10 underrated 80s action movies from the decade’s biggest action stars

While all these Biggest action star of the 1980s has great successes that they are easily associated with, many more underrated releases also deserve much more attention. Stars like Sylvester Stallone excelled as the action hero John Rambo, and Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be remembered as The TerminatorBut looking at their back catalog reveals many more hidden gems. For lovers of intense, action-packed shootouts and heart-racing spectacles, many lesser-known movies are just waiting to be discovered.

The biggest action stars of the 1980s represented all that was great about that era of cinema, as martial arts legends like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris began to carve out their acclaimed legacies. Although some of these movies may have hit big at the box office, they remained highly underrated by Critics who failed to recognize them as wildly entertaining spectacles. For those who have already seen the biggest action movies of the 1980s, there is much more to discover about the impressive filmographies of the stars.

10

Black Eagle (1988)

Jean-Claude Van Damme as Andrei

Although the release of the iconic martial arts classic Blood sports Signaling the dawn of a brand new action movie star, Jean-Claude Van Damme has had many more highly underrated releases. One prime example of this came in Black EagleThe 1988 film that showcased Van Damme’s incredible skills as a villain whose evil characterization of brutal and enigmatic KGB agent Andrei was the best part of the entire movie. Fresh off the success of Blood sportsThis underappreciated gem pointed to the karate and kickboxing star’s bright future in Hollywood.

Black Eagle Tells the story of America and Russia both searching for a lost super weapon in the Mediterranean. Starring Shō Kosugi as Ken Tani, an elite agent working for the Americans under the codename Black Eagle, the most exciting part of this forgotten action movie was seeing him against Van Damme. like An enjoyable mix between James Bond-style espionage and class kung fu cinema, Black Eagle was an underrated showcase of Van Damme’s unique appeal.

9

red heat (1988)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Ivan Danko

While most of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous roles require a suspension of disbelief to make sense of his thick Austrian accent, it was actually a plus for his characterization of Captain Ivan Danko in Red heat. As a buddy cop movie that pairs a no-nonsense Russian (Schwarzenegger) with a laid-back New York cop (Jim Belushi), this well-worn mismatched formula worked incredibly well as it showcased Schwarzenegger at the height of his fame. Although Red heat Received mixed reviews And underperformed at the box office at the time of its release, looking back on it now, it’s a lot of fun.

Schwarzenegger adapted well to his role as a strict, single and independent Russian, which matched well with Belushi’s crass and comic character. As much a story about the potential for friendship between those of opposing ideologies as it was a traditional action movie, Red heat was an enjoyable social commentary considering the Cold War tensions of its time. For those only familiar with the most famous 1980s offers of Schwarzenegger, such as The Terminator, Red heat Will be an enjoyable discovery.

8

Lock Up (1989)

Sylvester Stallone as Frank Leone

Sylvester Stallone was one of the biggest stars in the world in the 1980s, and this decade featured smash hits, including Rocky Sequels and Rambo Movies like First blood. However, Stallone also had some underrated movies during this time, including one of his most slept-on films, Lock up. The prison movie saw Frank Leone, a convict nearing the end of his sentence, transferred to a high-security facility by a vindictive warden.

While Lock up had a fake production, and Stallone himself expressed his issues with it, saying it was not produced “With enough maturity to really make a significant impact“(by EW) There was still a lot to enjoy. One performance that deserved praise Donald Sutherland as the evil Warden DrumgooleWhose cruel and manipulative tactics really made the movie. This was a real hidden gem in Stallone’s career, just waiting to be rediscovered by action lovers.

7

Tango and Money (1989)

Kurt Russell as Lieutenant Gabriel “Gabe” Cash

Kurt Russell built his cult movie credentials with roles in John Carpenter classics throughout the 1980s, such as Escape from New York, the story And Big Trouble in Little China. However, one Russell action movie that failed to get its due was the buddy cop comedy Tango & MoneyWhich was a hit at the box office but failed to impress critics at the time. With Russell paired with fellow action hero Sylvester Stallone, this tongue-in-cheek adventure of mismatched cops was a lot of fun.

Tango & Money was just one of many unloved Stallone movies that were actually good, and the great on-screen chemistry between him and Russell made things more engaging. With Russell as the cowboy cop, Lieutenant Cash, and Stallone as the straight-laced Lieutenant Tango, after being framed, the two are forced to put their differences aside and take down an evil crime boss. As an enjoyable homage to Buddy Cop classics of the past, Tango & Money Deserves much more love than it ever got.

6

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Mel Gibson as “Mad Max” Rokkatansky

The third movie in George Miller’s Mad Max franchise always seems to get forgotten amid talk of how trailblazing the first two films were and how visually spectacular fury way was. This was a real shame, like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome stood as one of Mel Gibson’s most underrated movies, and Its influence can be felt in everything from The Hunger Games to The Walking Dead. Beyond Thunderdome Expanded on his post-apocalyptic world, whose themes of survival and cruel gladiator-style fighting arena is truly trailblazing.

Beyond Thunderdome Featured a fantastic performance not only from Gibson but also from Tina Turner as the ruthless leader of Bartertown Anti Entity. Max’s character developed in the third installment into a more complex and nuanced character, whose goals and ambitions helped him stand apart from the minimalist style of the previous movies. While Gibson has rightly received recognition for his role as Max, Beyond Thunderdome Often felt like the underappreciated forgotten child of the franchise.

5

Frantic (1988)

Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Walker

While Harrison Ford spent much of the 1980s in a galaxy far, far away in Return of the JediHunting replicants in Blade runningOr recover long-lost artifacts while facing Nazis in Raiders of the Lost ArkHe also found time to act in one of Roman Polanski’s most underrated movies. The action-packed neo-noir mystery Frantic was a commercial failure upon release but has since been recognized as a deep cult classic.

Starring Ford as a doctor caught in a world of mystery as he searches for his lost wife, Frantic was a strong showcase of the action movie star’s talents outside of major franchises. Featuring one of Ennio Morricone’s greatest movie scores and a thrilling story of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder, Frantic was a powerful showcase of both Ford and Polanski’s impeccable skills.

4

Missing in Action (1984)

Chuck Norris as Colonel James Braddock

Although this Vietnam War movie has been criticized by experts for accuracy, Missing in action was a powerful showcase of Chuck Norris’ undeniable appeal as an action movie star. While the film Received criticism for his inaccurate portrayal of POWs held captive in Vietnam After the war was over, Missing in action Worked much better when viewed purely as a piece of action movie escapism. Here, Norris continued to prove himself after the success of martial arts movies like A power of oneAnd Missing in action was a commercial success that launched his own franchise.

However, despite its wildly entertaining sequences, Missing in action Received a universally negative response from critics. Wildly underrated in its own time, looking back, it’s easy to see that this misunderstood movie encapsulated Norris’s rapidly developing star appeal. His fighting skills and steadfast commitment to his roles embodied the best of action heroism in the 1980s. While it is easy to refuse Missing in action As a Rambo Ripoff, it has much more to offer.

3

Dragons Forever (1988)

Jackie Chan as Jackie Lung

As perhaps the greatest kung fu star of all time, Jackie Chan had many incredible martial arts movies during the 1980s, because this was the point where he turned into a truly global superstar. While movies like Police Story And Project A have become iconic, Dragons Forever was another underrated release that deserves a look. The Hong Kong action comedy pairs Chan with his frequent co-stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao for a thrilling story of lawyers caught up in a complex conspiracy involving a chemical company.

Full of intense action and slapstick comedy, Dragons Forever was yet another showcase of Chan’s unique talents and possessing cinematic charisma. Dragons Forever was the last movie with Chan, Hung and Biao all together, as Chan soon started to focus on his career as a solo star. Chan’s incredible success in movies like this opened the doors for him to transition into Hollywood movies during the 1990s.

2

Red Scorpion (1989)

Dolph Lundgren as Russian Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Petrovich Rachenko

Dolph Lundgren gained widespread recognition in the 1980s for his villainous role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV And soon gained leading parts in movies like The Terminator tear-off I come in peace. However, one fantastic lungren movie that never got the praise it deserved was Red Scorpion. This intense action movie saw Lungren play a Soviet special forces assassin sent to kill an anti-communist leader in Africa.

sad, Red Scorpion Failed to impress critics when it was releasedBut it strongly highlighted Lundgren’s skill as an action hero to be reckoned with. Although he never got the same level of acclaim as action superstars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lundgren’s action offers, such as red scorpion, were wildly entertaining movies packed with enjoyable campy energy. While it was underappreciated in its own time, look back on Red Scorpion Today, it has everything an action fan could want from a hidden 1980s gem.

1

Above the Law (1988)

Steven Seagal as Sergeant Nicolo “Nico” Toscani

While Steven Seagal would really break out as a major action movie star during the 1990s after the release of Under Sig, Above the law Signals his feature film debut and was an important and highly underrated moment in action movie history. As the first American film to feature aikido in action sequences, Above the law was a unique showcase of Seagal’s incredible appeal as an action hero. With a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido to his name, Seagal brought his past as a trainer to his movie roles and was a true martial arts master.

Above the law Failed to get the recognition it deserved when it was first released, and Seagal’s potential as a major movie star has yet to be realized. But, looking at it today, Above the law was a solid debut and a wildly entertaining film. With Seagal as a former Special Operations Vietnam operative working as a Chicago cop, the story of CIA corruption and conspiracy hits all the right notes.

Source: EW