Bruce Willis as McClane looking through a hole in a window in Die Hard.
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Padraig Cotter
Published 38 minutes ago
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
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It's one of the greatest eras in the genre, and here are the best 1980s action movies currently streaming on Prime Video. Sylvester Stallone has suggested that the action movie as audiences know it today didn't fully begin until his 1982 outing First Blood.
The film in the Rambo movie franchise is unique for the sheer amount of action it features, while the main character's dialogue was pared to a minimum. Action movies prior to this, like Bullitt or The French Connection, tended to focus on one or two major setpieces instead. The 1980s also saw the rise of the Schwarzenegger vs Stallone feud.
This saw the two stars compete in terms of body count, explosion size and, of course, muscles. There's more to this decade than Arnie and Sly; it gave rise to the buddy action comedies of 48 Hrs and the Lethal Weapon movies, and martial arts stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal.
A lot of these movies may have aged poorly in terms of music, fashion or political correctness, but most of them are still a fun time. Prime has a nice library of hits to dive into, which offers something for everyone.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Hard as it is to believe now, Steven Spielberg's career wasn't in great shape heading into Raiders of the Lost Ark. His comedy 1941 had been an expensive dud, and he was gaining a reputation for making films that went over budget and schedule. With the first Indiana Jones, he intended to make a great blockbuster under budget and schedule.
Spielberg, of course, then made one of the best blockbusters ever. From its thrilling, trap-dodging opening to John Williams' inreplaceable score to the final shot, Raiders of the Lost Ark is near perfect. Spielberg's handling of setpieces has rarely been better, Harrison Ford fits the lead role like a glove, and it makes history itself feel thrilling.
Tom Selleck was famously almost cast as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but had to bow out to make the pilot for Magnum P.I.
Not even the best of the Indiana Jones sequels came close to matching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Despite its occasional gruesomeness (they really shouldn't have opened that Ark!), it's also great viewing for the entire family.
Escape from New York (1981)
Kurt Russell smoking a cigarette and showing attitude as Snake Plissken in Escape From New York.
John Carpenter had an epic run during the 1970s and 1980s, making back-to-back classics like Halloween, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China. Escape from New York might be the best concept Carpenter ever dreamed up, where the most dangerous convict in America has to break into the walled prison formerly known as New York.
It's a premise that's been ripped off many times since, but despite the modest budget Carpenter worked from, it has never been bettered. The film also completed Kurt Russell's move from Disney star to leading man, and he's backed by an ensemble that includes Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau and Donald Pleasence.
Escape from New York relies less on action than it does on atmosphere and mood - though it has thrilling setpieces as well. It's one of Carpenter's most stressful adventures too, as he uses the bombs planted in Snake Plissken's (Russell) neck as an ever-present countdown that keeps moving the action forward.
Highlander (1986)
Sean Connery holding a sword to Connor in Highlander.
Before being mired by terrible sequels and assorted spinoffs, Highlander was just a thrilling sci-fi/fantasy adventure with a great hook. This followed Christopher Lambert's immortal Scottish (?!) warrior as he battles others like himself throughout the centuries, until only one of them can remain.
Director Russell Mulcahy was one of the defining filmmakers of the MTV era, having helmed videos like "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Rio." He brings that over-the-top aesthetic to Highlander, which ages it in one regard but also gives the film a heightened, operatic feel. It also gives the 1986 actioner an incredible amount of energy.
It's the kind of film that would cast Sean Connery as an Egyptian, and that somehow works. Highlander also sports an epic soundtrack by Queen, great swordfights and a incredible villain turn from Clancy Brown as the vile Kurgan. Before the belated Henry Cavill remake finally arrives, the original film deserves to be revisited.
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
The bloodied cast of A Better Tomorrow 2 1987.
John Woo is the greatest action director of all time, with his balletic, slow-motion style inspiring everyone from Quentin Tarantino to Sam Raimi. Woo finally broke through with his 1986 gangster film A Better Tomorrow, which made a star of leading man Chow Yun-fat.
It became such a sensation in Hong Kong (and overseas) that a sequel soon followed. This follow-up reunites the leads from the original (though a dead character is replaced by their twin brother) as they seek revenge on a ruthless crime boss. In truth, the story is soapy and convoluted, but A Better Tomorrow 2 shines in its setpieces.
Woo refined and improved upon his action style from the first outing, featuring thrilling close-quarters gunfights and car chases. Woo wasn't happy with how producers chopped his sequel down in the edit, but he's especially proud of its "mad painting" ending, where the heroes take on an endless wave of gangsters in a house with guns, grenades and swords.
Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis talking to someone on a walkie talkie in Die Hard.
The muscular action blockbusters of Arnold and Sly dominated the 1980s, which is what made Die Hard feel like such a breath of fresh air. This followed an everyman cop named McClane (Bruce Willis) who becomes trapped in a skyscraper taken over by a group of thieves on Christmas Eve.
It's a simple setup, but the execution is masterful. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Die Hard is about as perfect as an action movie can get. The dialogue is superb, Willis and Alan Rickman are irreplaceable as the hero and villain, and even the myriad supporting players get their moments to shine.
Director John McTiernan knows how to stage a setpiece for maximum suspense and tension, too. What really works about Die Hard is that McClane is such a human hero. He's constantly stressed and overwhelmed, but he never gives up or lets inconveniences like glass in his feet stop him.
It's little surprise that Die Hard defined action cinema for the next decade and change, leading to the likes of Cliffhanger or the Under Siege duology. It also spawned a franchise, but its ultimate legacy is being the first action movie genre devotees reach for on Christmas morning.
Prime Video
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The Boys, Invincible, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Hanna, Carnival Row, The Wheel of Time, Reacher, Daisy Jones & The Six, Swarm, Citadel
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Borat 2, The Tomorrow War, Coming 2 America, One Night in Miami, Jolt, Sound of Metal, Honey Boy, Without Remorse
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