Best thrillers 1981 – 1990 | Charts

1. Aliens (1986)

USA / UK, Sci-fi / Thriller

Directed by: James Cameron

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn

89.6%

60,111 Ratings rating

2. Die Hard (1988)

USA, Action / Thriller

Directed by: John McTiernan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia

89.5%

70,131 Ratings rating

3. Lethal Weapon (1987)

USA, Action / Crime

Directed by: Richard Donner

Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover

87.8%

53,296 Ratings rating

4. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

USA / Italy, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Sergio Leone

Cast: Robert De Niro, James Woods

87.6%

23,486 Ratings rating

5. The Terminator (1984)

USA / UK, Action / Sci-fi

Directed by: James Cameron

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn

87.1%

73,397 Ratings rating

6. Scarface (1983)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Cast: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer

86.8%

32,621 Ratings rating

7. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

USA, Action / Crime

Directed by: Richard Donner

Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover

86.5%

42,810 Ratings rating

8. The Thing (1982)

USA, Sci-fi / Horror

Directed by: John Carpenter

Cast: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley

85.5%

35,588 Ratings rating

9. The Untouchables (1987)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Cast: Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith

85.2%

26,277 Ratings rating

10. The Professional (1981)

France, Action / Crime

Directed by: Georges Lautner

Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly

84.8%

12,979 Ratings rating

11. Mississippi Burning (1988)

USA, Drama / Historical

Directed by: Alan Parker

Cast: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe

84.7%

6,865 Ratings rating

12. The Name of the Rose (1986)

Italy / France, Drama / Crime

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Cast: Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham

84.0%

23,330 Ratings rating

13. Die Hard 2 (1990)

USA, Action / Thriller

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Cast: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia

83.5%

37,392 Ratings rating

14. Misery (1990)

USA, Drama / Crime

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates

83.5%

14,192 Ratings rating

15. The Abyss (1989)

USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: James Cameron

Cast: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

82.2%

20,176 Ratings rating

16. Blue Velvet (1986)

USA, Mystery / Thriller

Directed by: David Lynch

Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper

82.1%

12,447 Ratings rating

17. The Killer (1989)

Hong Kong, Action / Crime

Directed by: John Woo

Cast: Yun-fat Chow, Danny Lee

82.2%

3,503 Ratings rating

18. Voyage au centre de la mémoire (1990)

USA, Action / Sci-fi

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin

81.7%

34,300 Ratings rating

19. Akira (1988)

Japan, Animation / Sci-fi

Directed by: Katsuhiro Ōtomo

Cast: Mami Koyama, Mitsuo Iwata

81.6%

5,469 Ratings rating

20. Ghost (1990)

USA, Drama / Romance

Directed by: Jerry Zucker

Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore

81.4%

31,056 Ratings rating

21. Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Daniel Petrie

Cast: Paul Newman, Edward Asner

81.6%

3,097 Ratings rating

22. Interrogation (1982)

Poland, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Ryszard Bugajski

Cast: Krystyna Janda, Adam Ferency

83.4%

380 Ratings rating

23. Batman (1989)

USA / UK, Action / Crime

Directed by: Tim Burton

Cast: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson

81.1%

35,769 Ratings rating

24. La Femme Nikita (1990)

France / Italy, Action / Thriller

Directed by: Luc Besson

Cast: Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade

81.1%

13,635 Ratings rating

25. Police Story (1985)

Hong Kong, Action / Comedy

Directed by: Jackie Chan

Cast: Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin

81.0%

4,864 Ratings rating

26. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: John McTiernan

Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin

80.7%

14,472 Ratings rating

27. Police Story 2 (1988)

Hong Kong, Action / Thriller

Directed by: Jackie Chan

Cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung

80.5%

3,508 Ratings rating

28. A Better Tomorrow II (1987)

Hong Kong, Action / Crime

Directed by: John Woo

Cast: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung

80.8%

1,256 Ratings rating

29. Blood Simple (1984)

USA, Thriller / Crime

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand

80.3%

5,406 Ratings rating

30. The Inquisitor (1981)

France, Drama / Crime

Directed by: Claude Miller

Cast: Lino Ventura, Michel Serrault

80.4%

1,584 Ratings rating

31. Miller's Crossing (1990)

USA, Drama / Crime

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden

79.4%

5,395 Ratings rating

32. Angel Heart (1987)

USA / Canada, Mystery / Thriller

Directed by: Alan Parker

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro

79.1%

8,041 Ratings rating

33. Finally, Sunday (1983)

France, Comedy / Crime

Directed by: François Truffaut

Cast: Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant

79.7%

1,112 Ratings rating

34. A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Hong Kong, Action / Crime

Directed by: John Woo

Cast: Lung Ti, Yun-fat Chow

79.1%

1,705 Ratings rating

35. Wild at Heart (1990)

USA, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: David Lynch

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern

78.4%

9,008 Ratings rating

36. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Australia, Sci-fi / Action

Directed by: George Miller

Cast: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence

78.3%

15,356 Ratings rating

37. Evil Under the Sun (1982)

UK, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Guy Hamilton

Cast: Peter Ustinov, Colin Blakely

78.1%

2,065 Ratings rating

38. Salvador (1986)

USA / UK, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Cast: James Woods, Jim Belushi

77.8%

2,068 Ratings rating

39. 1984 (1984)

UK, Drama / Sci-fi

Directed by: Michael Radford

Cast: John Hurt, Richard Burton

77.3%

9,300 Ratings rating

40. Blade Runner (1982)

USA / Hong Kong, Sci-fi / Thriller

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer

77.1%

34,274 Ratings rating

41. The Evil Dead (1981)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss

77.1%

14,115 Ratings rating

42. RoboCop (1987)

USA, Action / Crime

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Cast: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen

77.0%

16,175 Ratings rating

43. Dead Certain (1981)

France, Thriller

Directed by: Nicolas Ribowski

Cast: Claude Brasseur, Jean-Louis Trintignant

77.5%

758 Ratings rating

44. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

USA, Sci-fi / Adventure

Directed by: Nicholas Meyer

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy

76.4%

5,199 Ratings rating

45. Tango & Cash (1989)

USA, Crime / Action

Directed by: Albert Magnoli, Andrey Konchalovskiy

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell

76.1%

20,911 Ratings rating

46. Music Box (1989)

USA, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Costa-Gavras

Cast: Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl

77.0%

520 Ratings rating

47. Lock Up (1989)

USA, Thriller / Drama

Directed by: John Flynn

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland

75.9%

12,227 Ratings rating

48. The Loner (1987)

France, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: Jacques Deray

Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Malo

75.9%

5,489 Ratings rating

49. Mauvais sang (1986)

France / Switzerland, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Leos Carax

Cast: Michel Piccoli, Juliette Binoche

76.6%

551 Ratings rating

50. Holy Blood (1989)

Mexico / Italy, Drama / Horror

Directed by: Alejandro Jodorowsky

Cast: Adán Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra

76.0%

836 Ratings rating

51. Presumed Innocent (1990)

USA, Mystery / Thriller

Directed by: Alan J. Pakula

Cast: Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy

75.4%

3,713 Ratings rating

52. Les Griffes de la nuit (1984)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Wes Craven

Cast: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley

75.1%

18,928 Ratings rating

53. After Hours (1985)

USA, Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette

75.3%

2,112 Ratings rating

54. Monsieur Hire (1989)

France, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: Patrice Leconte

Cast: Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire

77.1%

258 Ratings rating

55. The Bedroom Window (1987)

USA, Thriller / Mystery

Directed by: Curtis Hanson

Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Elizabeth McGovern

75.2%

2,078 Ratings rating

56. Commando (1985)

USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: Mark L. Lester

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong

74.8%

28,485 Ratings rating

57. State of Grace (1990)

UK / USA, Action / Drama

Directed by: Phil Joanou

Cast: Sean Penn, Ed Harris

75.1%

1,789 Ratings rating

58. City on Fire (1987)

Hong Kong, Action / Crime

Directed by: Ringo Lam

Cast: Yun-fat Chow, Danny Lee

77.4%

195 Ratings rating

59. Missing (1982)

USA, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Costa-Gavras

Cast: Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek

75.4%

695 Ratings rating

60. Flatliners (1990)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Joel Schumacher

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts

74.4%

13,664 Ratings rating

61. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: George P. Cosmatos

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna

74.3%

29,830 Ratings rating

62. Bad Boys (1983)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Rick Rosenthal

Cast: Sean Penn, Reni Santoni

74.6%

889 Ratings rating

63. Halloween II (1981)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Rick Rosenthal

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence

74.1%

5,331 Ratings rating

64. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

USA, Comedy / Crime

Directed by: Carl Reiner

Cast: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward

74.3%

996 Ratings rating

65. The Dead Zone (1983)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Cast: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams

73.9%

4,757 Ratings rating

66. Witness (1985)

USA, Drama / Romance

Directed by: Peter Weir

Cast: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis

73.9%

4,893 Ratings rating

67. The Vanishing (1988)

Netherlands / France, Mystery / Thriller

Directed by: George Sluizer

Cast: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets

74.3%

650 Ratings rating

68. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

UK, Action / Adventure

Directed by: John Glen

Cast: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet

73.7%

7,475 Ratings rating

69. Blow Out (1981)

USA, Thriller / Mystery

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Cast: John Travolta, Nancy Allen

73.8%

3,497 Ratings rating

70. A Thousand Billion Dollars (1982)

France, Drama / Crime

Directed by: Henri Verneuil

Cast: Patrick Dewaere, Michel Auclair

75.1%

290 Ratings rating

71. The Hitcher (1986)

USA, Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Robert Harmon

Cast: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell

73.6%

5,262 Ratings rating

72. Schizophrenia (1983)

Austria, Crime / Horror

Directed by: Gerald Kargl

Cast: Erwin Leder, Robert Hunger-Bühler

74.0%

747 Ratings rating

73. Possession (1981)

France / West Germany, Mystery / Drama

Directed by: Andrzej Zulawski

Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill

73.6%

1,892 Ratings rating

74. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

USA, Horror / Fantasy

Directed by: Chuck Russell

Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette

73.2%

6,523 Ratings rating

75. Lord of the Flies (1990)

USA, Adventure / Drama

Directed by: Harry Hook

Cast: Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh

73.3%

3,187 Ratings rating

76. The Element of Crime (1984)

Denmark, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Lars von Trier

Cast: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight

73.4%

797 Ratings rating

77. Long Live Life (1984)

France, Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Claude Lelouch

Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Michel Piccoli

74.7%

224 Ratings rating

78. Octopussy (1983)

UK / USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: John Glen

Cast: Roger Moore, Maud Adams

72.9%

8,403 Ratings rating

79. Espion, lève-toi (1982)

France / Switzerland, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Yves Boisset

Cast: Lino Ventura, Michel Piccoli

73.2%

1,071 Ratings rating

80. Body Heat (1981)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan

Cast: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner

73.2%

1,240 Ratings rating

81. Runaway Train (1985)

USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: Andrey Konchalovskiy

Cast: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts

72.9%

3,226 Ratings rating

82. Sea of Love (1989)

USA, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: Harold Becker

Cast: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin

73.0%

2,230 Ratings rating

83. Thief (1981)

USA, Action / Crime

Directed by: Michael Mann

Cast: James Caan, Tuesday Weld

73.1%

1,044 Ratings rating

84. Prince of the City (1981)

USA, Crime / Drama

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Cast: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach

75.1%

168 Ratings rating

85. Matador (1986)

Spain, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Cast: Assumpta Serna, Antonio Banderas

73.1%

895 Ratings rating

86. Clue (1985)

USA, Comedy / Crime

Directed by: Jonathan Lynn

Cast: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry

72.9%

1,162 Ratings rating

87. Strangler vs. Strangler (1984)

Yugoslavia, Comedy / Thriller

Directed by: Slobodan Šijan

Cast: Tasko Nacic, Nikola Simic

77.1%

89 Ratings rating

88. The Living Daylights (1987)

UK / USA, Action / Adventure

Directed by: John Glen

Cast: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo

72.6%

7,783 Ratings rating

89. Still of the Night (1982)

USA, Mystery / Thriller

Directed by: Robert Benton

Cast: Roy Scheider, Meryl Streep

72.7%

1,799 Ratings rating

90. F/X (1986)

USA, Action / Thriller

Directed by: Robert Mandel

Cast: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy

72.8%

1,117 Ratings rating

91. The Big Heat (1988)

Hong Kong, Action / Crime

Directed by: Andrew Kam, Kei-fung To

Cast: Waise Lee, Joey Wang

80.9%

46 Ratings rating

92. Dead Ringers (1988)

Canada / USA, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold

72.5%

2,203 Ratings rating

93. High Stakes (1989)

USA, Thriller

Directed by: Amos Kollek

Cast: Sally Kirkland, Sarah Michelle Gellar

82.9%

35 Ratings rating

94. Jagged Edge (1985)

USA, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: Richard Marquand

Cast: Glenn Close, Peter Coyote

72.1%

1,752 Ratings rating

95. The Cry of the Owl (1987)

France / Italy, Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Claude Chabrol

Cast: Christophe Malavoy, Mathilda May

78.3%

58 Ratings rating

96. Phantasm II (1988)

USA, Horror / Fantasy

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Cast: James Le Gros, Reggie Bannister

72.2%

1,162 Ratings rating

97. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

USA, Action / Comedy

Directed by: Tony Scott

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold

71.8%

14,154 Ratings rating

98. 48 Hrs. (1982)

USA, Action / Comedy

Directed by: Walter Hill

Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy

71.7%

5,921 Ratings rating

99. Stakeout (1987)

USA, Comedy / Crime

Directed by: John Badham

Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez

72.2%

667 Ratings rating

100. Cover Up (1983)

France, Crime / Thriller

Directed by: Philippe Labro

Cast: Claude Brasseur, Dayle Haddon

73.2%

208 Ratings rating

Best thrillers 1981 – 1990 - Charts

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