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Summary
The action genreis presently resurge in popularity thanks to movie like theJohn Wickseries , Fast & Furious , and pop shows likeReacher , but the golden age for action was the 1980s . natural action is a democratic genre that is often blended with other subgenres , but when action movie were growing in popularity in the ' 80s , it was all about the action . This was also the period when many of the most famous faces in action film rose to prominence , with worker like Sylvester Stallone , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Jean - Claude Van Damme , and Dolph Lundgren all becoming legends in the genre .
Manyclassic films from the ' 80s have gone on to becomecult classicswith consecrated followings . Many of these films enjoyed temperate success upon press release , but with the media and cinema invariably produce in popularity , many mass are now look back , to see what films had to put up in early decades . With that in mind , there are plentifulness of great , iconic movies from the activity genre that have gain craze condition , and are worth checking out for any lover of action movies .
10Cobra
1986
Sylvester Stallone is arguably the biggest action ace of the 1980s , having successfully launch theRamboandRockyfranchises and appearing in several other standalone action picture show . In the latter one-half of the ' 80s , Stallone was set up to plunge another action at law franchise when he appeared as the elusive - on - law-breaking bull , Marion Cobretti inCobra . The motion picture was set to launch a subsequence the next year , but after negative reviews from critics , it was dropped . However , the movie still managed to change by reversal a profits and has sincegone on to become a craze classicwith a potential revival in the whole kit and caboodle .
9Red Dawn
1984
Red Dawn , star the likes of Patrick Swayze , Charlie Sheen , and Lea Thompson , imagines World War III becoming a realism and a group of teenagers have intercourse as Wolverines press back against the Soviets . The film received miscellaneous review but is notable for being the first PG-13 rated cinema to be released in the United States . In 2012 , a remake was released starring Chris Hemsworth .
Red Dawnis a star - studded tale about a fabricated World War III stop out in the ' 80s after the dissolution of NATO . The film asterisk Patrick Swayze , and Lea Thompson , along with a group of teens who narrowly break loose an assault on their school day . The young rebels campaign to the woods to take to the woods , and the story see them plot how they can resist the enemy forces trying to track them down . Once again , Red Dawnfailed to realize favour with critics , but the moving-picture show was a fiscal success and hasgrown in popularity year after its release .
These sometimes - forgotten repulsion motion-picture show are essential examples of cult revulsion film that every respectable fan of revulsion picture must catch .
8Road House
1989
With a story and screenplay by David Lee Henry and direction from Rowdy Herrington , Road House is a 1989 Action vent starring Patrick Swayze in the lead role . Swayze steps into the horseshoe of James Dalton , a chucker-out that is hired by a club owner to offer security for the establishment .
Another natural process classic starringPatrick Swayze , Road House , is about a man hire to protect a new club from rearing offence in the area . The moving-picture show is improbably compelling , with some dramatic twist and turns when Swayze ’s grapheme , James Dalton , fires the son of the local crime honcho . Dalton ’s incredible combat skills and intelligence are put to the test when he becomes the primary quarry for local malefactor . Thiscult classical moving picture has also been remade in 2024 , starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor .
7Bloodsport
1988
Jean - Claude Van Damme stars in the martial art movie Bloodsport as a fictional reading of the real - life Frank Dux , a U.S. Army officer who participated in a secret hole-and-corner warlike graphics tournament in Hong Kong . Directed by Newt Arnold , the 1988 activity film helped establish Van Damme as a Hollywood principal .
Jean - Claude Van Damme also star in one of the most successful cult films of the ' 80s , Bloodsport . The film see JCVD enter a deadly martial arts competition where participants are often earnestly injured or even kill . The motion picture was a runaway financial winner , clear several times its budget ( viaThe Numbers ) , and launched a franchise with several subsequence . However , Bloodsportis certainly the biggest winner of the series , andgained rage status among fans of the filmin the age after the movie was released .
6Flash Gordon
1980
WhenFlash Gordonwas first releasedin 1980 , it managed to find early winner in some alien markets , like the UK and Italy , but outside of this , it was n’t widely seen . However , themovie has proven to be a smasher with critic and audiences in the ten sinceand has earned itself a furor status as one of the best natural action and distance opera of all metre . Sam J. Jones star as the titular hero and is joined by stars like Brian Blessed , and Timothy Dalton . The film is well - bed for the way-out visuals , imaginative setting , and humor throughout the action - packed story .
5Highlander
Connor MacLeod , put up in sixteenth 100 Scotland , is one of a few immortals who can only be killed by decapitate . Now , in 1985 , the immortals who have pull through their centuries - foresighted secret warfare meet in New Yor for the " Gathering " to push for the mysterious " Prize . " It ’s up to MacLeod to make trusted that the Prize does not settle into the script of his enemy , Kurgan .
Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery star inHighlander , an unbelievable action flick from 1986 . The film explores the undercover world of immortal warriors who compete against one another for the resplendency of conflict and the mystifying prize that can only be grant to the ultimate champion of the gather . Despite stutter at the box office and losing money against its budget , Highlanderquickly developed a consecrated fanbaseand spark off a franchise with sequels and TV spin - offs . The succeeder was also helped along by Queen create several songs for the moving-picture show .
Some comical script films did n’t quite make an impression on TV audience in theaters , but home video and streaming can give them a whole raw audience .
4The Lost Boys
1987
The Lost Boys follows Michael Emerson ( Jason Patric ) and his young brother Sam ( Corey Haim ) after they move to the small California beach township of Santa Carla only to name that it is overrun with teenaged lamia . When Michael falls dupe to the titulary gang and joins their social status , Sam enlists the help of young vampire hunters the Frog brothers ( Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander ) to keep open his brother from head lamia David ( Kiefer Sutherland ) .
Fromdirector Joel Schumacher , The Lost Boysis one of the effective movies of the ' 80s and spans across multiple music genre , including action mechanism , funniness , and supernatural horror . The moving-picture show sees Michael and Sam move with their recently divorce mother to a small townspeople in California . The boys like a shot notice weird thing about their new home , and throughout the film , they are confronted by the dark secret of the community . The film was a critical and commercial achiever on release andcontinued to develop in popularity and success as a cult filmin the decennary since it was released .
3The Goonies
1985
When a modest Oregon community is threatened by the foreclosure of their homes , a chemical group of new misfits who call themselves the Goonies set out to chance an ancient treasure so as to hold start the town . From a story by Steven Spielberg and a screenplay by Chris Columbus , Richard Donner ’s The Goonies is one of the most iconic risky venture moving-picture show of the 1980s , with a plaster bandage comprising the talent of Sean Astin , Josh Brolin , Corey Feldman , Ke Huy Quan , Jeff Cohen , Robert Davi , and Joe Pantoliano .
Richard Donner’sThe Goonieshas remained an iconic film from the ' 80s since it was release , with the bequest of the movie continuing through the unseasoned stars who went on to enjoy incredibly successful careers in Hollywood . The film follow a group of kids who set out on an escapade to save up their homes from being foreclosed and venture on an epic journey . The motion picture is well one of the best family unit pic of all clip and amust - watch for anyone interested in classic films from the ' 80s .
2Repo Man
Repo Manfaced a difficult initial button as the studio lack confidence in the undertaking and decide not to push the marketing for the project . Despite this , the film quickly gained vital eclat for its satirical analysis of political and current events . The moviestars Emilio Estevezas a punk rocker who is evoke after assault a cobalt - proletarian , before finding work as a repo Isle of Man . The photographic film include supernatural element and clowning that promote it and make it perfect as a furore film . And , in the decades since it was release , thefilm ’s furor condition has carry on to grow .
1Escape From New York
1981
John Carpenter takes on the role of author , composer , and theater director in Escape from New York , a post - apocalyptic sci - fi film where a large portion of New York City is commute into the biggest prison in the world , with all criminals in the United States sentence there . When the President is kidnap and taken short into the pump of the prison house , the government will turn to former soldier turned convict Snake Plissken to deliver him within twenty - four hr in telephone exchange for a full pardon of his criminal offense .
Escape from New Yorkis a dystopian legal action motion picture by legendary repulsion director , John Carpenter . The movie stars Kurt Russell , in a fancied 1997 , where the United States is overrun by crime and has to convert Manhattan Island into a dedicated maximum security measures prison . Russell plays an x - soldier and convict criminal who is offered the fortune to earn his freedom when terrorists hijack Air Force One and break up it into the dangerous island . The movie received extolment initially , but the decade since its release have seen it evolve to become one of thebest fad action at law moving-picture show of the ' 80s .
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
Red Dawn, starring the likes of Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, and Lea Thompson, imagines World War III becoming a reality and a group of teenagers known as Wolverines fighting back against the Soviets. The film received mixed reviews but is notable for being the first PG-13 rated film to be released in the United States. In 2012, a remake was released starring Chris Hemsworth.
