Okay, just finished watching The Replacement Killers and was trying to decide if it is in fact one of the best action movies ever made. It is. Off the top of my head, I’ve compiled a semi-short list of what I consider to be some of the most badass action movies of all time. Some may be lacking in certain areas like budget, plot, acting, etc. But hey, they’re about the action, the rest is mostly optional. Dr. No – 1962 James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program. What makes it badass: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress and Jack Lord in the first James Bond movie, nuff said. Shaft – 1971 Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter. What makes it badass: It’s Shaft, John Shaft. You’re damn right! Death Race 2000 – 1975 A champion of a brutal cross-country car race of the future where pedestrians are run down for points has a change of heart while being hounded by rivals and a conspiracy seeking to stop the race. What makes it badass: It’s a typical low-budget Roger Corman classic, you can never go wrong there. Mad Max – 1979 In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop’s family and make his fight with them personal. What makes it badass: “The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel. It’d take you ten minutes to hack through it with this. Now, if you’re lucky, you can hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go!” Escape From New York – 1981 In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue. What makes it badass: Snake Plissken. Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1981 Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. What makes it badass: It’s the original and still the best. The movie that brought us Indiana Jones. The melting head. Aliens – 1986 The planet from Alien has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? What makes it badass: While James Cameron is a poor substitute for Ridley Scott and the movie lacks the creepy atmosphere and suspense of the original, it’s got even more badass alien action. “Game over, man. Game over.” Big Trouble in Little China – 1986 An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown. What makes it badass: Kurt Russell in another John Carpenter classic. Kim Cattrall is hot. ‘Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.”‘ Highlander – 1986 An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”. What makes it badass: Sean Connery, sword fights, decapitations. There can be only one. Lethal Weapon – 1987 A veteran cop, Murtough, is partnered with a young suicidal cop, Riggs. Both having one thing in common, hating working in pairs. Now they must learn to work with one and other to stop a gang of drug smugglers. What makes it badass: It is the pinnacle of 80’s buddy cop movies. The film that helped define the genre. Die Hard – 1988 New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building. What makes it badass: The movie that made Bruce Willis into an action star. No steroids, no kung-fu, he gets the crap beat out of him but he just keeps coming because he’s too stubborn to give up. The big-screen debut of Alan Rickman, whose inspired portrayal of Hans Gruber will go down in history as one of film’s best villains. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.” The Killer (Dip huet seung hung) – 1989 A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss. What makes it badass: Chow Yun-Fat, John Woo. The shootout at the beach house was filmed in 28 days; 20,000 rounds of ammunition were fired. The final shootout at the church took 36 days and 40,000 rounds. At the time of filming it set the record for most shots fired in a motion picture. The Last Boyscout – 1991 A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician. What makes it badass: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans (you know, the funny Wayans brother), written by Shane Black and directed by Tony Scott. Halle Berry in that cowboy stripper outfit. Taylor Negron’s deliciously evil portrayal of head-henchman Milo. “Yes, officer. As a matter of fact there is a problem. Apparently there are too many bullets in this gun.” Tombstone – 1993 A successful lawman’s plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating. What makes it badass: I’m your huckleberry… The Crow – 1994 A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder. What makes it badass: The dark, the rain, the violence, it sets a Blade Runner-like feel to the movie. Possibly over-shadowed at the time of it’s release by the death of Brandon Lee, his performance was stunning and proved that if given a decent script (unlike several of his previous films) he could
