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 13 Jurassic Park
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?
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 2 The Rock
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.
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 12 Road House
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.
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.
6 The Terminator v 10 Beverly Hills Cop
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.
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.
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