1980s action films that need more recognition

Updated on July 18, 2022 17:04 PM by Anna P

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

The most underappreciated action film of the 1980s is Big Trouble in Little China, the most outrageous adventure with the most hilariously wonderful plot.

To embark on the biggest adventure of their life, a truck driver and his Chinese friend must discover underneath Chinatown, which is set in a world with green-eyed fiancées, Chinese street gangs, a strong evil sorcerer, magic, and martial arts. The only person who appears to be able to carry off such an action movie is director John Carpenter.

Big Trouble in Little China is a very entertaining movie for its viewers thanks to its sly humor, clever dialogue, loud action, and exciting sequences. Kurt Russell, the film's protagonist, portrays his role as a fearless man with highly corny language. Overall, the film is endearing enough to win over audiences of all ages.

Big Trouble in Little China, a 1986 action comedy directed by John Carpenter, debuted to a huge thud at the box office. Only $11.1 million was made by the movie globally, which is less than half of its rumored expenditure.

Streets of Fire (1984)

A lot of admirers are quick to develop a guilty pleasure for the lesser-known film directed by Walter Hill. From a visual perspective, this masterwork is regarded as being avant-garde. The genre of rock-and-roll action love story is masterfully executed.

Streets of Fire, which stars Michael Pare as an ex-boyfriend trying to rescue his kidnapped ex-girlfriend, Dianne Lane as the kidnapped rock and roll singer, and Willem Dafoe as the gang leader, has gained a cult following.

This film has no dull moments because of its amazing settings, vibrant costumes, outstanding rock performances, and action scenes.

There isn't much that can be said negatively about this movie, aside from the ridiculous speech and awful posters, but those are the minor things that most viewers tend to ignore when the plot moves as smoothly as it does in Streets of Fire.

Action Jackson (1988)

Action Jackson is one of the top action comedies from the 1980s, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone. This film, which represents the clichés of the time, is frequently praised for being so absurdly ridiculous that it is great.

Action Jackson is described as a little-known treasure of the 1980s because it is jam-packed with absurd action from beginning to end and has just the right amount of cheesiness.

Another significant point to be made is that this film marked the return of the Black hero to Hollywood, which was a huge accomplishment given how unkind the 1980s were to Black Hollywood actors playing leading roles.

Commando

The most 1985 movie there has ever been being Commando. Individual wrecking crew Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a retired colonel in the United States Special Forces who is raising his devoted preteen daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) alone in a lovely hillside home.

John embarks on a warpath when Jenny is kidnapped by a group of mercenaries led by Captain Bennett (Vernon Wells), a former coworker. When John confronts Bennett, Bennett's superior, former South American dictator President Arius, allegedly forces him to carry out a political assassination on his behalf (Dan Hedaya).

The character John Matrix was obviously based on, John Rambo, won't be anyone's pawn, and will soon be going full John Rambo against Bennett and Arius, forgoing his assassination mission in favor of methodically eliminating their goons.

John appears to live off a diet of Green Berets. Rae Dawn Chong's attractive flight attendant Cindy helps John find his way back to Arius's expansive house in time for a titanic showdown. Without giving away the ending, suffice it to say that Arnie usually makes it out alive in his non-Terminator roles.

Commando is very violent and hilariously silly, but it's also very conscious of its silliness. Similar to Predator or the first two Terminator movies, this is nowhere near the caliber of a traditionally "excellent" Arnie movie. You should have a great time if you immerse yourself in the experience without thinking.

Black Rain (1989)

Black Rain, which was directed by Ridley Scott and starred Michael Douglas, is a film with a weak plot and an erroneous portrayal of the city of Osaka. The other outstanding action scene visuals, though, make it a worthwhile watch and draw in any action fan.

A grisly murder is committed in a pub, and Charlie (Andy Garcia) and a New York police officer (Michael Douglas) manage to catch the murderer right away. To make matters worse, Sato, the murderer, is a notorious Japanese Yakuza member (Yusaku Matsuda).

He had to be taken to Japan as a result of his trial. The Yakuza release him, though, and the situation changes. Now that the culprit has been located, Nick and Charlie must work together to hunt through the Yakuza underworld while fending off adversaries.

Maniac Cop (1988)

Watching Maniac Cop with Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins is highly recommended. A young New York City police officer is accused of being responsible for the city's rising murder rate in the scheme. To stop the crazy cop and prevent her boyfriend from going to jail, his girlfriend works with a detective.

The film's unusually cheap budget does not prevent it from being praised for some of its most incredibly brutal moments, legendary automobile chase scenes, and the film's chilling ending police bloodbath.

The movie, which was directed by William Lustig and featured his remarkable acting abilities, also offered audiences intrigue, suspense, terror, and smart banter to keep them captivated.

Runaway Train

In the 1970s and 1980s, the infamous Cannon Films created a tonne of silly exploitation films. However, some fantastic, Oscar-caliber genre entertainment was lost in the mud. Runaway Train, an explosive jail breakout thriller featuring Jon Voight at the height of his machismo powers and a young, budding Eric Roberts, was one of the best Cannon films.

The two play bank robbers Buck McGeehy and Manny Manheim (Voight) (Roberts). In this epic survivalist adventure, Buck and Manny must cross the nation, cross a freezing river, and eventually board the titular train to escape a high-security prison run by Ranken, a psychopathic associate warden (John P. Ryan).

Things eventually take a terrible turn for the endearing fugitives as train hostler Sara (Rebecca De Mornay) tries to help the two through their railway juggling. This is a compelling action film that demands a second look.

Best of the Best (1989)

Eric Roberts, a widowed father of a five-year-old son, is required to travel to Korea to compete in a karate event on behalf of the United States of America. Eric provides viewers with some of the most exciting action scenes in the entertainment business, which turned out to be some of the 1980s' best-kept secrets.

Finest of the Best is in fact among the best, with the ideal amount of sentiment and flawless martial arts scenes. Although the acting isn't always up to par and the speech can be regarded as a touch clichéd for an action film, the melodrama makes the film an emotional force.

Bloodsport (1988)

Since Rocky's ascent, we've seen plenty of dull movies about budding boxers and fighters. Most of these Rocky knockoffs are dreadfully clichéd. With so many well-known cliches, Bloodsport does fall into a similar trap. The picture did not find favor with critics. However, audiences responded to it better.

Some people think that Jean-Claude Van Damme's best work is in Bloodsport. Frank Dux, the character he plays, enters the brutal Hong Kong martial arts scene. While maintaining a dark sense of humor the entire time, Bloodsport is packed with all the bone-crunching and blood spurts you could want.

Cobra (1986)

Another critically disliked movie on this list is Cobra. Having said that, Cobra is now regarded as a cult masterpiece, in contrast to some of the other entries. The cast of this Beverly Hills Cop remake includes Brigitte Nelson, Reni Santoni, Sylvester Stallone, and others. You did read that correctly.

If you didn't know, Stallone contributed to Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop script. He created a new film, Cobra, using many of the pre-production ideas he had generated. Stallone portrays a tough officer named Cobra who makes it his duty to track down and eliminate a cult of would-be serial killers.

Police Story (1985)

Due to Jackie Chan's involvement—he wrote and directed the movie—and the fact that it is well praised, Police Story stands out on this list. Chan became known as one of the greatest in the field because of their Police Story. Outside of Hong Kong, Chan's Hollywood career began with the release of this movie.

Chan portrays a law-abiding officer who wants to find a drug boss. The woman who will testify against him must thereafter be kept safe. Chan's portrayal and the superb battle choreography received high plaudits from the critics. The longevity of Police Story all these years after its initial release may surprise you.