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Movies: Popular Movies of 1981

Movies in chronological context: 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1981st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 981st year of the 2nd millennium, the 81st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1980s decade. ()

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3,260 movies found (page 1/109):

Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981)

1h 55min | Adventure, Action
4.0/5 (with 5,804 votes)

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

Directed by Steven Spielberg - With John Rhys-Davies, Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, ...
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The Evil Dead(1981)

NC-17
| 1h 25min | Horror
3.7/5 (with 1,692 votes)

In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.

Directed by Sam Raimi - With Bruce Campbell, Betsy Baker, Richard DeManincor, Theresa Tilly, Ellen Sandweiss, Sam Raimi, ...
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Mad Max 2(1981)

R
| 1h 36min | Adventure, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
3.7/5 (with 1,567 votes)

Max Rockatansky returns as the heroic loner who drives the dusty roads of a postapocalyptic Australian Outback in an unending search for gasoline. Arrayed against him and the other scraggly defendants of a fuel-depot encampment are the bizarre warriors commanded by the charismatic Lord Humungus, a violent leader whose scruples are as barren as the surrounding landscape.

Directed by George Miller - With Mel Gibson, Michael Preston, Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells, Kjell Nilsson, Virginia Hey, ...
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The Fox and the Hound(1981)

G
| 1h 22min | Adventure, Animation, Drama, Kids & Family
3.6/5 (with 1,412 votes)

When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expected to take on his role as a hunting dog -- and the object of his search is his best friend!

Directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens
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Escape from New York(1981)

R
| 1h 39min | Science Fiction, Action
3.5/5 (with 1,330 votes)

In the future, crime is out of control and New York City's Manhattan is a maximum security prison. Grabbing a bargaining chip right out of the air, convicts bring down the President's plane in bad old Gotham. Gruff Snake Plissken, a one-eyed lone warrior new to prison life, is coerced into bringing the President, and his cargo, out of this land of undesirables.

Directed by John Carpenter - With Ernest Borgnine, Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, ...
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An American Werewolf in London(1981)

R
| 1h 37min | Comedy, Horror
3.7/5 (with 1,086 votes)

Two American tourists in England are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Directed by John Landis - With David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Frank Oz, Joachim Tennstedt, ...
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Das Boot(1981)

R
| 2h 30min | Drama, History, War
4.0/5 (with 1,007 votes)

A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen - With Jürgen Prochnow, Klaus Wennemann, Herbert Grönemeyer, Hubertus Bengsch, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Sky du Mont, ...
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Halloween II(1981)

R
| 1h 32min | Horror
3.3/5 (with 863 votes)

After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

Directed by Rick Rosenthal - With Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Leo Rossi, Cliff Emmich, ...
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For Your Eyes Only(1981)

PG
| 2h 7min | Adventure, Action, Thriller
3.3/5 (with 841 votes)

A British spy ship has sunk and on board was a hi-tech encryption device. James Bond is sent to find the device that holds British launching instructions before the enemy Soviets get to it first.

Directed by John Glen - With Roger Moore, Julian Glover, Carole Bouquet, Chaim Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Lois Maxwell, ...
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Friday the 13th Part 2(1981)

R
| 1h 27min | Horror
3.1/5 (with 749 votes)

Five years after the horrible bloodbath at Camp Crystal Lake, a new group of counselors roam the area, not sensing an ominous lurking presence that proves the grisly legend is real.

Directed by Steve Miner, Sean S. Cunningham - With Amy Steel, Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, John Furey, Kristin Baker, Stuart Charno, ...
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Blow Out(1981)

R
| 1h 48min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
3.7/5 (with 606 votes)

Jack Terry is a master sound recordist who works on grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.

Directed by Brian De Palma - With John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Bernie Rachelle, John McMartin, ...
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Christiane F.(1981)

R
| 2h 11min | Drama
3.7/5 (with 576 votes)

This movie portrays the drug scene in Berlin in the 70s, following tape recordings of Christiane F. 14 years old Christiane lives with her mother and little sister in a typical multi-storey apartment building in Berlin. She's fascinated by the 'Sound', a new disco with most modern equipment. Although she's legally too young, she asks a friend to take her. There she meets Detlef, who's in a clique where everybody's on drugs. Step by step she gets drawn deeper into the scene.

Directed by Uli Edel - With Natja Brunckhorst, David Bowie, Jens Kuphal
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Scanners(1981)

R
| 1h 43min | Science Fiction, Horror
3.4/5 (with 536 votes)

After a man with extraordinary—and frighteningly destructive—telepathic abilities is nabbed by agents from a mysterious rogue corporation, he discovers he is far from the only possessor of such strange powers, and that some of the other “scanners” have their minds set on world domination, while others are trying to stop them.

Directed by David Cronenberg - With Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside, Heiner Lauterbach, Niels Clausnitzer, ...
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Possession(1981)

R
| 2h 3min | Horror
3.7/5 (with 468 votes)

A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.

Directed by Andrzej Żuławski - With Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent, Johanna Hofer, Shaun Lawton, ...

Excalibur(1981)

R
| 2h 20min | Adventure, Fantasy
3.5/5 (with 422 votes)

A surreal adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", chronicling Arthur Pendragon's conception, his rise to the throne, the search by his Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, and ultimately his death.

Directed by John Boorman - With Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Nicol Williamson, Robert Addie, ...
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Time Bandits(1981)

PG
| 1h 56min | Kids & Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Comedy
3.3/5 (with 420 votes)

Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

Directed by Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, ... - With John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Ralph Richardson, ...
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Escape to Victory(1981)

PG-13
| 1h 56min | Drama, War
3.5/5 (with 413 votes)

A group of POWs in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.

Directed by John Huston - With Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Pelé, Max von Sydow, Bobby Moore, Daniel Massey, ...
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Stripes(1981)

R
| 1h 46min | Action, Comedy
3.3/5 (with 379 votes)

John Winger, an indolent sad sack in his 30s, impulsively joins the U.S. Army after losing his job, his girlfriend and his apartment.

Directed by Ivan Reitman - With Bill Murray, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, John Candy, Harold Ramis, ...
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The Cabbage Soup(1981)

1h 38min | Comedy, Science Fiction
3.2/5 (with 372 votes)

Two buddy farmers are visited by aliens who like their domestic cabbage soup.

Directed by Jean Girault - With Louis de Funès, Jean Carmet, Jacques Villeret, Claude Gensac, Christine Dejoux, Gaëlle Legrand, ...

Chariots of Fire(1981)

PG
| 2h 3min | Drama, History
3.4/5 (with 368 votes)

In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.

Directed by Hugh Hudson - With Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Havers, John Gielgud, Ian Holm, ...
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Porky's(1981)

R
| 1h 34min | Comedy
3.2/5 (with 364 votes)

Set in 1954, a group of Florida high schoolers seek out to lose their virginity which leads them to seek revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner and his redneck sheriff brother for harassing them.

Directed by Bob Clark - With Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Tony Ganios, Kaki Hunter, ...
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Bianco, rosso e Verdone(1981)

1h 50min | Comedy
3.7/5 (with 324 votes)

Three Italians travel to their hometown to vote for elections: Pasquale is a Southern immigrant living in Munich who's genuinely happy to come back to Italy, even if just for a few days, but the country he dreams of is far from reality; Furio travels to Rome with his family, but his niggling attitude threatens to push his wife Magda over the edge; young Mimmo is also going to Rome, but the trip is repeatedly interrupted by worries about his grandma's health.

Directed by Carlo Verdone - With Carlo Verdone, Irina Sanpiter, Elena Fabrizi, Angelo Infanti, Mario Brega, Milena Vukotic, ...

History of the World: Part I(1981)

R
| 1h 32min | Comedy
3.4/5 (with 323 votes)

An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.

Directed by Mel Brooks - With Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, ...

The Howling(1981)

R
| 1h 31min | Horror
3.3/5 (with 312 votes)

After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.

Directed by Joe Dante - With Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Robert Picardo, ...
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Clash of the Titans(1981)

PG
| 1h 58min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance / Love
3.4/5 (with 311 votes)

To win the right to marry his love, the beautiful princess Andromeda, and fulfil his destiny, half-God-half-mortal Perseus must complete various tasks including taming Pegasus, capturing Medusa's head and battling the feared Kraken.

Directed by Desmond Davis - With Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Flora Robson, Neil McCarthy, Tim Pigott-Smith, Pat Roach, ...
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Heavy Metal(1981)

R
| 1h 30min | Animation, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Music
3.2/5 (with 310 votes)

The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.

Directed by Gerald Potterton, Jimmy Murakami
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I'm Starting from Three(1981)

1h 50min | Comedy
3.8/5 (with 303 votes)

Gaetano, a young Neapolitan, decides to leave home, work and friends, to look for other moments of life and meet other people.

Directed by Massimo Troisi - With Massimo Troisi, Lello Arena, Marco Messeri, Fiorenza Marchegiani, Cloris Brosca, Lino Troisi, ...

Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure(1981)

1h 42min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
3.5/5 (with 280 votes)

Alan gets a map to some war treasure which the Japanese army left behind on a small Pacific island at the end of World War II. But some gangsters try to steal the map from him and so he hides on Charlie's boat which just leaves the harbor. He manipulates the ship's compass so that Charlie is not aware that he is sailing to the treasure island. But when they step on the island, they discover that it is not as abandoned as they believed: there are some natives - and a Japanese soldier still defending the treasure.

Directed by Sergio Corbucci - With Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, Sal Borgese, Claudio Ruffini, Tom Tully, Salvatore Basile, ...
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La Chèvre(1981)

1h 21min | Comedy, Crime, Adventure
3.6/5 (with 271 votes)

When the boss' unlucky daughter is missing in South America, Campana is sent to watch the boss' most unlucky employee who is sent as a private detective in hopes he can duplicate the daughter's mistakes.

Directed by Francis Veber - With Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Richard, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Corynne Charby, André Valardy, Robert Dalban, ...

Thief(1981)

R
| 2h 3min | Crime, Thriller, Action
3.6/5 (with 267 votes)

Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.

Directed by Michael Mann - With James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi, Robert Prosky, Dennis Farina, ...
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