Having long been part of the Hollywood ecosystem, the action genre truly took off with blockbuster verve during the 1980s, leading to many of the best movies in the 1990s serving as timeless action-packed romps. It was the decade when Keanu Reeves and Nicolas Cage became bona fide mega-stars, when Jackie Chan’s stunt work became internationally renowned, and when the world met Robert Patrick’s T-1000. Truly a golden age of badassery. (Those interested in more modern flicks can check out CinemaBlend’s take on 2023’s best action movies, as well as the best examples from 2022.)
While laying out such definitive lists is never easy, here are arguably the best of the best action movies that came out during the 1990s, with all the harrowing car chases, pulse-pounding heists, and deadly shootouts that audiences could hope for. And yes, a whole lot of Michael Bay, explosions, and Will Smith one-liners.
Goldeneye
The James Bond franchise’s current level of prestige can make it easy to forget how buoyed optimism was for Pierce Brosnan’s debut as the secret agent for 1995’s GoldenEye, but Martin Campbell’s action-packed spy caper was just what Bond fans were looking for after years without a new film. Starting with that jaw-dropping bungee jump in the opening sequence, GoldenEye delivers one thrill on top of the next, from close-up fisticuffs between Brosnan and Famke Janssen’s Xenia Onatopp to the large-scale wreckage of the tank scene. Really, it just took the words “tank scene” to sell me, but “boss fight inside a giant satellite dish” didn’t hurt.
Blade
A decade before the MCU’s arrival, Wesley Snipes and director Stephen Norrington delivered what remains one of Marvel’s darkest live-action tales with Blade, one of the most action-packed vampire movies of any decade. The 1998 hit remains beloved amongst fans in part due to the A+ fight scenes that cemented Wesley Snipes’ legacy as genre fave, from the blood-soaked battle in the night club to Blade’s final act battle with Stephen Dorff’s Deacon Frost.
Heat
Regardless of what happens with Michael Mann’s plans for Heat 2, his 1995 opus’ reputation can never be tarnished. While technically more of a crime drama, Heat is long enough that a tight action movie could feasibly be crafted through clever editing. With a stellar cast headed up with Godfather panache by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Heat keeps the high-stakes intensity going from beginning to end, and Val Kilmer delivers another one of his many too-cool performances.
Point Break
Kathryn Bigelow’s fourth feature, 1991’s Point Break, was crafted around an unmistakably 1990s action movie formula: an undercover cop experiences Stockholm syndrome for a zen criminal guru leading a group of skydiving bank-robbers, with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze starring as the respective cop and robber. The Hot Fuzz-inspiring Point Break is full of cool shoot-outs, hectic robberies, chases and more, but the skydiving scenes and POTUS masks take it to the next level. Did I mention Reeves’ character name is Johnny Utah?
The Rock
Michael Bay’s 1996 romp The Rock is the epitome of the “Michael Bay 1996 movie” concept, centering on a team headed up by Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage that has to break into the infamous island prison Alcatraz in order to stop a terrorist plot. It really serves as a greatest hits reel for the director, with tons of gorgeously shot set pieces that keep the tension and manic energy flowing throughout, and without ever tipping over into complete farce.
Speed
Jan de Bont’s directorial debut Speed is an action movie so inspirational with its high-concept formula that movies years afterward were sold as “Speed on a ___.” Watching Keanu Reeves’ Jack Traven attempt to get one step ahead of Dennis Hopper’s bomber antagonist would be a joy even without the rest of the ensemble featuring Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels and Alan Ruck, but they help keep the stakes palpable. From the elevator to the bus to the subway, Speed zips from one giant sequence to the next, and the fact that Speed 2: Cruise Control was so bad helps prove how special this one is.
Mission: Impossible
With more than a half-dozen entries, the Mission: Impossible franchise is currently quite distanced from Tom Cruise’s 1996 debut as Ethan Hunt. But that doesn’t stop Brian de Palma’s spy flick from standing out as one of the best action movies of the decade, as it serves up mystery thrills on top of its pulse-pounding stunts, while helping to set the groundwork for its star’’s persona as a risk-embracing star. And part of what makes M:I’s action great is the fact that Cruise wasn’t yet in polished superhero mode, adding to the stakes.
Hard Boiled
Despite being released in 1992, Hard Boiled remains a genre classic whose action sequences remain as impressive as ever, both within director John Woo’s filmography and among cinema as a whole. His final Hong Kong film ahead of Woo’s transition to Hollywood, Hard Boiled stars Chow Yun-Fat as a cop whose solution to getting bogged down in a gang war is basically to fuck up everyone else’s shit. From the tea house carnage to the hospital shootout to the one-shot warehouse stunt-show, the critical darling paved the way for Woo’s Face/Off.
Starship Troopers
Even if Paul Verhoeven possibly went a bit overboard with the satirical propaganda at the heart of 1997’s Starship Troopers, causing some critics and audiences to completely misunderstand its messaging, his adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel is every bit as destructive and intense as one could expect from a Verhoeven alien invasion movie. Though the huge budget meant it was considered a bit of a financial bust at the time, so much money going into the CGI of the Arachnid aliens means the visuals hold up way better than some other sci-fi films of the time.
Face/Off
A movie that at times feels like a stuffed-to-the-gills trailer stretched out to nearly 140 minutes, Face/Off is a roller coaster ride on a track made entirely out of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage’s performance energy. (And the strength of the villain moniker Castor Troy.) Based on the bonkers-proof concept of a cat-and-mouse chase involving a federal agent and criminal swapping faces, Face/Off boasts director John Woo, whose excellence went a long way in keeping the 1997 flick from becoming an instant punchline.
Last Action Hero
While viewed as a disappointment upon its 1993 release, John McTiernan’s genre-aping comedy Last Action Hero has gained a more proper following over the years, even if it still remains underappreciated amidst star Arnold Schwarzenegger and screenwriter Shane Black’s respective filmographies. As much an ode to the movies as an action-adventure itself, Last Action Hero makes fictional detective Jack Slater’s universe as familiar as real-world franchises, and I’m still mad we never got any sequels.
Con Air
Con Air is one of those movies where there’s no half-assing one’s fandom of it, in that you either don’t like Con Air, or you know with all your mind and body it’s a goddamned treasure. Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich are in perfect form as the respective hero and villain Cameron Poe and Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom, with an all-star cast backing the Jerry Bruckheimer production. To pinpoint Con Air’s best moments is to take time away from enjoying the entirety of the thing. Beware the Marietta Mangler.
Independence Day
Roland Emmerich’s 1996 smash hit Independence Day falls more clearly into the action genre than his other disaster-laden films, while still adhering to his signature over-the-top mayhem. Featuring some of the ‘90s best on-screen explosions in any capacity, the alien invasion epic helped solidify Will Smith as a blockbuster action star in the wake of Bad Boys, while also bringing the laughs with Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch among others.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Widely considered to be one of cinema’s biggest and best sequels of all time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day also holds the distinction of being one of the best action films of any era. Director James Cameron set the film’s nuclear stakes from the jump, and introduced an impressively frightening (and oft-parodied) villain in Robert Patrick’s liquid metal T-1000. Add in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s protagonist turn as T-800, the endless badassery of Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor, and the further nightmares of Skynet, and T2 remains a daunting genre entry.
True Lies
The Matrix
It’s hard to think of any ‘90s movie that inspired the whole of culture (not just pop culture) the way that The Matrix did, from the fashion choices to the slow-mo bullet time to the electronica soundtrack and beyond. And amidst all the “red pill or blue pill?” debates and conversations about perspectives on reality, the Wachowskis weaved together a masterful action movie that broke new ground for martial arts combat and gunplay. In Neo we trust, but give me Trinity any day.
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black spent the ‘90s penning a trio of underrated genre faves, including 1996’s The Long Kiss Goodnight, which paired superstars Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson as an amnesiac schoolteacher and a struggling P.I., respectively, who stumble into a deadly conspiracy. With plenty of laughs and eye-popping explosions to go around, The Long Kiss Goodnight’s action is made all the more enjoyable with co-stars such as Brian Cox and David Morse.
The Mummy
Rather than aiming for the creeping and dread-tinged horror of the Universal Monsters’ heyday, Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy is a rollicking big-budget action-adventure headed up by the always affable and fun to watch Brendan Fraser. The first film of the spinoff-sparking franchise seemingly came out of nowhere in 1999, despite a lengthy development process, and took over the box office with its s goofy one-liners, big battles and video game logic. There isn’t a mummy army out there that I wouldn’t watch watch Rick O’Connell fight off.
The Legend Of Drunken Master
1994’s The Legend of Drunken Master, a sequel to 1978’s Drunken Master, remains as endlessly impressive as much of star and martial arts master Jackie Chan’s fight-tastic career. So many different fighting styles and techniques were utilized throughout the film, as well as a variety of different weapons and physical props, but it’s the Drunken Fist maneuvers that truly make this stand out among the bulk of ‘90s action romps, and the consistent sense of humor only helps.
Total Recall
Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off the ‘90s with one of the decade’s wildest and twistiest sci-fi thrillers, teaming up with Paul Verhoeven for the effects-filled mindbender Total Recall. Even when most of the action is happening squarely on the hulking lead’s face (which is only barely hyperbole), this is an action fan’s quease-inducing dreamscape. From Sharon Stone kicking ass in pink spandex to Schwarzenegger blowing baddies away with ease, Total Recall is a relic whose magic can’t be replicated through any kind of modern remakes.
Die Hard With A Vengeance
So many ‘80s and ‘90s hits spawned instantly forgettable sequels, but Die Hard with a Vengeance is one of the rarities, with much of that credit going to returning Die Hard director John McTiernan, as well as the additions of Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Irons. This third outing for Bruce Willis’ terrorist-dropping John McClane is arguably the last must-see within the franchise, as it’s a total blast to see him and Jackson’s Zeus following a wave of destruction throughout New York City.
Bad Boys
Boasting one of the genre’s best partnerships in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, 1995’s franchise-sparking Bad Boys is partly unhinged Michael Bay at his best, and is the rare action movie that’s as hilarious as it is exciting. It perfectly set the stage for the madness to come in 2003’s Bad Boys 2, and it’s all the more ridiculous to reflect on Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz being two of the original actors pitched. For my money, the shootout-turned-chase alone would make Bad Boys worthy of inclusion here.
Check out everything coming to theaters soon to see if any upcoming 2024 movie releases will stand tall against all the excellence listed above!
