The Top 100 Movies of the 1980s

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1

The Empire Strikes Back

1980  •  Irvin Kershner  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Adventure  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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2

Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981  •  Steven Spielberg  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Adventure  •  Costume Adventure

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3

Return of the Jedi

1983  •  Richard Marquand  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Adventure  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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4

Back to the Future

1985  •  Robert Zemeckis  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Adventure Comedy  •  Americana

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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5

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989  •  Steven Spielberg  •  Rated PG13

Action  •  Action Comedy  •  Adventure

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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6

Ghostbusters

1984  •  Ivan Reitman  •  Rated PG

Comedy  •  Fantasy  •  Fantasy Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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7

The Shining

1980  •  Stanley Kubrick  •  Rated R

Ghost Film  •  Haunted House Film  •  Horror

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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8

Die Hard

1988  •  John McTiernan  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Holiday Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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9

Blade Runner

1982  •  Ridley Scott  •  Rated R

Action  •  Cyberpunk / Tech Noir  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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10

The Princess Bride

1987  •  Rob Reiner  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Adventure Comedy  •  Comedy

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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11

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

1986  •  John Hughes  •  Rated PG13

Comedy  •  Coming-of-Age  •  Teen Movie

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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12

Aliens

1986  •  James Cameron  •  Rated R

Action  •  Body Horror  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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13

Full Metal Jacket

1987  •  Stanley Kubrick  •  Rated R

Anti-War Film  •  Combat Films  •  Drama

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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14

The Terminator

1984  •  James Cameron  •  Rated R

Action  •  Cyberpunk / Tech Noir  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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15

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

1984  •  Steven Spielberg  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Adventure  •  Costume Adventure

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16

Raging Bull

1980  •  Martin Scorsese  •  Rated R

Based-on-a-True-Story  •  Biopic  •  Drama

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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17

Stand by Me

1986  •  Rob Reiner  •  Rated R

Coming-of-Age  •  Drama

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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18

The Breakfast Club

1985  •  John Hughes  •  Rated R

Comedy Drama  •  Coming-of-Age  •  Ensemble Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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19

My Neighbor Totoro

1988  •  Hayao Miyazaki  •  Rated G

Adventure  •  Animation  •  Anime

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20

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

1982  •  Steven Spielberg  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Drama  •  Family

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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21

The Thing

1982  •  John Carpenter  •  Rated R

Alien Invasion Films  •  Body Horror  •  Horror

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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22

Scarface

1983  •  Brian De Palma  •  Rated R

Crime  •  Crime Thriller  •  Gangster Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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23

Back to the Future Part II

1989  •  Robert Zemeckis  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Comedy  •  Science Fiction

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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24

The Goonies

1985  •  Richard Donner  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Adventure Comedy  •  Comedy

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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25

The Untouchables

1987  •  Brian De Palma  •  Rated R

Crime  •  Crime Thriller  •  Gangster Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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26

Ran

1985  •  Akira Kurosawa  •  Rated R

Action  •  Based-on-Shakespeare  •  Drama

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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27

The Blues Brothers

1980  •  John Landis  •  Not Rated

Absurd Comedy  •  Action Comedy  •  Adventure Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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28

Airplane!

1980  •  Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker  •  Rated PG

Absurd Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Ensemble Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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29

Rain Man

1988  •  Barry Levinson  •  Rated R

Drama  •  Family Drama  •  Melodrama

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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30

Platoon

1986  •  Oliver Stone  •  Rated R

Action  •  Anti-War Film  •  Combat Films

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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31

Brazil

1985  •  Terry Gilliam  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Dystopian Film  •  Mindbender

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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32

This Is Spinal Tap

1984  •  Rob Reiner  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Mockumentary  •  Musical

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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33

Predator

1987  •  John McTiernan  •  Rated R

Action  •  Horror  •  Monster Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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34

Batman

1989  •  Tim Burton  •  Rated PG13

Action  •  Based-on-Comics  •  Crime

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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35

The King of Comedy

1982  •  Martin Scorsese  •  Rated PG

Black Comedy  •  Showbiz Comedy

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36

Fanny and Alexander

1982  •  Ingmar Bergman  •  Rated R

Childhood Drama  •  Drama  •  Family Drama

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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37

Grave of the Fireflies

1988  •  Isao Takahata  •  Not Rated

Animation  •  Anime  •  Drama

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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38

Crimes and Misdemeanors

1989  •  Woody Allen  •  Rated PG13

Comedy Drama  •  Drama  •  Ensemble Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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39

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1982  •  Nicholas Meyer  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Adventure

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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40

Amadeus

1984  •  Milos Forman  •  Rated PG

Based-on-a-True-Story  •  Based-on-Theatre  •  Biopic

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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41

Hannah and Her Sisters

1986  •  Woody Allen  •  Rated PG13

Comedy Drama  •  Ensemble Film  •  Sophisticated Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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42

Evil Dead II

1987  •  Sam Raimi  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Haunted House Film  •  Horror

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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43

Wings of Desire

1987  •  Wim Wenders  •  Rated PG13

Fantasy  •  Foreign Language Film  •  Romance

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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44

An American Werewolf in London

1981  •  John Landis  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Body Horror  •  Horror

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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45

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

1985  •  Hayao Miyazaki  •  Rated PG

Animation  •  Anime  •  Based-on-Comics

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46

Blood Simple

1984  •  Ethan & Joel Coen  •  Rated R

Crime  •  Crime Thriller  •  Thriller

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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47

Castle in the Sky

1986  •  Hayao Miyazaki  •  Rated PG

Animation  •  Anime  •  Family

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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48

Do the Right Thing

1989  •  Spike Lee  •  Rated R

Drama  •  Ensemble Film  •  Message Movie

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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49

Fitzcarraldo

1982  •  Werner Herzog  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Adventure Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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50

The Evil Dead

1981  •  Sam Raimi  •  Not Rated

Haunted House Film  •  Horror  •  Monster Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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51

Raising Arizona

1987  •  Ethan & Joel Coen  •  Rated PG13

Comedy  •  Crime  •  Crime Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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52

Beetlejuice

1988  •  Tim Burton  •  Rated PG

Black Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Fantasy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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53

Videodrome

1983  •  David Cronenberg  •  Rated R

Body Horror  •  Cyberpunk / Tech Noir  •  Horror

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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54

Blue Velvet

1986  •  David Lynch  •  Rated R

Americana  •  Crime  •  Crime Thriller

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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55

Dead Poets Society

1989  •  Peter Weir  •  Rated PG

Coming-of-Age  •  Drama  •  Ensemble Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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56

The Road Warrior

1981  •  George Miller (II)  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Australian New Wave

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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57

Caddyshack

1980  •  Harold Ramis  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Gross-Out Comedy  •  Slapstick

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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58

A Christmas Story

1983  •  Bob Clark  •  Rated PG

Americana  •  Comedy Drama  •  Domestic Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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59

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

1988  •  Robert Zemeckis  •  Rated PG

Animation  •  Comedy  •  Detective Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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60

Akira

1988  •  Katsuhiro Ohtomo  •  Rated R

Action  •  Animation  •  Anime

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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61

Paris, Texas

1984  •  Wim Wenders  •  Rated R

Drama  •  New German Cinema  •  Road Movie

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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62

Big

1988  •  Penny Marshall  •  Rated PG

Comedy  •  Fantasy  •  Fantasy Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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63

Big Trouble in Little China

1986  •  John Carpenter  •  Rated PG13

Action  •  Action Comedy  •  Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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64

The Purple Rose of Cairo

1985  •  Woody Allen  •  Rated PG

Comedy  •  Fantasy  •  Fantasy Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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65

They Live

1988  •  John Carpenter  •  Rated R

Action  •  Alien Invasion Films  •  Dystopian Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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66

Lethal Weapon

1987  •  Richard Donner  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Buddy Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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67

Cinema Paradiso

1988  •  Giuseppe Tornatore  •  Rated PG

Coming-of-Age  •  Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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68

Once Upon a Time in America

1984  •  Sergio Leone  •  Rated R

Crime  •  Crime Drama  •  Drama

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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69

Say Anything...

1989  •  Cameron Crowe  •  Rated PG13

Comedy Drama  •  Coming-of-Age  •  Romance

Down by 2 in the past 45 days 2

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70

Spaceballs

1987  •  Mel Brooks  •  Rated PG

Absurd Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Cyborg / Android / Robot

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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71

Escape from New York

1981  •  John Carpenter  •  Rated R

Action  •  Crime  •  Crime Thriller

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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72

Re-Animator

1985  •  Stuart Gordon  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Body Horror  •  Horror

Down by 2 in the past 45 days 2

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73

The Right Stuff

1983  •  Philip Kaufman  •  Rated R

Adventure  •  Adventure Drama  •  Based-on-a-True-Story

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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74

After Hours

1985  •  Martin Scorsese  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Urban Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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75

Blow Out

1981  •  Brian De Palma  •  Rated R

Paranoid Thriller  •  Political Thriller  •  Psychological Thriller

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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76

The Verdict

1982  •  Sidney Lumet  •  Rated R

Courtroom Drama  •  Drama

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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77

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

1987  •  John Hughes  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Comedy of Errors  •  Holiday Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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78

Midnight Run

1988  •  Martin Brest  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Comedy  •  Adventure

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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79

Trading Places

1983  •  John Landis  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Comedy of Manners  •  Satire

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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80

Stripes

1981  •  Ivan Reitman  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Military Comedy

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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81

Gremlins

1984  •  Joe Dante  •  Rated PG

Comedy  •  Holiday Film  •  Horror

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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82

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

1982  •  Amy Heckerling  •  Rated R

Comedy  •  Comedy Drama  •  Coming-of-Age

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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83

The Meaning of Life

1983  •  Terry Jones  •  Rated R

Absurd Comedy  •  Anthology Film  •  Based-on-Television

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84

Heathers

1989  •  Michael Lehmann  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Teen Movie

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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85

The Natural

1984  •  Barry Levinson  •  Rated PG

Americana  •  Drama  •  Period Film

Up by 3 in the past 45 days 3

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86

Better Off Dead

1985  •  Savage Steve Holland  •  Not Rated

Comedy  •  Teen Movie  •  Romantic Comedy

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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87

Hoosiers

1986  •  David Anspaugh  •  Rated PG

Docudrama  •  Drama  •  Rural Drama

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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88

Near Dark

1987  •  Kathryn Bigelow  •  Rated R

Chase Movie  •  Horror  •  Hybrid Western

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89

First Blood

1982  •  Ted Kotcheff  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Adventure

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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90

National Lampoon's Vacation

1983  •  Harold Ramis  •  Rated R

Absurd Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Farce

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91

The Karate Kid

1984  •  John G. Avildsen  •  Rated PG

Action  •  Coming-of-Age  •  Drama

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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92

The Killer

1989  •  John Woo  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Thriller  •  Buddy Film

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93

Das Boot

1981  •  Wolfgang Petersen  •  Rated PG

Adventure  •  Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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94

The Fly

1986  •  David Cronenberg  •  Rated R

Body Horror  •  Horror  •  Monster Film

Held position in the past 45 days 0

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95

Poltergeist

1982  •  Tobe Hooper  •  Rated PG

Ghost Film  •  Haunted House Film  •  Horror

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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96

Kagemusha

1980  •  Akira Kurosawa  •  Rated PG

Epic  •  Foreign Language Film  •  Historical Epic

Down by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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97

A Fish Called Wanda

1988  •  Charles Crichton  •  Rated R

Caper  •  Comedy  •  Con Artist / Hustler

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98

The Abyss

1989  •  James Cameron  •  Rated PG13

Adventure  •  Alien Invasion Films  •  Drama

Up by 1 in the past 45 days 1

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99

Withnail & I

1987  •  Bruce Robinson  •  Rated R

Black Comedy  •  Buddy Film  •  Comedy

Down by 3 in the past 45 days 3

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100

Beverly Hills Cop

1984  •  Martin Brest  •  Rated R

Action  •  Action Comedy  •  Comedy

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