The '80s were known for being a visual spectacle, and that bled perfectly into the decade's action films. The New Hollywood films of the '70s were brushed aside for more action-oriented fare that benefited from VHS and a desire for style over substance. The best action movies of the '80s all shared certain qualities that made them stand out, like big explosions, quip-filled one-liners, and over-the-top violence as the action hero reigned supreme.
Action heroes like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger dominated the box office with their adrenaline-fueled flicks. Of course, they weren't the only ones at the top of their action game in the '80s. The decade was so dominated by action films both good and bad. In fact, the so-bad-it's-good action flick won over just as many fans as the top critical productions. The crown for best '80s action movie is certainly a Battle Royale with plenty of contenders. Some films just barely missed the cut while others drifted too far into other genres to be considered at the top. The battle was brutal, but these '80s action movies stand out from the rest.
Updated on July 31st, 2023 by Sean Shuman: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
20 License to Kill (1989)
License to Kill, the last Bond film of the 1980s, is also one of the franchise's darkest. Played by Timothy Dalton, this iteration of Bond finds himself acting independently of MI6 on a mission for revenge, all while infiltrating the ranks of a notorious drug lord.
Taking notes from contemporary action flicks, License to Kill is still held in high regard by Bond enthusiasts for the bold risks it took with the character. The film introduced a freshness that the series was desperate for at the time.
19 The Running Man (1987)
Despite being based on the Stephen King story of the same name, The Running Man has little to do with it. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as police officer Ben Richards, The Running Man is an incredibly over-the-top action flick that takes place during a worldwide economic collapse.
Convicted criminals are sentenced to death in a tense manhunt styled after a prime-time game show. When Richards is framed and convicted after defying a cruel order, he finds himself working with an underground resistance group to escape the deadly game show with his life and freedom.
18 Midnight Run (1988)
Midnight Run has a lot of different ingredients that, surprisingly, mesh together into a compelling action flick. An action-road-trip-buddy-comedy starring both Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, Midnight Run follows a bounty hunter and a bail bondsman on a cross-country journey.
Instead of finding friendship, they're on the hunt for fifteen million dollars in embezzled funds. With plenty of laughs in between the action, Midnight Run is easily one of the better action comedy films that came out in the late '80s.
17 Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Big Trouble in Little China is as odd as it is entertaining. Starring Kurt Russell and Dennis Dun, this fantastical action adventure film places a trucker in a not-so-typical "fish out of water" story.
Caught in the crosshairs of the supernatural sorcerer Lo Pan, an inept trucker and his quick-witted friend are tasked with rescuing his fiancée from outlandish thugs in San Francisco's Chinatown district. While it bombed at the box office, Big Trouble in Little China has since become a cult classic in John Carpenter's filmography.
16 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was easily the best in the Mad Max franchise prior to the release of Fury Road. Featuring a returning Mel Gibson, the titular Australian loner continues his unending search for gasoline before making himself known to the masked madman Lord Humungus.
A film whose influence can be felt in just about every post-apocalypse story since its release, Mad Max 2 is a direct improvement over its predecessor in every way. The sequel upped the action, the ante, and the absurdity to new highs.
15 Police Story (1985)
Widely regarded as one of Jackie Chan's best movies, Police Story sees the acrobatic action star attempting to clear his own name after a drug lord's arrest sparks a high-profile murder.
With more than half a dozen elaborate stunts featured throughout, including one that nearly killed Jackie Chan outright, Police Story was a film designed around action first and foremost. On top of the action, there are also plenty of chuckles to be had in between all the punches and kicks.
14 Escape from New York (1981)
Kurt Russell is always a reliable action film star. In John Carpenter's 1981 masterpiece Escape from New York, Russell stars as Snake, our eyepatch-wearing protagonist at the center of the story, which is set in an alternate-reality 1997. The U.S. has been completely decimated by crime.
Manhattan Island has since been converted into a maximum security prison, and trouble arises when Air Force One makes a crash-landing into the area. Russell's scene-stealing hero is given 24 hours to help the President escape the city, and if he succeeds, he'll earn a pardon for his troubles. The film was such a hit that Carpenter and Russell teamed up for a worthy sequel, Escape from L.A.
13 Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
The '80s wasn't just the decade of action movies, it was the decade of Eddie Murphy. He took Saturday Night Live by storm and his success translated to film immediately. His first movie role was another '80s classic action flick, 48 Hours in 1982.
However, it was his second action film that really placed Murphy atop the list of greatest '80s action heroes. 1984's Beverly Hills Cop starred Murphy as Axel Foley, a Detroit cop trying to solve his friend's murder in Beverly Hills. Murphy's comedic timing paired with some top-notch action sequences turned Beverly Hills Cop into a blockbuster. Not bad for a film that was originally meant to be a straight-dramatic film starring Sylvester Stallone.
12 Top Gun (1986)
Tony Scott's Top Gun absolutely oozed coolness upon its release. Tom Cruise, fresh off hit films like Ridley Scott's Legend and Risky Business, kicked off his long career in the action genre with Top Gun. Cruise played Maverick, a hot-shot Navy pilot that broke the mold when it came to coolness and recklessness.
However, Maverick soon discovered that dogfight battles in the air were a little more dangerous than training exercises. The film had some of the most amazing in-air camera shots in Hollywood at the time. And while it was nominated for its effects and sound, Top Gun sadly only took home an Oscar for Best Original Song for Berlin's hit tune "Take My Breath Away." Tom Cruise later returned to the role for the record-breaking Top Gun: Maverick in 2023.
11 Bloodsport (1988)
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Bloodsport was a fever dream of '80s action cinema. It relied on the acting talents of martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme, was inspired by a too-unbelievable-to-be-true story, and had a soundtrack so emblematic of the decade that it may as well have been wearing Jordache.
Based on the alleged exploits of Frank Dux, Bloodsport followed Van Damme's portrayal of Dux as he entered the secret martial arts tournament known as The Kumite. While the movie is incredibly light on plot, the hard-hitting action was enough to place Bloodsport as one of the greatest action movies of the '80s and propel Van Damme to stardom.
10 Road House (1989)
Few films ever dared to tell the story of a PhD-educated bouncer with the ability to rip people's throats out with one hand. It's likely no one else ever asked for this story to be told, but thankfully, Road House was brave enough to do so. Starring Patrick Swayze, Road House told the story of James Dalton, an overqualified martial arts practicing bouncer tasked with overseeing a bar in Jasper, Missouri.
His talents naturally draw the ire of the local bad guy, Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), and he is thrust into protecting the town from the corrupt businessman. The over-the-top violence and lapse in logic would have proven too much to handle for any other actor, but Swayze's dedication to the role helped Road House become an instant classic that still holds up today.
9 First Blood (1982)
First Blood paved the way for Stallone to be the action icon of a generation. Despite the excessive violence of future installments, John Rambo's first outing was actually a relatively grounded study of a disillusioned veteran that suffered from PTSD, who just wanted to go home.
The story was based on a novel by David Morrell. First Bloodwas a sign of things to come for Stallone. It showcased Stallone's knack for carrying an action movie and created one of the most enduring action hero characters in film history.
8 Robocop (1987)
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Paul Verhoeven is known for his big action sci-fi films like Total Recall and Starship Troopers, but he kicked them off with one of the best films of his career, Robocop. This gore-filled gem is a perfect blend of the practical effects that both the action and horror genres were known for in the '80s.
It was a true marriage between a B-action film and a big budget. Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed in a brutal shootout with a gang led by bank-robber Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith). He's brought back to life as a robot tasked with cleaning up the corrupt and dangerous streets of Detroit. Robocop won an Oscar for Best Sound Editing and remains one of the most rewatchable films of the genre.
7 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed by Spielberg from a story created by Lucas, Raiders of the Lost Ark followed the whip-carrying adventurer and professor, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he embarked on an expedition to find the Lost Ark of the Covenant.
The first entry in the Indiana Jones franchise had everything going for it: a partnership between two of the biggest directors of their time, Ford's charisma, and John Williams' legendary score. Spielberg excelled in crafting an action film filled with heart and adventure in an immaculate riff on classic pulp stories. Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and ended up winning five Oscars.
6 Commando (1985)
Before there was John Wick, there was John Matrix in the 1985 film Commando. Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the preeminent example of the one-man-army film. Schwarzenegger brought his A-game to this absolute bullet-fest of a film.
The story was simple enough: Matrix is a former commando on a mission to rescue his daughter from the clutches of a crazed mercenary and a South American dictator. What ensues are 90 minutes of Schwarzenegger simply mowing down henchmen and hurling out one-liners as he carries out his mission. The bullet-riddled final act alone is enough to warrant Commando as one of the greatest action films of the '80s.
5 Predator (1987)
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Shooting down countless henchmen wasn't enough for Schwarzenegger, so he had to face off against an extraterrestrial threat in Predator. The 1987 classic was directed by action-movie expert John McTiernan and followed a group of commandos being hunted by the titular alien creature.
Predator stood out among a sea of action movies that dominated the box office at the time. It brilliantly displayed what made Schwarzenegger such a giant of the action-movie genre. It also included some of Schwarzenegger's most iconic lines and a handshake so epic it became an internet meme.
4 Aliens (1986)
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If Ridley Scott's Alien was a horror sci-fi film, then James Cameron's Aliens was certainly an action sci-fi. Everything was bigger and badder in the follow-up to the 1979 film. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was brought back to the surface of LV-426 to prove to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation what happened in the first film.
This time, she came with a small army. The effects were absolutely stunning in Aliens, including a 14-foot-tall Xenomorph Queen created by effect legend Stan Winston. Aliens was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nod for Weaver, and took home two, for Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects.
3 The Terminator (1984)
After dipping his toes into the horror genre with Piranha II: The Spawning, James Cameron released his first massive action film with The Terminator. The Terminator was a perfect blend of action and horror. The sequels may have relied heavily on action sequences, but the very first entry made do with simple set pieces and atmosphere.
The real standout was Schwarzenegger's turn as The Terminator. The stalking, hulking, T-800 android was easily one of the greatest villains to have ever appeared onscreen at the time. He returned in the sequels as a heroic version of the Terminator, which only further catapulted Schwarzenegger's career as an action star.
2 Lethal Weapon (1987)
When it comes to buddy-cop films, Lethal Weapon remains the template. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover shined as the duo of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, two mismatched LAPD detectives on a mission to topple a gang of drug smugglers. Future buddy-cop films owed plenty to Lethal Weapon.
The pairing of the young detective with nothing to lose and the grizzled veteran has been seen in countless similar films. However, few have been able to perfectly emulate the chemistry between Gibson and Glover. Their performances paired with the direction of the legendary Richard Donner made for a nearly perfect action film. Lethal Weapon was nominated for one Oscar and has since spawned three sequels with a fifth movie in development.
1 Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard essentially changed the approach to action films for decades to come. Rather than make a film about the one-man army with no vulnerabilities, director John McTiernan created a brand-new type of action hero: the every-man who is unexpectedly thrust into action. Bruce Willis wasn't the prototypical action hero in 1988.
The character of John McClane also wasn't the typical action character. McClane was an NYPD officer but lacked the physical appearance of someone like Schwarzenegger's John Matrix. He was just a guy at the wrong place at the wrong time. This became the template for so many action movies in the years following Die Hard'srelease. Countless movies wanted to be the next Die Hard, but none were able to perfect the recipe that made the original such a hit with action movie fans.