The Best 1986 Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

Critics Consensus: Bob Hoskins is outstanding in Mona Lisa, giving this stylish neo-noir a riveting centerpiece that sets it apart from similar stories.

Synopsis: George is a small-time crook just out of prison who discovers his tough-guy image is out of date. Reduced to working as a minder/driver for… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane

Directed By: Neil Jordan

Critics Consensus: While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver.

Synopsis: After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley’s shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser

Directed By: James Cameron

Critics Consensus: David Cronenberg combines his trademark affinity for gore and horror with strongly developed characters, making The Fly a surprisingly affecting tragedy.

Synopsis: When scientist Seth Brundle completes his teleportation device, he decides to test its abilities on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a housefly slips in during the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel

Directed By: David Cronenberg

Critics Consensus: It’s sometimes crude and tasteless, but Ruthless People wrings acid-soaked laughs out of its dark premise and gleefully misanthropic characters.

Synopsis: Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) hates his wife, Barbara (Bette Midler), so much that he wants her dead. He’s ecstatic when she’s taken by a duo… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater

Directed By: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Critics Consensus: Smart, tender, and funny in equal measure, Hannah and Her Sisters is one of Woody Allen’s finest films.

Synopsis: Three successive family Thanksgiving dinners mark time for Hannah (Mia Farrow), her younger sisters Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) and the men in… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Carrie Fisher

Directed By: Woody Allen

Critics Consensus: Boasting loads of quirky charm, a pair of likable leads, and confident direction from Jonathan Demme, Something Wild navigates its unpredictable tonal twists with room to spare.

Synopsis: Free-spirited Lulu (Melanie Griffith) sets her sights on uptight banker Charles (Jeff Daniels) for a little bit of fun. Their relationship starts off simple enough… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta, Margaret Colin

Directed By: Jonathan Demme

Critics Consensus: If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.

Synopsis: College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Directed By: David Lynch

Critics Consensus: Remixing Roger Corman’s B-movie by way of the Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors offers camp, horror and catchy tunes in equal measure — plus some inspired cameos by the likes of Steve Martin and Bill Murray.

Synopsis: Meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) pines for co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia

Directed By: Frank Oz

Critics Consensus: Michael Mann introduces audiences to Hannibal Lecter for the first time in Manhunter, a modish thriller that fleshes out Thomas Harris’ heinous creations with an elegant, chilling detachment.

Synopsis: FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William L. Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Dennis Farina, Joan Allen

Directed By: Michael Mann

Critics Consensus: It may adhere to the sports underdog formula, but Hoosiers has been made with such loving craft, and features such excellent performances, that it’s hard to resist.

Synopsis: Failed college coach Norman Dale gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at a high school in a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley

Directed By: David Anspaugh

Critics Consensus: Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.

Synopsis: Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Once he’s on the ground in the middle… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker

Directed By: Oliver Stone

Critics Consensus: Visceral, energetic, and often very sad, Sid and Nancy is also a surprisingly touching love story, and Gary Oldman is outstanding as the late punk rock icon Sid Vicious.

Synopsis: Following their breakout success in England, flagship punk rock band the Sex Pistols venture out on their first U.S. tour. Temperamental bassist Sid Vicious (Gary… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Andrew Schofield

Directed By: Alex Cox

Critics Consensus: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is an effective, chilling profile of a killer that is sure to shock and disturb.

Synopsis: Henry (Michael Rooker) is released from prison following his mother’s murder. He supplements his job as an exterminator with a series of indiscriminate and violent… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Anne Bartoletti

Directed By: John McNaughton

Critics Consensus: Stand by Me is a wise, nostalgic movie with a weird streak that captures both Stephen King’s voice and the trials of growing up.

Synopsis: After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell

Directed By: Rob Reiner

Critics Consensus: Formally impressive, visually accomplished, and narratively rewarding, The Sacrifice places a fittingly solid capstone on a brilliant filmmaking career.

Synopsis: As a wealthy Swedish family celebrates the birthday of their patriarch Alexander (Erland Josephson, Cries and Whispers), news of the outbreak of World War III… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Erland Josephson, Allan Edwall, Susan Fleetwood, Valérie Mairesse

Directed By: Andrei Tarkovsky

Critics Consensus: That it’s inferior to the original goes without saying, but Paul Newman and Tom Cruise are a joy to watch, and Martin Scorsese’s direction is typically superb.

Synopsis: Former pool hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Critics Consensus: Matthew Broderick charms in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a light and irrepressibly fun movie about being young and having fun.

Synopsis: Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck-out before graduation, Ferris… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey

Directed By: John Hughes

Critics Consensus: Back to School gives Rodney Dangerfield plenty of room to riff — and supports the freewheeling funnyman with enough of a story to keep things interesting between punchlines.

Synopsis: Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) is concerned that his son Jason (Keith Gordon) is unsure whether to go to college, so the uneducated self-made millionaire encourages… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Keith Gordon, Burt Young

Directed By: Alan Metter

Critics Consensus: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is perhaps the lightest and most purely enjoyable entry of the long-running series, emphasizing the eccentricities of the Enterprise’s crew.

Synopsis: Living in exile on the planet Vulcan, the ragtag former crew of the USS Enterprise steal a starship after receiving a planetary distress call from… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Catherine Hicks, DeForest Kelley

Directed By: Leonard Nimoy

Critics Consensus: Exquisitely animated, An American Tail is a sweet, melancholy, immigrants story.

Synopsis: A young mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz (Phillip Glasser) and his family emigrate from Russia to the United States by boat after their home is destroyed… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Don Bluth

Critics Consensus: Molly Ringwald gives an outstanding performance in this sweet, intelligent teen comedy that takes an ancient premise and injects it with insight and wit.

Synopsis: Andie is an outcast at her Chicago high school, hanging out either with her older boss, who owns the record store where she works. When… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, Annie Potts

Directed By: Howard Deutch

Critics Consensus: Brimming with energy and packed with humor, Big Trouble in Little China distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them.

Synopsis: Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco’s Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong

Directed By: John Carpenter

Critics Consensus: The hard edges of E.M. Foster novel maybe sanded off, but what we get with A Room with a View is an eminently entertaining comedy with an intellectual approach to love.

Synopsis: In this British drama based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, is touring Italy with her older cousin. At a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Julian Sands, Denholm Elliott

Directed By: James Ivory

Critics Consensus: Brought brilliantly to life by Dexter Gordon’s outstanding performance, Round Midnight is the rare jazz-inflected drama that matches the power of the music.

Synopsis: In the 1950s, Dale Turner (Dexter Gordon), a gifted black saxophonist with a drinking problem, leaves behind New York and his estranged family and relocates… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips

Directed By: Bertrand Tavernier

Critics Consensus: With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli’s unique strengths.

Synopsis: Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Mala Noche is a raw and gritty portrait of desire, doomed romance, and rejection — and marks debuting director Gus Van Sant as a filmmaker with a gratifyingly personal touch.

Synopsis: Walt (Tim Streeter) is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny (Doug Cooeyate). Though Walt… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate, Ray Monge

Directed By: Gus Van Sant

Synopsis: A Hong Kong policeman (Leslie Cheung) blames his reformed-gangster brother (Chow Yun-Fat) for the death of their father.

Starring: Ti Lung, Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Emily Chu

Directed By: John Woo

Critics Consensus: With She’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee delivered his bracing first shot across Hollywood’s bow — and set the template for the groundbreaking act to follow.

Synopsis: Beautiful Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) can’t decide what kind of man she wants to date, so she decides to date three at the same… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee

Directed By: Spike Lee

Synopsis: Delphine (Marie Rivière) is a beautiful young Parisian who is still smarting from a recent break-up. When a friend nixes their travel plans shortly before… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Marie Rivière, Amira Chemakhi, Lisa Heredia, Basile Gervaise

Directed By: Éric Rohmer

Synopsis: In this acclaimed French drama, the enterprising Ugolin Soubeyran (Daniel Auteuil) returns to his native countryside after serving in the military. Intent on growing expensive… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Elisabeth Depardieu

Directed By: Claude Berri

Critics Consensus: Intertwining murder and seduction, Pedro Almodóvar’s Matador is a provocative thriller that will shock even the most adventurous moviegoers.

Synopsis: Forced to retire after a goring, matador Diego Montez (Nacho Martínez) has since become a teacher. Among his students is Angel (Antonio Banderas), a naive… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Assumpta Serna, Antonio Banderas, Nacho Martínez, Eva Cobo

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Synopsis: College graduate Molly (Louise Smith), trying to bankroll her own business, works as a high-priced New York City escort. As a lesbian, she’s able to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Louise Smith, Amanda Goodwin, Ellen McElduff, Marusia Zach

Directed By: Lizzie Borden

Synopsis: A London secretary (Amanda Donohoe) answers an ad to join a man (Oliver Reed) on a tropical island and be his wife.

Starring: Oliver Reed, Amanda Donohoe, Georgina Hale, Frances Barber

Directed By: Nicolas Roeg

Critics Consensus: Despite its somewhat disjointed narrative, Oliver Stone’s Salvador is a vivid and powerful political drama that sets an early tone for the director’s similarly provocative future projects.

Synopsis: Unable to find work in America because of his penchant for booze and drugs, photojournalist Richard Boyle (James Woods) heads to El Salvador with his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage

Directed By: Oliver Stone

Critics Consensus: Infectiously easygoing charm and a leading man in the role he was born to play help Crocodile Dundee make the most of its familiar fish-out-of-water premise.

Synopsis: A New York reporter heads to Australia to interview the living legend Mike Dundee (Paul Hogan). When she finally locates him, she is so taken… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Mark Blum, John Meillon

Directed By: Peter Faiman

Critics Consensus: Funny, original, and thoroughly cinematic, Down by Law represents writer-director Jim Jarmusch at his most ingratiating and evocative.

Synopsis: A disc jockey (Tom Waits), a pimp (John Lurie) and an Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni) escape from jail in New Orleans.

Starring: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Ellen Barkin

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Critics Consensus: Peggy Sue Got Married may seem just another in a line of ’80s boomer nostalgia films, but none of the others have Kathleen Turner keen lead performance.

Synopsis: Peggy Sue Bodell (Kathleen Turner) attends her 25-year high school reunion after separating from her cheating husband, Charlie (Nicolas Cage). She regrets the decisions she… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Kevin J. O'Connor, Barry Miller

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

Critics Consensus: Smart, twisty, and perfectly cast, the effects-assisted neo-noir F/X reminds viewers that a well-told story is the most special effect of all.

Synopsis: Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is a special-effects expert for low-budget Hollywood movies. As gangster Nicholas DeFranco (Jerry Orbach) prepares to testify in court against his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff DeYoung

Directed By: Robert Mandel

Synopsis: Based on a true story, “At Close Range” follows the lives of the Whitewood family in rural Pennsylvania. Brothers Brad Jr. (Sean Penn) and Tommy… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn

Directed By: James Foley

Synopsis: When a Montreal professor (Rémy Girard) and his wife (Dorothée Berryman) gather together six of their erudite friends for a holiday in the country, the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dominique Michel, Dorothée Berryman, Pierre Curzi, Rémy Girard

Directed By: Denys Arcand

Critics Consensus: Bolstered by impressive special effects and a charming performance from its young star, Flight of the Navigator holds up as a solidly entertaining bit of family-friendly sci-fi.

Synopsis: This 1978 Disney adventure tells the story of 12-year-old David (Joey Cramer) who lives with his family in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. When he awakens from… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joey Cramer, Veronica Cartwright, Cliff DeYoung, Sarah Jessica Parker

Directed By: Randal Kleiser

Synopsis: In this tearjerker based on a successful stage drama, an untimely death haunts a trio of sisters, yet their love proves stronger than any familial… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard

Directed By: Bruce Beresford

Synopsis: This fictional portrait of Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio follows the painter as he wanders the streets, often using prostitutes and homeless people… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, Michael Gough, Tilda Swinton

Directed By: Derek Jarman

Critics Consensus: Children of a Lesser God transcends its transparently noble goals thanks to a pair of absorbing performances from William Hurt and Marlee Matlin.

Synopsis: Starting his new job as an instructor at a New England school for the deaf, James Leeds meets Sarah Norman, a young deaf woman who… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco

Directed By: Randa Haines

Synopsis: Manon (Emmanuelle Béart), a beautiful shepherdess in Provence, France, has lost her father and seen her family’s livelihood ruined through the greediness of her neighbors:… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart, Hippolyte Girardot

Directed By: Claude Berri

Critics Consensus: The Great Mouse Detective may not rank with Disney’s classics, but it’s an amiable, entertaining picture with some stylishly dark visuals.

Synopsis: Rodent supersleuth Basil and his bumbling partner must thwart evil Ratigan’s plot to depose the Mouse Queen.

Directed By: John Musker, Ron Clements, David Michener, Burny Mattinson

Critics Consensus: Harrison Ford capably tackles a tough, unlikable role, producing a fascinating and strange character study.

Synopsis: A brilliant but unstable inventor and his family create what they hope will be their Utopia in Central America.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix, Jadrien Steele

Directed By: Peter Weir

Synopsis: A would-be writer (Jean-Hugues Anglade) falls for an unpredictable woman (Béatrice Dalle), then he slowly realizes that she is going insane.

Starring: Béatrice Dalle, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Consuelo De Haviland, Clémentine Célarié

Directed By: Jean-Jacques Beineix

Critics Consensus: An enjoyable farce that relocates Jean Renoir’s Boudu Saved From Drowning to ’80s California, offering fine comedic performances from Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler.

Synopsis: Unlucky and homeless, Dave (Nick Nolte) decides to call it quits, and so sneaks into a stranger’s backyard and tries to drown himself in the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss, Bette Midler, Little Richard

Directed By: Paul Mazursky

Critics Consensus: Its kitschy leanings may wear thin on some, but True Stories is a disarmingly big-hearted, dreamy vision of Americana.

Synopsis: Talking Heads singer David Byrne plays host to this bizarre patchwork of tabloid-inspired tales, set in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas. Cruising the streets… View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Byrne, Swoosie Kurtz, John Goodman, Annie McEnroe

Directed By: David Byrne

Synopsis: Lucas (Corey Haim) is an unusually bright teenager whose nerdy looks and meek demeanor make him a favorite target for bullies. His life at school… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith

Directed By: David Seltzer

Synopsis: A professor (Alan Alda) tries to stop a film crew from making a teen comedy out of his book about the Revolution.

Starring: Alan Alda, Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins

Directed By: Alan Alda

Critics Consensus: Though it sacrifices some depth in its characterizations, From Beyond stands as a stunningly grotesque Lovecraft adaptation with a dazzling blend of chilling effects and brainy, cosmic horror.

Synopsis: Obsessive scientist Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel) successfully discovers a way to access a parallel universe of pleasure by tapping into the brain’s pineal gland. When… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorel, Ken Foree

Directed By: Stuart Gordon

Synopsis: Fraternity pledges (Jason Lively, Steve Marshall) pull a prank with a frozen body and let sluglike creatures loose on campus.

Starring: Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow, Tom Atkins

Directed By: Fred Dekker

Synopsis: A guitar student (Ralph Macchio) tours the Deep South with an old blues man (Joe Seneca), chasing a lost song written by Robert Johnson.

Starring: Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca, Jami Gertz, Joe Morton

Directed By: Walter Hill

Synopsis: Colin (Eddie O’Connell), an aspiring young British photographer and jazz aficionado, falls for the beautiful Crepe Suzette (Patsy Kensit), a model on the rise. When… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit-Healy, David Bowie, James Fox

Directed By: Julien Temple

Synopsis: In the 14th century, William of Baskerville (Sean Connery), a renowned Franciscan monk, and his apprentice, Adso of Melk (Christian Slater), travel to an abbey… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, Elya Baskin, Christian Slater

Directed By: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Synopsis: An adventurer (Jackie Chan) and his friend (Alan Tam) aid a woman (Rosamund Kwan) kidnapped by cultists seeking a set of armor with mystical powers.

Starring: Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, Rosamund Kwan, Lola Forner

Directed By: Jackie Chan

Critics Consensus: People hate Highlander because it’s cheesy, bombastic, and absurd. And people love it for the same reasons.

Synopsis: When the mystical Russell Nash (Christopher Lambert) kills a man in a sword fight in a New York City parking lot, he leaves a sliver… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown

Directed By: Russell Mulcahy

Critics Consensus: About Last Night will perturb fans of the original stage play by sanding down its pricklier edges, but an amiable cast and sexual frankness make this a pleasantly grounded romantic comedy.

Synopsis: In this adaptation of David Mamet’s hit 1974 off-Broadway play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” Danny (Rob Lowe) and Bernie (James Belushi) are a couple of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jim Belushi, Elizabeth Perkins

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Critics Consensus: With Heartbreak Ridge, director Clint Eastwood gets one of his best performances out of himself, even if the story struggles to engage.

Synopsis: Marine Sgt. Thomas Highway (Clint Eastwood) is a decorated veteran of two wars. On his last posting before retirement, he is surrounded by officers with… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Marsha Mason, Everett McGill, Moses Gunn

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Critics Consensus: The Mission is a well-meaning epic given delicate heft by its sumptuous visuals and a standout score by Ennio Morricone, but its staid presentation never stirs an emotional investment in its characters.

Synopsis: Jesuit priest Father Gabriel enters the Guaraní lands in South America with the purpose of converting the natives to Christianity. He soon builds a mission,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Liam Neeson

Directed By: Roland Joffé

Critics Consensus: Running Scared struggles to strike a consistent balance between violent action and humor, but the chemistry between its well-matched leads keeps things entertaining.

Synopsis: Ray and Danny (Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal) are two Chicago police detectives hot on the trail of drug kingpin Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits). They manage… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Jimmy Smits, Steven Bauer

Directed By: Peter Hyams

Critics Consensus: Its journey is never quite as revelatory as it could be, but The Hitcher stands as a white-knuckle vision of horror, bolstered by Rutger Hauer’s menacing performance.

Synopsis: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), who claims… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn

Directed By: Robert Harmon

Critics Consensus: Amiable and good-natured but also shallow and predictable, Short Circuit is hardly as deep or emotionally resonant as E.T. — though Johnny Five makes for a charming robot protagonist.

Synopsis: After a lightning bolt gives it human emotions and intelligence, a military robot escapes and finds refuge at the home of an animal-loving pacifist (Ally… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton

Directed By: John Badham

Critics Consensus: A surprisingly dark, emotional, and almost excessively cynical experience for Transformers fans.

Synopsis: Ultra Magnus and the Transformers fight planet Unicron and the Decepticons in 2005.

Directed By: Nelson Shin

Synopsis: Failed actress Alex Sternbergen (Jane Fonda) wakes up hungover one morning in an apartment she does not recognize, unable to remember the previous evening –… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raul Julia, Diane Salinger

Directed By: Sidney Lumet

Critics Consensus: While it can’t come close to the original’s elemental horror, Psycho III makes a persuasive — and blackly funny — case for itself as a sequel.

Synopsis: Former mental patient Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey), Norman keeps up… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell

Directed By: Anthony Perkins

Critics Consensus: April Fool’s Day takes a decent stab at deconstructing the slasher genre, but an underwhelming story keeps it from really sinking in.

Synopsis: When a group of college students decides to spend spring break at the secluded island estate of their wealthy classmate, Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman),… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Deborah Foreman, Griffin O'Neal, Deborah Goodrich, Jay Baker

Directed By: Fred Walton

Synopsis: A well-to-do architect, Harvey Fairchild (Jack Lemmon) should be happy, but he’s depressed and dreading his impending 60th birthday party. Meanwhile, his supportive wife, Gillian… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Julie Andrews, Sally Kellerman, Robert Loggia

Directed By: Blake Edwards

Synopsis: On a warm summer night in 1816 at the Swiss lakeside château of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), the poet and his guests — Percy Bysshe… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson, Myriam Cyr

Directed By: Ken Russell

Critics Consensus: Though it features some of the most memorable and electrifying aerial footage shot with an expert eye for action, Top Gun offers too little for non-adolescent viewers to chew on when its characters aren’t in the air.

Synopsis: The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer

Directed By: Tony Scott

Critics Consensus: 9 1/2 Weeks‘ famously steamy sex scenes titillate though the drama unfolding between the beddings is relatively standard for the genre.

Synopsis: Two strangers, Wall Street trader John (Mickey Rourke) and art gallery assistant Elizabeth (Kim Basinger), become involved in a new relationship. What begins as a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Margaret Whitton, David Margulies

Directed By: Adrian Lyne

Synopsis: Eight teens are trapped in a shopping mall with three security robots out of control.

Starring: Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, John Terlesky, Russell Todd

Directed By: Jim Wynorski

Critics Consensus: While Critters ekes out some fun from a game cast and screwball tone, the titular monsters fail to deliver the credible menace that makes a creature feature satisfying.

Synopsis: When strange fuzzy creatures from outer space arrive on a farm, the Brown family — Jay (Billy Green Bush), Helen (Dee Wallace-Stone), their daughter, April… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Terrence Mann, Billy Green Bush

Directed By: Stephen Herek

Critics Consensus: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 shocks with a gonzo blend of over-the-top humor and gore, but without the tense atmosphere of its predecessor, the stakes feel lower.

Synopsis: Chainsaw-wielding maniac Leatherface (Bill Johnson) is up to his cannibalistic ways once again, along with the rest of his twisted clan, including the equally disturbed… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Jim Siedow

Directed By: Tobe Hooper

Synopsis: When Jim (Todd Allen) and Linda (Tawny Kitaen) decide to throw a party, Linda’s ex-boyfriend — and Jim’s ex-friend — Brandon (Stephen Nichols) brings out… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Todd Allen, Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, Kathleen Wilhoite

Directed By: Kevin Tenney

Critics Consensus: Like countless sequels, The Karate Kid Part II tries upping the stakes without straying too far from formula — and suffers diminishing returns as a result.

Synopsis: After learning that his father is dying, karate master Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) returns home to Okinawa, bringing his protégé, Daniel, with him. In… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Martin Kove, Nobu McCarthy

Directed By: John G. Avildsen

Critics Consensus: Three Amigos! stars a trio of gifted comedians and has an agreeably silly sense of humor, but they’re often adrift in a dawdling story with too few laugh-out-loud moments.

Synopsis: Three cowboy movie stars from the silent era — Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), Lucky Day (Steve Martin) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) — are fired… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Patrice Martinez

Directed By: John Landis

Synopsis: After graduating from high school, art school hopeful Hoops McCann (John Cusack) struggles to complete his application to the Rhode Island School of Design. Resigning… View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Cusack, Demi Moore, Joel Murray, Curtis Armstrong

Directed By: Savage Steve Holland

Synopsis: Molly McGrath is following her dreams when she quits her cushy girls track coaching position at Prescott High to become the boys’ football coach at… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Goldie Hawn, Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively

Directed By: Michael Ritchie

Synopsis: Two flunkies (Danny DeVito, Joe Piscopo) lose a New Jersey mobster’s money and flee to Atlantic City.

Starring: Danny DeVito, Joe Piscopo, Harvey Keitel, Ray Sharkey

Directed By: Brian De Palma

Synopsis: Peg-legged Captain Red (Walter Matthau) and his sidekick (Cris Campion) seize a Spanish galleon and its Aztec booty.

Starring: Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, Charlotte Lewis, Damien Thomas

Directed By: Roman Polanski

Synopsis: After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child (J.L. Reate), is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance), humankind’s fate hangs in the balance…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong

Directed By: Michael Ritchie

Critics Consensus: A disengaged Sylvester Stallone plays the titular Cobra with no bite in this leaden action thriller, queasily fixated on wanton carnage and nothing else.

Synopsis: Los Angeles policeman Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) finds himself at the center of a spate of murders carried out by a secret society… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson

Directed By: George P. Cosmatos

Synopsis: Five years after Maj. Scott McCoy resigned from the U.S. Delta Force due to bureaucracy issues, he returns with Col. Alexander to take down Lebanese… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Hanna Schygulla, Martin Balsam

Directed By: Menahem Golan

Synopsis: After a comet causes a radiation storm on Earth, machines come to life and turn against their makers. Holed up in a North Carolina truck… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, Yeardley Smith

Directed By: Stephen King

Synopsis: Radio personalities Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) are stars of a mystery show. Since they announced their engagement, Larry has been… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Dom DeLuise, Jonathan Pryce

Directed By: Gene Wilder