We take a trip back 30 years to high kick through ten essential action movies from 1995…
Action films in the 90s were a mixed bag, to say the least. A lot of the stylistic trends in that era of cinema didn’t particularly date well, at least to the comparatively simplistic way of shooting action in the previous decade. The decade also saw its heroes transition from being muscle-bound gym freaks like Sly and Arnold, to more everyman heroes, or fellas who were way too pretty (Antonio, Keanu, I’m talking to you). However, even with the new brand of hero, the big dawgs from the 80s still kept plugging away (albeit struggling to maintain the same success from the 80s).
1995, a depressing 30 years ago now, featured an impressive selection of action gems on the big screen and in the video store isles. Fine craftsman of the genre like PM Entertainment were hitting their peak years in the straight-to-video realm, cranking out insane, stunt-filled action spectaculars too in those heady days when even bypassing cinemas, an action film could still have bang for the buck. Here are 10 essential action films from 1995…
Assassins
Though it was deemed a critical and commercial flop, Assassins is an action film that was vastly underappreciated back in 95, but has been reappraised in time. It has a script from the pre-fame Wachowskis for one thing. Though they’ve distanced themselves from it, having been disappointed by rewrites and the final film, there are still a lot of engaging elements that must have been retained in the shoot. For Stallone, it was one of several brooding and haunted performances he delivered around the time (including The Specialist and Daylight) but ranks as his most assured performance of those.
The year also saw Antonio Banderas leap head first into the action genre, cast initially against type but excelling on screen in his two films. Here, he’s the villain and rival assassin intent on killing Stallone to claim the moniker of World’s best hitman. Banderas completely steals the movie, chewing up the screen with style and glee. You’ve also got Richard Donner directing, meaning a man well-versed in the genre who delivers on all fronts. Assassins does get bogged down in the middle, and Julianne Moore feels a little like a third wheel, but it’s still a great action film.
Sudden Death
Die Hard at a hockey game. Jean-Claude Van Damme was in his pomp, but coming off the back of his biggest hits and heading into a run of choices which largely didn’t pay off. It’s a shame because Maximum Risk the following year is underrated and so too is Sudden Death. It’s less of a dazzling high-kicking affair compared to many of JC’s earlier films, with the action feeling a bit more grounded, and whilst he and Peter Hyams don’t quite strike gold like Timecop the previous year, this provides plenty of thrills.
Van Damme is perhaps not at his best playing an everyman with a tragic past, but he was at the stage of beginning to improve as an actor, later honed more with his collabs with Ringo Lam. However, Hyams is a seasoned genre cinema veteran, keeping things chugging along very well and Powers Boothe gnaws the scenery like a ravenous bear. He’s a perfectly ruthless and intense sleazebag villain.
Bad Boys
95…an underground lab somewhere. A giant egg from a planet way beyond hatches and out steps Michael Bay, probably bollock naked and fully risen. He then grabs a coat, a megaphone and heads straight to the set of a mid-90s Bruckheimer special. Bad Boys and Bayhem are thus born. When I was 14 years old, watching this film for the first time was a revelation.
Sure, in adult hindsight, the film has all the depth of a small child’s paddling pool, but by Jove, it’s still great fun. I still quote countless lines to this day and Bay’s first two movies were just the most perfect distillation of his style. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence entered as TV stars and left as movie stars, Smith in particular just had a superstar presence here. The question is, “What you gonna do when they come for you?”
Tough and Deadly
We’ve seen the prominent high-shelf display films and now it’s time to look lower, in that dustier corner of your local ma and pa video store. Tough and Deadly is a romping ride that teams up future Tae Bo star, Billy Blanks with Roddy Piper (by this point a seasoned veteran of DTV action). It’s very much in the Lethal Weapon mould and what it lacks in nuance it makes up for in non-stop brawling.
Tough and Deadly, really (seriously) does deserve a nice HD upscale is so much fun. Blanks was never the greatest actor, but Piper was actually way better than many of his action star contemporaries. The pair have a good chemistry, whether trading barbs or brawling with each other (and bad guys). The double act had already starred together in the enjoyable Back in Action the previous year, but Tough and Deadly is definitely superior.
GoldenEye
From the moment Sean Connery stepped out as Bond in Dr. No, to T-Dalt’s short-lived tenure as 007, there had never been such a long gap between productions as there was between Licence to Kill and GoldenEye. The six-year wait eventually saw the character return, with Pierce Brosnan donning the tux and clutching the PPK. In the past 30 years, you might argue that the two best outings for JB were both helmed by Martin Campbell (he also directed Casino Royale).
GoldenEye blew my young mind away. I’d been into Bond in as much as it had been a weekend afternoon regular on TV schedules but the character and his exploits fell some way behind Sly and Arnold for me. Goldeneye was my first big screen experience of Bond and it was incredible. Hell, I even like Eric Serra’s contentious score. Campbell delivers a perfect vehicle for the character, Brosnan comes out the blocks brilliantly (but never quite lived up to it in his final two). Add a stellar cast with great turns from Sean Bean and Famke Janssen in particular.
The Shooter
By the mid-90s, Dolph Lundgren was trying to vary his roles a little to find a particular action sub-genre and archetype that worked. Seagal had his very distinct style, as did Van Damme but Lundgren, outside of his villain roles seemed to struggle to find his thing. Still, although many were unfortunate to bypass cinemas in the States, that period offered up some of the best of Lundgren’s CV (particularly Joshua Tree and Men of War).
The Shooter sees Lundgren making a Euro action-thriller, set in Prague and starring opposite arthouse actress Maruschker Detmers. In a rarity for the genre, but straight to video in particular, she’s given an interesting character. Ted Kotcheff is a little past his prime as a director here but has enough skill to keep this potboiler engaging. Lundgren is pushing himself here as an actor, attempting to show a greater range than some of his fellow head busters and he largely succeeds. He and Detmers have a good chemistry too and actually, she’s key in pulling out some of Lundgren’s best moments.
Desperado
Banderas wasn’t just the villain in 95, he also got to play the hero in Desperado, the breakout film for Robert Rodriguez who made a semi-sequel to his first micro-budget show-stopper, El Mariachi. It’s a blistering explosion of creativity with Rodriguez delivering an action film that’s sexy, almost musical and wildly over the top.
It’s gleeful filmmaking and RR probably never bettered Desperado (though Dusk Til Dawn is also incredible). It’s also earthy, down and dirty and filled with crazy action, stunts and a great soundtrack. Then there’s Salma Hayek. Lord…have…mercy. She is sensational here (and well, in everything).
Die Hard With A Vengeance
After the classic original and a sequel that kept the same formula, Die Hard with A Vengeance brought John McClane back with a new terrorist group to face, but with a fresh spin as Bruce Willis is sent on an against-the-clock run around the City trying to defuse bombs left by Simon (brother of Hans) Gruber.
The returning John McTiernan provides his usual brilliance in the genre and builds tension very well. Samuel L Jackson is also a welcome addition, thrust into the action unwittingly. Willis is great, slipping comfortably back into the character and Jackson is excellent in support. Jeremy Irons has a ball as the villain and like many of the best films in this genre, a great villain is a must.
Crying Freeman
Based on the popular Manga, this live-screen adaption is still a frustratingly underseen film in the US, largely because it went unreleased in the States for decades. In Europe, it did better but wasn’t the star-making vehicle for Mark Dacascos that he and the film deserved. Director Christophe Gans wears his influences on his sleeves, crafting a John Woo-styled action film that also beautifully captures the style of the Animes.
The film looks great (especially in recent HD releases), has an incredible and dreamy synth score from Patrick O’Hearn and as an action hero, Dacascos feels so unique here. The film is very visual, paring back dialogue to bare essentials making it feel almost like a silent throwback at times. The action is great and the way the lithe and agile Dacascos floats across the screen is incredible.
Rumble in the Bronx
Before Jackie Chan became a big star in the US, he was already a long-established action veteran in Hong Kong with a couple of failed transitions to the West. One of his first successes that picked up a lot of traction in the US was Rumble in the Bronx. It was the first film I saw with Chan here in the UK too as it was a big renter.
We all remember those significant firsts, be it your first horizontal dalliance or indeed your first exposure to classic era Jackie Chan. Rumble in the Bronx was mind-blowing for a kid who’d only known the relatively simple fight sequences of Western cinema. Suddenly there’s this dude bouncing around screen with incredible agility and seemingly impossible ease, using everything on screen in his fights. So mouth agape was I, that I barely paid attention to the cheesy dubbing or threadbare plot. In addition, Chan was always a master of physical comedy.
Honourable mentions: Rage, Virtuosity, Under Siege 2, Judge Dredd (seriously), Best of the Best 3, High Risk, Last Man Standing (Jeff Wincott).
What was your favourite action film of 1995? Hit us up on social media @FlickeringMyth or find me @jolliffeproductions…
