8 Best Movies of 1981

By Vlad Zakh · June 28, 2026

1981 had action, horror and Indiana Jones. Escape from New York sends a convict into a walled-off Manhattan to rescue the president, Blow Out has a sound engineer recording evidence of an assassination, and Thief has a safecracker’s last score complicated by organized crime. The Fox and the Hound, An American Werewolf in London, Mad Max 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Das Boot round out the eight.

Escape from New York (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A convicted criminal is sent into a walled-off, lawless Manhattan to rescue the kidnapped president.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 39m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A fox and a hound raised together as pups have to face their instinctive rivalry as they grow up.

Directed by Richard Rich & Art Stevens · 1h 22m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Thief (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A professional safecracker planning his final score is drawn into a dangerous partnership with the mob.

Directed by Michael Mann · 2h 03m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Blow Out (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A sound engineer's accidental recording of a car crash reveals evidence of a political assassination.

Directed by Brian De Palma · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.4

An American backpacker attacked by a werewolf on the English moors begins a horrifying change of his own.

Directed by John Landis · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mad Max 2 (1981)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 93% Metacritic 77

A hardened wasteland drifter helps a besieged desert settlement defend its precious fuel supply.

Directed by George Miller · 1h 36m · Rated R

8 wins & 16 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 94% Metacritic 86

An adventuring archaeologist races Nazi agents to recover the legendary, world-altering Ark of the Covenant.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Won 4 Oscars46 wins & 26 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Das Boot (1981)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 98% Metacritic 85

The crew of a German U-boat endures gruelling claustrophobia and mounting terror during the Second World War.

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen · 2h 30m · Rated R

Nominated for 6 Oscars16 wins & 12 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1981

Escape from New York (1981)

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Thief (1981)

Blow Out (1981)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Mad Max 2 (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Das Boot (1981)

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