What's the best action movie of the 80's?

Adam Pollard wrote:Die Hard, BLATES.

This. I must have watched that movie 20 times and I still love it.

Jimmy Shedders wrote:Dah onleh theeng dat muddahs to me noaw is CHENNY!

Knew you'd quote that!

Commando
Aliens
predator.
Can't pick between those three.

Corazon de Leon

It's a straight three-way tie between Commando, Predator and Die Hard. I voted for Commando.

Commando or Robocop. I might have to watch both right now to try and decide as a Poll is not something to be taken lightly, got to make the right choice.

YOUR TRAINING..............MATRIX!

Nothin' but a bunch o' slack-jawed ******* round here, now this stuff'll turn you into a god-damned sexual tyrannosaurus... Just like me!

Hie Dard

Commando isn't that good.

This thread reminds me of something I was thinking about recently: we haven't had a proper, balls-to-the-wall action movie in years and the ones that try just end up full of kung-fu or CGI or whatever bullshti fad is in at the time.

I'd like to issue a challenge to movie studios/directors: get a decent budget, use real stuntmen (no CGI), have a reasonably real setting like Die Hard or Commando, and make a proper action film. No trying to tell some pretentious story (The Matrix), no overly serious tones, just pure action and pure cheese... 80s style!

Somebody hasn't seen Crank.

Banjo wrote:Somebody hasn't seen Crank.

Somebody has.
Somebody wasn't impressed.

Somebody wonders if you really think Crank can be held up against any of those in the poll above?

Those are the absolute pinnacles of the era though, it's bypassing the swathes of turgid mess that also cluttered that time. Of course Crank doesn't hold up when you see what it's up against, it's like comparing Troy to strawberry floating The Thief Of Bagdad when it should be compared with Cleopatra. S'all about context, Crank does the job nicely if not rising to the impossibly high standard that has been set. It's still a balls-to-the-wall action flick and ticks all of the criteria you suggested.

I guess, but I did forget one vital point in my criteria: unforgettable one-liners. The best 80s action films had those one-liners that slay you even now, Crank did not have these.

But going back to my challenge, do you think it could be done in this age of CGI and stupidly long adventure films? It seems that 90-minute-long action films are relegated to "straight-to-DVD" romps starring the likes of Seagal or Wes Snipes, with movie studios wanting to focus on "action" films in the style of the Bourne films or comic book licenses, featuring plenty of great set-pieces but very few that are actually real. Hell, Mission: Impossible 2 was probably the last proper action film that had a budget and big names and that wasn't the greatest effort!

Wait until I start making movies. 8-)

Agent47 wrote:This thread reminds me of something I was thinking about recently: we haven't had a proper, balls-to-the-wall action movie in years and the ones that try just end up full of kung-fu or CGI or whatever bullshti fad is in at the time.

I'd like to issue a challenge to movie studios/directors: get a decent budget, use real stuntmen (no CGI), have a reasonably real setting like Die Hard or Commando, and make a proper action film. No trying to tell some pretentious story (The Matrix), no overly serious tones, just pure action and pure cheese... 80s style!

One word. Taken.

Also, Shoot 'Em Up. Although that's more of a parody of action movies than anything else.

Every one of them is an instant classic and worthy of being in anybody's DVD? Blu Ray collection. It was tough but I chose Die Hard.

This is the worst poll I have ever seen. How am I supposed to choose between these movies?

In the end I went for Commando purely because if I had all of the DVDs in front of me now, that’s the one I would stick on first. But I think Die Hard is actually the best movie.

Difficult choice, but its got to be

What's the matter? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?

Went with Die Hard, It's got loads of great one liners, some good action and has some very good subtle humour.

I'm quite surprised to see how poorly Predator is faring, I'd take it over Commando every time.

What's the best action movie of the 80's?

Let off some steam.

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