The 1980s were a borderline awful decade for Hollywood. Under the presidency of Ronald Reagan and in the dying embers of the new wave of American filmmakers, as outlined by Vox, the chances taken by studio executives appeared to lessen. Hollywood of this decade opted for conservative world views, faddish trends, and the serialization of films as blockbusters dominated and sequels became fashionable. The ’80s were not exactly known for taking risks, but in 1987, in the shadows of Reagan’s presidency, the Iran-Contra fallout, Oliver North, and Black Monday, the American psyche saw a slight shift.
Updated October 21st, 2022: If you’re a fan of ’80s cinema, you’ll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content and titles.
1987 was such a tremendous and productive year for films that the industry appeared to shift for a few months, too. Films like Fatal Attraction,RoboCop, and Lethal Weapon dominated the box office. A cynical edge started to rub off on the people, and they appeared to show up in waves to see films that reflected that. There was still the gleeful hope of romantic tales (Moonstruck, Dirty Dancing) even as something darker started to permeate. A film like Wall Street won Michael Douglas an Oscar, and something as morbid and twisted as Hellraiser became a massive success.
While the following are some of the most iconic films of the year, they barely touch the surface of just how diverse and fun cinema was for any audience member going to the theaters in 1987. The Lost Boys, The Hidden, Spaceballs, Au Revoir Les Enfants, House of Games, The Quick and the Dead, A Better Tomorrow II, Pelle the Conqueror, The Last Emperor, September, The Dead, The Belly of an Architect, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Babette’s Feast, Swimming to Cambodia, Barfly, The Decline of the American Empire, and Betty Blue could all be included here, more or less, but with the limited space that we have, let’s take a look at some of the films which made 1987 great.
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12 Wings of Desire
Argos Film
The poetry of Wim Wenders is often rendered by the open road and the surreal possibilities of living the life of a romantic; his aimless road movie masterpieces are some of the greatest of all time. Wings of Desire centers around the physical nature of love and the longing of a lonely angel (Bruno Ganz), who comes down to earth to pursue the beauty of a woman (Solveig Dommartin) in the streets of Berlin. Altering from black and white to gorgeous color palettes when the angel comes down to earth, Wenders’ film is an elegiac mood piece about the transformational nature of finding love in other people.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
11 Wall Street
20th Century Studios
“Greed is good.” The much-paraphrased quote from Wall Street antagonist Gordon Gekko, played with unbridled financial sleaze by Michael Douglas (earning his only Oscar), is just part of the story. Oliver Stone’s film details how low financial sector gurus will stoop for their portfolios’ stake and how dangerous unbridled ambition can be. Shot in a slick visual style with a classic ’80s ‘sheen’ and the veneer of capitalist excess, Wall Street critiques America handing the economy to a group of New York insiders.
10 The Princess Bride
Act III Communications
Rob Reiner’s successive run in the 1980s, which started with This is Spinal Tap and ended with When Harry Met Sally, would be enough for most directors. But in between, he also made Stand By Me, and in 1987, he would go on to direct legendary screenwriter William Goldman’s script The Princess Bride.
A rousing adventure flick that could have fun for the whole family, but is elevated because of Goldman’s prowess as a writer creating pockets for children and the adult imagination too. Fantasy-filled but heartfelt as well, with plenty of clever moments that include one memorable drink change, Reiner’s film remains part of the American entertainment canon.
9 RoboCop
Orion Pictures
Paul Verhoeven was an expert at crafting satirical and provocative blockbusters that critiqued American institutions, showing where they were fallible. Robocop, his hit 1987 film, was a vision of a desolate Detroit falling under the guise of evil corporate structures and the dangers of privatized military men becoming a city or state police force.
Through the violent and bloody romp of one cop’s (Peter Weller) metamorphosis to mechanized vigilante, Verhoeven punctured the Reagan-era economics that Hollywood would then try turning into a franchise — contrary to the film’s very thesis. While also creating the iconic mishap in the offices when a new military product was meant to be revered.
8 Good Morning, Vietnam
Buena Vista Pictures
Barry Levinson’s critically-lauded war comedy Good Morning, Vietnam features a tour-de-force performance by the late and great Robin Williams, who brilliantly portrays a lively radio DJ who is sent to Vietnam in hopes of lifting the spirits of the soldiers serving, though his eccentric antics and irreverent opinions on the war fail to win over his superiors. Providing both light-hearted moments and humor as well as a poignant look at the controversial conflict, the film nabbed Williams a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination and is regarded as one of the greatest war movies of all time.
7 Moonstruck
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The fleeting nature of love in a moonlit New York City and the chaotic dissonance of Italian households were front and center in Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. Cher won the Oscar for her charismatic and loving turn as a woman caught up in the wrong marriage. Opposite Nicolas Cage, the pair’s over-the-top energy was the perfect fit to match that classic Italian New York attitude. The film flirts with becoming a triptych as Cher’s parents battle their infidelities and the limits of monogamy.
6 Predator
20th Century Fox
Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to action hero fame during the 1980s and continued a legendary run of smash hit films like a seasoned MVP well into the 1990s. One of the first films you’d have to consider on his Mount Rushmore is Predator. A carnage-induced shootout in the jungles as an intergalactic predator whose sole purpose on the planet is to kill. Teamed with Die Hard director John McTernan, who brings his rugged craftsmanship to a nasty body count and one legendary handshake, Predator is an action movie gem.
5 Broadcast News
James L. Brooks manufactured some of the greatest romance stories of the 80s and 90s, a Hollywood machine that would produce easily digestible stories that were nonetheless crafted with artistic merit. Likely his best film, Broadcast News took the hilariously chaotic nature of the TV newsroom while underscoring how essential it is to have people who can report on the news within the current and historical-political context. It’s a rich text showing the unfortunate degradation within current corporate structures.
Within all of that are three incredible lead performances from Albert Brooks, William Hurt, and the scene-stealing Holly Hunter, with the three emerging as central figures in their news station. Brooks perfectly contextualizes the different kinds of news anchors necessary to share the news but creates a heartfelt romance that derails because love makes a mess of everything.
4 The Untouchables
Paramount Pictures
Touting a superb ensemble cast including Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro and Sean Connery, Brian De Palma’s epic crime drama The Untouchables offers a thrilling account of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness’ efforts to bring down gangster Al Capone through the formation of the eponymous special agents team.
Based on Ness’ memoir of the same name, the thrilling picture was praised for its riveting storytelling, gritty action and knockout performances, with Connery winning an Oscar for his portrayal of veteran officer Jimmy Malone. The Untouchables famously features the iconic Union Station shoot-out scene, shot in tension-building slow-motion that is arguably one of De Palma’s finest cinematic moments.
3 Evil Dead 2
Rosebud Releasing Corporation
After announcing himself as a DIY filmmaker of pure movie magic with Evil Dead, crafting an artful but playful camera style for the exploitative horror genre, director Sam Raimi one-upped his original accomplishment with Evil Dead 2. With his leading man muse Bruce Campbell, the two reassembled the success of Evil Dead to create a hybrid sequel/remake which upped the gore and intensity but introduced delightfully odd slapstick comedy.
Through one comically horrific set piece after another, the film is relentlessly fun. With a fistful of laughs scares and incredible practical effects that turn people into ghouls,Evil Dead 2 will stand the test of time as one of the great sequels ever made and a treasure in a decade full of horror excess.
2 Raising Arizona
The first of many loony, goofball adventures the Coen brothers would go on, merging absurdist comedy with subtle metaphysical questions, Raising Arizona is in part a Road Warrior parody and a movie about parental anxiety. Featuring a near otherworldly motorcycle mercenary on par with the devil (or at least Anton Chigurh) and a finely tuned southern performance from Nicolas Cage, the Coens’ first foray into strange moral parables is a classic and a truly unexpected follow-up to Blood Simple. Not only showcasing the sly philosophical whips they would later be known for, but their fine eye for random characters that punctuate a seemingly surreal world.
1 Full Metal Jacket
Anchor Bay Films
Stanley Kubrick’s nihilistic and darkly comic look at America’s military as a system of degradation is not often considered his best work, but Full Metal Jacket packs a harrowing punch. Starring the quotable, live-wire, spit-in-your-face performance of real-life drill instructor R. Lee Ermey (who improvised much of his dialogue) as the monster tasked with ripping apart young men to make them soldiers before entering the war, the film sets its tone early and should be reevaluated as some of Stanley Kubrick’s best work. Especially the second, Vietnam-set part of the film, which is a masterfully directed and endlessly tense study in combat and the cost of war.
