Best Movies of 1987 by Rank
59
1
Wim Wenders
Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk
Fantasy / Drama / Romance / Religion
West Germany / France
German
344
2
Louis Malle
Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö
Drama / War
France / West Germany
French
376
3
Bernardo Bertolucci
John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun
Drama / Epic / History / Biography
France / Italy / UK
English
467
4
John Huston
Anjelica Huston, Donal McCann, Dan O'Herlihy, Donal Donnelly
Drama / Period Film
UK
English
569
5
James L. Brooks
William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter
Comedy / Drama / Romance
USA
English
583
6
Souleymane Cissé
Issiaka Kane, Aoua Sangare, Niamanto Sanogo
Fantasy / Adventure / Drama
Mali / Burkina Faso / France / West Germany
French
688
8
Norman Jewison
Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
692
9
Gabriel Axel
Stéphane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Jean-Philippe Lafont
Comedy / Drama / Period Film
Denmark
Danish
700
10
Bille August
Pelle Hvenegaard, Max von Sydow, Erik Paaske, Björn Granath, Astrid Villaume
Drama / Period Film
Denmark / Sweden
Danish
736
11
Bruce Robinson
Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
Comedy / Cult
UK
English
757
12
Yimou Zhang
Li Gong, Wen Jiang, Rujun Ten, Liu Jia, Cunhua Ji
Drama / War / Period Film
China
Mandarin
818
13
Adrian Lyne
Michael Douglas, Glenn Close
Drama / Horror / Thriller
USA
English
821
14
Rob Reiner
Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest
Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance / Family / Cult
USA
English
835
15
Steven Spielberg
Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson
Drama / War / Epic
USA
English
895
16
Brian De Palma
Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Detective / Gangster / Period Film
USA
English
917
17
David Mamet
Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala
Crime / Mystery / Thriller / Post-Noir / Cult
USA
English
997
18
Nikita Mikhalkov
Marcello Mastroianni, Marthe Keller, Yelena Safonova, Pina Cei, Vsevolod Larionov
Comedy / Romance / Drama
Italy
Italian
1154
19
Stanley Kubrick
Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin, R. Lee Ermey
Drama / War
USA
English
1249
20
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman
Comedy / Crime / Cult
USA
English
1446
21
Paul Verhoeven
Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Sci-Fi / Action / Crime
USA
English
1567
22
Tengiz Abuladze
Avtandil Makharadze, Zejnab Botsvadze, Ya Ninidze
Drama
Soviet Union
Georgian
1681
23
John Sayles
Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham, David Strathairn
Drama / History
USA
English
1713
24
Bill Forsyth
Christine Lahti, Sara Walker, Andrea Burchill, Anne Pitoniak
Drama / Comedy
USA
English
1757
25
Oliver Stone
Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen
Crime / Drama
USA
English
1823
26
Percy Adlon
Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder, Jack Palance, Christine Kaufmann
Comedy / Drama / Cult
West Germany / USA
English
1846
27
Barbet Schroeder
Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige, Jack Nance
Comedy / Drama / Romance
USA
English
1865
28
Juzo Itami
Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Masahiko Tsugawa
Comedy / Romance / Crime / Gangster
Japan
Japanese
1896
29
Woody Allen
Mia Farrow, Seth Green, Julie Kavner, Josh Mostel, Michael Tucker
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
1953
30
Bill Douglas
Robin Soans, William Gaminara, Stephen Bateman, Philip Davis, Jeremy Flynn
Drama / History / Period Film
UK
English
2084
31
Barry Levinson
Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Chintara Sukapatana
Comedy / Drama / War
USA
English
2124
32
Lindsay Anderson
Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Sothern
Drama
USA
English
2231
33
Richard Donner
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitch Ryan
Action / Thriller / Comedy / Crime / Detective
USA
English
2255
34
Nils Gaup
Mikkel Gaup, Ingvald Guttorm, Nils Utsi, Henrik H. Buljo
Adventure / Action / Drama / History
Norway
Saami
2256
35
Richard Attenborough
Kevin Kline, Denzel Washington, Josette Simon, Wabei Siyolwe
Drama / Biography
UK
English
2266
36
Abbas Kiarostami
Babek Ahmed Poor, Ahmed Ahmed Poor, Kheda Barech Defai
Drama
Iran
Persian
2302
37
Siu-Tung Ching
Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Ma Wu, Wai Lam, Siu-Ming Lau, Jing Wong, Zhilun Xue
Action / Fantasy / Horror / Romance / Adventure
Hong Kong
Cantonese
2302
37
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, Carina Lau, David Lam, Bill Tung
Action / Comedy / Crime / Adventure
Hong Kong
Cantonese
2398
38
Mani Ratnam
Kamal Hassan, Saranya, Janagaraj, Tinnu Anand
Drama / Crime / Gangster
India
Tamil
2416
39
Roger Donaldson
Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, Will Patton, Howard Duff, George Dzundza
Drama / Thriller / Mystery
USA
English
2452
40
Mike Leigh
Alison Steadman, Sylvestra Le Touzel, David Thewlis, Wendy Nottingham
Short / Comedy / Romance
UK
English
2484
41
Emile Ardolino
Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes
Romance / Drama / Musical
USA
English
2496
42
John McTiernan
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller / Horror
USA
English
2513
43
Pedro Almodóvar
Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Miguel Molina
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Spain
Spanish
2519
44
Todd Haynes
Rob LaBelle, Gwen Kraus, Bruce Tuthill
Short / Biography / Experimental / Cult
USA
English
2528
45
John Hughes
Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean
Comedy / Drama
USA
English
2578
46
Luis Valdez
Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto
Drama / Musical / Biography
USA
English
2608
47
Taylor Hackford
Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Little Richard, Bo Diddley
Documentary / Biography / Music
USA
English
2608
47
David Hugh Jones
Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Jean De Baer, Maurice Denham
Drama / Romance / Biography
UK / USA
English
2612
48
Sam Raimi
Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie DePaiva, Ted Raimi
Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Horror / Cult
USA
English
2648
49
Jim McBride
Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman
Crime / Action / Drama / Mystery / Romance / Thriller / Detective
USA
English
2656
50
Andrei Konchalovsky
Jill Clayburgh, Barbara Hershey, Martha Plimpton, Merritt Butrick
Drama
USA
English
2667
51
Stephen Frears
Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Vanessa Redgrave, Wallace Shawn
Biography / Comedy / Drama
UK
English
2679
52
Bill Couturié
Robert De Niro, Tom Berenger, Ellen Burstyn, Martin Sheen
Documentary / War / History
USA
English
2688
53
Atom Egoyan
David Hemblen, Aidan Tierney, Gabrielle Rose, Arsinée Khanjian
Drama
Canada
English
2688
53
Michel Khleifi
Mohamad Ali El Akili, Bushra Karaman, Makram Khoury
Drama
Israel / France / Belgium
Arabic
2691
54
Kathryn Bigelow
Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein
Horror / Romance / Thriller / Cult / Western
USA
English
2691
54
John Duigan
Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen, Ben Mendelsohn, Graeme Blundell, Lynette Curran
Drama / Romance
Australia
English
2692
55
John Glen
Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker
Action / Adventure / Thriller / Spy / Family / Cult
UK / USA
English
2694
56
Paul Newman
Joanne Woodward, John Malkovich, Karen Allen, James Naughton
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2694
56
Alan J. Pakula
Albert Finney, Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson, John Kellogg, Anthony Heald
Drama / Thriller / Gangster
USA
English
2712
57
José Luis Garci
Jesus Puente, Victoria Vera, Teresa Gimpera, Pablo Hoyos
Drama
Spain
Spanish
2712
57
Ettore Scola
Vittorio Gassman, Stefania Sandrelli, Emanuele Lamaro
Drama
Italy / France
English
2742
58
Luis Mandoki
Liv Ullmann, Rachel Chagall, Norma Aleandro, Robert Loggia
Drama / Biography
USA / Mexico
English
2742
58
Jean-Loup Hubert
Anémone, Richard Bohringer, Antoine Hubert, Vanessa Guedj
Drama
France
French
2758
59
Christine Choy, Renee Tajima-Pena
Lily Chin, Ronald Ebens, Starlene
Crime / Documentary
USA
English
2760
60
Maurice Pialat
Gérard Depardieu, Sandrine Bonnaire, Maurice Pialat
Drama / Religion
France
French
2777
61
Ringo Lam
Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Yueh Sun, Carrie Ng, Roy Cheung, Kong Lau
Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller / Gangster / Detective / Caper
Hong Kong
Cantonese
2785
62
Marek Kanievska
Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader, Tony Bill
Drama
USA
English
2785
62
Paul Cox
John Hurt, Marika Rivera, Gabriella Trsek
Animation / Biography / Drama / Documentary
Australia
English
2791
63
Charles Shyer
Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis, Kristina Kennedy
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
2791
63
Martin Ritt
Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden
Drama
USA
English
2794
64
Ousmane Sembene, Thierno Faty Sow
Ibrahima Sane, Sijiri Bakaba, Jean-Daniel Simon, Gustave Sorgho
Drama / War
Algeria / Senegal / Tunisia
French
2794
64
Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
Documentary / Biography
West Germany / Italy
Italian (Silent)
2794
64
Elaine May
Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin, Jack Weston
Comedy / Adventure / Music / Cult
USA
English
2794
64
Jean-Luc Godard
Burgess Meredith, Peter Sellars, Molly Ringwald, Jean-Luc Godard
Sci-Fi / Drama / Experimental
Bahamas / USA
French
2794
64
Raoul Ruiz
Jean-Marie Böglin, Jean-François Lapalus, Alain Rimoux
Drama
Switzerland / France
French
2794
64
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Zohreh Saramadi, Esmail Saramadian, Behzad Behzadpour
Drama / Gangster
Iran
Persian
2794
64
Norman Mailer
Ryan O'Neal, Isabella Rossellini, Debra Sandlund, Wings Hauser
Drama / Action / Thriller / Crime / Post-Noir
USA
English
2794
64
Alex Cox
Ed Harris, Richard Masur, René Assa, Rene Auberjonois
Action / Adventure / War / Drama / Biography
USA / Mexico / Spain
English
2801
65
José Luis Cuerda
Alfredo Landa, Alejandra Grepi, Fernando Valverde, Paco Cambres
Comedy / Fantasy
Spain
Spanish
2802
66
Rentaro Mikuni
Junkyu Moriyama, Michiyo Ookusu
Drama / Religion
Japan
Japanese
2803
67
Alan Parker
Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Stocker Fontelieu
Horror / Mystery / Thriller / Detective / Post-Noir
USA / Canada / UK
English
2803
67
Lyndall Hobbs
Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Lori Loughlin, Tommy Hinkley, Demian Slade
Comedy / Musical
USA
English
2803
67
Ben Bolt, Harold Becker
Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Dern, Lee Grant, Tom Skerritt
Drama / Romance / Thriller / Crime / Period Film
USA
English
2803
67
John Mackenzie
Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Ned Beatty, Joanna Cassidy, Julian Glover
Thriller / Spy / Action
UK
English
2803
67
Patricia Rozema
Sheila McCarthy, Paule Baillargeon, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Richard Monette
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Canada
English
2803
67
Paul Schrader
Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands, Joan Jett, Michael McKean, Thomas G. Waites
Drama / Musical
USA
English
2803
67
Susan Seidelman
John Malkovich, Ann Magnuson, Glenne Headly, Ben Masters, Laurie Metcalf
Comedy / Romance / Sci-Fi
USA
English
2803
67
Terry Jones
Julie Walters, Shirley Stelfox, Alec McCowen, Danny Schiller, Tim Woodward
Comedy / Drama / Biography
UK
English
2803
67
Fred Schepisi
Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich, Shelley Duvall, John Kapelos
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
2803
67
Stephen Frears
Shashi Kapoor, Frances Barber, Claire Bloom, Ayub Khan-Din, Roland Gift
Comedy / Drama
UK
English
2803
67
Woody Allen
Denholm Elliott, Dianne Wiest, Mia Farrow, Elaine Stritch, Sam Waterston
Drama
USA
English
2803
67
Carl Schultz
Leo McKern, Julia Blake, Henri Szeps, Graham Kennedy, Michele Fawdon
Drama
Australia
English
2803
67
David Leland
Emily Lloyd, Tom Bell, Jesse Birdsall, Clare Clifford, Barbara Durkin
Comedy / Drama
UK
English
2803
67
George Miller
Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright
Comedy / Fantasy / Horror / Thriller
USA
English
2809
68
Kay Armatage
Joyce Wieland
Documentary / Biography
Canada
English
2809
68
David G. Croft
Michael Caine, Celia Imrie
Documentary
UK
English
2809
68
Jean-Claude Lauzon
Gilles Maheu, Roger Lebel, Corrado Mastropasqua, Lorne Brass, Germain Houde
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Gangster
Canada
French
2826
69
Kazuo Hara
Kenzo Okuzaki, Emperor Hirohito
Documentary / War / History
Japan
Japanese
2842
70
Rob Nilsson
Rob Nilsson, Consuela Faust, Don Bajema, Raven de la Croix
Drama
USA
English
2842
70
Gary Walkow
Tom Villard, Susan Dey, Elaine Giftos, Elizabeth Gorcey
Comedy / Sci-Fi
USA
English
2842
70
Jill Godmilow
Linda Bassett, Linda Hunt, Jacques Boudet, Pierre-Alain Chapuis
Drama / Biography
UK / France / USA / West Germany
English
2862
71
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Boguslaw Linda, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz
Drama / Fantasy
Poland
Polish
2863
72
Eric Rohmer
Emmanuelle Chaulet, Sophie Renoir, Anne-Laure Meury, Eric Viellard
Comedy / Romance
France
French
NR
-
Tony Scott
Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox
Action / Comedy / Crime / Thriller / Detective
USA
English
NR
-
Sidney J. Furie
Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Comic
UK
English
