10 Underrated History Movies of the 1980s Worth Revisiting

1. "Matewan" (1987)
Labor struggles usually get glossed over in mainstream cinema. Not in "Matewan," though. This baby digs deep into the West Virginia coal miner strike of 1920. Union organizers roll into town, sparking that classic standoff between miners and fat-cat company owners. In comes Joe Kenehan, a soft-spoken yet sharp union organizer who stirs the pot.

Violence is the undercurrent, but not the driving force. Here's the twist—our guy Joe advocates non-violence, so the heat is on in a slow-cooking narrative where betrayal's as common as coal dust.

2. "The Mission" (1986)
Sure, a flick about 18th-century Jesuit missionaries might not scream "exciting," but hold your horses. Jesuit priests, led by Father Gabriel, trek up the dangerous waterfalls to reach the indigenous Guaraní in South America.

But here comes the curveball: former slave trader Rodrigo Mendoza converts and joins the mission. Ah, the struggle for redemption, right? The real gut-punch comes when Portugal annexes the territory, forcing the mission to choose between fight or flight. Not your average feel-good Sunday viewing, eh?

3. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (1988)
Intrigue meets Prague Spring; that's the cocktail you sip when you dive into this cinematic labyrinth. Dr. Tomas, a committed lothario, seduces woman after woman until he meets Tereza, a photojournalist.

Love happens, the tanks roll in, and communism raises its iron curtain. The duo leaves Czechoslovakia, but can't escape their past or their ethical dilemmas. The question is never "Will they, won't they?" but rather, "What does love mean in a world of political absurdity?"

4. "The Killing Fields" (1984)
Ever wondered how hell might look? This film might offer an insight. It's Cambodia, 1975. Sydney Schanberg, a New York Times journalist, and Dith Pran, his Cambodian guide and friend, find themselves in the jaws of the Khmer Rouge regime.

The narrative splits as Schanberg escapes while Dith Pran faces the brutalities of a forced labor camp. Don't expect unicorns and rainbows. It's grim but absorbing, like watching a train wreck you can't turn away from.

5. "Birdy" (1984)
"Birdy" doesn't tackle grand historical events; it zooms in on the microcosm of PTSD in Vietnam War vets. Birdy, obsessed with birds and flight, comes back from the war traumatized. His friend Al tries to reach him but is faced with a nearly insurmountable mental barrier.

Most of the movie delves into their past, offering poignant slices of their pre-war lives. Birdy's birdcage is both literal and metaphorical, okay?

6. "My Dinner with Andre" (1981)
A whole film based on a dinner conversation. Wallace, a playwright, and Andre, a former actor turned mystic, discuss life, reality, and everything in between while eating dinner in a Manhattan restaurant.

Don't snooze off yet; the beauty is in the banality. Conversations meander from electric blankets to spiritual awakenings. As the audience, you're at the table, not just a fly on the wall. It's not a documentary, nor pure fiction; it straddles the line. And then it leave you you contemplating long after the credits roll.

7. "Come and See" (1985)
Brace yourself; you're diving into the brutalities of World War II through the eyes of a young Belarusian boy, Florya. Picture innocence slowly disintegrating; that's Florya. As he joins the partisan fighters against Nazi invaders, he faces atrocities that warp his understanding of life and humanity.

It's like walking through a maze where every turn takes you deeper into despair. Not a pick-me-up by any stretch, but a film that needs to be seen at least once in a lifetime.

8. "Gallipoli" (1981)
Do war films get more understated than this? A couple of Aussie sprinters, Archy and Frank, dream of glory in World War I. They enlist and head to the fabled Gallipoli peninsula. What awaits isn't heroics, but horror, blunders, and a grim understanding of warfare.

The narrative keeps you on your toes, questioning the price of blind nationalism. The sprinters might be fast, but even they can't outrun the tragedies of a meaningless war.

9. "A Room with a View" (1985)
At the turn of the 20th century, Lucy, a young Englishwoman, navigates social etiquette and love while vacationing in Italy.

A stolen kiss with a free-spirited chap, George, leaves her vexed, tangled between societal norms and her emotions. They meet again in England, where Lucy's engaged to a bore. The underlying tension isn't just romantic but a yearning to break free from societal cages. Will they, won't they?

10. "Empire of the Sun" (1987)
The story orbits around a young British boy, Jim, living in Shanghai. Come World War II, he's separated from his parents and stuck in a Japanese internment camp.

There's a compelling coming-of-age story here, shown through a mix of war, survival, and disillusionment. Jim befriends disparate characters, from American scavengers to Japanese soldiers, each adding a layer to his burgeoning understanding of the world and its cruel complexities.