1) Indiana Jones trilogy
No point trying to separate these. They're all good, even Temple of Doom. I personally love Last Crusade because of that particular mythology, the boat chase, tank scene and Sean Connery. But Raiders set a new precedent for action movies.
2) Die Hard
Talk about setting the precedent. How many "Die Hard in a..." movies have we been subjected to? Only The Rock ever did this plot justice. Anyway, the situation is exciting with McClane and the terrorists confined to one location, and it's a location loaded with opportunities for action.
3) The Terminator
This was the beginning of Arnold, and it is truly a fine chase film. The effects are cheesy, but they work. When I was 8, I almost crapped myself when Arnold took out his eye!
The second Mad Max film has intense action scenes across the desert wasteland.
5) Lethal Weapon 2
The first Lethal sequel went so much further with the action and buddy-banter, it went down in history as one of the all-time great sequels. Remember the straight jacket stunt, the car-truck chase and the house on stilts.
This may be a more controversial pick, but I truly felt the complexity of this sequel was so creative that it was awesome. They actually went back into the first movie and messed around with stuff! And hoverboards are cool. Remember when we thought they were real?
7) First Blood
The original Rambo movie is a powerful film. First, it's a rousing adventure as he uses military techniques in a small town environment. It also dramatizes the plight of the Vietnam veteran in an entertaining way. In some ways, it's a shame the sequels became such cartoons.
8) Batman
Those toys really were cool. This is a great looking film with some high caliber actors giving their all in a comic book setting. I personally liked Batman Returns a little more, for the twisted love story involved, but that was in 1992.
9) Top Gun
The quintessential early Tom Cruise movie, this has some neat flying but it's mainly camp value. You've got the cocky young guy learning real responsibility and stepping up to the challenge while making out with his teacher.
10) The Running Man
I reserved a spot for my personal favorite '80s Arnold movie. It's really simple. They send guys after him, and he takes them out. Yay!
About Today's Guest Writer:
Samet Bilir is a freelance writer who writes about online shopping products.
You can read more about his work at azframes.com, a website for digital picture frame reviews.
