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Some of the best action movies ever put on screen were produced in the 80s and 90s. The genre has always been one of the best pathways for filmmakers to achieve blockbuster status in the theaters. During that stretch, R-rated action movies pushed their storytelling with more violence, bigger explosions, and over-the-top stunts aimed at an adult audience.
Still, some of the best action films of the era have fallen through the cracks over the years. Larger franchises tend to dominate the conversation, whereas standalone releases risk becoming lost in overall genre discussions. The good news is that this leaves a forgotten, overlooked treasure trove of past classics waiting to be rediscovered or experienced for the first time.
Rapid Fire Excels At the Standard Action Formula
Two years before Brandon Lee would star in The Crow, he would portray art student Jake Lo in Dwight H. Little's 1992 action drama Rapid Fire. The film doesn't necessarily stand out because it tried to reinvent the wheel; instead, it took a structure that genre fans would be more than familiar with, leveraging Brandon Lee's rising star status. The filmmakers injected Jackie Chan-inspired martial arts into the crime thriller.
Lee helped coordinate the fight scenes himself. Following his memorable co-starring role in 1991's Showdown in Little Tokyo, Rapid Fire was poised to make him a household name and a proven leading man in Hollywood. While the movie didn't make its budget back at the box office, Rapid Fire quickly became a hit through its home video sales, reaching the top 10 Billboard rental charts for 1993.
Blue Steel Blends the Police Procedural With the Stalker Thriller
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, 1990's Blue Steel starred Jamie Lee Curtis as rookie NYPD officer Megan Turner. During his first day on the streets, Turner shoots and kills a robber. The criminal's gun is stolen from the scene by Ron Silver's Eugene Hunt, who becomes obsessed with Turner. Hunt begins a killing spree in the city. Unaware of the killers' identity, Turner enters a relationship with Hunt.
Blue Steel arrived at an important point in Kathryn Bigelow's career. She was fresh off the cult horror neo-western Near Dark. Though Blue Steel didn't reach a level of financial success on home video like Rapid Fire, it helped Bigelow iron out her action aesthetic. Shortly after, she would direct Point Break and launch herself into the mainstream.
To Live and Die in L.A. Is a Neo-Noir Hidden Gem
William Friedkin is best known for directing one of the most influential horror films of all time, The Exorcist, but 1985's To Live and Die in L.A. is perhaps one of his better unsung works. Adapted from Gerald Petievich's novel, the movie centers around Secret Service agent Richard Chance, played by William Petersen. Petersen becomes consumed with tracking down Willem Dafoe's Eric Masters after his partner is murdered.
To Live and Die in L.A. does a masterful job of blurring the line between the good guys and the bad guys. Petersen and his new partner, John Vukovich,descend into corruption in their pursuit of Masters. Despite a cult following and Friedkin's standing in Hollywood, the movie is rarely recognized among the decade-defining action films.
Sidney Poitier Returned to Acting After a Hiatus in Shoot to Kill
Starring Sidney Poitier, 1988's Shoot to Kill saw the legendary actor return to the screen after taking a decade-long hiatus to step behind the camera. The movie was released through Disney's branch studio, Touchstone Pictures, which was designed for mature releases that deviated from the company's family-friendly brand. Poitier portrays FBI agent Warren Stantin pursuing Clancy Brown as the killer.
Shoot to Kill checks two distinct boxes, starting in a familiar city setting that conjures the police procedural aesthetic before the movie flips the script after the killer, Steve, escapes to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. For its time, Shoot to Kill was a box office success, but it has largely faded from genre conversations in the decades since its release.
Ricochet Is Denzel Washington's Forgotten Action Thriller
Denzel Washington has no shortage of action roles under his belt, yet 1991's Ricochet rarely comes up when discussing his legendary career. It has since become an overlooked stepping stone before films such as Crimson Tide, The Siege, and Man on Fire would launch him into iconic action status. John Lithgow provides a perfect antagonist with his portrayal of Earl Talbot Blake.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, Washington plays Nick Styles, who, as a rookie in the LAPD, essentially goes viral after a bystander records him disarming Lithgow's character. His fame from the incident propels his career while Blake plots his revenge from prison. Over 30 years after its debut, Ricochet is an early indicator of Washington's superstardom.
