Chewer's 100 Best Action Movies of the 90's - Page 2

Damn you Nooj, you stole the other nomination I was planning! Guess I'll have to think of some more...

 

I think characterizing action cinema of the 90s as silly is pretty accurate, at least in America. It was very over the top. There are some exceptions though, like

 

43. HEAT (1995) dir. Michael Mann

 

This seems like a huge oversight, but I'm assuming it hasn't already made the list because it's not a straight up action movie. But it has some of the all time great action scenes, so I think it qualifies. Is there much else I need to say?

Wait, if we're talking 90's action movies, how is this not on the list?

 

45. Bad Boys (Michael Bay - 1995)

 

 

It is not my favorite by any stretch, but it personifies 90's Hollywood action like no other.

46.

dir. John McTiernan, 1990

 

The director of Die Hard follows up his 1988 action masterpiece with this smart, hyper-intense, fast-moving Tom Clancy adaptation. Alec Baldwin fucked up royally when he declined to repeat his role as Jack Ryan because he fuckin' rules here as Clancy's reluctant action man (he also invented the now ubiquitous "Connery impreshun" along the way). Underrated dramatic actor Connery brings an unshakeable gravitas to his Russian commander & McTiernan oversees some of the most exciting ship-to-ship battle scenes ever made.

Quote:

 

 I hate this film with the passion of a thousand suns.  I know, I know...to each their own and all that stuff, but man.  It simply baffles me that anyone can find this film the least bit watchable.

 

Hahaha...

47.  'Ronin' (1998) Frankenheimer.

 

In my top ten thrillers of all time.  PHENOMENAL driving sequences.

48.  'Executive Decision' (Baird)

 

Sorry, but I'll take this one over 'Air Force One' anyday.

49.

 

This movie often gets overlooked. It may be a tad too long, but it moves at a great clip. Clint, Malkovich, and Wolfgang are all at their best. And when I was 13, I though being a Secret Service agent would be the COOLEST.

 

 

50. Broken Arrow (1996)

 

"You're out of your mind"

"Yeah. Ain't it cool?"

 

Low-key lesser Woo, but I love it just the same. John Travolta's over-the-top scenery chewing makes for a memorable villain, and Christian Slater has great chemistry with the adorable and tough tomboyish Samantha Mathis (a 90's crush). Just a fun movie.

Fat Elvis.  You da man!

 

51.

dir. Steven Spielberg, 1998

 

As it os with the crime drama Heat, the inclusion of The Beard's dramatic war opus on this list is somewhat debatable. But the masterfully orchestrated battle sequences designed by Spielberg & his team in this film represent an entirely new level of action cinema. A decade on, Saving Private Ryan still stands high & alone as the standard for visceral, concussive action in modern film.

Edited by Art Decade - 10/11/11 at 8:43pm

That's some highfalutin' stuff up there. Let's bring this list back down to the B-Action level with:

 

52. Stone Cold (1991)

 

Brian "The Boz" Bosworth, sporting one righteous-ass mullet, stars as an undercover cop sent to infiltrate a drug-dealin' biker gang led by Lance Henriksen and his crazy right-hand man William Forsythe. Enough fights, motorcycle chases, explosions, and shootouts to satisfy any action fan.

54. The Rocketeer (1991)

 

This old-fashioned Spielberg-esque adventure film is a love letter to the film serials and comic books of yesterday. Billy Campbell is great in the lead --looking like a 30's matinee idol--Jennifer Connelly is pin-up girl gorgeous, and Timothy Dalton is deliciously slimy in a villainous turn based on the old 'Errol Flynn was a Nazi' urban legend. Alan Arkin steals practically every scene he's in. And the visual effects sequences were and still are breath-taking. A shame this was never a franchise.

55. Deep Rising (Stephen Sommers, 1998)

Although I have a big old soft spot for his Mummy remakes, this is the film that seemed to suggest Sommers would take point for popcorn action in the next decade. It didn't really happen like that, but this stands as a great blend of action, humour and effects.

56. THE EDGE (1997) dir. Lee Tamahori

 

I know I'm pushing the definition of action again - I guess this might be considered more of an adventure thriller -  but the "100 Scariest..." threads were pretty loose so I'm playing by those rules. This is a pretty great wilderness survival movie. Tamahori directs it capably, crafting some exciting, suspenseful sequences, but it's really elevated by Baldwin, Hopkins, and particularly Mamet, who gives it a little more meat and extra drama with themes of masculinity, class conflict, jealousy, etc. Makes for a classic tale of man vs. nature and man vs. man.

57. Last of the Mohicans (1992, Michael Mann)

Given Chewers love for this movie, colour me stunned it hasn't already appeared on the list. Is it because its historical setting, romantic plot lines and dramatic weight mean most don't consider it an action film? I, for one, think it has a deserved place on this list. At turns capturing the kinetic energy of the hunt and of melee battle, without sacrificing an eye for historical accuracy in other battle scenes, and anchored by a tremendous archetypal performance by Daniel Day Lewis, this has got to be one of the best action movies ever, let alone of the 90s.

58.

dir. Russell Mulcahy, 1994

 

In three days, the entire world will hear my roar, and willingly fall subject to the lost empire of Shan Kahn. That is a lovely tie, by the way. May I ask where you acquire it?

 

Brooks Brothers. 45th and Madison. You are a barbarian.

 

With both feet firmly planted in the cement bucket of it's pulp origins, this flawed yet sharp & handsomely crafted action film never landed an audience. But much like the similarly old-fashioned serial homage The Rocketeer, it wasn't for a lack of wit, fun, or invention. Highlander director Mulcahy keeps the film buzzing along at an impressive clip (though there are a couple slow spots early on) & star Alec Baldwin demonstrates how, in a better world, he would've made the perfect Bruce Wayne. 18 years on, The Shadow still impresses & one can't help but admire the film's visual boldness & full, unashamed embrace of comic book/pulp conventions.

Edited by Art Decade - 10/10/11 at 11:52pm

Man, this list is all over the place. I love it! I thought surely there couldn't be another human being in the world who liked The Shadow. Anyway...

 

59. Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991) d. Mark L. Lester

 

Violent "buddy cop" movie with the Dolphster and Brandon Lee taking on the Yakuza in L.A. The bathhouse scene has more squibs and blood-bags on bare skin than any other movie I've ever seen. That's hardcore. Plus it has one of the best lines ever: "Kenner, just in case we get killed, I wanted to tell you, you have the biggest dick I've ever seen on a man." That's a slice of fried gold right there, although I wonder why Brandon felt the need to add the "on a man" part.

 

 

60.

 

 

From Dusk Till Dawn (1995) Dir. Robert Rodriguez

 

Let us not kid ourselves here, this is no horror movie. It is a balls-out actioner with horror/crime trappings. Featuring my favorite Clooney performance to date and the only Tarantino perfomance I would call good, this movie gives and gives in the action department. From the amazing shootout at the liquor store with John Hawkes to the all out latex spectacle of the Titty Twister, Dusk is a fun movie that very few may call their all-time no. 1, but it is hard to turn off once it starts. It manages to squeeze in Danny Trejo, Tom Savini, and Fred Williamson in multiple action scenes. This fact alone earns it a place on the list.

61. The Mask of Zorro (1998, Martin Campbell)

 

Again, another omission I'm surprised by considering how big a hit this was back in the day. Cementing Campbell's reputation as a go to action guy, this is another great smoothie of action set pieces and charisma. Catherine Zeta Jones had a break out role, scorching up the screen as Elena Montero, Banderas trod the fine line between attacking the part of Zorro with gusto and bringing a knowing smirk to proceedings, whilst Hopkins delivered one of the first of his rich seam of elder statesman/mentor roles. The fight scenes sparkle, the end set piece manages to be expansive without becoming a self-parody and the direction by Campbell keeps all elements well harnessed and bouncing along at a good clip. If there is a down side it's a bad guy who didn't quite reach the memorableness of the two leads and Hopkins and the flavour of the first film could be somewhat muted by the disaster of a sequel. Still, a great take on a hoary old tale.

To quote Judas Booth: I hate The Mask Of Zorro with the passion of a thousand suns. I am completely baffled how people like this lifeless mess of a movie.

 

I "English Patient" hate it.

I like it for all the reasons quoted. But that's what makes horse racing I guess. Shit, most of the planet liked Avatar...

Art Decade, The Mask Of Zorro was...Awesome!  I do dislike the sequel.

 

jhp1608, I guess I am in the minority as...Avatar is James Cameron's...Worst film!

62. SPEED

 

It's wholly derivative, but still manages to be a lot of fun. A ton of great lines by supporting characters ("Fuck me!" "Oh darn.") and some great action scenes. I'll cop to actually liking Reeves in it, and there's one moment that stands out: he's about to slide under the bus on the board-on-rollers, and he looks up at Bullock's character....and says nothing. I liked that instead of some stupid one-liner, he just got on with it. (Not that the film passes up other opportunities for cheese.) Plus, it has Sandra Bullock's breakout role, and she's damn adorable in it.

 

63. CRIMSON TIDE

 

Tony Scott's attempt to outdo RED OCTOBER, and it just about succeeds. Holds up really well 15 years later, mainly because Scott cast the hell out of the movie. It's a 2 hour pissing contest between Denzel and Hackman, culminating in the scene where Denzel manages to more than hold his own while being clobbered in the face by Hackman.

 

ALSO: how the hell can you not like MASK OF ZORRO?

 

Another fan of this. Penelope Ann Miller looks just gorgeous here.

 

 

1) I haven't seen it since 98 but, as a ridiculous fan of Mark Of Zorro, I was really looking forward to Mask.. & I just remember it being a complete disappointment. To me, it was everything people said The Shadow was. Limp, dumb, joyless, sloppy, etc. Maybe I'll give it another spin.

 

2) SPEED is #5 on this list, so the next pick will be #63.

 

Edited by Art Decade - 10/11/11 at 9:17am

63. Braveheart (1995, d. Mel Gibson)

 

 

 

Huh. Sounds like you had the same reaction to MASK OF ZORRO as I did to Disney's 1993 THREE MUSKETEERS, for similar reasons: comparing it the one we know and love best. (Of course, I'd argue the '93 MUSKETEERS sucks ass, period, and Lester's '74 film is greatness, but there's still a rough analogy.) If you can let it be its own creature, I'd give the Martin Campbell version another try. I think there's a lot of old fashioned movie joy in it, and it's just about perfectly cast all around. 

 

Plus Catherine Zeta Jones is titanium-meltingly hot in it.

 

 

Sorry about that.

64.  The Heroic Trio (1993)  dir. Johnny To

 

 

Three insanely hot women in a phantasmagorical martial arts epic with Johnny To at the helm.  What more could you want?

 

 

 

 

65. Last Action Hero (1993) d. John McTiernan

 

Yeah, many thought this movie was a "big mistake" but I still think it's an entertaining action-comedy. It's fun to see Arnold poking fun at the genre that made him a huge star.

66.

dir. Roger Spottiswoode, 1997

 

Q: Here's your cell phone. Talk here, listen here.

Bond: So that's what I've been doing wrong for all these years?

 

More or less a remake of The Spy Who Loved Me, this the final Brosnan BOND film that was worth a damn. A much more streamlined actioner than it's Gorky Park-influenced predecessor, TND crackles with fun, occasional wit, & great action set pieces (namely the kickass remote control car garage chase).

67. Congo (1995) d. Frank Marshall

 

Often dismissed as a goofy Jurassic Park / Crichton cash-in (and I won't argue that it isn't), Congo is the kind of action/adventure movie we just don't get anymore.  Its fun and pulpy and has a bevy of fantastic character actors - Hudson, Curry, Lindo, Pantoliano, Mr Eko, Joe-Don Baker, Hawkes, and even a little Bruce Campbell action - all doing what they do best.  Also, killer monkeys and lasers and hungry hungry hippos.  I love the hell out of this movie.

69. Double Team (1997)

 

"Offense gets the glory."

"But defense wins the game."

 

Silly, absurd, but action packed, Tsui Hark's American debut is push comes to shove my favorite Van Damme (or at least the best of his cocaine period) . Rodman is stunt casting that doesn't quite work, but his interplay with JCVD is goofily endearing enough to put it up with the top shelf buddy movies of the decade. Mickey Rourke is simply a scenery chewing blast in the villain role. I love this movie unapologetically, and love that it's finding a small cult (Tobias over at A.V. added it to the New Cult Canon)

I think it's time for another list of the picks so far!

 

1. Jurassic Park

2. The Matrix

3. Terminator 2

4. True Lies

5. Speed

 

6. Desperado

7. Total Recall

8. Starship Troopers

9. Goldeneye

10. Face/Off

 

11. Blade

12. The Last Boy Scout

13. Hard Boiled

14. Hard Target

15. Die Hard With A Vengeance

 

16. Die Hard 2

17. The Rock

18. Tombstone

19. Demolition Man

20. Sudden Death

 

21. Point Break

22. Con Air

23. Cliffhanger

24. Under Siege

25. The Long Kiss Goodnight

 

26. Surviving The Game

27. The Fugitive

28. Air Force One

29. Universal Soldier

30. Independence Day

 

31. Rumble in the Bronx

32. The Professional

33. Out For Justice

34. Predator 2

35. Mission: Impossible

 

36. La Femme Nikita

37. Last Man Standing

38. The Fifth Element

39. Run Lola Run

40. Three Kings

 

41. The Crow

42. Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

43. Heat

44. Twister

45. Bad Boys

 

46. The Hunt for Red October

47. Ronin

48. Executive Decision

49. In the Line of Fire

50. Broken Arrow

 

51. Saving Private Ryan

52. Stone Cold

53. Armageddon

54. The Rocketeer

55. Deep Rising

 

56. The Edge

57. Last of the Mohicans

58. The Shadow

59. Showdown in Little Tokyo

60. From Dusk Till Dawn

 

61. The Mask of Zorro

62. Crimson Tide

63. Braveheart

64. The Heroic Trio

65. Last Action Hero

 

66. Tomorrow Never Dies

67. Congo

68. The 13th Warrior

69. Double Team

 

And I'll go for 70.

 

Drunken Master II.

 

C'mon.

Edited by mcnooj82 - 10/11/11 at 2:18pm

71. True Romance (1993)

 

"In Jailhouse Rock he was everything rockabilly's about. I mean, he is rockabilly. Mean, surly, nasty, rude. In that movie he couldn't give a fuck about nothing except rockin' and rollin', living fast, dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse."

 

My intro into the geeked out cinematic world of Quentin Tarantino. What a rush this movie was and is! Brilliantly directed by Tony Scott, with an ensemble packed with amazing performances, this is like a twisted love letter to geek culture and all things cool. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette headline -and they both are great--but it's the screenplay that's the star. Who can forget the chilling scene between Hopper and Walken, or the Clarence Worley vs Drexel sequence, or the diologue between the cops and a frazzled and frustrated Bronson Pinchot? (Hi. How are you? My name's Elliot, and I'm with the Cub Scouts of America. We're... we're selling uncut cocaine to get to the jamboree) Nothing like it at the time. And the grand finale hotel mexican stand-off? (the whole hotel sequence, really) A pure cinema adrenaline rush. Tarantino has gone on to do greater things, but this movie remains a favorite, especially for those who caught it in the first exuberate wave of Tarantino mania.

72.

dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri, 1993

 

I am not a fan of anime. At all. But in the mid-1990s, one film transcended that barrier and, through word of mouth, rose far above the animated glut to become prime essential viewing for all fans of action cinema. Like Star Wars or The Matrix, the film seemed to collect the varied conventions of it's genre & reshape them anew with visceral invention, establishing an entirely new standard for action & storytelling in anime. I've only ever owned three anime films in my life & Ninja Scroll is the only one I've ever bothered upgrading through the years. A pure classic.

Edited by Art Decade - 10/11/11 at 8:58pm

73. Darkman (1990)

 

I feel ashamed that I didn't post this one earlier on the list. Sam Raimi directs perhaps the best comic book movie not based on an actual comic book.

 

 

Oh, Don LaFontaine. That man had a voice made for movie trailers. He will be missed. 

YAY FOR DARKMAN!!!

 

Darkman would have been my next pick.   I'd argue it's Raimi's best comic book film.  Period.

75.  'Timecop' (Hyams)

 

Ron Silver stars in this nifty little time travel caper.  He plays two incarnations of the same character, and he has some great comic moments (gotta love him admonishing his younger self to lay off of the candy bars).  Solid action and sci-fi sequences thoughout.  Jean-Claude Van Damme appears in a minor role as well.

76. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) d. Kevin Reynolds

 

Sure, it has a very American Kevin Costner playing Robin Hood, but if you can get past that you'll find a very entertaining movie. There's plenty of swashbuckling action and another great turn by Alan Rickman in a villainous role. I could do without the Bryan Adams, though.

 

 

 

Robin Hood is a great example of a movie where the bad guy has all the best lines.

RoboCop disagrees, but yes a fine choice.