Best Movies of 1980s by Director
1425
196
1987
Paul Verhoeven
Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Sci-Fi / Action / Crime
USA
English
1187
163
1982
Daniel Vigne
Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Maurice Barrier
Drama / Romance / Period Film
France
French
2335
378
1981
Margarethe von Trotta
Jutta Lampe, Barbara Sukowa, Rüdiger Vogler, Doris Schade
Drama / History
West Germany
German
2593
445
1986
Margarethe von Trotta
Barbara Sukowa, Daniel Olbrychski, Otto Sander, Adelheid Arndt, Jürgen Holtz
Biography / Drama
Czechoslovakia / West Germany
German
2665
461
1988
Jonathan Wacks
A Martinez, Gary Farmer, Joanelle Romero, Amanda Wyss, Sam Vlahos, Wayne Waterman
Adventure / Drama / Comedy
UK
English
2447
406
1981
Michael Wadleigh
Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan
Horror / Thriller / Detective
USA
English
1175
162
1983
Andrzej Wajda
Gérard Depardieu, Wojciech Pszoniak, Anne Alvaro
Drama / History / Period Film / Biography
France / Poland / West Germany
French
2194
341
1983
Andrzej Wajda
Hanna Schygulla, Piotr Lysak, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Drama / War / Romance
West Germany / France
Polish
2764
493
1987
Gary Walkow
Tom Villard, Susan Dey, Elaine Giftos, Elizabeth Gorcey
Comedy / Sci-Fi
USA
English
2593
445
1980
Stephen Wallace
Bryan Brown, Max Phipps, Dennis Miller, Garry Waddell, Phil Motherwell
Action / Drama / Thriller / Crime
Australia
English
1905
275
1982
Wayne Wang
Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Laureen Chew, Peter Wang
Crime / Comedy / Drama / Detective
USA
English
2650
457
1985
Wayne Wang
Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong, Ida F.O. Chung, Cora Miao
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
2632
453
1982
David S. Ward
Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, William Bronder, Rosanna de Soto, Kathleen Doyle
Comedy / Drama / Romance
USA
English
2739
485
1989
David S. Ward
Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon
Comedy / Sports
USA
English
1882
270
1988
Vincent Ward
Bruce Lyons, Chris Haywood, Hamish McFarlane, Marshall Napier, Noel Appleby
Fantasy / Adventure
Australia / New Zealand
English
2247
355
1988
John Waters
Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Deborah Harry, Ricki Lake
Comedy / Drama / Music / Cult
USA
English
2632
453
1981
John Waters
Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, David Samson, Mary Garlington, Ken King
Comedy
USA
English
501
52
1985
Peter Weir
Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Josef Sommer, Lukas Haas, Jan Rubes
Drama / Romance / Thriller / Crime
USA
English
665
87
1981
Peter Weir
Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins, Charles Lathalu Yunipingli
Drama / War
Australia
English
1011
141
1982
Peter Weir
Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bembol Roco
Romance / Drama
Australia
English
1423
194
1989
Peter Weir
Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen
Drama
USA
English
2593
445
1986
Peter Weir
Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix, Conrad Roberts, Andre Gregory
Adventure / Drama
USA
English
55
4
1987
Wim Wenders
Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk
Fantasy / Drama / Romance / Religion
West Germany / France
German
309
22
1984
Wim Wenders
Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Sam Berry, Bernhard Wicki
Drama
UK / France / West Germany / USA
English
2507
424
1982
Wim Wenders
Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Roy Kinnear
Mystery / Crime / Post-Noir / Biography / Period Film
USA
English
2564
437
1982
Wim Wenders
Isabelle Weingarten, Rebecca Pauly, Jeffrey Kime, Geoffrey Carey
Drama / Mystery
West Germany / Portugal / USA
German
NR
-
1980
William Wiard
Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush, Slim Pickens
Western / Biography
USA
English
2727
483
1981
Billy Wilder
Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Paula Prentiss, Klaus Kinski, Dana Elcar
Comedy
USA
English
2632
453
1984
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, Charles Grodin, Joseph Bologna, Judith Ivey
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
2632
453
1984
Hugh Wilson
Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Donovan Scott
Comedy / Crime
USA
English
2700
473
1985
Sandy Wilson
Margaret Langrick, John Wildman, Richard Donat, Jane Mortifee, T.J. Scott
Biography / Drama / Comedy / Period Film
Canada
English
2720
480
1988
Henry Winkler
Billy Crystal, Alan King, JoBeth Williams, Janet Carroll, David Ackroyd
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
951
126
1989
John Woo
Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu, Kenneth Tsang, Fui-On Shing
Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller / Gangster / Detective
Hong Kong
Cantonese
2587
443
1984
Billy Woodberry
Nate Hardman, Kaycee Moore, Angela Burnett, Ronald Burnett, Kimberly Burnett
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2702
474
1989
Ziniu Wu
Chong Peipei, Qi Zhao, Ruolei Liu, Yaming Ge, Zeru Tao, Xiang Zongi, Min Sun
Drama / War
China
Mandarin
2760
491
1988
Rudy Wurlitzer, Robert Frank
Kevin J. O'Connor, Harris Yulin, Tom Waits, Bulle Ogier
Drama / Comedy / Music
Switzerland / Canada / France
English
2691
468
1985
Edward Yang
Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Wu Nien-Chen, Mei Fang, Tsai Chin, Su-Yun Ko
Drama / Romance
Taiwan
Taiwanese
2770
496
1986
Edward Yang
Cora Miao, Li-Chun Lee, Shih-Chieh King, Pao-Ming Ku, Ming Liu, An Wang
Crime / Drama
Taiwan
Mandarin
516
56
1983
Peter Yates
Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Zena Walker
Drama
UK
English
2632
453
1981
Peter Yates
William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, James Woods, Irene Worth
Thriller / Mystery / Romance / Crime
USA
English
2760
491
1989
Clarence Fok Yiu-leung
Maggie Cheung, Biao Yuen, Wah Yuen, Sarah Lee, Alvina Kong
Action / Romance / Sci-Fi / Comedy / Fantasy
Hong Kong
Cantonese
2720
480
1985
Bud Yorkin
Gene Hackman, Ann-Margret, Ellen Burstyn, Amy Madigan, Ally Sheedy, Stephen Lang
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2760
491
1981
Yaki Yosha
Shraga Harpaz, Shimon Finkel, Hanna Meron, Nitza Shaul
Drama
Israel
Hebrew
2665
461
1982
Robert M. Young
Edward James Olmos, James Gammon, Tom Bower, Bruce McGill, Brion James
Drama / Western / Crime
USA
English
2720
480
1980
Robert M. Young
Paul Simon, Blair Brown, Rip Torn, Joan Hackett, Allen Garfield, Mare Winningham
Drama / Musical
USA
English
2013
298
1984
Krzysztof Zanussi
Maja Komorowska, Scott Wilson, Hanna Skarzanka
Romance / Drama / War
Poland / West Germany / USA
Polish
2282
361
1980
Krzysztof Zanussi
Maja Komorowska, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Magda Jaroszowna
Drama / Comedy
Poland
Polish
2685
465
1980
Krzysztof Zanussi
Tadeusz Bradecki, Malgorzata Zajaczkowska, Cezary Morawski
Drama
Poland
Polish
2692
469
1982
Krzysztof Zanussi
Robert Powell, Brigitte Fossey, Sigfrit Steiner, Matthias Habich, Jan Biczycki
Drama
West Germany
English
1481
206
1982
Franco Zeffirelli
Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil
Drama / Musical
Italy
Italian
1729
236
1986
Franco Zeffirelli
Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli
Drama / Musical
Italy / Netherlands
Italian
367
34
1988
Robert Zemeckis
Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Animation / Comedy / Fantasy / Family
USA
English
444
46
1985
Robert Zemeckis
Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi / Family
USA
English
2390
393
1984
Robert Zemeckis
Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman
Action / Adventure / Family / Comedy / Romance
Mexico / USA
English
2632
453
1980
Robert Zemeckis
Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae, Deborah Harmon
Comedy
USA
English
NR
-
1989
Robert Zemeckis
Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, Elisabeth Shue
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi
USA
English
745
102
1987
Yimou Zhang
Li Gong, Wen Jiang, Rujun Ten, Liu Jia, Cunhua Ji
Drama / War / Period Film
China
Mandarin
2632
453
1980
Howard Zieff
Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante, Robert Webber, Sam Wanamaker
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
1460
200
1988
David Zucker
Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban
Comedy / Crime / Thriller / Detective
USA
English
2607
446
1981
Andrzej Zulawski
Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neil, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent, Johanna Hofer
Drama / Horror / Experimental
France / West Germany
English
2774
499
1988
Andrzej Zulawski
Andrzej Seweryn, Jerzy Trela, Grazyna Dylag, Waldemar Kownacki, Iwona Bielska
Adventure / Drama / Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Action / Epic
Poland
Polish
2486
417
1988
Charlotte Zwerin
Jimmy Cleveland, Harry Colomby, John Coltrane, Ray Copeland
Documentary / Biography / Music
USA
English
999
138
1989
Edward Zwick
Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes
Drama / War / Action / History / Epic
USA
English
2418
399
1986
Edward Zwick
Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi, Elizabeth Perkins, George DiCenzo
Comedy / Drama / Romance
USA
English
2720
480
1986
Terry Zwigoff
Howard Armstrong, Ted Bogan, Cab Calloway, Les Blank, Alan Governar
Documentary / Music / Biography
USA
English
