10 Overlooked & Underappreciated 90s Action Movie Flicks
Strap in to revisit and re-evaluate the decade's less favoured action flicks.
It takes more than just impressive car chases, explosions, dangerous stunts and a high body count to make a great action movie. The one-liners must be on point, the hero must be likeable. The balance of these ingredients is crucial to getting this formula right.
When it comes to action movies, many people look to the 1980s with fondness (and rightly so) but the 1990s may truly have been the golden age. Throughout the '90s we had True Lies, Demolition Man, Terminator 2, Under Siege, Point Break and The Last Boy Scout. Unfortunately, many action flicks of that decade managed to slip through the net to be forgotten about. In some cases, it is not that they are forgotten but are remembered with unfair, and often humorous disdain.
This is a list of those high-octane films that never got the recognition they deserved, despite the star power some of them boast. Ten adrenaline-fuelled classics that should be given a second chance by fans of the genre.
10. Sudden Death (1995)
Throughout the 1990s Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in many action movies, from the good (A.W.O.L, Hard Target, Universal Soldier), to the bad (Street Fighter, Double Team, Knock Off). Between all these there is the excellent but criminally overlooked Sudden Death. TERROR GOES INTO OVERTIME.
During an NHL Stanley Cup game, a hockey arena is taken over by terrorists. Holding the vice-president hostage, they threaten to blow up the whole building with everyone in it. Unfortunately for these bad apples, the arena’s fire inspector is Darren McCord (JCVD) and his children happen to be in attendance. Many people have likened this to a Die Hard at a hockey game, like that is a bad thing.
Sudden Death is directed by Peter Hyams, who had previously worked with Van Damme on Timecop, and went on to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days. So, we’re in good hands for a reliable action romp. This underappreciated bit of carnage was loosely remade in 2020 as Welcome to Sudden Death starring Michael Jai White. In the updated version basketball takes the place of ice hockey.