Best Drama movies of 1980s

Actors : Brian Keith, Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman,
Directors : Burt Reynolds,

Tom Sharky is demoted to vice after a bust goes terribly wrong. He and his team stumble across a mob murder tied to prostitution and government.

Actors : John Pankow, Willem Dafoe, William Petersen, Debra Feuer,
Directors : William Friedkin,

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

Actors : Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello,
Directors : Eddie Murphy,

During the 1930s, a New York illegal gambling house owner and his associates must deal with strong competition, gangsters and corrupt cops in order to stay in business.

Actors : Bruce Willis, Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith, Kim Cattrall,
Directors : Brian De Palma,

After his mistress runs over a young teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight, and attracting the interest of a down and out reporter.

Actors : Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Richard Cox, Karen Allen,
Directors : William Friedkin,

A police detective goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men.

Actors : Henry Fonda, Doug McKeon, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn,
Directors : Mark Rydell,

Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.

Actors : Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney,

Two childhood friends find themselves forced to become enemies.

Actors : Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Amy Ingersoll, Tom Savini,
Directors : George A. Romero,

A medieval reenactment troupe find it increasingly difficult to keep their family-like group together, with pressure from local law enforcement, interest from entertainment agents and a growing sense of delusion from their leader.

Actors : Nicoletta Braschi, Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni,
Directors : Jim Jarmusch,

Two innocent people are arrested. An interesting third person, with broken English, joins them in their cell. On his idea, they decide to escape from the prison. Their journey is the rest of the movie.

Actors : Susan Blakely, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Rick Zumwalt,
Directors : Menahem Golan,

Tough trucker Lincoln Hawk is determined to win back his son and triumph at the world arm wrestling championships.

Actors : Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Ralph Brown, Richard Griffiths,
Directors : Bruce Robinson,

At the end of the 1960's, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.

Actors : José Lewgoy, Klaus Kinski, King Ampaw, Salvatore Basile,
Directors : Werner Herzog,

During the 1800s, paroled Brazilian bandit Cobra Verde is sent to West Africa with a few troops to man an old Portuguese fort and to convince the local African ruler to resume the slave trade with Brazil.

Actors : Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis,
Directors : Herbert Ross,

A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.

Actors : Pat Morita, Thomas Ian Griffith, Robyn Lively, Ralph Macchio,
Directors : John G. Avildsen,

Ostracised villain John Kreese attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Miyagi, with the help of a Vietnam War comrade, the wealthy owner of a toxic waste disposal business.

Actors : Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Tom Hanks, Reginald VelJohnson,
Directors : Roger Spottiswoode,

A detective must adopt the dog of a dead man to help him find the murderer.

Actors : Paul Newman, Jack Warden, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling,
Directors : Sidney Lumet,

A lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.

Actors : Raphael Fejtö, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Francine Racette, Gaspard Manesse,
Directors : Louis Malle,

A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. He becomes the roommate of top student in his class. Rivals at first, the roommates form a bond and share a secret.

Actors : Jean Reno, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Shenar, Rosanna Arquette,
Directors : Luc Besson,

The rivalry between Enzo and Jacques, two childhood friends and now world-renowned free divers, becomes a beautiful and perilous journey into oneself and the unknown.

Actors : Estelle Harris, Virginia Paris, Mark Phelan, Edward James Olmos,
Directors : Ramón Menéndez,

The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout prone students to learn calculus.

Actors : Carolyn Choa, Jenny Howe, Alan Rickman, Juliet Stevenson,
Directors : Anthony Minghella,

A woman dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost.