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Chewers' 100 Best Action Films of the 1980's

post #1 of 181
8/12/11 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 

Figured since the 100 funniest of the 80's has wrapped up, to move on to the golden age of the action genre in the same decade.

 

1. Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)

 

This time, John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly.

 

That was Gary Cooper, asshole.

 

In a decade full of movies that changed the game and spawned endless imitations, this is arguably the one that reigned supreme, and in no small feat it's the best modern action film of all time. McClane and Gruber are the single most iconic action hero and villain of all time. It's 40 stories of sheer adventure and everything else you'd want out of an action movie.

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post #2 of 181
8/12/11 at 1:22pm

Die Hard is #1. Perfect.

 

2.

aliens-poster.jpg

1986          dir. James Cameron

 

"Get away from her, you bitch!"

 

This is Action you feel in your blood. With only one studio film to his name, a small budget, & a British crew that hated him, Cameron did the impossible. He improved upon perfection, inventing a cinematic action language from whole cloth in the process. Aliens is Eve to Die Hard's Adam.

 

The director approved Extended Version is essential viewing.


Edited by Art Decade - 8/14/11 at 10:24am
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post #3 of 181
8/12/11 at 3:06pm

#3 The Terminator (1984) d. James Cameron

 

kind of like the first two picks, don't really need to explain this one. And THIS vision of the future still scares the crap out of me. 

PLUS, there are enough scientists and smart dudes out there who speculate that a SKYNET scenario could happen. The doc "The Transcendent Man" comes to mind.....

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post #4 of 181
8/12/11 at 3:15pm

4) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) d. Spielberg

 

The movie that gave generations of children the absolute wrong idea about what archaeologists do. More adventure than action? Maybe. But there isn't a list in which this could conceivably placed where it isn't in the Top 10.

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post #5 of 181
8/12/11 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeI View Post

4) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) d. Spielberg

 

The movie that gave generations of children the absolute wrong idea about what archaeologists do. More adventure than action? Maybe. But there isn't a list in which this could conceivably placed where it isn't in the Top 10.


Took my favorite film of all time.  Bastard...

 

5.  'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior'.  Lean, mean, and badass.  

 

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post #6 of 181
8/12/11 at 3:50pm

6. Predator, 1987 (McTiernan)

 

We have 6 picks, and 2 directors have 2 selections already.

 

A fun cast that get a lot of memorable deaths.  An excellent blending of sci-fi and horror in with your action, but it is an action movie first and foremost and it is a damn good one.

 

predator06.jpg

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post #7 of 181
8/12/11 at 4:11pm

7. Commando, (1985) dir. Mark L. Lester

 

No 80's action-movie list is complete without Commando. Simply put, it's Schwarzenegger at his Schwarzenegger-eriest. Hilarious dialogue, massive body count and steamier sexual tension with the lead villain than with the leading lady. Oh and that score...

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post #8 of 181
8/12/11 at 4:13pm

8.  'Dip Huet Seung Hung' aka 'The Killer' 1989 - John Woo.  There was a shortage on squibs for 3 years following the completion of this film.

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post #9 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:19pm
Thread Starter 

So far, we've got:

 

1. Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)

2. Aliens (Cameron, 1986)

3. The Terminator (Cameron, 1984)

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)

5. The Road Warrior (Miller, 1981)

6. Predator (McTiernan, 1987)

7. Commando (Lester, 1985)

8. The Killer (Woo, 1989)

 

9. RoboCop (Verhoeven, 1987)

 

I'd buy that for a dollar!

 

A silly comic-book premise, a crossroads of Frankenstein, Iron Man and Dirty Harry, catapulted to brilliance by a flawless pastiche of sociopolitical mockery and relentless blood and gore. No other film better satirized the Reagan era and its capitalism, excess, technology and unrest, and the violence is an operatic blend of Peckinpah-esque brutality and surreal kitsch. Peter Weller is iconic. Ronny Cox and Kurtwood Smith are among the best genre villains ever. The mad genius of Paul Verhoeven is rampant and realized in spades.

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post #10 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:26pm

10.

untouchables.jpg

1987 dir. Brian De Palma

 

"You got him?"

 

"Yeah, I got 'im"

 

"Take him"

 

This film reminds me of the old Woodrow Wilson quote, "Like history written with lightning". From the stark intro featuring Morricone's pulsatingly inventive theme, the film grabs you by the guts. The following 2 hours is a masterclass of perfectly measured & beautifully photographed action that never fails to remember that character comes first. David Mamet's screenplay crackles with intensity, paranoia, & danger & every scene is memorable. Costner in his prime. Deniro's terrifying Capone. Connery showing men how shit gets done. De Palma's Eisenstein riff. Costumes by Giorgio Armani. This is one of those movies that show boys how to be men.

 

And when you think about it, Nolan's The Dark Knight owes more than a little to this film.


Edited by Art Decade - 8/13/11 at 1:05am
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post #11 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:35pm

11. Lethal Weapon(1987) d. Richard Donner

 

 

"Hey, look friend, let's just cut the shit. Now we both know why I was transferred. Everybody thinks I'm suicidal, in which case, I'm fucked and nobody wants to work with me; or they think I'm faking to draw a psycho pension, in which case, I'm fucked and nobody wants to work with me. Basically, I'm fucked."

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post #12 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:40pm

12. Police Story (1985) dir. Jackie Chan

 

What was a climactic sequence for Michael Bay in Bad Boys II, Jackie Chan uses merely to open one of his best films.  So much glass destroyed.  So many stuntmen hurt.  Chan was nearly paralyzed.

I'd say it was worth it.

 

 

 

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post #13 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:41pm

<Edit. (damn you raptors661)

 

13. Escape from New York (1981)  d. John Carpenter

 

One of the defining low(er) budget action films which introduced the world to the best badass anti-hero since Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. Snake Plissken is the Dirty Harry of the post-apocalypse only without all those damn morals getting in the way.

 

Quick question. Does horror count as action? I really want to include John Carpenter's the thing but am unsure of it's classification, for me it is an action horror.

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post #14 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:42pm

14. Streets of Fire (1984)

 

Walter Hill is gonna own this list. Action movies and musicals don't get mixed together.....well, ever. But this one is the exception to the rule.

 

How can you hate a movie with a sledgehammer fight?

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post #15 of 181
8/12/11 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 

Aw man, JPL, I thought I was gonna claim Streets of Fire! Nice job grabbing that one. My favorite Walter Hill film and I'm so glad it's the first of (I hope) many films he's made that qualify for this.

 

And The Thing DEFINITELY counts. There's flamethrowers, an all-male cast, and plenty of violence. If Aliens is here, MacReady and company can coexist.

 

15. They Live (Carpenter, 1988)

 

You know, you look like your head fell in the cheese-dip back in 1957!

 

The greatest "bad" movie of all time, and even that would be a disservice to Carpenter's radical criticism of the Reagan years. It's a balance of smarts and cheap entertainment that's incredibly rare to find. Oh yeah, and this:

 

 

Why did Roddy Piper never have a bigger career as an action hero? WHY?

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post #16 of 181
8/12/11 at 6:06pm

Well then.

 

16. The Thing (1982)  d. John Carpenter

 

I like to think about this film as the birth of Snake Plissken. Kurt Russel discovers the badass inside himself and takes control when shit starts going down. Its hard to list the great scenes in this film because there are so many. The spider head, the blood test, the death of the dogs, the flamethrower...

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post #17 of 181
8/12/11 at 6:08pm

So, this list is now films which have some action in?

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post #18 of 181
8/12/11 at 6:10pm

No problem, HT. But the real thanks goes to Hill for making Streets. 

 

I second The Thing on the list. Yeah, it is a sci-fi/horror movie, but the moments of action are strong enough to make it qualify.

 

And there are actually a few movies on the comedy list that deserve getting on this list, but I'll hold out on saying which ones for now.


Edited by JPL - 8/12/11 at 6:29pm
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post #19 of 181
8/12/11 at 6:15pm

If 'The Thing' is an action movie, then

 

17. EXCALIBUR (1981) d. John Boorman

 

You want gritty fantasy? You want Patrick Stewart defending a castle all by himself. You want blood, guts and gore? You want a hilarious reappropriation of O Fortuna? Then Excalibur is the film for you, loosely telling the Arthurian Myth it grounds the story with muddy action and gruesome battles and then goes batshit insane with magic and symbolism. It's cheesy, it's gritty, it's fun, and it's grim/dark all at the same time.

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post #20 of 181
8/12/11 at 6:22pm

Excalibur. Hell YES that film counts.

 

Say, it's probably a good idea to slide a bit to allow "great films that have action in them". Otherwise, we may end up padding #50-100 with obscure Cannon films. Unless that's a good thing.

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post #21 of 181
8/12/11 at 7:53pm
18. Big Trouble in Little China.

Staying with Carpenter (was there a batter director in the 80's ?), this movie totally belongs on the comedy list and the action list. From the Lords of Death, to the Three Storms, to Jack Burton proving it's all in the reflexes, the creative action scenes are some of the best of the decade.
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post #22 of 181
8/12/11 at 8:06pm

All of my selections have to wait until the bottom 25 or so. I have one that alllllmost made the funniest cut and it might alllllmost make the action cut.

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post #23 of 181
8/12/11 at 8:17pm

19. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) d. George Miller

 

"Two men enter, one man leaves! "

 

A near perfect capper to the trilogy, with Gibson's performance being my favorite of his takes on the character.

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post #24 of 181
8/12/11 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 

As I've always said, the first 45 minutes of Thunderdome are perfection and arguably better than the first two, but as soon as those kids come in the movie just crashes, burns and dissolves into the vapor.

 

20. First Blood (Kotcheff, 1982)

 

Explanation would be useless.

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post #25 of 181
8/12/11 at 8:54pm
Thread Starter 

So, here's your first 20:

 

1. Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)

2. Aliens (Cameron, 1986)

3. The Terminator (Cameron, 1984)

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)

5. The Road Warrior (Miller, 1981)

6. Predator (McTiernan, 1987)

7. Commando (Lester, 1985)

8. The Killer (Woo, 1989)

9. RoboCop (Verhoeven, 1987)

10. The Untouchables (De Palma, 1987)

 

11. Lethal Weapon (Donner, 1987)

12. Police Story (Chan, 1985)

13. Escape from New York (Carpenter, 1981)

14. Streets of Fire (Hill, 1984)

15. They Live (Carpenter, 1988)

16. The Thing (Carpenter, 1982)

17. Excalibur (Boorman, 1981)

18. Big Trouble in Little China (Carpenter, 1986)

19. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Miller, 1985)

20. First Blood (Kotcheff, 1982)

 

1981 and 1987 are the most represented years with four films each.

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post #26 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:02pm

21.  'Extreme Prejudice' 1987, Walter Hill

 

Nick Nolte.  Clancy Brown.  Michael Ironside.  Powers fucking Cash Bailey Boothe.

 

Yeah.

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post #27 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:06pm
Thread Starter 

GREAT call, Judas. One of the best lineups for an action offering of that era. The climax is one of the most badass offerings from Hill's filmography.

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post #28 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:09pm

It's one of the single best action films ever made, in my opinion.  It literally has EVERYTHING that you want in an action film and then some.  Pure entertainment.

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post #29 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:23pm

22.

220px-Conan_the_barbarian.jpg

1982          dir. John Milius

 

What is best in life?

 

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

 

A thunderous, iconic Basil Poledouris score declares the arrival of the "King of 80s Action" in John Milius' shimmering pulp adaptation of Robert E Howard's classic dime novels.

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post #30 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:25pm
Thread Starter 

One of the best teaser trailers ever too:

 

 

What's even more shocking is how I had never heard of this movie until a few years ago, and it warped me when I got to see it.

 

Now that Carpenter's action or action-y work has been exhausted, I fully expect several more from Walter Hill to show up on this list. Let's see how rabid you guys get fighting over Brewster's Millions.

 

Great call on Conan, Art. One of the essentials.

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post #31 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:32pm

I was gonna snag 'Conan' for my next pick.  Yeah, SUUUUUURE it was gonna last that long...

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post #32 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:35pm

Say, #23 is a good spot for some Peter Hyams, don't ya think?

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post #33 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Decade View Post

Say, #23 is a good spot for some Peter Hyams, don't ya think?



the one of his that I'd want to draft is from the 90s.

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post #34 of 181
8/12/11 at 9:59pm
Thread Starter 

Judas, are we talking Narrow Margin? Timecop? Sudden Death? Stay Tuned?

 

If you guys insist...

 

23. Running Scared (Hyams, 1986)

 

Hablo, Smith and Wesson? You have the right to remain dead. Anything you do will be used against you. You have the right to a coroner. If you cannot afford one, we will appoint a medical examiner for you.

 

A seminal buddy cop film that's less gritty than Lethal Weapon but is brilliantly balanced between hardcore action and lighthearted comedy. Hyams has, arguably, never been more fun. Crystal and Hines are at the top of their games. Dan Hedaya is hilariously irate. Jimmy Smits goes the distance with a sort of Tony Montana lite scenery chewing as the big bad guy, a full two decades before his shrewd, scene-stealing turn on Dexter. It's just a perfect marriage of fun and badass, climaxing with an orgy of broken glass and loose cocaine, and an argument of which hero killed the bad guy. Smits becomes the second actor of 1986 (after Andy Garcia in 8 Million Ways to Die) to bellow "MY COOOOOOOOOOOOOKE!!!!!!!!!" in defeat.

 

And we got THIS!

 

 

No more runnin' down the looooong road, dancin' wit' a diff'runt drummmmmmmmmm....

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post #35 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:09pm

Nice call but I was thinking more along the line of Hyams' 1981...ahem...output. It was quite stellar.

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post #36 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:13pm

HT: I was thinking of 'Sudden Death' aka 'Die Hard 11: this time it's a hockey arena'.  Underrated little gem of a film.

 

24.  'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'.  it's not Raiders, but what is???

 

For pure action, it's hard to top this film.  The final act of the film is simply amazing...one action setpiece after another.

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post #37 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:15pm

25.  'Outland' 1981, P. Hyams.

 

Ah fuck it.

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post #38 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 

Sudden Death is fucking great. Powers Boothe makes Cash Bailey look like Mr. Rogers in that, and it's loaded with so many strange things: the mascot fight, death by rotisserie, etc. And the climactic helicopter crash is like a pastiche of Die Hard, Cliffhanger, and the WORST blue screen effects ever.

 

It's a classic, and I'd put it over Under Siege as the best Die Hard knockoff aside from Speed.

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post #39 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:23pm
Thread Starter 

One more before I go to bed:

 

26. Tango & Cash (Konchalovsky, 1989)

 

It's Rambo and Snake Plissken in a buddy cop comedy. As Richie Cusack would say, "how do you fuck THAT up?" You don't. You make something absolutely magical. Here's a reprint from my B-Movie Column writeup on the film from March, which you can gladly find my 2,000 word-plus love letter to the film here.

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post #40 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:27pm

Well, I might as well throw (at least) one into this list as someone who makes many of his posts in the B Action Movie Thread. Here's one that has to be on the list:

 

27. Death Wish 3 (Winner, 1985)

 

Sure, the movie is extremely ridiculous but that's part of its charm. You get to see Bronson kick ass as Paul Kersey once again, this time engaging in a symphony of carnage and violence as he and the good people in a(n implausible) hellhole of a neighborhood in New York City lay waste to a massive amount of gang members led by a dude with a reverse mohawk. It certainly will fulfill any action fan's lust for death and destruction with all the mayhem that is shown.

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post #41 of 181
8/12/11 at 10:57pm

28. Cobra (1986) d. George P. Cosmatos

 

Crime is the disease. Marion Cobretti is the cure.

 

This is the best Stallone movie ever and a true action classic.

 

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post #42 of 181
8/13/11 at 12:34am

#29. The Hidden (Sholder, 1987)

 

I want this car.

 


Edited by Hammerhead - 8/13/11 at 3:22am
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post #43 of 181
8/13/11 at 1:51am

30. Project A (1983) dir. Jackie Chan

 

This was the first film I saw to feature my holy trinity, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, and remains my favourite of the lot. It's also probably the best example of Chan's adeptness at mixing action and physical comedy.

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post #44 of 181
8/13/11 at 3:11am

31. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) d. Guy Hamilton

 

Sure, there's no moment of action here that would have John McTiernan quaking in his boots, but damn, this remains a thoroughly amiable blend of stunts, slapstick and general silliness, and Fred Ward is great in what should have become a signature role.

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post #45 of 181
8/13/11 at 4:32am

Hey Guys, Good list...So Far.  Still, I am shocked no one mentioned...

32. Hard Boiled 1992 John Woo

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post #46 of 181
8/13/11 at 5:19am

I think that's because it wasn't made in the 80's Duke.

 

32.  Terminator - pretty much all action by the definition we are using. 

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post #47 of 181
8/13/11 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Savage View Post

I think that's because it wasn't made in the 80's Duke.

 

32.  Terminator - pretty much all action by the definition we are using. 


This one went third, actually.

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post #48 of 181
8/13/11 at 7:18am

#33

"You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend!"

 

20081124121648!Bloodsport.jpg

 

Bloodsport - 1988 - Newt Arnold

 

How do you top this?? The Director hasn't made anything since.

Pitch perfect cliche ridden movie. So damn awesome.

The Music, Jackson, Van Dammes ass, seven spilts!, Hossein! "You want Hossein, no?"

 

"He's the American shit head who makes tricks with bricks!"

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post #49 of 181
8/13/11 at 7:20am

32.  'Akira' 1988, Ohtomo

 

It's a cartoon, but it features some of the wildest action sequences that I've ever seen.  It's just as thrilling as most live action 'action' films.

 

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post #50 of 181
8/13/11 at 7:28am

The next pick will be #34.

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