1987 Films From Best To Worst
In my own opinion of course, and featuring all films released in 1987 I've currently seen. As such, this is an ever-evolving list, but as it currently stands, I consider numbers 1-2 truly great films just short of excellence, 3-7 perfectly solid entertaining films, 8 also entertaining but a notch below, and the rest rather bad, with 11 being particularly insipid.
Check out my other lists if interested (full selection accessible on the right):
1960s: 1964
2000s: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2009
2010s: 2010 2011
Check out my other lists if interested (full selection accessible on the right):
1960s: 1964
2000s: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2009
2010s: 2010 2011
List activity
402 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
11 titles
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsChristian BaleJohn MalkovichMiranda RichardsonA young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.Six years before Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg directed this other serious WWII drama, dealing with the semi-true story of a British boy left to his own devices in Japanese-occupied China. Very "Spielbergian" in its themes, filled with beautiful, striking imagery and inhabited with John Williams' haunting music, the film features a powerful early performance by a 13 year old Christian Bale, an excellent-as-always turn by John Malkovich and Ben Stiller's first ever film role.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJohn LoneJoan ChenPeter O'TooleBernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.The tragic life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, is brought to screen in this extraordinary production, the first film ever allowed to shoot inside the actual Forbidden City.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobin WilliamsForest WhitakerTom T. TranIn 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.Filled with Robin Williams' personal brand of comedy, this Vietnam War drama is particularly effective for meshing it with the harsh realities of war and conflicted ideologies.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerCarl WeathersKevin Peter HallA team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.What starts out as a "routine" jungle commando mission takes a turn for the worse about halfway through when "something" starts hunting the hunters in this absolute action classic featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger at the height of his game and directed by the unproven young man who would bring us other absolute classics like Die Hard and The Hunt For Red October shortly after.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverGary BuseyTwo newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.The typical buddy cop, and possibly one of the best out there, spawning a number of enjoyable sequels.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.Like all of Dutch director Paul Verhoeven's American films, a satire of Western society under the veneer of big dumb fun. RoboCop remains an incredibly appealing, powerful character who has endured throughout the decades and the film one of those 80s classics which everybody knows but few bother to actually check out.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenMichael DouglasTamara TunieAn impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.Filled to the brim with great actors and as relevant today as it was then.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsJack NicholsonCherSusan SarandonThree single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.Well-made and certainly very watchable, but I'm not quite sure what the big fuss is about this one.
- DirectorJim DrakeStarsSteve GuttenbergBubba SmithMichael WinslowThe misfit Police Academy (1984) graduates now are assigned to train a group of civilian volunteers to fight crime once again plaguing the streets.Police Academy 4 features the same jokes as Police Academy 3 which featured the same jokes as Police Academy 2 which improved slightly the same jokes from the original Police Academy whise jokes weren't that funny to begin with. And yet they still managed to make three more of those puppies. And a TV series. And a cartoon. OK, so what's good here? A pretty cool skateboarding scene featuring a young David Spade (!) in his first role, a decent air balloon finale and Sharon Stone.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsLorraine GaryLance GuestMario Van PeeblesChief Brody's widow believes that her family is deliberately being targeted by another shark in search of revenge.Commenting on the film, Michael Caine famously claimed to have never seen it but to have very much enjoyed the house he bought with his paycheck. Famous for its tagline, basically ignoring the events of its immediate predecessor and not making much sense overall, Jaws 4 still exudes a certain charm and completists will want to check this one out nevertheless.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.An absolute classic which has spawned eight sequels to date, I just found this one to be horribly dated and absolutely, laughably bad.