20) Death Wish 3 (1985)
Director: Michael Winner
Writers: Don Jakoby, Brian Garfield
Stars: Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter
Action Sub-genre: Vigilante
Synopsis: “Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.”
19) Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, W.D. Richter
Stars: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun
Action Sub-genre: Comedy, Martial Arts, Adventure
Synopsis: “A rough-and-tumble trucker helps rescue his friend’s fiance from an ancient sorcerer in a supernatural battle beneath Chinatown.”
John Carpenter Slams Dwayne Johnson’s Big Trouble In Little China Sequel Plans
18) Road House (1989)
Director: Rowdy Herrington
Writers: R. Lance Hill, Hilary Henkin
Stars: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott
Action Sub-genre: Drama
Synopsis: “A tough bouncer is hired to tame a dirty bar.”
UAMC Reviews: Why No One Is ‘Cooler’ Than Patrick Swayze in ‘Road House’
17) No Retreat No Surrender (1986)
Director: Corey Yuen
Writers: See-Yuen Ng, Corey Yuen, Keith W. Strandberg
Stars: Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails
Action Sub-genre: Martial Arts
Synopsis: “Jason, a Bruce Lee fan, sees his karate instructor/dad beaten by martial art thugs. They move to Seattle where, after humiliations, he trains with Bruce Lee’s ghost so he can defend himself and others against thugs.”
16) Point Break (1991)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writers: Rick King, W. Peter Iliff
Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey
Action Sub-genre: Buddy Cop, Thriller
Synopsis: “An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.”
How ‘Point Break’ Perfectly Balances Ironic and Sincere Awesomeness
15) Robocop (1987)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner
Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy
Action Sub-genre: Cop, Sci-Fi, Cyborg
Synopsis: “In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.”
The Universal Appeal of the Sci-Fi Action Classic Robocop (1987)
14) Under Siege (1992)
Director: Andrew Davis
Writer: J.F. Lawton
Stars: Steven Seagal, Gary Busey, Tommy Lee Jones
Action Sub-genre: Thriller
Synopsis: “An ex-Navy Seal turned cook is the only person who can stop a group of terrorists when they seize control of a U.S. battleship.”
13) Over the Top (1987)
Director: Menahem Golan
Writers: Gary Conway, David Engelbach, Stirling Silliphant, Sylvester Stallone
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely
Action Sub-genre: Drama, Competition, Sports
Synopsis: “Tough trucker Lincoln Hawk is determined to win back his son and triumph at the world arm wrestling championships.”
Sylvester Stallone’s Top 5 Movies About Arm Wrestling Truck Drivers
12) Invasion USA (1985)
Director: Joseph Zito
Writers: James Bruner, Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris
Stars: Chuck Norris, Richard Lynch, Melissa Prophet
Action Sub-genre: Invasion
Synopsis: “A one-man army comes to the rescue of the United States when a spy attempts an invasion.”
11) Out for Justice (1991)
Director: John Flynn
Writer: R. Lance Hill
Stars: Steven Seagal, William Forsythe, Jerry Orbach
Action Sub-genre: Cop
Synopsis: “The gruesome murder of a Brooklyn Detective will turn the case into a personal vendetta when the deceased’s best friend and fellow officer will unleash an all-out attack against a psychotic Mafia enforcer’s brutal gang.”
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