1985 was a contradictory year for the movies. Its best films were split between pop spectacle and prestige drama, rebellious youth stories and weighty historical epics. Many of them were ambitious, risky, or formally strange in ways that didn’t fully register at the time.
With this in mind, this list looks back at the films of that year which have had the most staying power. They range from sci-fi comedy to dystopian satire to Shakespeare adaptations to one of the bleakest war movies of all time.
10
‘Brazil’ (1985)
“It’s only a state of mind.” Brazil takes place in a dystopian future ruled not by overt tyranny, but by suffocating bureaucracy. In this dreary world lives Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a low-level government clerk whose mundane life is upended by a clerical error that leads to the wrongful arrest and death of an innocent man. Haunted by dreams of flight and heroism, Sam becomes entangled in a web of paperwork, surveillance, and institutional cruelty as he tries to help a woman connected to the mistake.
Here, director Terry Gilliam filters Orwellian concerns through his own unique, offbeat perspective, creating one of the best dystopian movies of the 1980s. This is barbed sci-fi satire teetering between black comedy and horror, its exaggerated visuals and dark humor masking a deeply pessimistic view of institutions. The movie’s warnings about technocracy, dehumanization, and escapist fantasy feel sharper with each passing decade.
9
‘After Hours’ (1985)
“I just want to get home.” This is one of Martin Scorsese‘s less widely known gems, though it does have a small cult following. After Hours tells the story of Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne), a mild-mannered office worker whose late-night trip across New York City spirals into an increasingly surreal odyssey. A casual romantic encounter turns into a nightmare of misunderstandings, escalating debts, hostile strangers, and inexplicable misfortune. Every attempt Paul makes to return home only pushes him deeper into chaos.
The movie totally commits to this structure, giving us a tightly-paced stream of encounters that get stranger and stranger as they roll by. In this sense, After Hours is quite different from Marty’s most famous masterpieces, embracing a strange mix of screwball comedy and noir. Still, the director has the skills to make it work. His storytelling here is energetic and darkly funny, all fluid camera movement, sharp editing, and expressive lighting, conjuring up a palpable atmosphere of paranoia.
8
‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’ (1985)
“I just want to be happy.” Set during the Great Depression, The Purple Rose of Cairo centers on Cecilia (Mia Farrow), a lonely waitress who escapes her miserable life by repeatedly watching the same movie. One day, the impossible happens: a character (Jeff Daniels) steps off the screen and into her world. What follows is a fragile romance caught between fantasy and reality, desire and responsibility. Fundamentally, Cecilia must choose between a glamorous illusion that offers comfort and a harsh reality.
Along the way, the film also pokes at interesting questions around the role of art and entertainment itself. It’s cinema commenting on cinema. Themes aside, the movie is simply breezy and sweet, flying by at just 82 minutes long, though full of touching moments and charming lines. The dialogue is witty from front to back, and a subtle sense of sadness coexists with the warmth and whimsy.
7
‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)
“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.” This movie was a touchstone for a whole generation. In The Breakfast Club, five high school students from different social cliques forced to spend a Saturday in detention together. Initially defined by stereotypes — the jock (Emilio Estevez), the princess (Molly Ringwald), the brain (Anthony Michael Hall), the criminal (Judd Nelson), and the outcast (Ally Sheedy) — they slowly open up, revealing fears, pressures, and vulnerabilities beneath their labels.
The plot is almost entirely conversational, unfolding in one location over the course of a single day. As the protagonists talk, the movie fleshes out these supposed stereotypes into fully human characters. Through them, The Breakfast Club becomes a snapshot of 1980s youth culture, down to the slang and fashion, while also touching on universal adolescent experiences. The comedy is playful and often irreverent, but it never mocks its characters.
6
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” The premise of Back to the Future is famous the world over: teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is accidentally sent thirty years into the past by a time machine invented by the eccentric Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Stranded in 1955, he must ensure his parents fall in love or risk erasing his own existence, all while finding a way back to the future. It’s a little goofy, sure, and the time travel mechanics are anything but subtle. However, Back to the Future offers more than enough humor and heart to reel the viewer in anyway.
Every joke doubles as setup, every detail pays off, and every emotional beat advances the story. For these reasons, the film has become a gold standard for blockbuster storytelling. Its optimism, clarity, and craftsmanship arguably remain unmatched (though the sequel comes close). It’s now frequently ranked among the greatest sci-fi movies ever made.
5
‘Witness’ (1985)
“I’m a witness.” Harrison Ford delivers a strong lead performance in this neo-noir thriller as John Book, a Philadelphia detective who hides within an Amish community after a young boy (Lukas Haas) becomes the sole witness to a murder. Stripped of his authority and weapons, the detective must adapt to a radically different way of life while protecting the child from corrupt forces pursuing him. While the plot contains a lot of conventional thriller mechanics, director Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show) handles it with a quieter, more realistic, and more reflective touch.
He spins the premise into a meditation on cultural difference and personal agency, the decisions we claim for ourselves and the ones imposed on us by others. The clash between urban violence and Amish pacifism provides the film’s thematic core. The characters are three-dimensional, ensuring no one is a cardboard cutout. Yet, even with that focus on human drama, the action scenes still hit hard.
4
‘Out of Africa’ (1985)
“I had a farm in Africa.” Out of Africa won that year’s Best Picture Oscar, an accolade that many now think it didn’t deserve. While definitely not the best movie of 1985, it’s still a well-crafted period piece with top-notch performances. Based on real events, it tells the story of a European woman (Meryl Streep) who moves to Kenya in the early 20th century, building a life shaped by love, loss, and colonial contradiction. The plot focuses on her relationship with a charismatic hunter (Robert Redford) and her evolving understanding of the land and its people.
The film unfolds at a deliberate pace, emphasizing atmosphere and emotional accumulation over drama. While the landscapes are vast (and gorgeously shot by David Watkin), the story’s focus remains intimate. Much of Out of Africa‘s success is thanks to the talented leads, who do a lot to make the characters interesting and real.
3
‘Ran’ (1985)
“In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” Ran reimagines Shakespeare’s King Lear as a feudal Japanese epic. An aging warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai) divides his kingdom among his sons, triggering betrayal, violence, and total collapse. Every betrayal compounds the last and doubles the drama, until what started as a family feud has escalated into full-blown apocalyptic ruin. The narrative grandeur is complemented by lush, vivid imagery. This is one of Kuroswa’s visually impressive projects.
The battle sequences, in particular, are both spectacular and horrifying. Moments of violence unfold with minimal dialogue, accompanied by emotional music that emphasizes the tragedy. Still, even amid all that sound and fury, the lead performances still hold their own. Nakadai believably pulls off the transformation from imperious authority to shattered madness, while Mieko Harada is precise and icy as the villainous Lady Kaede. By contrast, Akira Terao is quietly powerful as Taro, the eldest son trying to navigate this mayhem.
2
‘The Color Purple’ (1985)
“I’m poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here.” Back in 1985, The Color Purple represented Steven Spielberg‘s first real foray into purely dramatic fare. Based on the classic Alice Walker novel, it centers on Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Black woman whose life is shaped by abuse, separation, and endurance. The plot spans decades, tracing her struggle to reclaim autonomy, love, and self-worth in the face of systemic cruelty and personal betrayal.
While modern critics have taken issue with the portrayal of certain characters, the movie as a whole is well-told and profoundly human. It handles its themes of female resilience, friendship, and spiritual awakening with unflinching honesty. The cast is great across the board, and the visual storytelling matches the subject matter perfectly. In particular, rural landscapes and domestic interiors become expressive spaces that mirror the characters’ inner lives.
1
‘Come and See’ (1985)
“I’m afraid.” This is one of the most harrowing war movies of all time. Come and See follows a young boy (Aleksei Kravchenko) who joins Soviet partisans during World War II, only to experience the full psychological horror of Nazi occupation. We watch his rapid loss of innocence as he witnesses atrocities that permanently scar him. The film is truly unrelenting. It refuses narrative comfort, heroic framing, or emotional distance. Sound, perspective, and pacing immerse the viewer in trauma rather than observation.
Some people have argued that there are no true anti-war movies, but Come and See certainly comes close. It definitely does not glorify combat in any way. Suffering here is not aestheticized or given a silver lining, but shown in all its ugliness and misery. To hammer this home, the film uses long takes, direct-to-camera gazes, and stark compositions to collapse the distance today’s viewers often feel from historical violence.
