1. "Lethal Weapon"(1987)
The shoot-'em-up era reached it's dual apex in the late '80s("Die Hard" dropped a year later) and it all started with Shane Black's pioneering screenplay and the potent pair pictured above. Mel Gibson's trademark intensity was on full display as reckless, suicidal cop Martin Riggs, who lives life on the ragged edge. A wild-eyed Gibson absolutely nailed this part with a combination of humanity, humor and physicality rarely seen before or since, and it should have garnered him a Best Actor nod. "Superman" director Richard Donner made sure we care just as much about his partner, the older, cautious Roger Murtaugh(Danny Glover), who very much wants to get home to his loving family every day in one piece. When your job is to bust up Gary Busey's big-time L.A. heroin smuggling ring, that's never a sure thing. The tone of the series lightened considerably in later installments, but the original remains a dark, gripping thriller and simply the finest example of the genre. No, it wasn't the first buddy cop flick. Just the best.
2. "Fatal Attraction"(1987)
It's incredibly rare for an adult thriller to earn critical respect, light up the box office and become a cultural phenomenon in the process. Well, that's exactly what Adrian Lyne's seminal shocker did. Glenn Close was robbed of the Best Actress Oscar(sorry, Cher) for scaring the pants back ON every married man in America as the lonely and unhinged Alex Forrest, while Michael Douglas found his niche as our deeply flawed protagonist. Dan Gallagher doesn't get off the hook, and you actually sympathize with Alex before her bunny-boiling descent, and that's what sets this film apart from other black-and-white entries in the stalker sub-genre. More than a quarter-century and a million airings on basic cable later, "Attraction" still won't be ignored.
3. "The Last Emperor"(1987)
The 1980s delivered SO many superior crowd-pleasers that history tends to overlook the 'serious' films that had the nerve to try and compete with the likes of E.T, Indiana Jones and Marty McFly. Bernardo Bertolucci's sprawling, three-hour epic is one such casualty, and not even the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director could draw much of a crowd in an age of such unadulterated escapism. The Forbidden City in China is captured on film for the first time, and the 19,000 extras employed to reenact two year-old Puyi's ascent to the throne in 1908 is a wondrous sight. Political upheaval ended the reign of the child ruler, ultimately leading to a ten-year imprisonment for war crimes. A production this grand and accomplished should never just fade into the background, so rent it with "Ghandi" and enthrall friends and family with your pretentious film acumen.
4. "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"(1987)
Director John Hughes built a reputation for his uncanny understanding of teenagers in "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". However, his best work was his holiday collaboration with two middle-aged comedy greats. Only a nearsighted fool would place this hilarious and heartwarming Thanksgiving travelogue in the same category as cheap wannabes like "Tommy Boy" and "Due Date". Steve Martin was the most successful film comedian of this era not named Eddie Murphy, but "PT&A" really belongs to the late John Candy. His Del Griffith made me laugh AND cry and I suspect that this lovably boorish shower curtain ring salesman wasn't that much different from the gregarious funnyman in real life.
5. "Predator"(1987)
Arnold Schwarzenegger heads up the manliest ensemble in movie history and secured his A-list status in this instant sci-fi action classic. John McTiernan's direction is tight and skillful, and his dread-locked alien antagonist, designed by Stan Winston, is one of the most recognizable monsters of all time, having racked up appearances in four more movies to date as well as tie-in novels, comic books and video games. None of that would've happened if he hadn't blown a hole through Jesse Ventura's chest and thrashed a mud-covered Arnie to the delight of the testosterone-loving masses. Welcome to the jungle.
6. "The Princess Bride"(1987)
There are many reasons why Rob Reiner's hip fairy tale has stood the test of time. As Peter Falk points out to Fred Savage at the outset, it has something for everybody- romance, sharp humor, grotesque creatures and swashbuckling heroics, while recent offspring like 2007's "Stardust" reminds us of just how difficult it is to mix all those ingredients. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright both should have been more famous after playing these star-crossed lovers, while Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant and Wallace Shaw helped make all those comparisons to "The Wizard of Oz" well-deserved. A whole generation fell as in love with this film as Wesley did when he met Buttercup and has never fallen out.
7. "Robocop"(1987)
Is 1987 the greatest year EVER for action movies? Hard to argue against all this evidence. Peter Weller made his mark on the genre as the half-man, half-cyborg crime-fighter protecting the streets of Detroit in the not-too-distant future from all sorts of vile scum. The steady stream of violence and mayhem is unapologetic and hardcore, but visionary director Paul Verhoeven breaks it up with unexpected doses of heart and social satire. It's a shame both sequels were so clunky and the 2014 remake probably won't resurrect the character, but Murphy's first outing is easily one of the most kick-ass films of it's kind.
8. "Wall Street"(1987)
Michael Douglas owned 1987. A few months after his fateful fling with Glenn Close, he permanently stepped out of his famous father Kirk's shadow in the greatest role of his career. With suspenders, slicked-back hair, and Oliver Stone's expert tutelage, his financial wizard corrupted Charlie Sheen's impressionable Bud Fox and an entire generation of genuine white-collar creeps. Gordon Gekko, and his oily charm and "greed is good" mantra, is an all-time villain, which is why the 2010 sequel and it's redemptive arc didn't work. Robert Richardson's roving camera and Stone's sensational screenplay(his father Lou was a broker) made "Wall Street" one of the Reagan-era's most rewatchable films.
9. "Full Metal Jacket"(1987)
The first forty-five minutes of Stanley Kubrick's blistering take on Vietnam is unforgettable, thanks to Vincent Donofrio's haunting Pvt. Pyle and R. Lee Ermey's vitriolic drill instructor(where was his Best Supporting Actor nod?). That's not to say that the second half doesn't also burrow it's way into your psyche, as the fabled filmmaker explores the mental toll of combat and the resulting desensitization, to earn favorable comparisons to "Platoon". Mathew Modine's Pvt. Joker may have been in a world of shit, but by the time the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" is blaring through the end credits, you'll realize why the film world misses artists like Kubrick so much.
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10(tie). "The Untouchables"(1987)
Director Brian DePalma had to put together a dream cast and tackle Prohibition in an attempt to live up to his insane epic known as "Scarface". Kevin Costner made his leading man breakthrough as legendary lawman Elliot Ness, Sean Connery transitioned into the role of cinema's elder statesman as his tough Irish mentor, Robert De Niro lends some of his old brilliance to the proceedings as notorious Chicago mob boss Al Capone, and a young Andy Garcia reports for duty, too. There's a generous amount of blood-shed(an '80s audience would accept nothing less) with a train station shoot-out among the many highlights. This is another sizzling smash from an underrated auteur at the top of his game.
10(tie). "Broadcast News"(1987)
TV titan James L. Brooks only directed six movies in his storied career, starting with his Oscar-collecting triumph "Terms of Endearment". This buoyant newsroom comedy is his OTHER sparkling '80s effort complete with multiple Oscar nominations. Holly Hunter is highly appealing as a frazzled producer and will leave you wondering why she didn't become an omnipotent leading lady(I think it was the accent). She's torn between William Hurt's handsome hotshot and the always-affable Albert Brooks(both in peak form) in the kind of smart, loquacious love triangle that you just don't see in major Hollywood releases anymore. Brooks fave Jack Nicholson appears briefly in a funny, unbilled role as an arrogant star anchor.
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