40) Undefeatable (1993)
Director: Godfrey Ho
Writers: Robert Vassar, Steve Harper, Tai Yim, Timothy Le
Stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Don Niam, John Miller
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts, Revenge
Synopsis: “Kristi Jones (Cynthia Rothrock) avenges her sister’s death at the hands of a crazed martial arts rapist.”
39) Red Dawn (1984)
Director: John Milius
Writers: Kevin Reynolds, John Milius
Stars: Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson
Action Sub-genre: Invasion, Militia
Synopsis: “It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.”
Red Dawn: Back When American High Schoolers Kicked Russian Butt
38) Demolition Man (1993)
Director: Marco Brambilla
Writers: Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Reneau, Daniel Waters
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock
Action Sub-genre: Sci-Fi, Cop
Synopsis: “A police officer is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent nemesis who is loose in a non-violent future society.”
10 Things You Never Knew About Sylvester Stallone’s Demolition Man (1993)
37) Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
Director: Stanley Tong
Writers: Edward Tang, Fibe Ma
Stars: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Françoise Yip
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts, Comedy
Synopsis: “A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills.”
36) Missing in Action (1984)
Director: Joseph Zito
Writers: Arthur Silver, Larry Levinson, Steve Bing, James Bruner, John Crowther, Lance Hool
Stars: Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh, David Tress
Action Sub-genre: War, POW, Special Forces
Synopsis: “Colonel Braddock launches a mission deep into the jungles of Vietnam to find the POW camp that he escaped from and free the Americans still held captive there.”
35) Kickboxer (1989)
Directors: Mark DiSalle, David Worth
Writers: Mark DiSalle, Glenn A. Bruce, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Alexio, Dennis Chan
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts, Tournament
Synopsis: “Kurt Sloane must learn the ancient kick boxing art of Muay Thai in order to avenge his brother.”
34) The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Director: Bruce Lee
Writer: Bruce Lee
Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts
Synopsis: “A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.”
Bruce Lee’s Ultimate Legacy Deserves Better than Birth of the Dragon (2016)
33) The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Director: Mark DiSalle
Writer: David C. Wilson
Stars: Jeff Speakman, John Dye, Mako
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts, Revenge
Synopsis: “An expert (Jeff Speakman) in “kenpo” karate avenges his Chinatown friend, slain by a mobster in Los Angeles.”
Jeff Speakman is the Perfect Action Hero in The Perfect Weapon (1991)
32) They Live (1988)
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Ray Nelson, John Carpenter
Stars: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Action Sub-genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Synopsis: “A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.”
31) Rocky (1976)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Action Sub-genre: Sports, Drama, Tournament
Synopsis: “A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.”
How Sylvester Stallone Shaped the History of Action Movies with Rocky (1976)
wow this is one screwed up list, cobra #1 really? this movie never even got a sequel because it was one of stallones worst ever, picking it over terminator and die hard, again WOW