The 80's is best known for bringing Lycra, glam rock, and awful action movies into the popular consciousness. Thankfully the Lycra miniskirts are now sitting in a Salvation Army store somewhere in Ohio, Boy George is probably back in jail, and Surf Nazis Must Die has been largely forgotten.
While the 80s was a decade of extravagance and ridiculousness, it also saw the release of some surprisingly awesome action movies. It was difficult to whittle the list down to only 10 and there are definitely some movies that could, and maybe should, be on the list that didn’t quite make the cut.
10. The Terminator (1984) – Much like many of its 80's comrades this is one of those movies that when you watch it now the special effects seem painfully bad; however, when the movie was released the special effects were state of the art. Terminator was also Arnold Schwarzenegger’s second big role after Conan and the one he is most often remembered for.
9. Die Hard (1988) – Each film in this series became progressively more ridiculous, especially the fourth in which Bruce Willis, now 53, crashed a car into a helicopter which exploded. The original Die Hard, however, is a classic. It had a well-known action star in the prime of his career, an over the top foreign bad guy, lots of explosions, and a corny catchphrase.
8. Red Dawn (1984) – This movie had one of the worst plots ever; Soviet troops invade the US and a bunch of students from the local high school move into the woods and fight them off. The cast included Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, and Lea Thompson as part of the “Wolverines.” It’s surprisingly violent, extremely unrealistic, and quintessentially 80's.
7. Mad Max 2 (1981) – Mel Gibson had his first big starring role in the original Mad Max film, but for my money the sequel is the best of the series. It’s a classic Western in a post-apocalyptic setting with Gibson played the part of the hero/cowboy. The movie is action packed and the characters are fleshed out a surprising amount.
6. Lethal Weapon 1 & 2 (1987 & 1989) – Mel Gibson and Danny Glover gained a monopoly on the buddy cop genre with the Lethal Weapon series, especially the first two. Gibson was the hothead, the wildcard, while Glover was the calm veteran. The movies are both funny and full of action and after 20 years they’ve aged pretty well.
5. The Karate Kid (1984) – Everyone knows The Karate Kid, everyone loves The Karate Kid. The first time I saw the movie I probably did the crane kick 100 times in my living room. The story isn’t exactly original, but it’s told well and is a great coming-of-age story. The movie spawned several sequels, but none of them compared to the original.
4. Highlander (1986) – After Highlander was released the director and the studio should have taken some advice from their own film: “There can be only one.” Unfortunately they didn’t, and four god-awful sequels were created along with a passable TV show. The original worked because it had a unique concept and lots no-holds-barred action scenes. Even with a Frenchman playing a Scot and a Scot playing a Spaniard who was really an Egyptian it was still extremely enjoyable; however, the less said about its offshoots the better.
3. Top Gun (1986) – Goose dies. Sorry, I had to get that out of the way. If that’s a spoiler for anyone it’s not my fault; you had 25 years to watch the movie. Tom Cruise before he became a couch-hopping Scientologist was entertaining as F14 pilot Maverick is just pure entertainment. Even the eyebrow-raising volleyball scene adds to what is probably one of Cruise’s best films.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – The first Indiana Jones movie was undoubtedly the best, but apart from the fourth they were all good. The movies had a great mix of action and adventure, a charming cast, and some great writing. My favorite character is the bluff John Rhys-Davies as Indy’s friend Sallah. Raiders of the Lost Ark is Harrison Ford at his very best and is definitely worth a watch.
1. Bloodsport (1988) – Few people will agree with this selection, but for my money there was no better action star in the 80's (and beyond) than the “Muscles from Brussels,” Jean-Claude Van Damme. The movie has action, romance, friendship, and a maniacal villain. Based on the possibly true story of martial artist Frank Dux, Bloodsport is thoroughly entertaining and a classic of the 80s.
There were a lot of other movies that could have been in the top 10, but this is a diverse list that contains a sampling of the best action cinema the 80's had to offer.
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