Among the many gifts the 1980s gave to western civilization was the 80s action movie. As the cinematic landscape evolved, aging out of the grim, nihilistic stories from ‘70s filmmakers impacted by Vietnam’s toll likeAlan Arkin,Roman PolanskiandStanley Kubrick, the 80s brought forth hope, prosperity, and lots and lots of explosions. The best 80s action movies saw musclebound men with unceasing firepower blowing bad guys to Kingdom Come. We got one-liners, synth scores, mustachioed heroes in ill-fitting denim, and visions of dystopian futures often replete with suspicious robotics.
The 80s was a time of indulgence, of mullets, of slo-mo. WhileSteven Spielbergwas creating timeless art that would endure for future generations, guys likeJohn McTiernanandPaul Verhoevenwere marinating in the decade’s pungent juices, bringing to life material in such a way as had never been seen before.
These are the most over the top 80s action movies. And no,Over the Topdid not make the cut.
RELATED:The Best Action Movies on Netflix Right Now
The Terminator(1984)
Director:James Cameron
Writers:James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher (additional dialogue)
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen
The thing aboutThe Terminatoris that it’s not just a great action movie and a great sci-fi movie—it’s also a great monster movie. When viewed through that lens, the film is elevated to one of the decade’s very best, regardless of its genre. Most remember the classic lines,Brad Fiedel’s awesome score, and the police station shootout. But lost in the discussion is the taut tension from start to finish—illuminated by the performances ofLinda HamiltonandMichael Biehn. The urgency with which they operate sells the fear of this relentless cyborg as something very real. And fear is one of the film’s themes. It’s what drives the John Connor of the future to send Kyle Reese back to 1984, and it’s the overwhelming emotion Sarah Connor lives in until she finally has enough during the film’s climax. It’s about fear of the future and fear of machines, and it was years ahead of its time.
Predator(1987)
Director:John McTiernan
Writers:Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Elpidia Carrillo, Shane Black, Richard Chaves, Kevin Peter Hall
If a more macho movie exists, I’ve not found it.Predatoris the kind of film that makes you feel inferior as a man as its testosterone explodes through the screen and punches you in the mouth. From the hand-clasping, bicep-bulging first encounter between Dutch and Dillon, to Billy’s provocative chest slicing, to a mud-bathed Arnold’s primal, taunting howl,John McTiernan’s sci-fi action extravaganza so deftly accomplishes what it sets out to achieve. What begins as a simple rescue mission for an elite special ops squad of steroid-munching slayers in a Central American jungle, quickly goes awry when they discover they’re the ones being hunted. Hunted, that is, by a fierce alien who gets his kicks out of tearing the spines clean out of his human victims’ bodies. Though not as humorous as some of the decade’s other offerings, it boasts Schwarzenegger’s best-remembered lines—the ones penned with the flair of Shakespearian prose, like “Run! Go! Get to the choppah!!” and “C’mon, do it! C’mon, do it now! Kill me!” BetweenStan Winston’s creature design work and the action culminating with the mano-a-mano finale,Predatoris in a class all its own.
RoboCop(1987)
Director:Paul Verhoeven
Writers:Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner
Cast:Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer
RoboCopis a lot of things: a warning of a dystopian future, a social commentary, a superhero origin story, a critique of the human race. Ultimately, a great action flick resides at its core. The tale of Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), who is brutally shot up and killed in a future Detroit by a ruthless gang, and then resurrected as a cyborg policeman by Omni Consumer Products (which runs the police force), is what awesome ‘80s sci-fi was all about. As Murphy—or, RoboCop—performs his duty in ways other officers could only dream, he comes to remember those who killed him, discovering they’re more than just a band of violent criminals. Weller is awfully convincing as the near-indestructible part man/part robot. AndKurtwood Smith, ofThat ‘70s Showfame, is deliciously nefarious as gang leader Clarence Boddicker. As a shoot-em-up movie, few others of the decade feature as many bullets and as much blood and gore as this one. And it’s still relevant today as 21st-century fears are stoked (the machines are taking our jobs!).
Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981)
Director:Steven Spielberg
Writer:Lawrence Kasdan
Cast:Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Ronald Lacey
George Lucas’ dream of adapting the Saturday morning serials he loved as a boy into an action-adventure flick was realized in 1981, when palSteven Spielbergcreated a classic among classics. Lucas andPhilip Kaufmanconceived the story that would becomeRaiders of the Lost Ark, featuring perhaps the most iconic movie character ever seen in Indiana Jones. Set in 1936, the globe-trotting thrill ride, which sees Indy attempt to reach the Biblical Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do, is a blend of big set pieces and palatable humor, with a good bit of frights mixed in. Beautifully shot, with yet another pitch-perfect score from the greatJohn Williams,Raidersendures as a motion picture experience whose imagery and action sequences—be it the marketplace skirmish, the fistfight under the propellers of a Nazi BV-38, or the horseback truck chase—are as indelible as any ever put to celluloid.Raiders’ place on the Mt. Rushmore of the genre is practically a given, no matter the decade.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989)
Writer:Jeffrey Boam
Cast:Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne
The third—and final, in the minds of many—installment of theIndiana Jonesfranchise is the most well-made of the three. It’s also the funniest by a wide margin. Set two years after the events inRaiders, the story introduces Indy’s father, Henry Jones Sr., played by the incomparableSean Connery. The elder Jones is thrust into a world of action he’s not exactly fit for, resulting in some comically brilliant sequences. At the center of the film is the quest for Holy Grail—the chalice used byJesusat the Last Supper. Once again, the Nazis are after it, believing it will lead to everlasting life in a gross misunderstanding of the Scriptures. Indy must rescue his father and then recover the Grail before it falls into Hitler’s hands. The journey there is brimming with spectacular set pieces, taking us from Venice to Germany to the deserts of Jordan. The film’s pacing and structure is Spielberg at his best and most commercial.Last Crusadehas more in common withRaidersthan it doesTemple of Doom, thankfully, and with the benefit of a significantly larger budget and a cleaner presentation of the story, it might just be the better film.
Commando(1985)
Director:Mark L. Lester
Writer:Steven E. de Souza
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke
Among the decade’s most absurd, yet most encompassing, isCommando. Arnold plays John Matrix, a retired special forces colonel whose daughter is kidnapped by a former comrade. If Matrix doesn’t comply with her abductor’s demands, she’ll be killed. You might think the only possible outcome for Matrix is a sour one. But this is a Schwarzenegger movie. He’ll break your neck, jump out of a plane into a swamp, drop you from a cliff, or hurl a steam pipe through your chest. He kills the baddies one by one, each a more creative offing than the last. Thankfully, in the end, he’s got a smorgasbord of military weaponry at his disposal, conveniently awaiting his arrival in a shed at the grounds his daughter’s being held upon. Explosions and automatic rifle fire ensue as this thing goes exactly where you hope it will. Complete with one-liners the world over and a steadily rising body count, it’s difficult not to giggle as you indulge in the poster child of ‘80s action cinema.
Aliens(1986)
Director/Writer:James Cameron
Cast:Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn
What’s so fascinating about this franchise—the first two installments, anyway—is that the first is an all-time great horror movie, and the second is an all-time great action movie. While both maintain a sci-fi heart, the genre shift between them shouldn’t work, yet it does. And it somehow manages to feel like it’s part of the same universe, thanks to Ripley’s continued arc, the world-building, and the production design. After the events of the first film rendered her the lone survivor in a space mission gone awry, Ripley awakes from hypersleep after nearly sixty years and is recruited to help a unit of colonial marines make contact with, and fight off, the predatory Xenomorphs on the LV-426 moon. A master of action,James Cameron’s direction here is top-notch. He builds enough tension to make you nervous, then throws the whole thing into chaos as all hell breaks loose, forcing Ripley to face her fears and fight these space monsters once again. The second half is an acid blood-in-your-face thrill ride that never lets up, transporting you to the doomed colony in all its blue and darkly metallic hues. It’s a shame the franchise never got any better than this going forward.
Top Gun(1986)
Director:Tony Scott
Writers:Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.
Cast:Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt
The early goings ofTom Cruise’s career saw him performing primarily in dramas—some heavier than others. Then came 1986’sTop Gun, which introduced moviegoers to the F-14A Tomcat and the sort of aerial acrobatics never before seen on film. Not sinceHoward Hughes’Hell’s Angelshad dogfighting aircraft so thrilled audiences on the big screen. The story of LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a daring U.S. Naval Aviator who heads to the elite Topgun Naval Fighter Weapons School makes up in action what it lacks in plot. We find Maverick romance his instructor (Kelly McGillis), butt heads with a rival called Iceman (Val Kilmer) and lose his best friend, Goose (spoilers!), all culminating with the ace rebel pilot’s return to the air in a battle with hostile Russian MiGs at the movie’s thrilling climax. DirectorTony Scottputs you in the cockpit for intimacy, and outside it for a real sense of these fighter jets’ maneuverability. With Cruise producing the 2020 sequel,Top Gun: Maverick, there’s little doubt the action sequences will be taken up (literally) a notch or two.
Superman II(1980)
Director:Richard Lester/Richard Donner
Writers:Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Tom Mankiewicz (uncredited)
Cast:Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Terrance Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran
DirectorRichard Donnerwas famously booted from the sequel to the 1978 hit, which made you believe a man could fly. While the first installment is still superior—certainly in its first two acts—the sequel’s climax, in whichChristopher Reeve’s titular alien stud does battle on and above the streets of Metropolis (Manhattan) with the three Kryptonian insurrectionists, is what makes it a solid action flick. Though most of it was reshot byRichard Lester, best known for helming the Beatles’A Hard Day’s Nightand other comedic pictures,Superman IIworks best when the Man of Steel is playing savior to the sounds ofJohn Williams’ triumphant score. It’s fun as a romance, but better as a tale about a hero recognizing that he cannot abandon his role on planet earth, no matter his deepest desires. All these years later, the cornball moments and dated special effects are overshadowed by Reeve’s dual Clark Kent/Superman performance and the delightfulGene Hackman, whose Lex Luthor is an utter joy every time he shows up on screen.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back(1980)
Image via Lucasfilm
Director:Irvin Kershner
Writers:Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan
Cast:Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Alec Guinness
Still the topStar Warsfilm almost forty years later, this sequel to the cultural phenomenon works so well because its stakes are raised as the story progresses. The first movie introduces you to the universe and its characters, but it’s the second film that makes you care more deeply for them, leaving you hanging—almost literally—at the closing moments, eager to learn the fate of these space heroes. The drama is elevated from the first film to the second, but it’s the action that is leaps and bounds beyond what we saw inA New Hope. We’ve got snow battles, space chases, gunfights, and lightsaber duels where the emotional impact of each blow is far more meaningful than almost anything the franchise has offered since. The pacing ofEmpireis the best the saga has presented, as Luke’s journey to become a Jedi takes center stage, culminating with one of the great twists the cinema has ever seen. Taking full advantage of bigger budget, the visuals are wonderful, the expansion of the world providing a larger variety of aesthetic, making for a new kind of action escapism that sent fans into a frenzy in 1980.
