American cinema has a rich history and has produced countless iconic films across various genres. They are known for their iconic characters, memorable stories, and cutting-edge special effects. 1990 Movies List with title, director name and genre now available, check the complete list of American films released in 1990.
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The 1990 was a significant year for American movies, witnessing the release of many iconic films that have left a lasting impact on popular culture. These American movies have a rich and influential history in the global film industry. Some of the most influential and well-known American films from 1990 are listed here.
1990 Movies List
| Title | Director | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Renny Harlin | Action, Comedy, Mystery |
| After Dark, My Sweet | James Foley | Mystery |
| Air America | Roger Spottiswoode | Action, Comedy |
| Alice | Woody Allen | Comedy |
| Almost an Angel | John Cornell | Comedy |
| The Ambulance | Larry Cohen | Thriller |
| American Dream | Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan | Documentary |
| American Ninja 4: The Annihilation | Cedric Sundstrom | Martial Arts, Action |
| Andre’s Mother | Deborah Reinisch | Drama |
| Angel Town | Olivier Gruner | Action |
| Another 48 Hrs. | Walter Hill | Buddy Cop, Action |
| Arachnophobia | Frank Marshall | Thriller |
| Avalon | Barry Levinson | Drama |
| Awakenings | Penny Marshall | Drama |
| Back to the Future Part III | Robert Zemeckis | Science Fiction, Western |
| Bad Influence | Curtis Hanson | Thriller |
| Basket Case 2 | Frank Henenlotter | Horror |
| Betsy’s Wedding | Alan Alda | Comedy |
| Bird on a Wire | John Badham | Comedy, Crime |
| Blind Faith | Paul Wendkos | Crime Drama |
| Bloodfist II | Andy Blumenthal | Martial Arts, Action |
| Blue Steel | Kathryn Bigelow | Thriller |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | Brian De Palma | Comedy, Drama |
| Brain Dead | Adam Smith | Horror |
| Book of Love | Robert Shaye | Romantic Comedy |
| Bride of Re-Animator | Brian Yuzna | Horror, Priquitianism |
| Bright Angel | Michael Fields | Drama |
| Cadence | Martin Sheen | Drama |
| Cadillac Man | Roger Donaldson | Comedy |
| Camp Cucamonga | Roger Duchowny | Comedy |
| Captain America | Albert Pyun | Superhero |
| Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue | Animated | |
| Catchfire | “Alan Smithee” | Drama |
| Challenger | Glenn Jordan | Drama |
| Checkered Flag | John Glen, Michael Levine | Drama |
| Child in the Night | Mike Robe | Drama |
| Child’s Play 2 | John Lafia | Slasher |
| China Cry | James F. Collier | Drama |
| The China Lake Murders | Alan Metzger | Crime, Drama |
| China O’Brien | Robert Clouse | Martial Arts |
| Class of 1999 | Mark L. Lester | Science Fiction |
| Coins in the Fountain | Tony Wharmby | Romantic Comedy |
| Come See the Paradise | Alan Parker | Drama |
| Coupe de Ville | Joe Roth | Comedy |
| Courage Mountain | Christopher Leitch | Drama |
| Crash and Burn | Charles Band | Science Fiction |
| Crazy People | Tony Bill | Comedy |
| Cry-Baby | John Waters | Musical, Comedy |
| Daddy’s Dyin’: Who’s Got the Will? | Jack Fisk | Comedy |
| Dances with Wolves | Kevin Costner | Western |
| The Dark Side of the Moon | D. J. Webster | Science Fiction |
| Darkman | Sam Raimi | Action |
| Daughter of Darkness | Stuart Gordon | Horror |
| Days of Thunder | Tony Scott | Sports, Drama |
| The Death of the Incredible Hulk | Bill Bixby | Superhero |
| Death Warrant | Richard C. Sarafian | Action |
| Deceptions | Ruben Preuss | Drama |
| Decoration Day | Robert Markowitz | Drama |
| Def by Temptation | James Bond III | Horror |
| Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection | Aaron Norris | Action |
| Denial | Erin Dignam | Drama |
| Desperate Hours | Michael Cimino | Suspense |
| Dick Tracy | Warren Beatty | Comedy, Fantasy |
| Die Hard 2 | Renny Harlin | Action |
| A Divine Double Feature | ||
| Dorf Goes Auto Racing | Barry Landon | Comedy |
| Downtown | Richard Benjamin | Comedy |
| Dream Machine | Lyman Dayton | Thriller |
| Dreams | Akira Kurosawa | Magic realism |
| DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp | Bob Hathcock | Animation |
| Edward Scissorhands | Tim Burton | Comedy, Fantasy |
| The End of Innocence | Dyan Cannon | Drama |
| Ernest Goes to Jail | John R. Cherry III | Comedy |
| Everybody Wins | Karel Reisz | Drama |
| The Exorcist III | William Peter Blatty | Horror |
| Eyes on the Prize | Documentary | |
| Faces of Death IV | Documentary | |
| Far Out Man | Tommy Chong | Comedy |
| The Final Sanction | David A. Prior | |
| Fire Birds | David Green | Action |
| The First Power | Robert Resnikoff | Horror |
| Flashback | Franco Amurri | Comedy |
| Flatliners | Joel Schumacher | Drama, Horror |
| Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders | Howard Ziehm | Sex Comedy, Science Fiction |
| The Forbidden Dance | Greydon Clark | Drama |
| The Fourth War | John Frankenheimer | Drama |
| Frankenhooker | Frank Henenlotter | Comedy |
| Frankenstein Unbound | Roger Corman | Horror |
| The Freshman | Andrew Bergman | Comedy |
| Full Fathom Five | Carl Franklin | Action |
| Funny About Love | Leonard Nimoy | Romantic Comedy |
| Getting Lucky | Michael Paul Girard | Comedy |
| Ghost | Jerry Zucker | Drama |
| Ghost Dad | Sidney Poitier | Comedy |
| Ghosts Can’t Do It | John Derek | Comedy |
| Girlfriend from Hell | Daniel M. Peterson | |
| The Godfather Part III | Francis Ford Coppola | Crime Drama |
| Goodfellas | Martin Scorsese | Crime Drama |
| Graffiti Bridge | Prince | Drama |
| Graveyard Shift | Ralph S. Singleton | Horror |
| Green Card | Peter Weir | Comedy |
| Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Joe Dante | Sci-Fi, Comedy |
| The Grifters | Stephen Frears | Crime Drama |
| Grim Prairie Tales | Wayne Coe | Horror |
| The Guardian | William Friedkin | Horror |
| Guns | Andy Sidaris | Action |
| The Guyver | Steve Wang | Sci-Fi |
| The Handmaid’s Tale | Volker Schlöndorff | Science Fiction, Drama |
| Happily Ever After | John Howley | Animation |
| Hard to Kill | Bruce Malmuth | Action |
| Hardware | Richard Stanley | Horror |
| Havana | Sydney Pollack | Drama |
| Heart Condition | James D. Parriott | Comedy |
| Henry & June | Philip Kaufman | Drama, Biography |
| Home Alone | Chris Columbus | Comedy, Family |
| The Hot Spot | Dennis Hopper | Crime drama |
| House Party | Reginald Hudlin | Comedy |
| The Hunt for Red October | John McTiernan | Drama, Adventure |
| I Come in Peace | Craig R. Baxley | Science Fiction, Action |
| I Love You to Death | Lawrence Kasdan | Comedy |
| I’m Dangerous Tonight | Tobe Hooper | Horror |
| Industrial Symphony No. 1 | David Lynch | Short subject |
| Impulse | Sondra Locke | Thriller |
| The Incident | Joseph Sargent | Drama |
| Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 | Brian Yuzna | Horror |
| Internal Affairs | Mike Figgis | Suspense |
| Iron & Silk | Shirley Sun | Action, Comedy, Drama |
| Jacob’s Ladder | Adrian Lyne | Psychological Horror |
| Jetsons: The Movie | William Hanna, Joseph Barbera | Animation |
| Joe Versus the Volcano | John Patrick Shanley | Romantic Comedy |
| The Kill-Off | Maggie Greenwald | Drama |
| Killer! | Tony Elwood | Horror |
| Killer Tomatoes Strike Back | John De Bello | Comedy |
| Kindergarten Cop | Ivan Reitman | Action, Comedy |
| King of New York | Abel Ferrara | Neo-Noir, Gangster |
| Lambada | Joel Silberg | Drama |
| Laser Mission | Beau J. Davis | Action |
| The Last of the Finest | John Mackenzie | Crime |
| Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III | Jeff Burr | Slasher |
| The Lemon Sisters | Joyce Chopra | Drama |
| Lionheart | Action | |
| Lisa | Gary Sherman | Thriller |
| Longtime Companion | Norman René | Drama |
| The Long Walk Home | Richard Pearce | Historical Drama |
| Look Who’s Talking Too | Amy Heckerling | Comedy |
| Loose Cannons | Bob Clark | Action comedy |
| Lord of the Flies | Harry Hook | Drama |
| Love at Large | Alan Rudolph | Romance |
| Mack the Knife | Menahem Golan | Romance, Comedy, Musical |
| Madhouse | Tom Ropelewski | Comedy |
| A Man Called Sarge | Stuart Gillard | Comedy |
| Maniac Cop 2 | William Lustig | Action, Slasher |
| Marked for Death | Dwight H. Little | Action |
| Martians Go Home | David Odell | Science Fiction, Comedy |
| Masters of Menace | Daniel Raskov | Comedy |
| Megaville | Peter Lehner | Science Fiction |
| Memphis Belle | Michael Caton-Jones | Drama, War |
| Men at Work | Emilio Estevez | Comedy |
| Men Don’t Leave | Paul Brickman | Drama |
| Men of Respect | William C. Reilly | Crime Drama |
| Meridian: Kiss of the Beast | ||
| Mermaids | Richard Benjamin | Comedy |
| Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor | Glenn Takajian | Science Fiction, Horror |
| Metropolitan | Whit Stillman | Drama |
| Miami Blues | George Armitage | Crime Drama |
| Miller’s Crossing | Joel Coen | Crime Drama |
| Misery | Rob Reiner | Thriller |
| Mister Frost | Philippe Setbon | Thriller |
| Mister Johnson | Bruce Beresford | Drama |
| Mo’ Better Blues | Spike Lee | Drama |
| Mob Story | Drama | |
| A Mom for Christmas | George T. Miller | Family |
| Moon 44 | Roland Emmerich | Science Fiction, Action |
| Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme | Family | |
| Mountains of the Moon | Bob Rafelson | Drama |
| Mr. Destiny | James Orr | Drama |
| Mr. and Mrs. Bridge | James Ivory | Drama |
| Murder in Mississippi | Roger Young | Drama |
| My Blue Heaven | Herbert Ross | Comedy |
| Narrow Margin | Peter Hyams | Neo-Noir, Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Navy SEALs | Lewis Teague | Action |
| The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | George T. Miller | Fantasy |
| Night Eyes | Jag Mundhra | Drama |
| Night of the Living Dead | Tom Savini | Horror |
| Nightbreed | Clive Barker | Horror |
| Ninja Academy | Nico Mastorakis | Martial Arts |
| No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers | Lucas Lowe | Action |
| Nobody’s Perfect | Robert Kaylor | Comedy |
| The Nutcracker Prince | Paul Schibli | Animation |
| The Old Man and the Sea | Jud Taylor | Adventure, Drama |
| Opportunity Knocks | Donald Petrie | Comedy |
| Pacific Heights | John Schlesinger | Thriller |
| Paris Is Burning | Jennie Livingston | Documentary |
| The Pit and the Pendulum | Stuart Gordon | Horror |
| Plunder & Lightning | Larry Latham, Robert Taylor | Animated |
| Postcards from the Edge | Mike Nichols | Comedy, Drama |
| Predator 2 | Stephen Hopkins | Science Fiction, Action |
| Presumed Innocent | Alan J. Pakula | Legal Thriller |
| Pretty Woman | Garry Marshall | Romantic Comedy |
| Problem Child | Dennis Dugan | Comedy |
| Prom Night III: The Last Kiss | Ron Oliver | Supernatural, Comedy, Slasher |
| Psycho IV: The Beginning | Mick Garris | Slasher |
| Pump Up the Volume | Allan Moyle | Comedy, Drama |
| Q&A | Sidney Lumet | Crime Drama |
| Quick Change | Howard Franklin, Bill Murray | Crime Comedy |
| Quigley Down Under | Simon Wincer | Western |
| Ralph S. Mouse | Thomas G. Smith | |
| The Reflecting Skin | Philip Ridley | Drama |
| Repossessed | Bob Logan | Comedy |
| The Rescuers Down Under | Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel | Animated |
| Revenge | Tony Scott | Drama |
| Reversal of Fortune | Barbet Schroeder | Drama |
| RoboCop 2 | Irvin Kershner | Science Fiction, Action |
| Robot Jox | Stuart Gordon | Science Fiction |
| Rockula | Luca Bercovici | Comedy |
| Rocky V | John Avildsen | Sports, Drama |
| Roller Coaster Rabbit | Rob Minkoff, Frank Marshall | Short |
| Romeo.Juliet | Armondo Linus Acosta | Drama, Comedy |
| The Rookie | Clint Eastwood | Buddy Cop, Action |
| Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember | Terry Sanders | Documentary short subject |
| Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead | Tom Stoppard | Drama |
| The Russia House | Fred Schepisi | Drama |
| Shipwrecked | Nils Gaup | Adventure |
| A Shock to the System | Jan Egleson | Thriller |
| Short Time | Gregg Champion | Comedy |
| A Show of Force | Bruno Barreto | Drama |
| The Shrimp on the Barbie | “Alan Smithee” | Comedy |
| Sibling Rivalry | Carl Reiner | Comedy |
| Side Out | Peter Israelson | Drama, Sports |
| Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation | Brian Yuzna | Supernatural Horror |
| Slumber Party Massacre III | Sally Mattison | Slasher |
| Sorority House Massacre II | Jim Wynorski | Slasher |
| Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster | George Erschbamer | Action |
| Solar Crisis | “Alan Smithee” | Science Fiction |
| Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture | Frank Pierson | Drama |
| Soultaker | Michael Rissi | Suspense |
| Spaced Invaders | Patrick Read Johnson | Science Fiction |
| Spirit of ’76 | Lucas Reiner | Comedy |
| Spontaneous Combustion | Tobe Hooper | Horror |
| Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming | Ferdinand Fairfax | Biography |
| Stanley & Iris | Martin Ritt | Romantic Drama |
| State of Grace | Phil Joanou | Crime Drama |
| Stella | John Erman | Drama |
| Strike It Rich | James Scott | Comedy |
| The Suckling | Francis Teri | Horror |
| Taking Care of Business | Arthur Hiller | Comedy |
| Tales from the Darkside: The Movie | John Harrison | Horror |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Steve Barron | Action |
| Terminal City Ricochet | Zale Dalen | Drama |
| Texasville | Peter Bogdanovich | Drama |
| That’s Black Entertainment | William Greaves | Documentary |
| Three Men and a Little Lady | Emile Ardolino | Comedy |
| Till There Was You | John Seale | |
| Time of Love | Mohsen Makhmalbaf | |
| Too Much Sun | Robert Downey, Sr. | Comedy |
| To Sleep with Anger | Charles Burnett | Drama |
| Total Recall | Paul Verhoeven | Science Fiction, Action |
| Treasure Island | Fraser Clarke Heston | Adventure |
| Tremors | Ron Underwood | Horror, Comedy |
| Troll 2 | Claudio Fragasso | Comedy, Horror |
| Troll 3 | Joe D’Amato | Fantasy, Adventure |
| Trust | Hal Hartley | Romantic Comedy |
| Tune in Tomorrow | Jon Amiel | Comedy |
| Twisted Obsession | Fernando Trueba | Thriller |
| The Two Jakes | Jack Nicholson | Crime, Drama |
| Vincent & Theo | Robert Altman | Drama |
| Vital Signs | Marisa Silver | Comedy, Drama |
| Voodoo Dawn | Steven Fierberg | Horror |
| Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael | Jim Abrahams | Comedy |
| When You Remember Me | Harry Winer | Drama |
| Where the Heart Is | John Boorman | Drama |
| White Hunter Black Heart | Clint Eastwood | Drama |
| White Palace | Luis Mandoki | Drama |
| White Room | Patricia Rozema | Drama |
| Why Me? | Gene Quintano | Drama |
| Wild Orchid | Zalman King | Drama |
| Wild at Heart | David Lynch | Drama |
| Witchcraft II: The Temptress | Mark Woods | Horror |
| The Witches | Nicolas Roeg | Fantasy |
| Without You I’m Nothing | John Boskovich | Performance |
| Young Guns II | Geoff Murphy | Western |
| Zapped Again! | Doug Campbell | Comedy |
| 12:01 PM | Jonathan Heap | Short subject |
Highest Grossing Films of 1990
- Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles, $505,702,588
- Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, $476,684,675
- Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, $463,407,268
- Dances with Wolves, starring Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, $424,208,848
- Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, $261,299,840
- Die Hard 2, starring Bruce Willis, $240,031,094
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, $201,965,915
- Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, $201,957,688
- The Hunt for Red October, starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, $200,512,643
- Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Glenne Headly, Al Pacino, $162,738,726
Check list of American Films of 1990 which saw a rise in independent cinema and where directors challenged traditional filmmaking norms and brought fresh, innovative storytelling to the forefront.
