80s and 90s Action Movies - Round 2b

 


80s and 90s Action Movies


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 The Matrix v 9 Air Force One


Unquestionably one of the most influential movies ever made, The Matrix completely reinvented how we think about filmmaking and about reality. The “bullet time” technology created for the movie has become ubiquitous in action films. And can we really be sure that we aren’t living in a simulation now?




Harrison Ford faces off against Gary Oldman in this film about the hijacking of the president’s airplane. After hiding in the cargo hold when Russian hijackers take control of Air Force One, President Marshall must find a way to rescue the hostages, including his family, before a terrorist is released.





5 The Fugitive v 13 Jurassic Park


Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, the man falsely accused of the murder of his wife. Kimble hunts for the elusive “one-armed man” and is, in turn, hunted by FBI Agent Tommy Lee Jones. One of the few films in this bracket that can be described as “Oscar-winning,” The Fugitive was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture. But it was the star turn for Jones that took home the golden statue. This movie took Jones, a respected actor at that point, and turned him into an icon.




You can just hear Richard Attenborough: “Welcome to Jurassic Park.” This Oscar-winner is so iconic now that it’s easy to forget how jaw-dropping its pioneering effects were in ’93, and how nail-biting the relentless action was.
 




6 Predator v 3 The Road Warrior


What starts as a simple action movie about soldiers on a rescue mission takes a sci-fi turn as the soldiers are hunted by.... something. This movie would turn into a franchise with seven movies (including two crossovers with Aliens). And with a cast including Arnold, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura, Predator is a bona fide classic. The director, John McTiernan, would go on the next year to created another important film on this list - Die Hard.




George Miller’s legendary follow-up to the groundbreaking Mad Max introduced Mel Gibson to the world, along with The Humungus, the Feral Kid, and a bleak dystopian Australia that spawned Fury Road and Furiousa.





7 Mission: Impossible v 2 The Rock


Brian DePalma resurrected a title from the 60s and turned it into a mega-franchise that’s still going strong. Tom Cruise dropping from the ceiling in the CIA server room is one of the most iconic images in action movie history.





Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery team up to infiltrate Alcatraz, which is being held hostage by a disgruntled Ed Harris, who is threatening to deploy poison gas against San Francisco unless the U.S. Government recompenses the families of marines who died on covert missions. Do the characters have names? Yes. But with a cast like that, does it matter?





1 Raiders of the Lost Ark v 9 Goldeneye


Harrison Ford may be the action hero that appears the most times in this bracket, and Indiana Jones is one of his most iconic roles. From the boulder trap at the beginning to melting Nazi faces off at the end, every moment is action-packed and unforgettable.




The first and best Pierce Brosnan entry into the James Bond franchise, and the first one post-Albert Broccoli. With Sean Bean, Alan Cumming, and Judi Dench, and a great video game, you could say that Goldeneye saved the franchise.





12 Road House v 4 Escape from New York


If Road House taught us anything, it was that a) pain don’t hurt; and b) there’s no problem that Patrick Swayze can’t fix with his fists and his hair. Swayze stars as James Dalton, a bouncer at a local dive-bar, who ticks off the wrong people. Ben Gazzara fills the villain role admirably, and Kelly Lynch plays Dalton’s love interest (who is, of course, a doctor). This movie has stood the test of time thanks to a memorable script and Swayze’s charm.
  



In John Carpenter’s future world, a walled-off Manhattan has become a free-for-all prison. When a hijacked Air Force One crashes inside, it’s up to Kurt Russell’s antihero Snake Plissken to save the President.





6 The Terminator v 3 Tombstone


The early 80s were the peak time for action movies, and The Terminator is at the top of that peak. Directed by James Cameron (who has five movies on this bracket and is unquestionably the greatest action movie director of all time) and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, this movie took the most elusive sci-fi action concept—time travel—and made it epic. This is the movie that made Arnold a one-name icon. And it just might be the most iconic movie in this whole bracket.




“I’m your huckleberry…” You almost don’t have to say anything more when describing Tombstone. But the thing is, you can. Whether it is the famed shootout at the OK Corral or Wyatt’s quest for the reckoning of the Cowboys, bullets fly, blood is spilled, one liners are dealt with the precision of Wyatt’s Colt pistol, ironically named Peacemaker.





10 Beverly Hills Cop v 2 Rambo: First Blood II


The year is 1984, and the biggest star in the world is Eddie Murphy. Coming off his unbelievable run on Saturday Night Live, Murphy was ready to transition from comedian to megastar. Beverly Hills Cop gave him that vehicle. From the iconic theme song, to the supporting performances (Bronson Pinchot, anyone?), to the memorable moments (banana in the tailpipe, anyone?), this movie is simply iconic.





Sylvester Stallone’s iconic John Rambo exploded from his low-budget debut and outran the Napalm to become a global phenomenon in the summer of ’85. (Can you believe Sly was Rambo and Rocky IV in the same year?)

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