The 1980s produced tons of great action movies, many of which have never been beaten in terms of sheer entertainment value. Big-budget blockbusters from the 1980s have a unique appeal. Years before overabundant CGI, long-running megafranchises and endless reboots took some of the sheen off of multiplex popcorn movies, the 1980s were a great decade for original stories with tons of crowdpleasing action.
It’s no coincidence that some of the biggest action franchises of all time can trace their roots back to the 1980s, like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and Indiana Jones. These types of movies all combined fun ideas with charismatic movie stars. Most importantly, they also delivered the kind of hair-raising action that can still evoke a visceral response in audiences several decades later.
Related 10 Best Action Comedies Of The 1980s
The 1980s were a fantastic time for action comedies as major movie stars took up now iconic roles in buddy cop stories and franchise starters.
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10 Lethal Weapon (1987)
Danny Glover And Mel Gibson Make An Irresistible Duo
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7/10 Lethal Weapon
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*Availability in US Director Richard Donner Release Date March 6, 1987 Cast Tom Atkins , Mitchell Ryan , Danny Glover , Mel Gibson , Gary Busey
Lethal Weapon could be the quintessential buddy cop movie, and it remains one of the best almost four decades later. The movie gets most of its dramatic thrust from the pairing of its two heroes. Murtaugh is the trusted old hand, a cop who’s seen and done it all, and is counting down each day until his retirement. Riggs, by contrast, is wild and irresponsible. In their own ways, Murtaugh and Riggs provide exactly what the other needs, and the chemistry between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson rings true.
The main thrust of the criminal plot is largely immaterial, because the most compelling human element of the drama comes from the relationship between the two heroes. As it happens, they’re chasing a gang of drug dealers, but these bad guys could just as easily be replaced by murderers, terrorists or jaywalkers. The plot takes a back seat to Lethal Weapon‘s full-throttle action scenes. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the car chases, hostage situations and shootouts, but director Richard Donner brings them to life. Lethal Weapon 5 is the legacy sequel nobody saw coming.
9 The Running Man (1987)
The Running Man Revels In Stylized Violence
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8/10 5/10 The Running Man
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*Availability in US Director Paul Michael Glaser Release Date November 13, 1987 Cast Maria Conchita Alonso , Yaphet Kotto , Jesse Ventura , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Richard Dawson
Before video game adaptations became a big Hollywood trend, The Running Man delivered the same kind of joyous arcade experience. Arnold Schwarzenegger acts as Player One, and he battles his way through a steady procession of outlandish enemies. These bosses even have names that could have been plucked from arcade consoles in the 1980s, including Subzero, Dynamo and Fireball.
Aside from arcade games, the other major influence on The Running Man could be professional wrestling. Jesse Ventura stars as one of Arnie’s foes, but he isn’t the only hint that The Running Man is dedicated to a sense of macho pageantry. It’s a lousy adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, but it’s a wonderful action romp nonetheless.Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man will star Glen Powell, and it promises to provide a more faithful vision of King’s dystopia.
8 Bloodsport (1988)
JCVD’s Cheesy Martial Arts Classic Shows What He’s Capable Of
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Bloodsport
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*Availability in US Director Newt Arnold Release Date February 26, 1988 Cast Jean Claude Van Damme , Leah Ayres , Forest Whitaker , Donald Gibb , Roy Chiao
Bloodsport is an interesting movie. There are countless valid criticisms – the bad acting, the ludicrous plot, the fact that characters keep doing the splits every five minutes – but Bloodsport is still a cult classic. Even the movie’s fiercest supporters must accept that it’s a cheesy, nonsensical fantasy. This does little to deter their enthusiasm. Bloodsport knows what martial arts movie fans want to see, and it delivers it in spades.
Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as an American military man who falls off the map so that he can compete in the world’s deadliest martial arts tournament. This is all the set-up that’s needed for an onslaught of flying kicks and lightning-fast punches. Bolo Yeung plays his part as the big bad admirably. He and Van Damme both have enough genuine martial arts skills to make up for Bloodsport‘s many shortcomings. It’s a movie that has more muscles than sense, but luckily those muscles are impeccable.
7 Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard Is Simple But Effective
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Die Hard
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*Availability in US Director John McTiernan Release Date July 15, 1988 Cast Bruce Willis , Bonnie Bedelia , Reginald VelJohnson , Paul Gleason , William Atherton , Hart Bochner
Die Hard is one of the best pure action movies of all time, and it has only gotten better with age. Die Hard follows an off-duty cop who gets caught in a hostage situation when terrorists take over a skyscraper. This simple premise is so effective that the first Die Hard sequel copies it almost entirely, and it’s another great action movie. The first Die Hard remains the best, however, thanks to its originality and its potent execution.
One thing that helps Die Hard stand out from so many other action movies of the era is Bruce Willis’ performance as John McClane. It’s McClane who gets the lion’s share of Die Hard‘s memorable quotes, and they help to differentiate him from the indestructible action hero archetype of the 1980s. He suffers more than many characters played by the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Also, Die Hard gives him a villain who’s just as iconic as he is, boosted by Alan Rickman’s performance.
6 Road House (1989)
Patrick Swayze’s Bareknuckle Thrill Ride Is A Guilty Pleasure For Many
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6/10 Road House
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*Availability in US Director Rowdy Herrington Release Date May 19, 1989 Cast Patrick swayze , Kelly Lynch , Sam Elliott , Ben Gazzara , Marshall R. Teague , Julie Michaels , Red West , Sunshine Parker
Road House proudly trades in cheap thrills, and it has amassed a large cult following over the years as a result. Patrick Swayze stars as a stoic bouncer given a tough assignment in a mean roadside bar, where the bands play behind chicken wire and the rock and roll is punctuated by the sounds of breaking glass. Road House seems to take place in a macho fantasy world. That’s the only way to explain how a bouncer has a level of national celebrity, and he can rip someone’s throat out with his bare hands.
The 2024 Road House remake has its charms, including a bizarre performance from UFC star Conor McGregor, but the visceral thrills of the original remain hard to beat. The practical stunts bring a level of kinetic danger to the bar fights. With a dash of sex appeal and some wry one-liners, Road House ticks all the boxes of schlocky 1980s action. It’s low on emotion and lacking in complexity, but Road House is undeniably fun to watch.
5 48 Hrs. (1982)
A Delightful Cocktail Of Action And Comedy
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48 Hrs
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*Availability in US Director Walter Hill Release Date December 2, 1982 Cast Eddie Murphy , Nick Nolte
48 Hrs remains one of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, even though it marked the comedian’s film debut. It’s often credited as one of the movies which helped to create the buddy cop genre, and the dynamic between Murphy and Nick Nolte set the playbook for countless imitators. Nolte plays a hardened detective, while Murphy is the fast-talking criminal who gets given a chance at freedom if he assists in an investigation.
48 Hrs sets the standard for the buddy cop genre’s love of mismatched comedic dynamics. Nolte and Murphy are a consistently entertaining duo, but 48 Hrs doesn’t neglect its duties to action either. Striking the right balance between action and humor can be tricky for buddy cop movies, but 48 Hrs has plenty of car chases and fight scenes that convey a real sense of danger.
4 Top Gun (1986)
Top Gun Takes The Audience Along For A Death-Defying Ride
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Top Gun
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*Availability in US Director Tony Scott Release Date May 16, 1986 Cast Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , Tom Skerritt
Top Gun‘s political motivations have been dissected and debated ever since 1986, but its vague gestures toward military power are just one way of understanding it. A more lighthearted approach would be to simply appreciate Top Gun‘s spectacular flight scenes and its knuckleheaded flyboy charms. Top Gun‘s greatest achievement could be the way that director Tony Scott places the audience in the cockpit with Maverick.
Positive reviews of Top Gun often note stylistic elements like the iconic soundtrack or the bromance between the male leads. These compliments highlight the kind of movie that Top Gun is. It’s a head-banging good time that tries and often succeeds in pulling its audience along for the ride. Top Gun may have been surpassed by its 2022 sequel in most ways, but it has still stood the test of time as an icon of 1980s big-budget blockbusters, full of style, originality and sheer movie star magic.
3 RoboCop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven’s Subversive Satire Still Delivers Frenzied Action
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RoboCop
Director Paul Verhoeven Release Date July 17, 1987 Cast Peter Weller , Nancy Allen , Dan O’Herlihy , Ronny Cox , Kurtwood Smith , Miguel Ferrer , Robert DoQui , Ray Wise
RoboCop is a great sci-fi thriller, but it also works as a darkly hilarious satire of corporate America. The one-liners and the overblown characters are one way that RoboCop avoids many of the dreary clichés of dystopian sci-fi. The world of RoboCop is no less horrifying, but Paul Verhoeven approaches it with enough wit to keep the movie light and entertaining. This sets the stage for some beautifully chaotic violence.
The other positive of the movie’s satirical humor is that it positions RoboCop as a character who’s fun to spend some time with, rather than a cold-blooded embodiment of corporate overreach and unjust law enforcement. RoboCop seems to have been inspired by another ’80s action classic, The Terminator, but it’s more subversive and much funnier while still being just as obsessed with mechanized carnage.
2 Predator (1987)
Predator Has Many Ways Of Keeping The Audience Entertained
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8.7/10 Predator
Director John McTiernan Release Date June 12, 1987 Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl Weathers , Elpidia Carrillo , Bill Duke , Jesse Ventura , Shane Black , Sonny Landham , Richard Chaves
Predator follows an elite tactical unit as they face off with an unknown threat in the jungle. It’s often been viewed as an allegory for the Vietnam War, but this layer doesn’t have anything to do with the sheer entertainment value. Predator has a lot going for it even before the iconic alien hunter makes its first appearance. From Predator‘s endlessly badass quotes to its explosive firefights, it’s a celebration of the action genre’s most self-indulgent tropes.
Near the beginning, Predator kicks things off in fairly traditional fashion, as Dutch’s team infiltrates a guerrilla base in the dense jungle. After this thrilling fight, Predator takes a right turn into horror, as the soldiers start to be picked off one-by-one. The mixing of genres underlines the fact that Predator will do anything to entertain its audience. The franchise’s sequels have struggled to replicate the success of the original, partly because nothing can replace the impact of seeing the Predator for the first time.
1 Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (1989)
Indy’s Third Outing Is A Lighthearted Romp
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9/10 9.6/10 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
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*Availability in US Director Steven Spielberg Release Date May 24, 1989 Cast Harrison Ford , Sean Connery , Denholm Elliott , Alison Doody , John Rhys-Davies , Julian Glover
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom gets pretty dark at times, but The Last Crusade returns the franchise to more lighthearted territory. Although Indy is swept up in another battle with the Nazis, The Last Crusade is a relentlessly entertaining delight that doesn’t try to get too deep. There will forever be a debate about whether it’s the best movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, while Raiders of the Lost Ark also stakes a claim to that title, but there’s no denying it’s the funniest.
The addition of former James Bond star Sean Connery as Indy’s father introduces a fresh comedic dynamic to The Last Crusade. This simple change suddenly puts the usually suave Indy on the back foot, and he regresses to the stage of a moody teenager. The Last Crusade pairs this comedy with some of the franchise’s best action sequences. The motorbike chase is a highlight, as is the opening scene, which shows how a young Indy gets his first taste of adventure.