The 80s and 90s were the golden age for action movies. We had stars like Arnold, Keanu, Cruise, Harrison, Seagal, Stallone, and so many more! But which ones are the best? It's time to vote!
1 Terminator 2 v 16 Godzilla '98
James Cameron masterfully blends high octane chases, explosive shootouts, and a deeply emotional storyline that explores themes of humanity, fate, and unintended consequences of even the best of intentions. Arnold’s iconic portrayal of the T-800, coupled with the introduction of Robert Patrick’s relentless T-1000 keeps the tension high from start to finish. Its influence on the genre is undeniable.
It’s Godzilla, it’s wrecking New York City, and it stars Matthew Broderick. What else do you need to know?
8 In the Line of Fire v 9 Robocop
The legendary Clint Eastwood is an aging Secret Service agent determined not to fail again, but the real star here is John Malkovich, whose insidious mind games are crafted by director Wolfgang Peterson into a white-knuckle thriller.
The late 80s featured a lot of movies about crime-ridden, post-apocalyptic America (insert Reagan joke here). The king of these movies was Robocop. How do we defeat the evil crime syndicates? Make a cop into a robot. Paul Verhoeven knows how to stage an action movie as well as anybody, and Peter Weller shines as Robocop (there’s also a great villain performance here from Kurtwood Smith, who would go on to play Red in That 70s Show).
5 Point Break v 12 Blade Runner
Keanu and Swayze are surfers. And best friends. And mortal enemies. And Keanu is an FBI agent. And Swayze is a drug runner. Did I mention that they surf a lot? And there's parachuting and bank robbing, too. This movie is a miracle.
Ridley Scott’s dystopian cyberpunk future (set in 2019—yikes!) finds Harrison Ford chasing a “replicant” Rutger Hauer. With provocative source material by Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?), Blade Runner has been enshrined in Ebert’s “Great Movies” collection.
4 Con Air v 13 The Rocketeer
There was a time when action movies basically consisted of “let’s take a bunch of well known actors, toss them into a barely-there plot, and see if something cool happens.” Con Air is exhibit A for this technique. The cast: Nick Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Monica Potter, Dave Chappelle (!!), and more star in…. something, something… prisoners on an airplane, but Nick Cage is the good guy with incredible hair. Absolute action movie magic.
The FBI races the Nazis to find a missing jetpack, which has fallen into the hands of a former stunt pilot. Stars include Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, and Timothy Dalton.
6 Red Dawn v 11 True Lies
An all-star cast led by Patrick Swayze imagines the start of WWIII in the back field of a Colorado high school. Red Dawn tapped the nerve of cold war paranoia to terrifying effect. Wolverines!
Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis, and James Cameron make for the perfect action movie trio in this big budget blockbuster that features all of the explosions a person could ever want. It's the best kind of popcorn action movie - the fate of the world is at stake, of course, and only one man can save it. Fortunately, that man is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
3 Ghostbusters v 14 Waterworld
When your hotel is haunted by a gluttonous ghost, your fridge has a dog-like spirit that utters the name Zuul, or your city has a giant kaiju monster shaped like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, who are you gonna call?
Waterworld is remembered for one big thing—it’s the biggest flop of all time. The year was 1995 and Kevin Costner was on top of the world. He’d made Dances With Wolves, The Bodyguard, Robin Hood, JFK, and more. He was an Oscar-winning superstar. And with that acclaim, he chose to make his passion project. Financed largely with his own money, Waterworld was an insanely expensive post-apocalyptic story where the world is covered in water and survival is nearly impossible. Sadly, audiences didn’t respond and the film flopped. In retrospect though, Waterworld feels ahead of its time and holds up really well.
7 Hercules v 10 Princess Mononoke
Monster fighting, snarky villain, and a damsel who is definitely not in distress? Check. Zero to hero? Check. Hercules puts the “glad” in gladiator!
This Miyazaki classic is a remarkable and philosophical fable of the battle between good and evil in everyone. Roger Ebert called this “one of the most visually inventive films I have ever seen.” And yes, it absolutely belongs in an action movie bracket!
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2 Top Gun v 15 Under Siege
Maybe the most quotable action movie in the bracket, Top Gun took rising star Tom Cruise and made him into an icon. The sunglasses, the leather jacket, the beach volleyball scene! Val Kilmer is transcendent as Iceman, a young Meg Ryan steals the show (“take me to bed or lose me forever”), and we all mourned the loss of Goose and fell in love with Kelly McGillis.
Sure, Steven Seagal may not have aged as well as some of the other action stars on this bracket. But, and hang with me here for a second... what if they put Die Hard on a battleship? That's Under Siege. And did I mention that we also get Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey? What a world.
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