The crime genre had delivered some iconic movies in the 1970s, but it was ready for a change in the 1980s. Some filmmakers wanted to stick with the gritty feel of the '70s films while others wanted to embrace the more colorful new era. With action movies beginning to emerge as well, the genre had a distinctly new feel.
There were a number of great crime movies to come out of this decade that were largely overlooked yet have stood the test to time. Of course, there are also those films that were well-received yet now feel less impressive.
10 Underrated: To Live And Die In L.A. (1985)
The 1970s were known for gritty cop dramas set in New York City. In the 1980s, To Live and Die in L.A. tried to make a similar style crime film set on the West Coast. The movie follows a reckless detective on the case of a counterfeiter.
As the story goes, the studio buried the film because they thought its ending wouldn't land with fans. But it deserves to find an audience for its bold crime story, a great villain turn by Willem Dafoe, and that controversial climax that is genuinely shocking.
9 Overrated: Lethal Weapon (1987)
The buddy cop genre was big in the 1980s and Lethal Weapon was the biggest of them all. The film kick-started the long-running action franchise starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as two mismatched L.A. detectives investigating a drug operation.
The movie was a massive hit and turned Gibson into a Hollywood leading man. While there's some fun to be had, Lethal Weapon is a lot messier than you might remember and features a lot of lazy jokes that have aged terribly over the years.
8 Underrated: Thief (1981)
Michael Mann is an iconic director of the crime genre, but his feature directorial debut has gone overlooked by many. In Thief, James Caan plays a safecracker looking to have a normal life. He takes one last job for the mafia.
Even in his first film, Mann showed his incredible and beautiful visual style. The movie is a sophisticated crime story that lures the viewer into its increasingly intense story. Though not as big as some of Mann's other work, it is no less impressive.
7 Overrated: Blue Velvet (1986)
David Lynch is a fascinating filmmaker who has made some truly brilliant films. One of his most acclaimed is the suburban thriller, Blue Velvet. It stars Kyle MacLachlan as a young college kid who returns to his small town and finds himself caught up in a dangerous kidnapping case.
The movie is far from bad as Lynch creates a compelling dreamlike story and Dennis Hopper is truly unsettling as the villain. But the mix of noir elements with a cheesy teen romance story feels very awkward at times and can take you out of the story.
6 Underrated: Witness (1985)
Harrison Ford has some huge movies in the 1980s, but a lot of people overlooked one of the finest acting roles of his career. In Witness, Ford plays John Book, a detective protecting a young Amish boy who witnessed a murder. When they become targets of corrupt cops, Book must hide out in the Amish community.
The fish-out-of-water story might sound silly, but the film perfectly balances the charming humor with the tension of the crime story. Ford is terrific in the lead role, showing the best aspects of his movie star persona.
5 Overrated: The Outsiders (1983)
Francis Ford Coppola has made some of the greatest films of all-time, so the idea of his tackling the popular novel The Outsiders was an interesting idea. The film follows a gang of poor young kids in an intense rivalry with a rich gang.
The movie gets a lot of notice for its star-studded young cast that includes Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, and Matt Dillon. But it feels like Coppola is making a cheesy teen movie rather than a hard-hitting crime story.
4 Underrated: Midnight Run (1988)
Robert De Niro was no stranger to the crime genre, but Midnight Run gave him one of the earliest and best opportunities to show off his comedic side. De Niro plays a bounty hunter hired to escort a mob informant (Charles Grodin) across the country while being hunted by the mob, fellow bounty hunters, and the FBI.
The road-trip action-comedy is a ton of fun, with De Niro and Grodin as the perfect team. It is funny, thrilling, and even touching. The strong character work keeps the audience invested in the story and the action.
3 Overrated: Sudden Impact (1983)
Clint Eastwood's most famous film character, Harry Callahan, returned in his fourth cinematic adventure. This movie follows Harry as he investigates the murders of several criminals in the San Francisco area and begins to suspect a vigilante is at large.
Sudden Impact is famous for its use of the catchphrase "Go ahead, make my day" but you'd be hard-pressed to find much else memorable about the film. It is an ugly and dull crime film that continues to prove that "Dirty Harry" is a pretty unlikable hero.
2 Underrated: The Long Good Friday (1980)
British gangster movies have had some success with American audiences, especially from filmmakers like Guy Ritchie. When watching The Long Good Friday, it's clear Ritchie drew a lot of inspiration for his films from this masterpiece.
Bob Hoskins stars as a gangster attempting to close a legitimate business deal when an unknown enemy begins causing trouble. Hoskins gives a commanding performance and the film is so sharply written, it's a shame more fans of the genre haven't discovered it.
1 Overrated: Scarface
Tony Montana has become something of an antihero icon thanks to Brian De Palma's Scarface. The gangster epic stars Al Pacino at Montana, a Cuban immigrant who rises to become one of the most powerful crime lords in Miami.
The movie is a stylish saga and Pacino's performance is fun albeit over the top. However, the movie can't seem to decide if it wants to be a gritty crime film or a wild action movie, which makes for a pretty strange tone. This starts to make it less of a gangster morality tale and more of a cartoon.
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