Drama Movies · 1980s Ranked
Best Drama Movies of the 1980s, Ranked by IQ Score
The decade auteur drama reached its commercial peak. Ranked by IQ Score.
The 1980s in drama cinema is the decade auteur drama reached its commercial peak. Scorsese, Lynch, Wenders, Tarkovsky, Kubrick, Lee, the decade's catalog spans the canonical late-career auteur work and the New Hollywood directors' mature middle-careers.
Anchor picks: Raging Bull (1980) is the canonical Scorsese entry. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) is the canonical Sergio Leone epic. Paris, Texas (1984) is Wenders's Palme d'Or winner. Wings of Desire (1987) is the catalog's most-canonical philosophical entry. Amadeus (1984) won Best Picture.
16 titles · ranked by IQ Score
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
Save this list. Get the next one.
New ranked lists and the editorials behind them, by email. Every list scored on the same published rubric. No spam, no studio money.
Founding Circle
Lifetime membership, one payment.
Founders get the monthly founders newsletter, quarterly deep dives with a 30-day founder-first window, two title requests a year, and a place on the founders wall. 100 lifetime spots at $99.
Claim your spot →Browse every ranked list on TV Intelligentsia
202 ranked-by-IQ lists, filmographies, decade hubs, year hubs, character rankings, streaming-platform lists, and editorial curations. All scored on the same published rubric.
See all ranked lists → Open the full database