The near misses:

- Enemy of the State
- Con Air

- Goldeneye

- Face/Off
- Bad Boys

- Total Recall
- Heat

I was only really surprised that Heat didn't make the top ten , it's a great movie but even I knocked it down my list because it is so fucking long that it kind of takes it out of the action realm for me. When I think of action I think popcorn flicks that are amongst the most rewatchable movies out there and Heat running damn near three hours knocks it down a peg for me.

From that bundle Enemy of the State , Bad Boys and Face/Off were all on my list , with only The Last Boy Scout and Fire Down Below not making it even high enough for honorable mentions. I have a soft spot for Fire Down Below despite it being a lesser Seagal movie..

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day 

Hasta la vista, baby. ~ The Terminator 

Released 

1991 

Credits 

Director: James Cameron 

Writer: James Cameron 

Writer: William Wisher 

Cast 

Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator)

Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) 

Edward Furlong (John Connor)

Robert Patrick (T-1000)

Joe Morton (Miles Dyson)

Critical 

#41 Rated Movie of All Time (IMDB)

8.5/10 (IMDB)

93% (RT Critics)

94% (RT Audiences)

Box Office 

Domestic: $204,843,345 

Worldwide: $520,881,154

Adjusted: $444,719,300 

At the Oscars 

- Winner for Best Sound 

- Winner for Best Makeup 

- Winner for Best Sound Effects 

- Winner for Visual Effects 

- Nominated for Best Cinematography 

- Nominated for Best Film Editing 

Decided to put the #1 up because it was obvious and no need to delay it. Not shocked it took the top spot and The Rock actually made it a closer fight than I expected it to be so that is pretty cool.

As I've said throughout , I'm not an Arnie fan , nor a Terminator fan so this didn't sniff my list. No doubt at it's iconicness though.

Haven't seen T2 in a long time. If I had watched it more recently it might have pipped The Rock for my top spot, but my memories of it are still fond enough to rank it above heavy hitters such as The Matrix and León.

Total Recall is amazing and should have occupied the True Lies spot IMO. Eraser and Last Action Hero are also superior Arnie films. Suddenly I realise that Arnie has been in at least five big action films in the 90s. End of Days too, which I haven't seen. That puts him clearly above Keanu and Cage who each have three big action films to their name each.

1. The Rock
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
3. The Matrix
4. León: The Professional
5. Total Recall
6. Last Action Hero
7. Enemy of the State
8. Face/Off
9. Eraser
10. Con Air

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
2. Speed
3. Die Hard With A Vengeance
4. True Lies
5. Demolition Man
6. The Rock
7. Total Recall
8. Heat
9. Independence Day
10. Die Hard 2

Seeing where the Rock ended up I may have overrated it a bit. I guess since Heat played like a crime drama and there were many sci-fi elements to Total Recall I guess that gave it the edge as a more pure action movie.

Yeah T2 as number 1, no more needs to be said..

Dec 4, 2018 17:20:41 GMT Emperor said:

Haven't seen T2 in a long time. If I had watched it more recently it might have pipped The Rock for my top spot, but my memories of it are still fond enough to rank it above heavy hitters such as The Matrix and León.

Total Recall is amazing and should have occupied the True Lies spot IMO. Eraser and Last Action Hero are also superior Arnie films. Suddenly I realise that Arnie has been in at least five big action films in the 90s. End of Days too, which I haven't seen. That puts him clearly above Keanu and Cage who each have three big action films to their name each.

1. The Rock
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
3. The Matrix
4. León: The Professional
5. Total Recall
6. Last Action Hero
7. Enemy of the State
8. Face/Off
9. Eraser
10. Con Air

What the fuck? UT not liking Arnold feels more excusable than the nonsense that is your egregious True Lies hate.

For Arnold's 90s action, I think I'd go:
1. T2
2. True Lies
3. Total Recall
4. Last Action Hero
5. Eraser (which I want to put 3rd, but understand TR & LAH are more iconic)

I don't hate True Lies. It's just nowhere near the standards of pretty much any other Arnie action flick I've seen. As Bret Hart would say, it's a 4/10.

90s Arnie:
1. T2
2. Total Recall
--big gap--
3. Last Action Hero
4. Eraser
--big gap--
5. True Lies

And now the rightful winner of this countdown has emerged. T2 is what you get when you take the greatest action film of all-time and then give the director a ridiculously expanded budget to fully realize his vision. While I still hold the original Terminator slightly higher due to what James Cameron was able to accomplish with a shoe-string budget, T2 is on the merits every bit it's equal and can easily be argued to be the superior film.

The GOAT action star makes his triumphant return in the role that truly made him a mega-star. Linda Hamilton turns in an iconic performance that completely evolves her character from the first film into one of the most iconic heroines of all-time. Even Edward Furlong turns in a very memorable performance as the young John Connor (the only one of his career) The script and story are tight as a drum, the action pieces unmatched, and the special effects are dazzling, completely justifying the massively expanded budget James Cameron got. There is even room for a little bit of heart in the story as the Terminator becomes the closest thing to a father that John Connor has ever known. T2:Judgement Day is a total triumph from beginning to end and is the rightful winner of the best action film of the 90's

1.Terminator 2
2.Die Hard With a Vengeance
3.True Lies
4.The Matrix
5.Face Off
6.Bad Boys
7.Split Second
8.The Rock
9.Point Break
10. Marked for Death


I forgot about Total Recall when I made my list. If had remembered it would have ranked #5 and I would have bumped Marked for Death off.





For Arnie films in the 90's


1.T2
2.True Lies
3.Total Recall
4.Eraser
5.Last Action Hero

I was only really surprised that Heat didn't make the top ten

I wasn't.  Heat is more of a crime drama/heist film than an action movie.

I think thereallt might be my 90s action movie soulmate.

My list was partially influenced by trying to avoid certain movies that we've already discussed.

Here was my list:
1. True Lies
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
3. Die Hard with a Vengeance
4. The Long Kiss Goodnight
5. Léon: The Professional
6. The Fifth Element
7. Desperado
8. The Rock
9. Rush Hour
10. The Matrix

And for fun, here was Wife's:

1. Mystery Men
2. Independence Day
3. Twister
4. Con Air
5. Jurassic Park
6. Braveheart
7. Speed
8. Volcano
9. Small Soldiers
10. Batman & Robin

She tried.

Terminator 2 was my #1 and the movie I expected to win. It has always been THE quintessential 90s action movie in my mind. The Rock also placed high on my list. UT & thereallt did fine jobs explaining why those two movies are great so I don't have to. Here's my list....

1. Terminator 2 (#1)
2. True Romance
3. The Rock (#2)
4. Demolition Man
5. Con Air
6. The Fugitive (#10)
7. Predator 2
8. Die Hard With A Vengeance (#4)
9. Lethal Weapon 4
10. Speed (#5)

How did Point Break make this list? I've only seen it on one of the posted lists and it was #9. UT probably had it at #1 I guess.

Dec 5, 2018 11:14:15 GMT Emperor said:

How did Point Break make this list? I've only seen it on one of the posted lists and it was #9. UT probably had it at #1 I guess.

I had it at #4 , so did Big Pete I believe - it might have been on another list as well ... we had quite the good turnout for this one. 

1. Terminator 2
2. The Matrix
3. GoldenEye
4. Point Break
5. Heat
6. The Rock
7. The Last Boy Scout
8. Starship Troopers
9. Con Air
10. The Crow

Doesn't get more 90s than Point Break, brah.

1. The Matrix
2. Terminator 2
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4. GoldenEye
5. Enemy of the State
6. The Fifth Element
7. Independence Day
8. Blade
9. End of Days
10. Speed

All you youngins not appreciating the classic god-tier movie that is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And how the fuck did the Fifth Element not make this list? I thought it would be a shoe-in. I thought Blade would be closer too.

At least GoldenEye was a near miss. I can live with that.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of my favorite movies ever , I tried to stay clear of the comic/super hero realm though and focus on what I really consider action movies.

The Fifth Element is action? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I don't recall a lot of action. Maybe my mind is mixing it up with Blade Runner.

Dec 5, 2018 19:36:19 GMT Emperor said:

The Fifth Element is action? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I don't recall a lot of action. Maybe my mind is mixing it up with Blade Runner.

Oh no, don't you with your True Lies hating ass start ragging on Fifth Element now.