Moviegoers who hit theaters through the late 80s and 90s were given a smorgasbord of action films to choose from. There were high-octane movies of all types to keep action-hungry fans engaged, many of them jumping on the special effects bandwagon and embracing new tactics like computer-generated particle effects and green-screen technology.
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Because of this, the 90s were filled to the brim with great action movies, but there was such a saturation of films that many classics went completely unseen by most. These underrated gems had been lost to time, until the Internet boom helped bring them to streaming sites, giving viewers a first look at some of the best action the 90s had to offer. To celebrate these films, here’s a look at some of the most underrated action flicks born from the 90s.
Face/Off (1997)
There were a lot of interesting films in the 90s, with many studios trying out new and imaginative concepts to grab the audience’s attention. In 1997, legendary filmmaker John Woo tried his hand at breathing life into a curious concept with Face/Off, a high-octane action-thriller that had the two main characters literally swapping faces.
Acting legends John Travolta and Nicholas Cage do a fantastic job playing a good-guy against bad-guy duo that very much have a personal vendetta against one another. It’s smart, visceral, and contains some impressive action scenes for its time. Face/Off is perhaps one of John Woo’s greatest films, yet often overshadowed by his work on series like Mission Impossible and Hard Target.
Face/Off is available onPrime Video,AppleTV, andGoogle Play.
The Rock (1996)
A lot of amazing directors honed their craft throughout the 90s and the decade hosts a myriad of amazing films that are often overlooked thanks to today’s modern advancements in filmmaking. One director that “suffers” from this is Michael Bay, a visionary that has definitely benefitted from computer-animated special effects that have given his action scenes an incredible sense of depth and realism.
But prior to the tech boom, Michael Bay helped craft one of the most entertaining action films ever produced. 1996’s The Rock features a stellar cast in Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris. Cage and Connery play a duo that must break into the famous prison Alcatraz in order to stop a terrorist plot created by Ed Harris. It’s nail-biting and imaginative, with the edge-of-your-seat action that make all of Michael Bay’s films so entertaining.
The Rock is available onPrime Video,AppleTV, andGoogle Play.
Con Air (1997)
The 90s action scene was a match made in Heaven for Nicolas Cage. The talented actor found himself smack dab in the middle of a wide array of projects, which helped to propel him to superstardom. Although he does a great job in Face/Off and The Rock, Con Air is easily one of his best performances.
Cage plays a former US Ranger that is sent to prison for accidentally slaying a man. At one point, a group of prisoners is transported by an airplane, which they promptly take over. It’s some of the best action available in the 90s, with a huge cast of stars that includes names like Danny Trejo, John Cusack, Dave Chappelle, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, and even Steve Buscemi.
Con Air is available onPrime Video,AppleTV,Google Play, and Hulu.
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Blade (1998)
The modern age is rife with superhero movies of all shapes and sizes but it wasn’t like that in the 90s. The Joel Schumacher Batman films stood out among the rest of the pack for their impressive cast and costume design but another superhero-based film flew under the radar.
Blade follows the story of the Marvel Comics, a human imbued with vampiric powers (but not their weaknesses). This gives him the ability to cull the hordes of monstrous bloodsuckers sprinkled throughout Los Angeles. Blade is a lesser-known and appreciated part of the Marvel universe but Wesley Snipes did a fantastic job bringing the hero to life in the 90s.
Blade is available onAmazon Prime,AppleTV,Google Play, and HBO Max.
There have been a lot of great Buddy Cop films over the years but none are perhaps as hilarious and visceral as Bad Boys. The 1995 cult classic follows Will Smith and Martain Lawrence as two detectives that must protect a witness while simultaneously investigating another case involving stolen evidence from their police precinct. The star power of the main cast aside, Bad Boys is a solid action film with great direction and some seriously entertaining action sequences.
There are some seriously high-octane stunts and explosions, thanks to direction by Michael Bay, and the campiness of the film puts it right up there with other buddy cop classics like Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour.
Bad Boys is available onAmazon Prime,AppleTV,Google Play, and Fubo.
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
When it comes to underrated films from the 90s, it’s hard not to immediately think about The Last Boy Scout. It currently sports a 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing) but there are many fans that would suggest it’s one of the best action films of the decade.
While many may consider its plot convoluted and its themes a bit frustrating in the modern age, it’s hard not to enjoy the action-packed scenes and Comedy dynamic between Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. It may be a bit hit-or-miss with viewers but it’s worth the price of admission. Even if the overarching plot isn’t a fan favorite, it provides enough action scenes to be entertaining.
The Last Boy Scout is available onAmazon Prime,AppleTV,Google Play, and Netflix.
Waterworld (1995)
During the 90s, Waterworld was considered one of the decade’s biggest box office bombs. The film itself cost around 175 million dollars to produce but would only bring in about 88 million dollars domestically. Thankfully, it did a bit better overseas, but was still considered one of the biggest letdowns of the era from a box office standpoint. Thankfully, it would go on to sell many copies to home-viewers, so many so that it would eventually become a profitable success.
It’s not the best action flick of the 90s by any means but it’s not a bad watch and it makes use of many practical effects that have since been phased out in the production of action films. It’s definitely underrated.
Waterworld is available onPrime Video,AppleTV,Google Play, and Starz.
Last Action Hero (1993)
Last Action Hero is definitely one of the more entertaining action films to come from the 90s. It’s a self-aware satire on the over-the-top action of films from the 80s and 90s and actually does a pretty great (and hilarious) job poking fun at itself and the genre. Arnold Schwarzenegger does a great job playing hero, is very likable, and is campy in his delivery.
Unfortunately, Last Action Hero found itself the victim of poor press coverage in the 90s and was completely overshadowed by the cinema giant Jurassic Park, which had been released two weeks earlier. This caused the film to shrink into obscurity but it did manage to find a cult following years later. It’s definitely a great action film, and one that fans of the genre should check out.
Last Action Hero is available onPrime Video,AppleTV,Google Play, and Netflix.
