Welcome back to Movies Never Say Die—the place where explosions are big, dialogue is minimal, and the mullets flow like the mighty Mississippi. This is episode three of our deep dive into the wild, sweaty, totally underrated world of ‘90s B-action movies. By now, you know the drill: low budgets, high body counts, and heroes who solve every problem with a roundhouse kick or a rocket launcher. Whether it’s cops who don’t play by the rules or lone warriors taking on entire armies with nothing but grit and ammo, these movies still hit harder than they have any right to. Let’s get into it.
Tough and Deadly (1995)
Get ready for double the fists and double the attitude for this movie as Billy Blanks, an ex-CIA agent with amnesia, who teams up with “Hot Rod” Rowdy Roddy Piper who’s a PI to punch their way through a drug smuggling case in 1995’s Tough and Deadly. Directed by Steve Cohen.
If Tough and Deadly were a protein shake, it’d be 80% testosterone, 15% slow motion spin kicks and 5% Roddy Piper’s absurd beard. This one gives you Billy Blanks, the Tae Bo guy—roundhouse kicking his way through bad guys like he was choreographed to do so. Then there’s Roddy Piper, the walking embodiment of “let’s just see what happens if I punch it, or scowl at it.” Together, they form a buddy cop duo that deliver a surprising amount of silly charm. As for the plot? Who cares! Something about amnesia, CIA secrets, and a never-ending supply of guys in suits begging to be kicked through windows. It’s like someone saw Lethal Weapon, removed all logic, quadrupled the fights, and said, “Now this is cinema.” Every punch is over-the-top. Every explosion looks like it was borrowed from a firework warehouse sale. And every bad guy is doomed. Tough and Deadly is a movie that constantly says let’s throw him through a plate-glass window, or off a rooftop, then walk away in slow motion. And I respect that.
Night of the Running Man (1995)
This slick action thriller directed by Mark L. Lester stars Andrew McCarthy as an unlucky cab driver steals a briefcase full of money found in the back of his taxi but soon finds himself running for his life from a cold-blooded hitman sent to retrieve it played by Scott Glenn in, Night of the Running Man from 1995.
Night of the Running Man is what happens when a cab driver accidentally becomes Jason Bourne… if Jason Bourne chain smoked and wore tacky jackets. Andrew McCarthy stumbles into a briefcase full of mob money, and within minutes, he’s sprinting through Las Vegas like a man who realized taking it was a bad idea, right after he took it. Scott Glenn plays the hitman on his tail—cool, calculated, and proof not all actors are designed for sex scenes. This movie isn’t flashy, but it’s got style. The neon-lit alleys, the slick 90s pacing, and a script that somehow convinces us Andrew McCarthy is both charming and dangerous? Pure B-movie sorcery. This movie’s like watching Collateral on a VHS tape you found in your uncle’s garage. People get stabbed, chased, shot, and confused—and it’s a blast. Night of the Running Man is a hidden gem with noir vibes and the kind of offbeat energy that makes you wonder why more people haven’t seen it. It’s not trying to be high art—it’s trying to be high tension, and it knocks the ball out of the park.
Cover Up (1991)
The tagline of this one claimed if the lies didn’t kill you, the truth would. As a journalist fight to save lives after uncovering a terrorist plot. But lucky for us this journalist is ex-marine, and human action figure, Dolph Lundgren. In 1991’s Cover-Up. It also starred Louis Gossett Jr and was directed by Manny Coto.
Dolph Lundgren plays a journalist in Cover Up, which is clearly the most unrealistic thing in the movie. He’s investigating a military cover-up in the Middle East, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time for chase sequences and shootouts that make zero journalistic sense. Lundgren is somehow both too smart for this role and way too jacked to be doing interviews. Cover-Up feels like a movie that tried to make a political thriller, then decided halfway through to just blow everything up and toss in some steamy Cinemax After Dark shower lovin’. The villain is sneering. The conspiracies are vague. And every action scene feels simplistic. But you know what? It works. Gossett Jr. is way too good for this movie but bless his heart he takes it seriously. There’s a certain charm in how Cover Up tries to be The Pelican Brief and ends up as The Pelican Brief but with grenades. It’s peak “Sunday afternoon cable” energy, and that’s a vibe I’ll always support.
The Base (1999)
This action flick from 1999 stars Mark Dacascos as a soldier who goes undercover inside the military to stop a drug smuggling operation in a movie delivers military justice with a side of explosions and ass kicking for dessert in, The Base directed by Mark L. Lester.
Alles cuisine! The Base is what happens when someone says, “Let’s make A Few Good Men… but with more punching and gunfire.” Mark Dacascos plays a soldier who infiltrates a rogue military unit that’s more interested in war crimes than war drills. It certainly has that late-’90s direct-to-video look—grainy, dark, and full of guys yelling “Sir!” while loading weapons. Dacascos, always underrated, solid charisma. He doesn’t have much to work with, but he does what he can. The villains are so exaggerated you can smell their cologne coming from their loud shirts. There’s a lot of yelling, case solving, shooting, and suspiciously deserted military bases. Logic takes a backseat to vibe, but you’re not watching this one for realism anyway. This is a B-action movie and much closer to In the Army Now than The Thin Red Line. The Base might not be a classic, and it feels like a TV flick. But it knows exactly what the real mission was: guns, grit, and justice, all delivered with a slo-mo boot to the chest. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
Tremors (1990)
I’ll admit this one rides the line of being a B-movie. It had studio backing. And some would say it’s more horror-thriller than action. But this gem from 1990 is too awesome to skip. Ron Underwood’s Tremors brings underground monsters, small-town grit, Ward’s bulletproof charm, and Kevin Bacon’s finest hair to a fantastic survival party out in the desert.
Now I see that Tremors is technically not a tried-and-true B-movie. Its sequels certainly are yet I still think Tremors has just enough B-movie campiness to be worthy of a slot on the list. It’s a fantastic action-packed creature feature, but come on—giant underground Graboid’s, Kevin Bacon and his big heart belt buckle, Fred freakin’ Ward, and the Gummer’s wall of guns? It earns an honorary B-action badge in my book. The town of Perfection, Nevada, is attacked by giant Graboid’s that hunt by sound, and it’s up to a bunch of regular small towns to fight back. This includes Reba McEntire with a shotgun and Michael Gross channeling NRA survivalist energy so intense he’s probably somewhere in a bunker making his own ammo. The effects are practical and glorious. The humor is sharp. The pacing is tight. It’s a popcorn movie that knows exactly what it is and thrives in it. Tremors is like Jaws in the desert—if the shark could tunnel under your house. It’s suspenseful, funny, ridiculous and surprisingly clever for a movie about dirt snakes.
Edge of Honor (1991)
It’s Boy Scouts versus bullets in this forgotten gem from 1991 about a group of scouts who find a cache of weapons, stumble into an arms-smuggling operation, and end up in the fight of their lives. All in a tight 89 minutes in, Edge of Honor starring Corey Feldman and Meredith Salenger. Directed by Michael Spence.
Boy Scouts with guns instead of slingshots. That’s Edge of Honor, a movie where a group of teens stumble into a weapons-smuggling ring and suddenly go full Red Dawn, sort of. If Red Dawn brought us the Wolverines. Edge of Honor delivers us the Honey Badgers. It’s got Corey Feldman doing his best action hero face, a forest full of armed thugs, and enough plaid to clothe a 1991 PNW family reunion. The acting is… enthusiastic but raw. The stunts? Rough around the edges, yet enjoyable. But the commitment? Impeccable. The tone veers wildly between coming-of-age drama and “We’re going to war, boys!” It shouldn’t work, but somehow it kind of does? Think Stand by Me meets Commando after three cans of Jolt. Edge of Honor is weird, it’s wild. It has Patrick Swayze’s brother in it and it’s exactly the kind of movie you’d watch on cable at 2 a.m. and wonder if you dreamt it. But you didn’t. It’s real. And it has teens wielding rocket launchers.
Passenger 57 (1992)
We’re taking the action to the skies for this movie from 1992 about a group of hijackers who take over a plane to free an international terrorist, only to learn that Air Marshal Wesley Snipes is on board. Snipes always “bets on black”, and that’s bad news for the bad guys in Passenger 57 directed by Kevin Hooks.
Passenger 57 is basically Die Hard on a plane—except Wesley Snipes isn’t in the vents. He’s in seat 57, he has his shoes on, and he’s smoother than your first in-flight beverage on a long trip. Snipes character comes complete with a tragic backstory and a candlelit workout montage. Leading to terrorists promptly hijacking a commercial flight. Snipes plays an anti-terrorism expert who just so happens to be onboard. Bad luck for the terrorists but good luck for us viewers. Passenger 57 has a cheese platter of one-liners, adrenaline pumping fistfights in cramped spaces. The villain is a theatrical British lunatic with a punchable face, who really steals the show. His dialogue is absurdly entertaining. And the supporting cast is full of disposable action movie cronies. The plot is made of 100% recycled material, but really, who cares? Snipes carries the whole thing with gusto, like a legend. It’s fast, fun, and over before the drink cart comes back around. And to me it’s a classic in the “I remember renting this from Blockbuster” category.
Street Knight (1993)
Next up we’re jumping to 1993. A gang war has caused violence to run rampant in Los Angeles and a former cop is pulled back into the fight. Bad news for gang bangers because this ex-cop is Jeff Speakman, and he packs fists of fury in Street Knight. Where the streets are mean, the gangs are ruthless, and justice knows karate.
The Perfect Weapon himself, Jeff Speakman returns in Street Knight, bringing his patented mix of bangs, deadpan stoicism, and lightning-fast Kenpo skills. The plot here? Something about gang wars, frame-ups, and Speakman being the only man who can karate his way to justice. Street Knight doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it doesn’t have to. It’s about clean strikes, dangerous bad guys, and one man with serious spin-kick energy. It’s so heavily recycled Street Knight even borrows a line from Terminator 2 for its closing hero one-line. This movie is drenched in early-‘90s urban grit, like someone smashed Boyz in the Hood and Hard to Kill together then added a turtleneck to the hero. Speakman doesn’t say much—but when he does, it’s either amusingly superficial or socially awkward which isn’t a deal breaker since he frequently kicks someone in the head soon afterward. Is Street Knight low-budget, yes—but Speakman’s moves are legit, and the movie takes itself just seriously enough to sell all the b-action nonsense.
Beyond the Law (1993)
Moving along, also from 1993 is an undercover themed action thriller where Charlie Sheen grows some highly questionable facial hair and infiltrates a deadly biker gang in Beyond the Law. A testosterone-soaked ride of leather, tattoos, unprotected sex, and two-wheeled lawlessness. Also starring Michael Madsen, and Linda Fiorentino.
In Beyond the Law, Charlie Sheen dives headfirst into biker gang chaos as an undercover cop who goes deep. Like, “grows a beard that would take most men years, and forgets who he is” deep. Based loosely on a true story, it’s surprisingly gritty and grimy for a Sheen-led project. He’s sweaty, paranoid, and covered in leather—which is kind of the whole aesthetic here. Michael Madsen is excellent as the gang’s unhinged leader, delivering menace like he orders it wholesale. There’s violence, betrayal, a heartwarming sex montage, and enough motorcycles to open a dealership. And this isn’t a cheesy action flick, some would say it leans more as an indie than a B-movie—as it veers heavier into the drama-thriller space, but it’s still packed with shootouts, tough-guy machismo, and biker brawls. Plus, Sheen’s transformation from clean-cut cop to full-on road warrior is genuinely wild to watch. This movie is like Stone Cold meets Donnie Brasco. It’s got heart, grime, and just enough insanity to earn its B-action stripes to me.
Most Wanted (1997)
In this 1997 action thriller Keenen Ivory Wayans goes from elite soldier to fugitive target. And when the government frames you, you fight back. And when you fight back, you do it with style in Most Wanted. Directed by David Hogan and also starring Jon Voight.
Keenen Ivory Wayans in a serious action role? Surprisingly, Most Wanted makes it work. He plays a Marine sniper framed for assassination, then spends the rest of the movie dodging helicopters, dodging bullets, and dodging cavernous plot holes. This movie had a larger budget, but it has B-action tropes lining it from start-to-finish. Jon Voight is here to chew scenery as the evil government guy, and Jill Hennessy adds the “reluctant ally with a PhD” energy. It’s a cat-and-mouse thriller with far more shootouts than common sense. It’s pretty much all borrowed, and Enemy of the State would deliver this premise so much better just a year later but the action here does pop visually. Wayans handles the action like a semi-pro, cracking just enough wise without turning it into a parody. There’re rooftop chases, daring escapes, and a lot of “don’t overthink it” moments. And Most Wanted doesn’t break new ground, but it’s slick, fast, and delivers the action goods. It’s like The Fugitive got hit in the head with a VHS copy of Eraser—and it’s easily engaging.
And that wraps up episode three of our nonstop, explosion-filled love letter to the B-action romp of the ’90s. These movies may not have had blockbuster budgets, but they packed more punches, roundhouse kicks, and one-liners than most A-listers could dream of. If you’re still with us, you clearly know the power of a good slow-motion explosion and a hero who reloads mid-air. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop your favorite underrated action gem in the comments—we’ve still got plenty more mayhem to uncover. Until next time, keep the VHS spinning and remember: Movies Never Say Die.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
