The 1980s was the era of big hair, big shoulder pads, and big blockbuster movies like ET and Indiana Jones. At the same time, the launch of MTV and the explosion of video rental stores completely changed the landscape of home entertainment, giving audiences unlimited access to a whole new slew of genres that weren’t always mainstream. Never before had TV and film fans been so spoiled for choice, with some of the best movies of the ’80s comprising the most eclectic mix of actors, themes, and styles.
Perhaps it’s this variety that attracts modern filmmakers back to the decade of decadence, or maybe it’s the societal issues of the time, like the Cold War, Reaganomics, or the technological revolution. Whatever the reason, these 21st-century creations stepped back to the ’80s in style to give audiences a nostalgic glance 40 years into the past, which is further than they went in Back to the Future.
10 ‘A Most Violent Year’ (2014)
Directed by J.C. Chandor
In 1981, crime in New York City is at an all-time high, and immigrant businessman Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), who owns a heating oil company, is desperately trying to maintain a clean living amidst an onslaught of violence and corruption. Despite his efforts, Morales’ company falls under investigation by Assistant District Attorney Lawrence (David Oyelowo), who is looking to expose price fixing, tax evasion, and other illegal activities being committed within the heating oil business. With his trucks being hijacked and his family and livelihood under threat, Morales is forced into some questionable dealings.
Despite its title, A Most Violent Year is more about the characters than it is about the violence. Oscar Isaac plays the role of the underrated gangster superbly well, painting the impression of a legit businessman who has always done ‘the most right thing,’ while being intimidating enough to hold his own in the crime-ridden New York of the ’80s.
9 ‘Tetris’ (2023)
Directed by Jon S. Baird
Tetris was a gaming phenomenon in the ’80s, as big if not bigger than the Rubik’s Cube. The film offers a fascinating look back to the game’s origin when Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) from Bullet Proof Software discovers an addictive new video game that’s the brainchild of Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov). Rogers risks everything to outmaneuver unscrupulous competitors and negotiate a deal with Soviet Union bureaucrats for the international licensing rights to Tetris, which became one of the most widely played video games in history.
More than just a highly addictive video game, Tetris was one of the most underrated thrillers of 2023 and a true story more compelling than fiction. Tetris encapsulates everything that is quintessentially ’80s, from video games to the Cold War to the killer rock song “The Final Countdown” that heads up the soundtrack.
8 ‘Adventureland’ (2009)
Directed by Greg Mottola
In 1987, college graduate James (Jesse Eisenberg) has big plans for a European tour before starting his studies at Columbia University in New York, until his parents break the news that they can no longer support him financially. A canceled vacation is one thing, but James also realizes his place at Columbia is in jeopardy unless he can make enough money to cover rent. With no marketable skills, his only option is to spend the summer working at the local amusement park, Adventureland. The love, friendship, and life lessons James finds there turn the worst job ever into the best time of his life.
Adventureland is a great coming-of-age film that anyone who enjoyed a misspent youth will appreciate. The park managers, Bobby and Paulette (Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig), are as ridiculous as they are hilarious, encapsulating every ’80s stereotype from his Magnum PI stash to her bleach-washed jeans. It’s also rather refreshing to see a movie where the largely lovable Canadian Ryan Reynolds plays a real scumbag.
7 ‘It’ (2017)
Directed by Andy Muschietti
Local children from Derry, Maine have been disappearing and, in the summer of 1989, a group of kids calling themselves “The Losers’ Club” find out they’re being taken by an evil clown named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) who can shape-shift into the thing you are most afraid of. The gang, led by Bill (Jaeden Martell), who lost his little brother Georgie, bravely decide to try and destroy the demon, but how do they fight something that knows their biggest fears?
This version of It is one of the 21st Century’s best remakes and every bit as scary as the original, with Skarsgård being an equal match to Tim Curry‘s Pennywise on the creepiness scale. While this is a horror movie, the gang of misfit kids the storyline revolves around is very reminiscent of ’80s classics like Stand By Me and The Goonies, which gives it a more authentic retro feel.
6 ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001)
Directed by Richard Kelly
On the night of October 2, 1988, troubled teen Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is lured outside his home by a mysterious figure wearing a grotesque rabbit costume, who introduces himself as Frank (James Duval) and tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. The next morning, Donnie returns home to find a jet engine crashed into his bedroom and his narrow brush with death makes him an instant celebrity at school. As doomsday edges closer, Donnie becomes involved in a series of bizarre events instigated by Frank, who only he can see, making everyone start to question his sanity.
Donnie Darko‘s initial limited release wasn’t that spectacular, but after a series of reissues, the film amassed a loyal cult following and many would agree that it is one of the best R-rated sci-fi movies of the 2000s. The ’80s backdrop was chosen because writer/director Richard Kelly was looking to create something fresh but nostalgic and drew a lot from his own childhood experiences.
5 ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ (2013)
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
In the mid ’80s, Texas electrician and part-time rodeo cowboy, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), is diagnosed with AIDS and given 30 days to live. Refusing to accept his fate and stymied by the lack of FDA-approved treatments, Woodroof heads to Mexico and starts to smuggle drugs into the US. He later finds an unlikely ally in fellow AIDS patient and transsexual, Rayon (Jared Leto), and the two of them form the Dallas Buyers Club, which allows people with HIV to pay an affordable monthly fee for access to the newly acquired treatments.
Dallas Buyers Club is one of Matthew McConaughey’s best movies and earned him and Leto Oscars for their performances. This inspirational true story tells audiences so much about the sigma and hardships victims of the AIDS crisis were forced to endure in the ’80s. The real Woodroof tragically succumbed to his illness at 42, but he defied the medical profession by surviving for 7 years beyond his initial diagnosis and helped countless people because he dared to live.
4 ‘No Country For Old Men’ (2007)
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
While out hunting in the wilds of Texas, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across a drug deal gone violently wrong. With the perpetrators dead or wounded and 2 million dollars just sitting there, the temptation is too much for Moss, so rather than report the incident to the police, he decides to take the money and run. But drug lords aren’t going to let that kind of payday just disappear, and they send psychopathic killer, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) out on a mission to recover their money. While Moss tries desperately to stay one step ahead, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) struggles with the trail of victims and crime scenes Chigurh leaves in the wake of his deadly pursuit.
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men is an electrifying tale of good vs evil and all the gray areas that lie in between. The film delivers one of the most unforgettable movie endings and is a must-see for fans of Brolin, Bardem, or Jones, who are all exceptional in their given roles.
3 ‘Call Me By Your Name’ (2017)
Directed by Luca Guadagnio
In the summer of 1983, 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) is spending time with his parents at their idyllic country house in Northern Italy. Elio is quite content with his books and music until doctoral student Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to help with his father’s academic paperwork. Initially, Elio is resentful at having to give up his room, but he tries to remain civil and shows their guest around town. As the weeks pass, Elio becomes enamored by Oliver’s carefree personality, and an unexpected romantic bond forms. But as their relationship blossoms, the tables turn and Elio comes out of his shell, while Oliver resists his feelings and shies away.
Chalamet is captivating in his breakthrough role as Elio in Call Me By Your Name, which he handles with just the right blend of naive innocence and mature emotion. This coming-of-age drama is one of the best summer romance movies ever and a poignant exploration of sexual discovery and first love.
2 ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ (2013)
Directed by Ben Affleck
If any man embraced the mantra “greed is good” more than Gordon Gekko, it was Jordan Belford (Leonardo DiCaprio). At 22, he started working on Wall Street and quickly developed a taste for the high life. Unfortunately, Belford’s first day as a licensed stockbroker also happened to be the day stocks around the world plummeted (aka Black Monday) and he found himself unemployed. Not to be discouraged, he landed a new job at a dingy place on Long Island called ‘Investor Center’ and immediately turned the heads of his colleagues. It’s not long before Belford starts making some serious money, which draws the attention and admiration of Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill). As soon as Azoff gets a look at Belford’s paycheck, he quits his job and joins him on his mission to amass the mighty dollar, no matter how legally dubious their tactics might be.
As well as being one of the best movies based on true crime, The Wolf of Wall Street holds up a mirror to the capitalism and consumerism that were centric to the culture of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Anyone inspired to follow Belford’s example should be warned that after he pleaded guilty to fraud and crimes connected to stock-market manipulation, he spent 22 months in prison and became an informant for the FBI. Maybe greed isn’t that good.
1 ‘American Psycho’ (2000)
Directed by Mary Harron
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Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a quintessential ’80s yuppie and an unbalanced American Psycho. When he’s not comparing the quality of business cards across the boardroom table, he’s dissecting girls because he is, in his own words, utterly insane. Bateman and his shallow, narcissistic circle of so-called friends are so alike in looks and style they even get each other mixed up. So, when he confesses to his lawyer about hacking one of them up, it’s taken as a joke because the lawyer apparently had dinner with the dead guy a few days ago.
Although it includes one scene that nearly landed American Psycho an NC-17 rating, the movie was toned down quite considerably from the original novel by Brett Easton Ellis. The film is fantastic and Bale is eerily unnerving, but lovers of horror and gore would be well advised to also read the book, if they have the stomach for it.