Scarface
After the seventies brought on the New Hollywood movement – drab , gritty cinemainfluenced by the political radioactive dust of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War – the 1980sbrought some much - take flashgun , dynamism , and peppiness back into multiplex . Movies of the ‘ 80 are a lot more fun and lighthearted than their cousin from the previous tenner .
But there were slew of ‘ 80 crime films that captured prosaic portraiture of the criminal life-style , as well as a few that were very glamorous . director like Brian De Palma brought mobster violence to aliveness in spectacular fashion .
Best: Scarface (1983)
The creative powers behindScarfaceare enkindle on all cylinders . Director Brian De Palma wreak the colourful criminal underworld of Miami to living ; Oliver Stone ’s screenplay keeps the sprawling narrative focused ; and Al Pacino pass on one of his all - time most compelling performances as coke - addicted drug bigwig Tony Montana .
One of the most beloved mobster epic ever made , Scarfaceis not subtle in its upgrade - and - fall story arc , butits brazen lack of refinement is impressive in itself .
Worst: 10 To Midnight (1983)
Although its pathetic levels of fierceness and intimate subject have ensured it a long stint as a classic of cult cinema,10 to Midnightis a very bad movie .
The fabled Charles Bronson basically pass over his piece of tail with his own reputation by appearing in this garish , exploitatory dreck .
Best: The Long Good Friday (1980)
Since this movie was complete in 1979 , but hold up until 1980 , it actually tackles a draw of ‘ 70s - era concerns , like police corruption , the rise of the I.R.A. , and the death of industry .
While the plot is aggressively reconstruct and the placed pieces are riveting , the moving picture ’s true standout is the smart as a whip - as - always Bob Hoskins in the lead role , bringing a delightfully pitch - black comic mentality and a Cockney dialect to the variety of fibre that James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson might play .
Worst: Blue City (1986)
A year aftermaking movie history inThe Breakfast Club , Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy reteamed for law-breaking thrillerBlue City , which tells the story of a human being recall to a crime - depend upon Ithiel Town in Florida to retaliate his Padre ’s death .
Nelson ’s carrying into action is peculiarly irritating . Whether he ’s a jolt or he just get typecast as a jerk is anybody ’s guess , but one thing that is clear is that he makesBlue City ’s 83 - minute runtime unbearable .
Best: The Untouchables (1987)
The second submission on this list helm by Brian De Palma , the self - predicate successor to Alfred Hitchcock , The Untouchablesbrings the rightful - to - liveliness cat - and - computer mouse thriller of Eliot Ness ’ Prohibition - era pursuit to land down the deplorable empire of Al Capone to the screen in beautiful mode .
The moving picture has some enceinte operation , from Kevin Costner as Ness to Robert De Niro as Capone , with a astral Oscar - winning round from Sean Connery ( shaky speech pattern notwithstanding).The Untouchablesis a rare gang - pleasing offence epic that pairs well with popcorn .
Worst: Rent-A-Cop (1987)
With Burt Reynolds as a discredited cop who becomes a security guard duty and Liza Minnelli as a prostitute that he falls in dearest with , Rent - a - Cophad the potential to be a movie classic .
Unfortunately , its script is dull at best and does n’t make any sense at worst , while Jerry London does a professional task as the film ’s theater director ; nothing more , nothing less .
Best: Blood Simple (1984)
The Coen brothers ’ feature first appearance , Blood Simple , is a prime example of bring literary genre quiver to the big screen on a low budget . The yoke had basically no money to make their neo - noir thriller about a wary husband hiring a dangerously unbalanced private eye , but they managed to helm one of the dandy picture noirs of all time .
Even after they ’ve gone on to direct such masterpiece asFargo , Miller ’s Crossing , andNo Country for Old Men , ancestry Simplestillranks among the Coens ’ fine employment . M. Emmet Walsh gives a chillingly sinister performance aspsychopathic P.I. Lorren Visser .
Worst: City Heat (1984)
Despite featuring two of Hollywood ’s all - time most iconic star , Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds , in the lead roles , and coming from the judgment of the slap-up Blake Edwards , City Heatis a dreadful moving picture .
Edwards was initially hire to aim the moving picture , but got burn midway through production when the studio wanted to retool the movie as a wacky funniness , which was a freehanded misunderstanding .
Best: Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
After years of helming spaghetti westerly classics like theDollarstrilogy , Sergio Leone tried his hand at the offense music genre with a narration about Jewish gangsters rise from New York ’s ghetto to become powerful figures in organized offense . Once Upon a Time in Americamay be slow - moving , but every frame isa sumptuous fete for the senses .
Leone ’s 250 - minute masterpiece got butchered by the distributors , who cut it down to a barely comprehensible 139 hour . If one can get a hold of Leone ’s music director ’s cut , it ’s a tenacious catch , but it ’s the good way to watch over the film .
Worst: The Sting II (1983)
Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford in one of their most iconic pairings , 1973’sThe Stingis one of Hollywood ’s fine classics . As its rare 0 % favorable reception rating on Rotten Tomatoes can manifest to , the 1983 sequel is not .
In the lead function as a notorious con valet de chambre , Jackie Gleason is n’t given the exemption to steal the movie . If director Jeremy Paul Kagan had just let Gleason do his affair , the movie would ’ve at least been watchable . Sadly , he did n’t , and it is n’t .
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