Best History Movies of the 1980s

1. 1
   Come and See 1985

   Directed by Elem Klimov
   8.1

   8.2 · 2K votes
2. 2
   Das Boot 1981

   Directed by Wolfgang Petersen · Streaming on fuboTV
   8.0

   8.1 · 2.7K votes
3. 3
   The Elephant Man 1980

   Directed by David Lynch
   8.0

   8.0 · 4.1K votes
4. 4
   Amadeus 1984

   Directed by Miloš Forman
   8.0

   8.0 · 5K votes
5. 5
   Ran 1985

   Directed by Akira Kurosawa · Streaming on Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
   7.9

   8.0 · 2K votes
6. 6
   Raging Bull 1980

   Directed by Martin Scorsese · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Hoopla
   7.9

   7.9 · 5K votes
7. 7
   The Untouchables 1987

   Directed by Brian De Palma · Streaming on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
   7.7

   7.8 · 6.4K votes
8. 8
   Kagemusha 1980

   Directed by Akira Kurosawa
   7.6

   7.8 · 776 votes
9. 9
   Shoah 1985

   Directed by Claude Lanzmann · Streaming on Philo
   7.6

   8.2 · 228 votes
10. 10
    The Last Emperor 1987

    Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Cinemax
    7.5

    7.6 · 2K votes
11. 11
    Gandhi 1982

    Directed by Richard Attenborough · Streaming on Sony Pictures Core
    7.5

    7.6 · 2.6K votes
12. 12
    Empire of the Sun 1987

    Directed by Steven Spielberg
    7.4

    7.5 · 2.2K votes
13. 13
    Glory 1989

    Directed by Edward Zwick · Streaming on Tubi TV, Sony Pictures Core
    7.4

    7.5 · 1.9K votes
14. 14
    The Killing Fields 1984

    Directed by Roland Joffé · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Plex
    7.3

    7.5 · 874 votes
15. 15
    The Mission 1986

    Directed by Roland Joffé · Streaming on YouTube Free, Howdy
    7.3

    7.4 · 1.6K votes
16. 16
    The Right Stuff 1983

    Directed by Philip Kaufman
    7.3

    7.4 · 1K votes
17. 17
    Hachiko 1987

    Directed by Seijiro Koyama
    7.3

    7.8 · 205 votes
18. 18
    Barefoot Gen 1983

    Directed by Mori Masaki · Streaming on Philo, Kanopy, Retrocrush
    7.3

    7.6 · 275 votes
19. 19
    For All Mankind 1989

    Directed by Al Reinert · Streaming on HBO Max, Cinemax
    7.2

    7.8 · 165 votes
20. 20
    Twenty Years Later 1984

    Directed by Eduardo Coutinho
    7.2

    8.4 · 77 votes
21. 21
    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 1983

    Directed by Nagisa Ōshima · Streaming on YouTube TV, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free
    7.1

    7.3 · 552 votes
22. 22
    Casualties of War 1989

    Directed by Brian De Palma · Streaming on Tubi TV, Sony Pictures Core
    7.1

    7.2 · 1.1K votes
23. 23
    Out of Africa 1985

    Directed by Sydney Pollack · Streaming on YouTube TV
    7.1

    7.2 · 1.6K votes
24. 24
    The Official Story 1985

    Directed by Luis Puenzo · Streaming on Kanopy, Cohen Media, Tubi TV
    7.1

    7.5 · 211 votes
25. 25
    Vabank 1981

    Directed by Juliusz Machulski
    7.0

    7.6 · 131 votes
26. 26
    Black Rain 1989

    Directed by Shōhei Imamura · Streaming on Philo, Kanopy, Fandor
    7.0

    7.6 · 138 votes
27. 27
    Babette's Feast 1987

    Directed by Gabriel Axel · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, TCM
    7.0

    7.2 · 460 votes
28. 28
    A City of Sadness 1989

    Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
    7.0

    7.5 · 160 votes
29. 29
    Coal Miner's Daughter 1980

    Directed by Michael Apted · Streaming on YouTube Free
    7.0

    7.2 · 293 votes
30. 30
    Red Sorghum 1988

    Directed by Zhang Yimou
    6.9

    7.2 · 263 votes
31. 31
    Lion of the Desert 1981

    Directed by Moustapha Akkad · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home Free, Plex
    6.9

    7.3 · 208 votes
32. 32
    Gallipoli 1981

    Directed by Peter Weir · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube Free
    6.9

    7.1 · 581 votes
33. 33
    Gorillas in the Mist 1988

    Directed by Michael Apted · Streaming on YouTube Free
    6.9

    7.0 · 683 votes
34. 34
    Matewan 1987

    Directed by John Sayles · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
    6.9

    7.4 · 146 votes
35. 35
    Henry V 1989

    Directed by Kenneth Branagh · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Hoopla
    6.9

    7.1 · 425 votes
36. 36
    Story of Women 1988

    Directed by Claude Chabrol · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    6.9

    7.3 · 192 votes
37. 37
    Roger & Me 1989

    Directed by Michael Moore
    6.9

    7.1 · 329 votes
38. 38
    Teahouse 1982

    Directed by Tian Xie
    6.9

    8.6 · 39 votes
39. 39
    The Draughtsman's Contract 1982

    Directed by Peter Greenaway · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, Kino Film Collection
    6.9

    7.1 · 276 votes
40. 40
    Hibiscus Town 1987

    Directed by Xie Jin
    6.8

    7.9 · 64 votes
41. 41
    Reds 1981

    Directed by Warren Beatty · Streaming on MGM Plus, Kanopy, Hoopla
    6.7

    6.9 · 388 votes
42. 42
    Chariots of Fire 1981

    Directed by Hugh Hudson · Streaming on Howdy
    6.7

    6.8 · 1.1K votes
43. 43
    Breaker Morant 1980

    Directed by Bruce Beresford · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Kanopy
    6.7

    7.1 · 164 votes
44. 44
    Sugar Pie Lady 1983

    Directed by Atıf Yılmaz
    6.7

    7.5 · 76 votes
45. 45
    Ragtime 1981

    Directed by Miloš Forman
    6.7

    7.0 · 200 votes
46. 46
    The French Revolution 1989

    Directed by Richard T. Heffron · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
    6.7

    7.5 · 66 votes
47. 47
    The Bounty 1984

    Directed by Roger Donaldson · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, YouTube Free
    6.7

    6.8 · 678 votes
48. 48
    Eight Men Out 1988

    Directed by John Sayles · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
    6.7

    6.8 · 295 votes
49. 49
    A Passage to India 1984

    Directed by David Lean · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, YouTube Free
    6.7

    6.8 · 352 votes
50. 50
    The Atomic Cafe 1982

    Directed by Jayne Loader · Streaming on Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
    6.6

    7.3 · 78 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Ion: The Lust for the Land, the Lust for Love 1980

   Directed by Mircea Mureșan
   6.3

   8.5 · 12 votes
2. 2
   Schindler 1983

   Directed by Jon Blair · Streaming on Britbox
   6.3

   8.0 · 15 votes
3. 3
   Time of Violence 1988

   Directed by Ludmil Staikov
   6.3

   7.8 · 17 votes
4. 4
   The Day After Trinity 1980

   Directed by Jon Else · Streaming on Kanopy
   6.4

   7.6 · 22 votes
5. 5
   Death of Yazdgerd 1982

   Directed by Bahram Beyzai
   6.3

   8.0 · 13 votes
6. 6
   Öğretmen Kemal 1981

   Directed by Remzi Jöntürk
   6.3

   8.0 · 12 votes
7. 7
   Brooklyn Bridge 1981

   Directed by Ken Burns · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, PBS
   6.3

   7.5 · 22 votes
8. 8
   Boris Godounov 1989

   Directed by Andrzej Żuławski
   6.3

   7.7 · 16 votes
9. 9
   Genocide 1982

   Directed by Arnold Schwartzman · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
   6.3

   7.5 · 20 votes
10. 10
    How Good to See You Alive 1989

    Directed by Lúcia Murat
    6.2

    7.6 · 13 votes