Gosh, I think the 80s is generally less liked cause it's the decade in which blockbusters took over from the director controlled productions. Or when money talked louder than artistic freedom. Still, a lot of great movies were made, a lot of them already named here.
But what about
:
Scarface (Pacino's performance of a life time! DePalma does the impossible and matches Hawks 1932's original in this brutal remake)
The Abyss (One of Cameron's best if you ask me, I like it better than the action loaded Aliens, my least favourite Alien movie. The Abyss has the perfect balance between action, drama and sci/fi while still leaving enough room for wonder and surprise)
The Name of the Rose (Eco's novel could not have had a better transition to the screen! oozing atmosphere, talent, intelligence and brilliant production design.)
Akira (crazy manga, still don't know whether the end sequence is over the top or simply brilliant.
)
Beetlejuice (Burton's first big budget movie, it's funny, it's crazy and shows a talent at work capable of greater things yet to come)
Das Boot (stunning war movie, one of the best ever! creepy, claustrophobic, dramatic and hyperrealistic. )
An American Werewolf in London (Funny, scary, and plenty of terror, and yet Landis blends all this into one brilliant, suspenseful horror movie)
My Beautiful Laundrette (small drama that shows what's rotten in the Kingdom of the Tatcher. Powerful stuff)
The Terminator (Maybe the most brilliant action movie of the 80s, Schwarzenegger was simply born to play this part. The special effects may not have aged that well, but for 1984 they were revolutionary)
