Not every action film can be a mainstream sensation and smash hit, as the percentage of the genre that actually breaks through to a wide audience and becomes a blockbuster is actually rather small. Action films are more popular than ever before, and audiences may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options that they have at their disposal.

The action films that become cult hits tend to do something radically different with the medium, and show audiences something that is unlike anything else that they have seen before. While some of these have been reclaimed as all-time classics of the genre, others are just so strange that they have become subjects of fascination by a niche, yet very passionate fanbase of cinephiles that care about the future of the medium. Here are ten underrated action movies with a cult following, ranked.

10 ‘Streets of Fire’ (1984)

Directed by Walter Hill

Streets of Fire is a film that is almost indescribable in terms of pure genre, even if it does include enough amazing set pieces to technically quality as part of the action genre. Streets of Fire is technically a science fiction film, but its version of the future looks a lot like the 1950s, as the style is much more reflective of the anti-establishment movements of the Golden Age of Hollywood that can be seen in Rebel Without A Cause and On the Waterfront.

Streets of Fire may have earned its most significant amount of cult fans because of its incredible soundtrack, which features an amazing set of rock songs that perfectly sync up to the film’s unusual social commentary. Although many of the stars were unknown at the time, Streets of Fire does feature an incredible villainous performance from the great Willem Dafoe.

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9 ‘Never Say Never Again’ (1983)

Directed by Irvin Kershner

Never Say Never Again is an oddity within the James Bond franchise, as it is one of the two installments in the series that was not produced by EON. Due to a licensing agreement revolving around the Ian Fleming novel Thunderball, which had already been turned into a movie in 1965, Warner Brothers was able to make a standalone Bond film that featured the return of Sean Connery, even though Roger Moore was already starring in an adaptation of Octopussy that was released the same summer.

Never Say Never Again is worth watching to see an older, burned out version of Bond, as Connery seems to accept that the character has aged past his prime. While it is certainly not on the level of The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again does feature some terrific action thanks to director Irvin Kershner.

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8 ‘The Warriors’ (1979)

Directed by Walter Hill

The Warriors was perfectly suited to come out of the “New Hollywood” era of the 1970s, as it was a generation in which younger people were given more opportunities to hold creative roles, and became interested in telling stories that reflected their anxieties about the future. The Warriors is an epic action film that takes place over the course of a single night, and follows various groups of highly motivated gangs as they vie for control of the city.

The Warriors is another sign of the brilliance of Walter Hill, a genius filmmaker whose work creating hardcore genre films was not necessarily appreciated at the time when his films were first released. The Warriors may not have been as widely praised as 48 Hrs. or Southern Comfort upon its debut, but it has steadily been accepted as being one of Hill’s greatest accomplishments.

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7 ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ (1996)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

From Dusk Till Dawn is the rare film that managed to take the audience by surprise because it completely changes genres early on. At first, From Dusk Till Dawn appears to be a fairly straightforward heist thriller about two brothers (played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) who take a priest (Harvey Keitel) and his daughter (Juliette Lewis) hostage as the try to illegally cross over the border to Mexico in order to avoid persecution by the cops.

From Dusk Till Dawn slowly reveals itself to be a vampire movie, and features some of the most graphic supernatural action that was imaginable. Robert Rodriguez may have impressed western buffs with his work on Desperado , but From Dusk Till Dawn was the masterpiece that earned him a lifelong fan base from cult cinephiles that appreciate someone who can freely draw from multiple genres at once.

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6 ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ (2017)

Directed S. Craig Zahler

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is yet another masterful genre thriller from S. Craig Zahler, whose horror-themed western Bone Tomahawk became a cult sensation in its own right back in 2015. Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a brutal prison drama in which Vince Vaughn stars as a criminal forced to behind bars in order to assassinate a powerful mob figure, as his family is being held hostage.

There was an inherent novelty in the fact that Brawl in Cell Block 99 had such a brutal role for Vaughn, who most audiences would have associated with his more comedic work in mainstream hits like Swingers and Wedding Crashers. Vaughn’s performance is Brawl in Cell Block 99 is no laughing matter, as he transforms himself into a ruthless killing machine with a great capacity for violence. It is not a film for those that can’t stomach gore.

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5 ‘Code of Silence’ (1985)

Directed by Andrew Davis

Code of Silence was once pitched as a new Dirty Harry sequel that would have starred Clint Eastwood, but it was later transformed into an entirely different action film from director Andrew Davis, who would go on to direct The Fugitive almost a decade later. Code of Silence stars Chuck Norris as a Chicago cop who decides to take a stand against the corrupt law enforcement complex that has been avoiding any real consequences for their actions for years.

Code of Silence is notable as the one film in which Norris does truly great acting, as it does not rely entirely on his merits as a master in martial arts and gunplay. Beyond the incredibly well coordinated sequences of suspense, Code of Silence has some notable things to say about the police state that feel even more relevant today than they were in 1985.

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4 ‘Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning’ (2013)

Directed by John Hyams

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is one of the wildest movie sequels ever made, as it takes everything that Roland Emmerich did with the 1992 Universal Soldier film and subverts it. While the original film had starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as the hero, he is transformed into the leader of a violent cult that brainwashes former soldiers into joining a revolutionary cause.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is so absurdly violent that it feels like a horror film at times, as it has much more in common stylistically with the films of Michael Haneke, Brian De Palma, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg than any of the generic summer blockbusters that Emmerich is responsible for. It’s also expressly political, as Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning examines the rise of toxic masculinity within the internet age, and how cult ideology leads to social fascism.

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3 ‘Cobra’ (1986)

Directed by George Cosmatos

Cobra isn’t necessarily one of Sylvester Stallone’s most critically acclaimed films, outside of the original Rocky and First Blood, he has always been granted with rather lukewarm responses by pundits. That being said, Cobra is the epitome of everything that Stallone can do right as a movie star; he stars as a ruthless character (and borderline vigilante) that does everything in his power to make sure that crime is completely obliterated.

Stallone is able to deliver cheesy one-liners with a straight face, as the film does not contain the style of snarky, self-referential humor that has become more common in the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although it is probably best described as a “guilty pleasure,” Cobra is an unmissable classic for anyone that considers themselves to be a Stallone fan, and far more compelling than much of the work that he has done in the last decade.

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2 ‘Highlander’ (1986)

Directed by Russell Mulcahy

Highlander was a wild reinvention of the subgenre of fantasy epic that had become popular in the 1980s, but it was certainly not aimed at children in the same way that Time Bandits, Willow, or Dragonslayer were. Highlander stars Christopher Lambert as an immortal Scottish warrior who is trained by an enigmatic mentor (Sean Connery) as he wages a war against another ruthless villain (Clancy Brown).

Highlander may have earned much of its cultural value because of its score, as Queen’s original song “Who Wants To Live Forever?” became a phenomenon in its own right, and even played a critical role in the 2018 music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. While the film’s sequel Highlander II: The Quickening was notoriously so terrible that the director actually walked out of its premiere, John Wick director Chad Stahelski is working on a new reboot.

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1 ‘Miami Vice’ (2006)

Directed by Michael Mann

Miami Vice is one of the more radical films from Michael Mann, a filmmaker who has done more to reinvent the crime genre than nearly anyone else. Mann had helped to create the original 1980s television series Miami Vice, which was noted for its bright colors and aesthetics, which felt reminiscent of the MTV music videos that were popular at the time.

Mann used digital photography for his 2006 reboot to create a gloomy, atmospheric film that examined the futility of the drug war. By taking an exciting subject and shooting it in a tactile way, Mann was able to go deeper into the characters and explore how lonely, frustrated, and uncomfortable they really are. While it may not have been what action fans were expecting, Miami Vice is one of the more beloved arthouse films of the 21st century.

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