MTDb › Best of › Crime › 1980s
Best Crime Movies of the 1980s
#1 Once Upon a Time in America (1984) · ★ 8.4 · 6,237 votes · 2h 19m · drama, crimeA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old li…
#2 Scarface (1983) · ★ 8.2 · 13,380 votes · 2h 50m · action, drama, crimeAfter getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands…
#3 Stand by Me (1986) · ★ 7.8 · 6,752 votes · 1h 29m · adventure, drama, crimeAfter learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk m…
#4 The Untouchables (1987) · ★ 7.8 · 6,345 votes · 1h 59m · thriller, drama, historyElliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.…
#5 The Blues Brothers (1980) · ★ 7.7 · 4,692 votes · 2h 13m · action, comedy, crimeJake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.…
#6 The Color Purple (1985) · ★ 7.7 · 2,041 votes · 2h 34m · drama, history, crimeAn epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marrie…
#7 Mississippi Burning (1988) · ★ 7.7 · 2,031 votes · 2h 8m · thriller, drama, crimeTwo FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and…
#8 Blue Velvet (1986) · ★ 7.6 · 3,969 votes · 2h 0m · thriller, drama, crimeThe discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminal…
#9 The Killer (1989) · ★ 7.6 · 945 votes · 1h 50m · action, thriller, dramaMob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteus…
#10 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) · ★ 7.5 · 6,365 votes · 1h 44m · comedy, fantasy, animationToon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly rai…
#11 Police Story (1985) · ★ 7.5 · 1,054 votes · 1h 39m · action, comedy, thrillerOfficer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the…
#12 Blow Out (1981) · ★ 7.4 · 1,759 votes · 1h 48m · thriller, crime, mysteryWhile recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes…
#13 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) · ★ 7.4 · 976 votes · 1h 44m · comedy, drama, crimeA renowned ophthalmologist is desperate to cut off an adulterous relationship…which ends up in murder; and a frustrated documentary filmmaker woos an attractive television producer…
#14 Down by Law (1986) · ★ 7.4 · 878 votes · 1h 46m · comedy, drama, crimeA disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.…
#15 A Better Tomorrow (1986) · ★ 7.4 · 643 votes · 1h 35m · action, drama, crimeA reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.…
#16 Lethal Weapon (1987) · ★ 7.3 · 5,232 votes · 1h 50m · action, comedy, adventureA veteran cop and an unstable detective become partners who must put their differences aside in order to bring down a heroin-smuggling ring run by ex-Special Forces.…
#17 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) · ★ 7.3 · 4,699 votes · 1h 26m · comedy, crimeWhen the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.…
#18 Heathers (1989) · ★ 7.3 · 1,952 votes · 1h 43m · comedy, crimeA girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.…
#19 The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) · ★ 7.3 · 747 votes · 2h 4m · drama, crimeWhen churlish mobster Albert Spica acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Ge…
#20 Batman (1989) · ★ 7.2 · 8,818 votes · 2h 6m · action, fantasy, crimeHaving witnessed his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear int…
#21 Beverly Hills Cop (1984) · ★ 7.2 · 4,759 votes · 1h 45m · action, comedy, crimeFast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hill…
#22 A Fish Called Wanda (1988) · ★ 7.2 · 2,527 votes · 1h 49m · comedy, crimeWhile a diamond advocate attempts to steal a collection of diamonds, troubles arise when he realises he’s not the only one after the collection.…
#23 Wall Street (1987) · ★ 7.2 · 2,308 votes · 2h 6m · drama, crimeA young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider,…
#24 Clue (1985) · ★ 7.2 · 2,071 votes · 1h 34m · comedy, thriller, crimeClue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the k…
#25 Blood Simple (1985) · ★ 7.2 · 1,676 votes · 1h 37m · thriller, drama, crimeThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues afte…
#26 The Outsiders (1983) · ★ 7.2 · 1,616 votes · 1h 31m · drama, crimeIn 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny…
#27 Midnight Run (1988) · ★ 7.2 · 1,344 votes · 2h 6m · action, comedy, thrillerA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.…
#28 Thief (1981) · ★ 7.2 · 903 votes · 2h 3m · action, thriller, dramaFrank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himsel…
#29 Raising Arizona (1987) · ★ 7.1 · 2,426 votes · 1h 34m · comedy, crimeWhen a childless couple—an ex-con and an ex-cop—take one of a wealthy family’s quintuplets to raise as their own, their lives grow more complicated than anticipated.…
#30 Witness (1985) · ★ 7.1 · 1,966 votes · 1h 52m · thriller, romance, dramaWhile protecting an Amish boy—the sole witness to a brutal murder—and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.…
#31 The Great Mouse Detective (1986) · ★ 7.1 · 1,824 votes · 1h 14m · adventure, animation, familyWhen the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps London's master toymaker, the brilliant master of disguise Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson try to elude the ulti…
#32 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) · ★ 7.1 · 1,089 votes · 1h 50m · comedy, crimeCon artist Lawrence Jamieson is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he enjoys the lavish fruits of his deceptions -- that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson…
#33 To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) · ★ 7.1 · 839 votes · 1h 56m · action, thriller, crimeWhen his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance vows revenge, setting out to nab dangerous counterfeit artist Eric Masters.…
#34 La Chèvre (1981) · ★ 7.1 · 739 votes · 1h 34m · comedy, adventure, crimeWhen the boss' unlucky daughter is missing in South America, Campana is sent to watch the boss' most unlucky employee who is sent as a private detective in hopes he can duplicate t…
#35 The Accused (1988) · ★ 7.1 · 707 votes · 1h 51m · drama, crimeOut drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case…
#36 Police Story 2 (1988) · ★ 7.1 · 659 votes · 1h 45m · action, thriller, crimeThe Hong Kong super-cop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers at the same time that the villains of the first Police Story are out for revenge.…
#37 Drugstore Cowboy (1989) · ★ 7.1 · 641 votes · 1h 42m · drama, crimePortland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne, and another couple, Rick and Nadine, who skillfully steal from drugs…
#38 Brubaker (1980) · ★ 7.1 · 531 votes · 2h 11m · drama, crimeThe new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.…
#39 Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) · ★ 7.0 · 3,887 votes · 1h 54m · action, comedy, adventureRiggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.…
#40 Manhunter (1986) · ★ 7.0 · 1,599 votes · 2h 0m · thriller, horror, crimeFBI Agent Will Graham, retired after catching notorious cannibal Hannibal Lecter, returns to duty to engage in a risky cat-and-mouse game with Lecter to capture a new killer.…