Action: 245

Point Break (1991) is an American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. Johnny Utah, a former Ohio State quarterback and rookie FBI agent, joins forces with Agent Angelo Pappas to investigate a series of bank robberies carried out by the ‘Ex-Presidents’ – thieves who don rubber masks of past Presidents such as Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson. These cunning robbers have a unique MO: instead of robbing the entire vault, they only take the cash from the tellers’ drawers before quickly ...

The film, The Rookie (1990), directed by Clint Eastwood, follows the story of LAPD detective Nick Pulovski and his new partner David Ackerman as they take on a group of criminals stealing luxury vehicles. In the midst of their pursuit, Powell, Nick’s previous partner, is tragically killed. Despite being ordered to let it go by his superiors, Nick teams up with David to continue investigating. Over lunch at a country club, they spot the leader of the gang, Strom; Nick boldly confronts him and gives him Powell’s blood-stained badge. Later on, Nick meets up with his informant Felix at a bar while David gets ...

Luc Besson wrote and directed the French-language action thriller film La Femme Nikita (1990). The movie follows the story of Nikita, a teenage junkie with a nihilistic outlook. One night, she takes part in a robbery at her friend’s parents’ pharmacy which turns into a shootout with the police. Tragically, her partners-in-crime are killed and she is left suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Desperate, she ends up killing a police officer. As a result, Nikita is convicted of murder and given a life sentence in prison. However, government officials have another plan for her. Faking her death, they extract her ...

Baywatch (1989–2001) is an American action drama series that follows the adventures of lifeguards stationed in Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii. Starring David Hasselhoff, it was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann and produced throughout its 11-season run by the same team. Featuring a constantly changing ensemble cast, the show delves into the personal and professional challenges faced by its characters. Despite initially being ...

Pink Cadillac (1989), a film directed by Buddy Van Horn, follows the story of an innocent woman named Lou Ann who finds herself being pursued by both a bounty hunter and a group of white supremacists. Lou Ann, who is married to Roy, accidentally takes some counterfeit money from the supremacist group when she takes off with his beloved pink Cadillac – the same car that held their hidden stash. Tommy Nowak is a skilled skip-tracer known for his ability to don various disguises, such as a rodeo clown, in order to track down his targets. His latest assignment is to locate Lou Ann ...

Richard Donner directed the American buddy cop action comedy film, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Two years after the first film, LAPD sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh chase unknown drug suspects and discover they were actually transporting a shipment of illegal gold Krugerrand coins from the South African government under apartheid. Following this, consul-general Arjen Rudd and security agent Pieter Vorstedt eliminate Hans, who had lost the Krugerrands, and consider ways to divert police attention from their activities. Pieter suggests deterring Murtaugh from pursuing the case and proceeds to invade his home. As a ...

Tango & Cash (1989), an American buddy cop action comedy film, features Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell as the titular characters. Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the movie follows two top detectives from different sides of Los Angeles – Lieutenants Raymond Tango of the Westside and Gabriel Cash of the Eastside. Both hailed for their successes in the Narcotics Division, these intense rivals have never met but believe themselves to be superior. However, little do they know that their recent drug busts have ...

Lock Up (1989) is an American prison action film, directed by John Flynn. The story follows Frank Leone, a mechanic in Hoboken, New Jersey who is coming to the end of his sentence at Norwood – a low-security prison. Although he spends time outside the prison on furlough to fix cars, play football and see his girlfriend Melissa, Leone is suddenly taken from his cell by guards while he sleeps. This forceful transfer is orchestrated by Warden Drumgoole, as payback for an incident where Leone escaped from Drumgoole’s previous post – Treadmore Prison. In addition to this, Leone had also exposed ...

Black Rain (1989), a neo-noir action thriller directed by Ridley Scott, tells the story of Nick Conklin, an NYPD detective facing scrutiny from Internal Affairs due to allegations of stolen drug bust money with his former partner. To add to his struggles, he is also falling behind on alimony payments. Following an intense interview with Internal Affairs, Nick and his current partner Charlie Vincent witness a violent encounter between a Mafioso and Japanese men disrupted when yakuza member Koji Sato enters the scene, retrieving a small package from them before killing them. After arresting Sato, they are ordered to ...

Licence to Kill (1989) became the sixteenth installment in the James Bond series, produced by Eon Productions and starring Timothy Dalton for the last time. The film was directed by John Glen and also marked the final appearance of Robert Brown as M. While travelling to his wedding in Key West, MI6 agent James Bond and CIA agent Felix Leiter were enlisted by DEA agents to help capture drugs lord Franz Sanchez. Using a Coast Guard helicopter and a hook and cord, Bond and Leiter successfully bring down ...

The film The Dead Pool (1988) falls under the genre of American neo-noir action thriller and was directed by Buddy Van Horn. Following Inspector Harry Callahan’s testifying against crime boss Lou Janero, the latter is imprisoned. As a result, Callahan gains notoriety and becomes targeted by both Janero’s men and the media, something he dislikes. During an ambush where four hitmen are killed by Callahan, the SFPD assigns Al Quan as his new partner. Having lost many partners in the past, Callahan advises Quan to wear a bulletproof vest. Together they investigate the death of rock singer Johnny Squares, who was ...

Rambo III (1988), an American action film directed by Peter MacDonald and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, sees Vietnam War veteran John Rambo reprising his role. After leaving the military, he settles in a Thai Buddhist monastery where he helps with construction work and competes in krabi-krabong matches in Bangkok, donating his winnings. However, his peaceful life is interrupted when his old friend Colonel Sam Trautman visits. Trautman explains that he needs Rambo’s help for a CIA-sponsored mission to supply the Mujahideen and other tribes fighting against the ...

The Bourne Identity (1988), based on Robert Ludlum’s 1980 novel of the same name, is an American miniseries. It was written by Carol Sobieski and directed by Roger Young for Warner Bros. Television. The lead role of Jason Bourne was played by Richard Chamberlain, while Jaclyn Smith also starred. The series closely follows the plot of the book and has a duration of 185 minutes. With commercials included, it ran for a total of four hours and first premiered on ABC split ...

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), a buddy cop action comedy film, was directed by Tony Scott and written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren. Following the events of the first film, Beverly Hills Police Department finds themselves investigating a series of high-value robberies known as the Alphabet Crimes. Each heist has an encrypted letter with a distinct alphabetic character left behind at the scene. The situation is further complicated by the new political climate at the department, with Chief Harold Lutz at the helm. He is ...

Lethal Weapon (1987), an  American buddy cop film, was directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and also co-produced by Joel Silver. After the recent loss of his wife, Martin Riggs, a former Special Forces soldier and narcotics Sergeant in the LAPD, has become erratic and suicidal. The captain of the police department believes Riggs is pretending to be mentally unstable in order to retire with a large pension. As a result, he assigns Riggs to work with Roger Murtaugh, an experienced Homicide ...

The Living Daylights (1987) is a spy film, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series by Eon Productions, and the first of two to feature Timothy Dalton as MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, it is named after Ian Fleming’s short story and is loosely based on its plot. This was also the last film to use an Ian Fleming title until Casino Royale in 2006. Agent Bond’s mission is to assist KGB ...

The Brotherhood of Justice (1986) is a thrilling television action film that portrays real-life events at Paschal High School in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas in 1984. The vigilante organization behind these events went by the name ‘The Legion of Doom’. This movie was shot on location in Santa Cruz County, situated in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area of California. Some notable spots used for filming include Aptos High School, Downtown Watsonville, the iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and several scenic beaches in the local vicinity. The ‘Brotherhood of Justice’, named after itself, starts as a bid by some ...

Top Gun (1986), an American action drama directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, was distributed by Paramount Pictures. U.S. Navy Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Lieutenant Junior Grade Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw were stationed aboard the USS Enterprise in the Indian Ocean. They flew the F-14A Tomcat and during an interception with two hostile MiG-28s, Maverick locked onto one while the other targeted his wingman, ...

Directed by George P. Cosmatos, Cobra (1986) is an American action film featuring Sylvester Stallone as the titular character. When a shooting at a Los Angeles supermarket turns into a hostage situation, Lt. Marion ‘Cobra’ Cobretti of the renowned ‘Zombie Squad’ is called upon by the police department to resolve it. Facing off against the shooter, who voices his belief in social Darwinism and talks of a ‘New World’, Cobretti takes him down before he can harm any hostages. As detectives process the crime scene, Cobretti receives a ...

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), an Australian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie with a screenplay by Miller and Terry Hayes, is set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by ecocide and nuclear war. In this barren landscape, Max Rockatansky is traveling through the desert pulled by camels. However, his journey is interrupted when he is attacked by Jedediah, an airborne bandit, and his son who steal his vehicle. Determined to get it back, Max tracks ...