or thrillers. But they all need an eclectic crew and a big score waiting for them at the end.
A Fish Called Wanda is a hilarious crime comedy, following the fallout of a diamond heist in London as the thieves scheme to stab each other in the back and take the loot for themselves. While there are countless laugh-out-loud moments, A Fish Called Wanda never neglects the criminal elements of its story, and it’s ultimately just as exciting as any worthwhile crime movie should be.
1 Scarface (1983)
Al Pacino’s Energetic Performance Puts Scarface Over The Top
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buy *Availability in US Release Date December 9, 1983 Director Brian De Palma Cast Al Pacino , Michelle Pfeiffer , Robert Loggia , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Miriam Colon , F. Murray Abraham
Scarface is a remake of one of the best crime movies of the 1930s, and there have been some reports in recent years that another remake is in the works. The 1983 version updates the style and setting of the original, with Al Pacino playing a Cuban immigrant who becomes a drug kingpin in Florida, killing anyone who stands in the way of his relentless pursuit of money and power.
Very few movies manage to string together as many unforgettable moments as Scarface does.
Pacino is in sparkling form as Tony Montana, and it’s largely thanks to him that Scarface has so many iconic quotes. His swaggering performance conveys the high that Tony gets from his grisly business, even though Scarface has some of the most shockingly violent scenes ever filmed. Very few movies manage to string together as many unforgettable moments as Scarface does.