Liked 'Road House'? 10 other action movie cult classics to check out
The bros are having a moment.
Between Ryan Gosling's plank-punching celebration of "Kenergy" at the Oscars to the Kelce brothers' public displays of bro-eyness during the NFL playoffs, popular culture seems to have, for the moment, come to embrace a certain style of ironically macho, smart-but-dumb dude.
Jake Gyllenhaal's new movie, "Road House," a remake of a 1989 classic starring Patrick Swayze, is a throwback to an era when Hollywood pumped out movies aimed at this set — dudes who watched (and rewatched, thanks to cable TV) bloody, thrilling but undoubtedly cartoonish flicks about, say, a New York City bouncer with a PhD in philosophy cracking skulls at a Missouri honky tonk, or an estranged father and son discovering their bond amid the professional arm-wrestling circuit.
So in honor of Dalton's return to the Double Deuce (or whatever it's called in the new one), we're recommending 10 other movies to check out from the cult hit canon of the 1980s and early '90s.
With ripped heroes, big guns and even bigger hair, you can bet they're all on heavy rotation at Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House.
'ROAD HOUSE' (1989)
Early on in this bone-crunching classic, as he’s being stapled up by a doctor after a bar brawl, bouncer James Dalton (Patrick Swayze) says, “Nobody ever wins a fight.”
Swayze then spends the rest of the movie disproving that notion in the name of saving a small town and a rowdy bar known as the Double Deuce. Dalton has a haunted past, perfect feathered ‘80s hair and the task of doing the ultimate bar rescue in nowheresville Missouri.
He’s a serene practitioner of tai chi with a philosophy degree who’s also been known to rip a man’s throat out. It makes no sense, just like most of the plot, but you can’t help but go with it.
Dalton’s bloody work puts him on a collision course with evil local businessman Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara). Once Wesley orders the murder of Dalton’s mentor (Sam Elliott), he’s had enough. He takes the fight directly to a group of possibly the most out-of-shape henchmen in movie history before a climactic, spear-throwing showdown.
Looking for the perfect way to veg out for two hours? The name is Dalton.
Check it out if you like: "The Equalizer" series, "Reacher"
'BLOODSPORT' (1988)
If you’re going to be considered among classic ‘80s action movies, you’ve got to have a montage. “Bloodsport,” the film that made Jean-Claude Van Damme a star, has five.
The "Muscles from Brussels" plays U.S. Army captain Frank Dux, who goes to Hong Kong to compete in an underground martial arts tournament known as the kumite.
The tournament is so hardcore that Dux’s opponent in the championship match kills his opponent in the semifinals. The terrifying Chong Li has a barrel chest the size of an SUV, and his own eerie theme music whenever he enters the arena.
Of course, Chong Li doesn’t fight fair. His dirty tactics in the final match set up one of the all-time slo-mo sequences of any ‘80s action movie. Matte!
Check it out if you like: The "Rocky" or "Creed" series, "Warrior," UFC
'POINT BREAK' (1991)
Early on in this 1991 cop flick, veteran FBI agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) stands on the deck of an indoor pool in a bathing suit and blindfold, middle-aged paunch blazing. A fellow agent tosses two bricks into the water and orders him to bring them back up.
Pappas, humiliated, bemoans his lot: "I got no idea what a blind man fetching bricks from the bottom of the pool has got to do with being a special agent."
That peculiar logic applies to the entirety of "Point Break," which follows an ex-Ohio State football star named Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) chasing a crew of sexy surfer boys who rob banks while wearing rubber masks of Cold War-era American presidents.
It sounds silly (and it is), but behind the goofy premise is a helluva ride directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who'd go on to win best picture for "The Hurt Locker" and depicted the mission to kill Osama bin Laden in the thrilling "Zero Dark Thirty."
Swayze also gives a career-best performance playing against type as bad guy surfing guru Bohdi. Surf's up, Ace.
Check it out if you like: "The Fast and the Furious" series, "The Town," "Hot Fuzz"
'THE TERMINATOR' (1984)
In this early hit for the former bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg from the future sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will one day lead the human resistance against malevolent AI machines who take over the world.
Schwarzenegger, a Hollywood curio at the time with only a few B-movie credits, was perfectly cast as the Terminator, the emotionless cyborg who cannot be destroyed. His famous line, “I’ll be back," remains one of the most-quoted in film history.
The movie marks Schwarzenegger's first pairing with director James Cameron; the two found success again with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991) and "True Lies" (1994).
Check it out if you like: "The Matrix" series, "Blade Runner 2049," "Looper"
'UNDER SIEGE' (1992)
A group of terrorists, led by Tommy Lee Jones, takes over an American battleship. “There’s just one thing they didn’t count on — the cook.”
Yes, that’s an actual line from the trailer and refers to the film’s hero, played by Steven Seagal. He portrays an ex-Navy SEAL working as a cook on the ship who becomes the best chance to stop the bad guys.
Released in 1992, “Under Siege” was one in a long line of “Die Hard”-type movies, and often was referred to as “‘Die Hard’ on a boat."
The casting for “Under Siege” itself is entertaining: In addition to Seagal and Jones, Gary Busey and former “Baywatch” star Erika Eleniak also star. And prepare to have your mind blown: “Under Siege” was nominated for two Oscars, both in sound categories.
The Seagal canon was running deep by the time “Under Siege” came out, but if you’d like to see more of his work, check out his tetralogy of three-word movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s: “Above the Law,” “Hard to Kill,” “Out for Justice” and “Marked for Death.”
Check it out if you like: The "Die Hard" series, "Air Force One," “Unstoppable," "Speed"
'OVER THE TOP' (1987)
Overshadowed by other Sylvester Stallone blockbusters like “Rambo” and the “Rocky” series, “Over The Top” has all the components of a rewatchable classic.
There’s the “Bloodsport” angle of a cutthroat tournament in an obscure sport, a heartwarming father-son story, cartoonish villains, and Robert Loggia (of "Scarface" and "Big" fame).
Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a trucker trying to reconnect with his estranged son (David Mendenhall) while training to win an arm-wrestling tournament, along with the cash prize and gleaming new tractor-trailer that comes with it.
First, Hawk must make it through a field consisting of men with names like Bull, Mad Dog and Grizzly, who eats a lit cigar to get himself fired up.
Once Stallone turns his baseball cap around to get in the zone and Sammy Hagar’s classic theme “Winner Takes It All” kicks in, you’ll be challenging anyone in the vicinity to an arm-wrestling match on the coffee table.
Check it out if you like: The "Rocky" and "Creed" series, "The Wrestler," "True Grit"
'Predator' (1987)
You know the classic Schwarzenegger line, “Get to the choppah!”? That’s from this one.
Following a crew of elite soldiers who drop into the jungle and encounter a deadly alien, "Predator's" cast is a monument to '80s tough guys, including Arnold's fellow future governor Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke and the late Carl Weathers, whose vein-popping bro-shake with Schwarzenegger in an early scene became a classic meme.
Less a cult hit than the other movies on this list, “Predator” was a box office success, hitting No. 1 in its first week and going on to be largely regarded as one of the best sci-fi action movies ever made.
Check it out if you like: "The Expendables," the “Alien” series, “King Kong,” “The Mandalorian”
'ROBOCOP' (1987)
What director Paul Verhoeven did for sex in “Basic Instinct” he did first for violence in “RoboCop.”
The 1987 flick stars Peter Weller as a police officer in a dystopian futuristic Detroit who is killed, only to be brought back to life as a cyborg tasked with fighting crime.
Like “The Terminator,” “RoboCop” offered a dreary look at the future and its heavy violent content incited controversy at the time — the boardroom scene in which a test cyborg goes haywire is particularly memorable.
The movie is also campy and satirical, and features a pre-“That ‘70s Show” Kurtwood Smith as a villainous crime lord.
The film, which earned Oscar nominations for best sound and best film editing, also led to a pair of sequels and a remake in 2014, but the original remains the best.
Check it out if you like: "The Terminator" series, "Blade Runner 2049," "Ex Machina"
'COMMANDO' (1985)
Released at the height of the Schwarzenegger-Stallone action movie wars, "Commando" was Arnold's answer to the "Rambo" franchise.
It's also, at its core, a heartwarming daddy-daughter flick, albeit one that involves a guy wiping out an entire private army by himself.
In it, Schwarzenegger plays a retired Army colonel and 'Nam hero who comes out of retirement after a band of guerillas kidnap his daughter (Alyssa Milano) to a remote island hideaway.
Famously, "Commando's" existence was due in large part to the fact that Schwarzenegger wanted to be depicted on screen killing more bad guys than Stallone did in "Rambo II."
It's also full of goofs and hilarious continuity errors — a smashed car that's suddenly pristine moments later, characters dangling from visible stunt wires, and cardboard silhouettes standing in for exploding enemy soldiers. Earmark it for Father's Day.
Check it out if you like: The "Taken" series, “John Wick,” sudden, comedic limb removal
'Big Trouble in Little China' (1986)
There was a period in the mid-'80s when Hollywood became infatuated with Chinese fantasy films, resulting in Eddie Murphy’s “The Golden Child” and this gem starring Kurt Russell coming out in the same year.
“Big Trouble in Little China” was a flop in theaters but became a cult hit on video for its mix of the swaggering American action hero played by Russell and the fantasy elements of Chinese cinema.
Russell plays truck driver Jack Burton, who leads a group looking to rescue a kidnapped woman from the mystical Lo Pan.
The results aren't perfect, and there are indeed some tired stereotypes in this one. But there are also impressive sword duels, magical characters, mid-air fights and plenty of one-liners from Russell, doing his best John Wayne impression.
And amid all the nonsense, you can see the tiny seeds of future hits like “Mortal Kombat," “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and last year's Oscar winner "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Russell’s love interest is played by none other than a young Kim Cattrall, well before her fame as Samantha Jones on “Sex and the City.” Lo Pan, meanwhile, is portrayed by the legendary James Hong, now 95, who charmed fans while on the awards circuit for “Everything Everywhere."
Check it out if you like: "Everything Everywhere All at Once," Chinese wuxia films, “Beverly Hills Cop"
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
