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New Jersey is a cultural hotspot that has evolved through the eras: it’s a state with a rich history and intense politics and home to many iconic artists and actors such as Whitney Houston, Buzz Aldrin, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Bruce Springsteen.
New Jersey is also home to a great many wonders such as the iconic Atlantic City, the popularised tourist hub lined with casinos and entertainment venues galore. Really, it’s no surprise that the glamour of New Jersey is said to have been the inspiration for the US edition of Monopoly. The appeal of gambling hasn’t been deterred by recent events as, in 2020, it’s known that New Jersey bettors wagered around $996 million in December and a staggering $6 billion in total. Perhaps this is because finding a New Jersey online casino is very easy, with comparison sites like Bonusfinder compiling lists of casinos with existing free money bonus offers and no deposit bonus codes.
With an array of notable celebrities and exciting locations under its belt, including the glitzy glamour of Atlantic City, it’s perhaps no surprise that New Jersey became a popular backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters, especially action movies in the 80s and 90s. While movies previously were set in hotspots such as Los Angeles or New York, New Jersey became the setting for several classic titles with all-star casts, including Cop Land which featured award-winning Robert De Niro.
In this article, we’re going to explore a few of the best action movies from the 80s and 90s set in New Jersey.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Released in 1984, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is a cross between the action-adventure and science fiction genres. The film, shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, follows a physicist who tries to save the world by defeating aliens from Planet 10 in New Jersey. The movie has since been adapted into comics and video games, owing to its loyal cult following, and has put New Jersey on the map for something other than being the home of Springsteen.
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Lock Up (1989)
Lock Up is a prison action film set in Gateway Prison, a maximum-security prison in New Jersey. The film features Sylvester Stallone and Donald Sutherland. Lock Up follows Frank Leone, played by Stallone, who is taken forcibly to Gateway Prison after upsetting the warden at a low-security prison. The movie brought in $22 million at the box office, but Stallone later recalled it wasn’t performed with enough maturity to have an impact on his career. Respectfully, we disagree.
Cop Land (1997)
Cop Land is a crime-action drama that boasts a star-studded cast of Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, and Ray Liotta. The movie follows Stallone, a small-town sheriff from New Jersey who has to confront corrupt NYPD officers who live in the community. Fittingly, the movie’s soundtrack includes songs from Bruce Springsteen’s The River album.
What’s Entertainment Like In New Jersey Today?
When people think of top filming locations or movies based in major cities, the mind still tends to drift straight over to the likes of Los Angeles or Vancouver, Canada. However, New Jersey deserves to be on this list. It’s been the location of several iconic actions films in the 80s and 90s and will inevitably serve as the backdrop for many up-and-coming film titles.
