These 5 Underrated ’80s Movies Have the Best Acting of the Decade (and I Bet You Haven’t Seen Them)
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In terms of the cinematic landscape, the ’80s are generally best remembered for big blockbusters, bloody horror films, and classic comedies. The award winners and contenders, with exceptions, are generally looked upon less favorably in hindsight, with many of them falling into treacly territory. That doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of great movies with great performances in them; many of them just weren’t given the awards recognition they deserved.
Every decade has its movies that fall through the cracks, and the ’80s are certainly no different. Even with the advent of streaming, giving unparalleled access to most of these films, they remain underrated among their contemporaries and deserve far more fanfare, especially when they contain some of the best acting of their decade. If you haven’t seen these ten ’80s movies with great acting, then you absolutely should.
5
‘Prince of the City’ (1981)
Sidney Lumet had a long and varied directorial career, but is often associated with his gritty dramas set in New York City, including Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon. Rarely mentioned alongside those ’70s classics is the supremely underrated ’80s cop thriller, Prince of the City. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name, it dramatizes the story of a real-life narcotics officer, played here by Treat Williams, who is part of an elite and corrupt unit within the NYPD. The film is as well-observed as Lumet’s other crime dramas, and was considered particularly authentic by several law enforcement officials.
Williams, forever an underappreciated actor, is a livewire in the lead role, continually fraying as the walls begin to close around him when he must cooperate with internal affairs to avoid prosecution for his corruption. Alongside him is Jerry Orbach, seemingly incapable of giving an inauthentic performance and who would become far more famous for playing a cop on television across twelve seasons of Law & Order. Despite receiving a few award nominations, Prince of the City was otherwise ignored and hasn’t enjoyed the same legacy as similar crime thrillers, but it is ripe for rediscovery.
4
‘The King of Comedy’ (1982)
When it comes to the collaborations of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, most people immediately think of classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, or Goodfellas. Amidst those undeniable masterpieces is another film that, while vastly different in tone and approach, is just as well-made and acted. The King of Comedy was their follow-up to Raging Bull and is a darkly comic nightmare about fame and the lengths some very disturbed people will go to get it. As Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring comedian, De Niro is equal parts awkward and unsettling, particularly in his interactions with late-night host Jerry Langford, played by Jerry Lewis, whom he idolizes to a dangerous degree.
As one might expect, Pupkin’s obsession and desire to perform on Langford’s show drive him to make some very desperate and deranged decisions. Coupled with the equally celebrity-obsessed Masha, played by Sandra Bernhard, Pupkin shares some DNA with De Niro’s Travis Bickle while remaining a distinct flavor of sympathetic monster. Many viewers noted the distinct similarities between Pupkin and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Joker, which director Todd Phillips openly admitted was heavily influenced by this film and Taxi Driver. While that Oscar-winning film has its fans, it’s a pale imitation in comparison to Scorsese’s tightly wound comic thriller. The three key performances are pitch-perfect and will have viewers laughing in discomfort from beginning to end.
3
‘River’s Edge’ (1986)
Teen movies from the ’80s are generally associated with feel-good comedies like those of John Hughes, where the darkest content comes from typical growing pains. Things are far darker in the indie thriller River’s Edge, where a group of California teens have to contend with a murder committed by one of their own. Featuring early performances from Keanu Reeves and Crispin Glover, it’s an intense teen drama that presaged the work of filmmakers like Larry Clark and Harmony Korine. Depicting teenage ennui with an unvarnished honesty, the film feels far more true to the teenage experience than what usually befell the privileged teens of the more popular ’80s comedies.
Reeves and Glover play two members of the same friend group, and both actors are perfectly cast, with Reeves channeling his burnt-out energy into a much sadder form, and Glover’s eccentricity makes for a nervy character who can’t handle being a party to death. Consummate character actor Daniel Roebuck is also outstanding as the remorseless killer, bringing an eerie calm to all of his scenes. In addition to the young performers is Dennis Hopper as a man with a dark past, adding to the verisimilitude of the movie. River’s Edge is a harrowing window into the dark corners that downtrodden teens can often find themselves in, and its success is almost entirely due to its talented young cast.
2
‘The Mosquito Coast’ (1986)
It’s the rare film that casts Harrison Ford as an unlikable character, but that’s exactly what The Mosquito Coast did, with the actor coming off a string of heroic performances to play a deeply flawed patriarch who uproots his family into the jungles of Central America with the half-cocked notion of building a utopia. Based on the novel by Paul Theroux, the film adaptation by Peter Weir was given a mixed reception upon its initial release, but has steadily grown in the estimation of those who appreciate it as an early example of Ford’s dark side. As the film’s odyssey continues, Ford’s character drives his family to the brink, exposing his true heart of darkness.
Alongside Ford, the film also features the ever-dependable Helen Mirren as his soft-spoken and silently suffering wife. The true equal to Ford in the film, though, is River Phoenix, who gives another emotionally complex performance as his eldest son. It’s the kind of uncommonly mature acting that typified Phoenix’s tragically short-lived career. The Mosquito Coast is a showcase for Ford, and the actor relishes the opportunity to dig deep into a character that is far removed from the charming rogues he had built his career off of. It’s unfortunate that the film’s failure meant the star wasn’t given near as many opportunities to display his madness. He’s unforgettable here.
1
‘Clean and Sober’ (1988)
Though he’s known for a multitude of different roles now, in the ’80s, Michael Keaton was considered first and foremost a comedic performer. With his breakthrough role in Night Shift, Keaton was a steady hand behind the wheel for a number of comedies throughout the decade. In 1988, he gave what may be his most definitive performance as the titular character in Beetlejuice, which unfortunately overshadowed Keaton’s first major dramatic film performance in the addiction drama Clean and Sober. Though the film received strong reviews, it was a box office failure, possibly due to the fact that audiences just weren’t quite ready for Keaton’s dramatic side.
Playing a real estate salesman who lives fast and hard, Keaton channels his unique manic energy, usually used in the service of eliciting laughs, to instead invoke pity and disdain for a self-destructive man of the ’80s. His chaotic drug and alcohol abuse lead him into a downward spiral, eventually landing him in a rehab program. Keaton is kinetic in the lead role, and he’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast as well, with Kathy Baker as a fellow recovering addict, M. Emmett Walsh as his compassionate sponsor, and Morgan Freeman as a hard-nosed counselor. It could all be overwrought melodrama, but the immensely talented cast brings raw authenticity to their performances, led by Keaton in one of the most overlooked performances of the ’80s.
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