Arnold Schwarzenegger was an action icon and one of the biggest movie stars of the 80s and 90s. Coming out of Austria, Schwarzenegger set his sights on becoming the greatest body builder, taking first place in seven Mr. Olympia competitions. After dominating in the world of bodybuilding, Arnold set his sights on becoming a movie star, despite being told repeatedly that his last name and thick accent were insurmountable obstacles to that goal. Despite some early roles that failed to capitalize on Schwarzenegger’s strengths, the star would eventually break through with movies in the early 80s that made his size and voice features instead of drawbacks.

Schwarzenegger would become a box office behemoth for over a decade, starring in consistent blockbusters. While he is noted for his work in comedy and subsequently as a politician after becoming the governor of California, most movie fans know the Austrian Oak for his career in action films. From cult classics to legitimate masterpieces, Schwarzenegger had one of the most consistent runs of quality in comparison to many of his action hero contemporaries, thanks to his shrewd selection of projects and collaborating with some of the best action directors working at the time. Of his expansive action career, these ten movies are his most essential.

10

‘Red Heat’ (1988)

Directed by Walter Hill

Most of Schwarzenegger’s 80s action output remains well remembered and beloved, with only a few exceptions that have been sifted out in the sands of time. Conan the Destroyer and Red Sonja were sword-and-sorcery flops that failed to meet expectations, and Raw Deal is just too generic and clichéd in comparison to Schwarzenegger’s more iconic films of the era. Red Heat, however, shouldn’t be ignored for its contributions to the genre. This late-80s addition to the buddy-cop subgenre comes from director Walter Hill, who helped popularize the subgenre with 48 Hrs., and stars Schwarzenegger as a Soviet police officer alongside Jim Belushi as a wisecracking Chicago cop. The premise involves the two diametrically opposed lawmen tracking down a Georgian drug lord who has fled to America.

Shooting the film as the Cold War was beginning to thaw allowed production to film in Moscow, notably the Red Square, and the film is now an interesting relic of that era, similar to the jingoistic Red Dawn, although it is far more positive in its depiction of American-Soviet relations. Even though Schwarzenegger had become known for his more quippy, one-liner laden action roles at this point in his career, Hill instead cast him as a more stoic straight man and derived humor out of his reactions towards Belushi’s more colorful character. This calculation may have ultimately hurt the film at the box office, since audiences were far more receptive to Schwarzenegger’s comedic role in Twins which was a big hit when it released a few months later the same year. Red Heat isn’t as successful as Schwarzenegger or Hill’s best action movies, but it gets by on the chemistry of the two stars and the gritty quality of its action sequences.

Red Heat

Release Date

June 17, 1988

Runtime

106 minutes

Director

Walter Hill

Writers

Walter Hill, Harry Kleiner, Troy Kennedy-Martin

9

‘The Running Man’ (1987)

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser

Based, very loosely, on Stephen King’s dystopian sci-fi novel, The Running Man sees Arnold play a cop who is falsely convicted of killing innocent civilians after refusing to follow orders, who then escapes prison and is captured and given an opportunity to win his freedom by participating in the titular violent game show which pits convicts against colorful themed assassins. The premise alone guaranteed The Running Man would become a cult favorite, and despite the workmanlike direction of Paul Michael Glaser, the movie works more often than it doesn’t, thanks to its over-the-top villains and 80s sci-fi aesthetic.

The cast of stalkers that hunt Schwarzenegger and his fellow contestants is filled out with big personalities like Jesse Ventura and Jim Brown, but the biggest casting coup the film has in its favor is Family Feud host Richard Dawson who plays the unscrupulous host of the Running Man game show. Dawson is perfect in the role, and his ratings-hungry villainy gives the film its best moments of satire. When the movie pokes fun at America’s obsession with violence and gameshow culture, it’s a lot of fun, but it doesn’t know how to stick the landing and eventually just devolves into generic action, but it’s undeniably watchable. Glen Powell is currently set to star in an updated version of King’s novel, directed by Edgar Wright that may or may not be more insightful with its social commentary, but hopefully it still has the same entertainment value as this campy original.

The Running Man

Release Date

November 13, 1987

Runtime

101 minutes

8

‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)

Directed by John McTiernan

On paper, Last Action Hero seemed like a guaranteed success. It had Schwarzenegger re-teaming with Predator director John McTiernan, who in the interim had made both Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, and it had a postmodern script co-written by Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black. Unfortunately, the film was released the week after Jurassic Park and got mediocre reviews from critics. It bombed at the box office, and retrospectively it’s been noted as the beginning of Schwarzenegger’s fall from movie star glory.

Last Action Hero experiments with satire, with Schwarzenegger playing himself as a character in a fictional action franchise about supercop Jack Slater. Austin O’Brien plays a pre-teen action movie fanatic who, thanks to a magic movie ticket, finds himself transported into the movie world alongside Slater. It’s a half-spoof of the kind of movie that made Schwarzenegger famous that doesn’t take full advantage of its premise and is limited by its PG-13 rating, but is still very rewatchable and has earned a cult following.

7

‘Commando’ (1985)

Directed by Mark L. Lester

If there’s one rivalry that defined 80s action cinema, it was that between Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. The friendly competition between the two most muscle-bound Hollywood stars resulted in both competing to see who could have the highest body count in their action movies. Commando was Schwarzenegger’s answer to Stallone’s Rambo. He plays former Special Forces colonel John Matrix, who wages a one-man war on a private army of mercenaries working for a general from a fictional foreign country who has kidnapped his daughter.

Commando is Schwarzenegger’s most brutal action film and delivers the exact kind of explosive 80s carnage that audiences would expect. It’s devoid of the subversive qualities that directors like James Cameron or John McTiernan brought to their collaborations with Schwarzenegger, nor does it take advantage of his natural charisma like later films would (though he has some nice clapbacks), but director Mark L. Lester does know how to blow things up really well. It’s a straight-up action movie that delivers exactly what it promises; nothing more, nothing less.

Commando

Release Date

October 4, 1985

Runtime

90 minutes

6

‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)

Directed by John Milius

Schwarzenegger’s first iconic, breakthrough role came as Robert E. Howard’s pulp character Conan the Barbarian in director John Milius’ bloody sword-and-sorcery epic. Producers on the film saw potential in Schwarzenegger after viewing him in the documentary Pumping Iron, and Milius worked extensively with the actor to develop the character’s speeches. The film serves as an origin story for the character, from witnessing the murder of his parents, to becoming a child slave, to eventually seeking vengeance.

James Earl Jones plays the villainous cult leader responsible for the deaths of Conan’s parents and is a highlight of the fantasy film while Schwarzenegger was still developing as an actor, but he was well suited to the role, which doesn’t require a lot of emotional nuance from him. Milius’ direction leans into the film’s pulpy influences and Basil Pouledoris’ score is spectacularly epic, putting Conan the Barbarian several leagues above its sequel, the copycat fantasy movies that would follow through the 80s and the failed remake with Jason Momoa.

5

‘True Lies’ (1996)

Directed by James Cameron

The only movie Schwarzenegger collaborated with James Cameron on that wasn’t part of the Terminator franchise was the 90s spy action-rom-com True Lies. Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker, who has hidden his work as a spy from his family. Jamie Lee Curtis plays his wife, who has become bored in their marriage and gets pulled into a fake spy plot by a lecherous car salesman, played with gusto by Bill Paxton. When Harry gets involved, his work life and home life collide together in explosive fashion.

It’s a big, goofy premise that results in a big, goofy movie, but it’s one of Schwarzenegger’s most entertaining. This is the closest Cameron will ever come to directing a James Bond movie and he takes full advantage, staging some of his most outrageous action set pieces. Schwarzenegger is giving one of his most fully rounded action performances, and Curtis steals the movie with her perfect comic timing. The movie was lambasted for its perceived misogynistic undertones and one-dimensional portrayals of its Middle Eastern villains, which are hard to ignore, but it’s also just a big comic book adventure that shouldn’t be taken seriously.

True Lies

Release Date

July 15, 1994

Runtime

141 minutes

4

‘The Terminator’ (1984)

Directed by James Cameron

By far Schwarzenegger’s most iconic role, and his best villain performance, The Terminator exploded both his career and director James Cameron’s, along with launching a major sci-fi franchise. The original film is a far more humble action thriller, with heavy slasher influences, in comparison to the sequels that would follow, but it still manages to provide some very grimy 80s action.

Schwarzenegger was originally considered for the heroic role of Kyle Reese but he convinced Cameron he was better suited to play the role of the time-traveling cybernetic assassin, which could take advantage of his monotone delivery and unreal physicality. Michael Biehn was cast as Reese, bringing a wiry, fried-out energy to the role and Linda Hamilton is a terrific lead as Sarah Connor, who has been targeted for termination since she’s the mother of the future leader of the resistance. While some of the effects are dated, the movie still makes the most of its low budget and is possibly the most essential action movie in Schwarzenegger’s career.

3

‘Total Recall’ (1990)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

It was the success of The Terminator that put Schwarzenegger on the radar for casting in the similar sci-fi action movie RoboCop. While he ultimately wouldn’t get the role, because he couldn’t fit into the restrictive costume, he would get to collaborate with RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven on his next film, the essential 90s sci-fi action movie Total Recall.

Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, the movie version was written to be a big-budget action-adventure story, which was only increased once Schwarzenegger came onboard to play Douglas Quaid, a blue-collar worker who dreams of going to Mars, only to discover he might have already been there when a memory implant uncovers his secret past. The movie is over-the-top in all the best ways, combining cerebral sci-fi with ultraviolent action, all in Verhoeven’s signature satirical tone.

2

‘Predator’ (1987)

Directed by John McTiernan

If the Terminator is Schwarzenegger’s take on playing a slasher villain, then his other 80s genre hybrid, Predator, lets him play his own final boy. As Dutch Schaefer, Schwarzenegger leads the most muscular team of movie mercenaries, who are tasked with rescuing American hostages from a compound in Central America. After the first half plays like a typical macho 80s action movie, it takes a turn into sci-fi horror in the second half as Arnie and his team are systematically stalked and killed by an alien hunting them for sport.

Director John McTiernan, who Schwarzenegger personally brought on board the movie after being impressed by his debut film Nomads, brings his skills of action staging and genre subversion which elevates Predator beyond its B-movie premise. Also elevating the movie is the tremendous creature design. Stan Winston was brought on late in the game after the original design of the titular alien was deemed unsatisfactory. Winston redesigned the creature, creating an iconic movie monster, which was brought to life by the late great Kevin Peter Hall, who replaced the original suit performer Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Predator

Release Date

June 12, 1987

Runtime

107 Minutes

1

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

Directed by James Cameron

Following up their definitive 80s movie was always going to be a daunting task, but Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron managed not only to top the original Terminator, but create an action movie masterpiece in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Cleverly switching Schwarzenegger’s villain to the hero, now tasked with protecting a pre-teen John Connor, took advantage of Schwarzenegger’s movie star persona that had been earned since the release of the first movie and allowed Cameron to implement a new high-tech villain based on his original ideas that he was unable to accomplish in 1984 due to budgetary and technical limitations.

The T-1000 is an iconic movie villain accomplished through a perfect blend of Robert Patrick’s steely performance, terrific practical effects and landmark CGI. Terminator 2 was the highest-grossing film of 1991, cementing Schwarzenegger’s movie star status and permanently putting Cameron on the director A-list. It was the overwhelming success of this sequel that made Terminator one of the most popular sci-fi franchises of all time. Even though the sequels, with or without Schwarzenegger, never came close to matching this film’s quality or success, Terminator 2 has never diminished as his greatest action movie.