The 90s was a jam-packed decade full of films from all genres and the action genre saw no shortage of titles. The first half of the decade was filled with nods to the prototypical action hero formula of the 80s, and with the advancements of technology during the back half of the decade, action movies would get bigger and more ambitious than ever.
I’ve gone through all the action movies from the decade and narrowed them down to the top-100. Now I won’t be including disaster films, westerns (for the most part), as well as war movies, or pure adventure flicks such as Jurassic Park. I wanted to keep this list down to the more straight-up action movies. So, let’s get this massive list started with the first ten movies 100-91.
100. FIRESTORM (1998)
Kicking this list off at #100 is an unintentionally comical action thriller starring a retired NFL Hall of Famer that fought fire with fire…I’m not sure what that means but it was the tagline of 1998’s Firestorm starring Howie Long as a smokejumper, along with Scott Glenn, William Forsythe, and a shit-ton of digital fire.
Now critically this isn’t the best of films by any means, but it is a straight-forward action thriller that sticks to the basics and delivers just enough wilderness excitement. Hollywood gave Howie Long a shot, and he isn’t too bad, plus he fits the physicality of the film nicely. The gimmicky action of this smokejumper using his firefighting skills, chainsaws, and axes to fend off a group of criminals on the run is a bit cheesy but that’s also part of the fun and William Forsythe knew that because he went all in on his portrayal of the villain. Firestorm is certainly simple, and most of the fire effects don’t hold up so well, but the stunt-work and practical action does, and the performances aren’t too bad for this era of action romps.
99. STONE COLD (1991)
We’re going back in time to 1991 for my #99 pick but we’re sticking with the retired football player theme as Brian Bosworth would play an undercover cop who enforced his own brand of justice, who was so slick he’d burn you cold (damn you have to love taglines from the 80s/90s). This is of course the biker-themed action romp Stone Cold also starring genre legend Lance Henriksen.
The Boz was a very good football player but at the time he was a great personality with his bleached mullet and edgy attitude. He looked like a prototypical 80s action star as well with his hulking vanity muscles, so it was inevitable he’d get a shot in Hollywood and to his credit he made the most of it. Stone Cold is a by-the-numbers undercover action thriller, but Bosworth holds his own as he kicks ass, drops one-liners, and cares for his pet dragon. William Forsythe and Lance Henriksen provide the film with a couple of solid villains and despite the action being a bit generic there is a ton of it, and it gives the film a steady pace with plenty of excitement.
98. YOUNG GUNS II (1990)
Now I know I said I wasn’t really including westerns into this list but despite the theme my #98 movie feels more like an action flick than a traditional western and that film would be 1990’s Young Guns II where ‘The Regulators’ would reunite for one last ride led by Emilio Estevez, Christian Slater, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland.
Young Guns II is filled with a great ensemble cast and tons of personality led by Estevez who is soaking up every scene. It’s filled with bravado, quotable lines, and strong performances. But it’s also loaded with gunfights and other adrenaline pumping action set-pieces that make it feel much more like a western themed action film from 1990 with a total 80s vibe to match the first Young Guns. This sequel delivers a memorable score, awesome production design, and despite its flashy action the emotional undercurrent of the film as you take a ride to the border with ‘The Regulators’ connects you with the characters which makes the many hurdles on their mission that much more intense.
97. DROP ZONE (1995)
The tagline for my #97 movie was get on or get out of the way and it would pair Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as transit cops who decide to take a fortune in 1995’s Money Train also starring Jennifer Lopez, and Chris Cooper.
Now Money Train feels like a movie that threw a lot of ideas against the wall to see what would stick. You get the charm of Wesley and Woody playing foster brothers so there is an effective balance of humor. Then you get this subway arsonist played by Cooper, Blake playing this cartoonish villain that doesn’t fit the film at all, and Woody’s gambling problems pushing him to steal the money train. So, this is a busy film and Wesley and Woody aren’t as strong as they were in White Men Can’t Jump, but it doesn’t hinder this movie from being an easily consumable thriller with some laughs, an appealing blend of action, and a closing that goes all-out on the over-the-top suspense.
96. VIRTUOSITY (1995)
Now my #96 pick could easily be one of the strangest and certainly the craziest films on the list and it’s also a movie starring two guys who would go on to win Oscars. It’s a virtual reality themed sci-fi action thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe as Sid 6.7 the ultimate killing machine, and the movie is 1995’s Virtuosity.
This movie is certainly cheesy, but you have to admire its ambition in trying to create something unique. It’s a flawed film without question but it’s also delightfully nostalgic to go back and look at what Virtuosity showcased as cutting-edge technology. However, it’s a fast-paced sci-fi story shoehorned surprisingly well into the action thriller formula, and you have Washington and Crowe driving the entertainment. Both of these guys dive all-in on these roles, and it makes the movie a good time. Washington’s great as an ex-cop with an edge, and Crowe is world class over-the-top as a virtual-reality simulation that comes to life and wreaks havoc. It’s as absurd as it sounds but the performances aren’t too bad at all, and the action is effective.
95. DEATH WARRANT (1990)
Coming in at #95 is the first of presumably a handful of Jean-Claude Van Damme entries on this list and in this one he would go undercover into a prison to seek out a killer of killers and the film would be 1990’s Death Warrant.
After starring in two great martial-art flicks Van Damme stepped into the mainstream with his prison action flick Death Warrant. Now admittedly this movie does work down the cliche checklist, and it doesn’t really bring anything incredibly new to the table. But it does the formula well and it has a nice balance of strong performances, gritty production design, a well-structured blend of plot layers, and Van Damme showcasing both his action ability and his onscreen charisma. It’s a well-directed film, the action is visually appealing, and the supporting cast is surprisingly strong. Robert Guillaume is good, Art LaFleur takes the typical evil warden role and makes it his own, and Patrick Kilpatrick steals the show as Van Damme’s nemesis ‘The Sandman’.
94. NOWHERE TO RUN (1993)
Moving along to #94 is another Jean-Claude Van Damme film to make the list. In this one he plays a fugitive in hiding who decides to help save a small family from a dirty land development company. Because when the law can’t protect the innocent the only hero left is an outlaw in 1993’s Nowhere to Run.
I enjoy this one more than most. It’s a bit subdued for a 90s Van Damme flick but that’s where the appeal lies. Van Damme forms a surprisingly endearing charm with young Kieran Culkin that invests you in his mission to save this small family despite being a fugitive on the run. It’s a generic action flick with plug-and-play pieces woven into it but there’s just enough of an emotional connection to the family that makes it work. Joss Ackland and Ted Levine are great villains, they give Van Damme more than enough of a fight to keep the film moving. Now, I’ll admit the action is far from as flashy as other Van Damme romps and he doesn’t deliver many of his trademark moves but I can appreciate this deviation from his usual tendencies, and I think the movie holds up better than some of his more popular hits.
93. SOLDIER (1998)
Moving along to #93 is a film about a man left behind on a desolate planet for machines and people deemed obsolete where he would find one last battle to fight, and that man would be Kurt Russell and the film would be 1998’s Soldier directed by Paul W. S. Anderson.
This is a movie that’s a bit forgotten. It doesn’t really do anything hugely unique but it’s a well-structured blend of genre tropes woven into a story that lines itself with a surprising amount of heart. Russell almost feels like the unloved dog that has so much to offer, and it creates this sympathetic connection to him that injects a ton of intrigue into a story that generally wouldn’t so much from an emotional aspect. The sci-fi elements are appealing, Soldier is a movie that provides an action-packed escape with a heartfelt core, and it’s all cemented by the performance from Russell that I think gets a bit overlooked for how effective it is for the needs of this film. Soldier gets a tad cheesy in spots and some of the effects are dated but that’s all part of the nostalgia of action thrillers from the late 90s.
92. TRESPASS (1992)
Next up at #92 is a forgotten gem from the 90s written by the duo behind Back to the Future about a group of guys who all came to the wrong place at the wrong time and I’m talking about 1992’s Trespass from director Walter Hill starring a great ensemble cast led by Ice-T, Bill Paxton, William Sadler, and Ice Cube.
This is certainly both an underrated and a hidden gem from the early 90s. It’s written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis and directed by Walter Hill and the result is a well-paced story that has just enough moving pieces, strong practical action, and a continual heightening of the suspense all building to a satisfying closing. Trespass is a unique film filled with tension and action that’s all built from grounded situations. The ensemble cast is awesome from the main characters to the supporting players and Trespass has a great soundtrack. But what really cements this film is its on-location shoot, the practical sets give this movie the gritty, lived-in vibe it needs, and the direction from Hill uses this desolate playground perfectly for the needs of the film.
91. ROBOCOP 2 (1990)
And closing out this first cluster of 10 films at #91 is a solid sequel to an iconic 80s flick and it is Robocop 2 from 1990 directed by Irvin Kershner with Peter Weller returning as Robocop to protect the innocent citizens of Old Detroit when an evil robot is created by a rogue member of the OCP.
Now RoboCop 2 is far from the awesome level of filmmaking of the first, and it is missing the atmosphere of Verhoeven’s 87 classic RoboCop. The film certainly tries with waves of ultra-violence and a barrage of f-bombs, and it doesn’t necessarily work. There is a slightly trashy vibe to this one, yet the film isn’t all bad. Peter Weller returns as RoboCop and Nancy Allen returns as well and they do elevate this rather uninspired plot. There’s also an added level of self-awareness that doesn’t really work either but there is a lot of action and plenty of memorable moments. RoboCop 2 is far from great, but it’s more than serviceable and as the years pass and more sequels and reboots hit cinemas, and the small screen, RoboCop 2 has slowly gotten better considering its competition.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2024 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die!