A whole generation has grown up in films of the 90s. But the most viewed and popular of them are the militants. Boys dreamed of becoming heroes from films, and girls imagined themselves in the place of heroines. Below we will consider the best representatives of this genre.
Idols of an era
Perhaps, foreign fighters of the 90s of the 20th century should be made a separate category of cinema, because they don’t shoot like that anymore. No, of course, action movies are popular and are shot in large numbers to this day. Now they have reached a qualitatively new level. But the militants of the 90s, foreign ones basically did not have huge budgets, like modern blockbusters, but, nevertheless, many of them became iconic, and some became a new milestone in cinema. VHS tapes were passed from hand to hand and peered through holes. A whole generation has grown up on these films.
In fact, the militants of the 90s (overseas) are a kind of phenomenon. After all, they were shot with fairly limited funds, the plot is often also very straightforward, and the actors of most of these films did not receive an Oscar. But still there is something special in them that still compels us to review the militants of the 90s (foreign) again and again. List of the best films of those years is quite difficult to make. To facilitate the task, we will try to break them into conditional categories.
Good old classic
What do most often mean by classics of the action movie genre? The main character is a policeman, special agent, military man or other good guy who, by the will of fate, finds himself on a thorny path of struggle with evil in the person of bandits, terrorists, the mafia and other bad guys. A lot of weapons, explosions, chases and fights are the hallmarks of any action movie. Most often in classic action films, Jean-Claude Van Damme acts in film, although he still prefers kickboxing and karate to the gun. Martial arts are always spectacular and great for showdowns with particularly bad guys. Van Damme is definitely one of the leaders in this genre in terms of the number of films: “Volunteer”, “Nowhere to Run”, “Double Strike” and “Difficult Target”.
Thanks to Bruce Willis, the concept of "Die Hard" from the film of the same name has become a household name in the post-Soviet space. Joen McCain shockingly rescued American citizens from terrorists as much as three times in the 90s. We cannot but include in our rating other excellent action games with Willis: “The Last Boy Scout”, “At a Hit Distance”, “Mercury in Danger” and “The Jackal”. These tapes are considered to be classics of the genre, although Bruce always brings a unique flavor to his films.
Speaking of colorful actors, it is impossible to ignore the aikido master Stephen Seagal. “Under Siege” and “Under Siege 2: Territory of Darkness” will very organically fit into our rating of the best militants of the 90s of the last century. No matter how atmospheric and action-packed the movie may be, incredible tricks and exciting special effects, it is the actors you love that make it significant. Therefore, when you remember the heroes of the militants, the best foreign fighters of the 90s themselves pop up in memory. The star cast in the person of Kurt Russell, Stephen Seagal and Holly Berry in the movie “Destined to Destroy” helps the film to take its rightful place in our rating.
Beyond reality
This section of our list goes a bit away from the classics. No, everything remains in the genre, the good guys fight the bad ones, only now the action takes place either in the future, or on another planet, or in another world in general. So the arsenal of weapons, opportunities and tricks become unlimited. And of course, special effects add coolness. This is no longer a surprise for any fed-up viewer, but in the 90s it was fantastic - it was very cool! But it's still our favorite fighters of the 90s (foreign).
Sylvester Stallone presented the 90th with two iconic fantastic action movies “Judge Dredd” and “The Destroyer” in tandem with Wesley Snipes. The theme of cryogenics at that time incredibly excited the minds, and the film itself was very exciting. All the same Snipes in "Blade" made viewers look at films about vampires from a different angle. These are not necessarily gloomy dramas, horrors, and the like; Blade is a dynamic action movie with a non-trivial plot.
Also in the 90s they terribly loved the topic of aliens. Their invasion was excellently revealed in the film “Independence Day” with Will Smith in the title role, who probably liked the theme so much that he decided to return to it, only now with his partner Tommy Lee Jones in the fantastic action movie “Men in Black”. Agents Jay and Kay became favorite characters, and the film was a stunning success and two sequels.
Van Damme also managed to distinguish himself in two impressive fantastic action films, these are Street Fighter and Time Patrol. The futuristic action game “Remember Everything” with the former governor of California gave viewers the opportunity to visit Mars, to realize the old dream of earthlings. And he will worthily complete this category of our rating, which presents interesting militants of the 90s (foreign).
And a fight and a laugh ...
The recognized master of the genre of comedy action movie is considered to be Jackie Chan. Perhaps he will once again become a champion, now on our list of the best fighters of the 90s, since without a doubt each of his films released at that time became a box office hit. Continued hits of the 80s “Armor of God 2: Operation Condor”, “Police Story 3 and 4”, “Drunken Master 2”, as well as “Disassembly in the Bronx”, “Stormbreaker”, “Who am I?” and, of course, Rush Hour with the inimitable Chris Tucker is worth a look. Bruce Willis is not averse to humorous in action movies either, in particular, in the great comedic action of the early 90's Hudson Hawk.
And in 1995, “Bad Boys” was released - a stylish action movie with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the lead roles. Smart cars, "black" humor, a rather big budget and funny skirmishes of two brave teammates-cops did their job. Recall also the excellent steampunk creation “Wild, Wild West” with the same Smith, which was also held by the audience at the end of the last century with a bang. Be sure to include in the list of the best militants of the 90s the continuation of the acclaimed "Lethal Weapon" with the favorite of women Mel Gibson and his partner Danny Glover. Stories about brave cops who love to play a joke on each other were in fashion.
There are no adventures without showdown
What makes these militants of the 90s stand out from the total mass? Foreign films often combine several genres. It can be action, adventure and comedy, or, for example, action, thriller and drama - all in one bottle. So sometimes it’s very difficult to distinguish between them and somehow systematize. "Mission Impossible" with Tom Cruise in the lead role - just one of these mixes. And the fact that it was followed by repeated continuation, a clear sign that the audience likes this mix.
The film "On the crest of a wave" with the still young Keanu Reeves with a very good story about surfers robbing banks, was very popular in the early 90's. Actually, from this film, the career of the future Neo went up, or rather rushed, because his excellent action movie “Speed” with the beauty Sandra Bullock is on the list. Two Hollywood stars, a racing bus and terrorists - an impressive tandem with a dynamic plot. In the format of “Speed” it is also worth noting the film “Chase” with Charlie Sheen, whose hero was very lucky with the hostage.
The picture “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis was simply the favorite of the public at one time, and still wins against the backdrop of many films of this kind. Incredible action, an explosive mixture of genres and a dynamic plot forever entered this action movie into history as one of the best in the 90s of the last century.
Crime elements
What is crime in the movies? Gangsters, the mafia, gangster prisons, police squabbles and stuff like that. By and large, something criminal is present in almost all action movies. But we will definitely single out especially criminal action films of the 90s.
Perhaps the best and still unsurpassed in this category is the “Leon” of the genius Luke Besson. It is still being watched and reviewed, and not only because of the chic star trio - Renault, Portman and Oldman. This is a multifaceted, unusual and challenging film, in which there is everything: action, crime, drama. He still has no analogues. Also in this category was the film of the inimitable and enchanting Robert Rodriguez "Desperate." Drug dealers and Mexico - it would seem a battered plot, worn down to holes, but the guitars and Antonio Banderas make it special, with its unique charm.
It is also worth noting “Escape” with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, as well as “Payback” with Mel Gibson, where the main characters for a change are not so good guys. But Bruce Willis is true to himself, his heroes are always on the side of the law or somewhere near him, as, for example, in the rather intense film “At a distance of impact”. Criminals in the police are one of the favorite topics for such a genre as militants of the 90s (foreign). The list would not be complete without the impressive “Enemy of the State”. His twisted plot, stunning chases and Will Smith in a rather serious role did not leave indifferent spectators or critics.
It’s completely undeserved that late on our list appears Harrison Ford and his “Fugitive”, a tense and dynamic action movie, where an ordinary surgeon, having escaped from custody, is looking for the murderers of his wife, hoping to get ahead of the police.
And finally - “Bloody Thursday”, a worthy film with Mickey Rourke, which clearly makes it clear that you can’t take and break with the drug business.
Legendary and invincible
And this is about films, not only about specific heroes. It will be about special films, which are the most iconic for the generation of the 90s. They characterize this generation.
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” is truly the favorite action movie of the 90s, especially among young people. Really iconic. The most famous. It is hard to imagine that someone did not watch at least once or did not hear about the Terminator. It was this role that lifted Arnie to the top and made him Iron.
In 1997, a masterpiece was shot among the futuristic action movies that our viewer loved so much - The Fifth Element. Luke Besson revealed to the whole world the talent of an inimitable action actress - Mila Jovovich. And, of course, Bruce Willis in the role of Corvin Dallas once again saves everyone and everything. Fantastic cast, ingenious director and dizzying adventures have become a powerful base for creating cult films, and special effects are ahead of their time.
Well, the end of the 90s was marked by the release of an epic film called “The Matrix”. It was a new word in the action genre. We can say that the creation of the Wachowski brothers turned the idea of ​​cinema upside down and gave impetus to a new type of cinema.
Summary
Summing up, we can say that in that era an incredible number of various fighters were shot, many of which became so popular that the vast majority of the inhabitants of the planet watched them. And until now, the actors of those films are considered heroes. More films are being shot with them, despite their venerable age. Thanks to the love of the public that they received in the very 90s, these actors gained popularity. They have become in demand and actively maintain their image to this day.