Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Well being the only girl i was subjected to a lot of action and martial art movies as a child, and I grew to love them. What were some of your favourite action and martial art films of the 80s and 90s.

Here are some of my choices

Universal Soldier
Wrong Bet AKA Lionheart
Kickboxer
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
To the death
No retreat No Surrender
King of the Kickboxers
Best of the best
Best of the best 2
Street Fighter
He Man : Masters of the Universe

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

I cannot recall any of their titles but I loved anything with Bolo Yeung and Cythia Roderick

I see you're using "martial arts" (Masters of the Universe) loosely, so I'll do the same (fist fights, sword fights, maybe gun fights). Also the level of cheesiness in these varies considerably, but I've tried to highlight the ones I find especially cheesy in bold. They're listed from best to worst for each year, though some years the "worst" could still be pretty good.

1999:
Taboo (not really an action movie but it's about samurai)
Fight Club
Ghost Dog (a non-action movie that references various action movies and is about a modern-day American samurai/hitman)
The Matrix.

1998:
Knock Off
The Big Hit
Six String Samurai
Spriggan
Blade.

1997:
Too Many Ways to Be No. 1
Princess Mononoke
Mr. Nice Guy
Face/Off
Con Air
Full Metal Yakuza.

1996:
First Strike
The Stunt Woman
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Broken Arrow
Black Mask.

1995:
The Blade (dark, ultraviolent remake of The One-Armed Swordsman)
Rob Roy
The Chinese Feast
Braveheart
Thunderbolt
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Tokyo Fist
Ghost in the Shell
Peace Hotel
Cutthroat Island
Assassins
Mortal Kombat
First Knight.

1994:
Drunken Master II (The Legend of the Drunken Master)
Ashes of Time.

1993:
Ninja Scroll
Iron Monkey
Fong Sai-Yuk
Once Upon a Time in China 3
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
The Bride With White Hair
City Hunter
Twin Warriors
Hard Target.

1992:
Naked Killer
Police Story 3 (Supercop) (One of Jackie Chan's most exciting movies was also a very satisfying come-back for Michelle Yeoh)
The Twin Dragons (Jackie Chan as psychically-linked twins separated at birth)
Dragon Inn (worthy remake of the 1966 classic)
Hard Boiled
Once Upon a Time in China 2
Army of Darkness
Under Siege
Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer
3 Ninjas
American Samurai.

1991:
Once Upon a Time in China
Zodiac Killers (Serious drama that seamlessly uses a lot of action and martial arts)
Once a Thief (A fun and very lighthearted action-comedy from John Woo)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
The Last Boyscout
The Raid
Cool As Ice (not really an action movie but Vanilla Ice takes out three thugs with his "martial arts.")

1990:
Die Hard 2
Bullet in the Head
Nikita
Magic Cop (modern-day update of Mr. Vampire with Lam Ching Ying reprising an analogous role as a cop)
Swordsman
Hard to Kill
Violence Jack: Slum King (typical tasteless Go Nagai anime with hilariously cheesy animation)
A Chinese Ghost Story II.

1989:
Pedicab Driver
A Better Tomorrow III (producer Tsui Hark took over the third in this series and made it into a nostalgic wartime epic in Vietnam. This one also subverts the sentimental machismo of the first movie by turning Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung into foils for Anita Mui's street-smart female badass.)
Story of Riki (famous "exploding head" shot was featured on The Daily Show in the 90s)
The Master (Jet Li in America)
Black Rain
Zatoichi
The God of Gamblers.

1988:
Die Hard
Dragons Forever
Tiger On Beat (Chow Yun Fat gets into a fight with chainsaws)
Violence Jack: Evil Town.

1987:
A Chinese Ghost Story
Project A 2
Bomber Bikers of Shonan (intentionally goofy romance anime about a super-tough bike-punk who leads a double life as captain of his high school's sewing club)
City on Fire
Magnificent Warriors.

1986:
Peking Opera Blues
Fist of the North Star (Feature-length anime based on the epic post-apocalyptic fight manga [which ultimately spanned 245 chapters in 27 volumes]. Highly entertaining and recommended for its cheese, action, and ridiculous martial arts, this movie may also feature the most head-explosions of any film).
Millionaire's Express
Eastern Condors
A Better Tomorrow (One of John Woo's best, and the movie that made him and Chow Yun Fat stars.)
In the Line of Duty.

1985:
Mr. Vampire
Dagger of Kamui
Police Story
Commando
My Lucky Stars.

1984:
Wheels on Meals
The Super Ninja.

1983:
Zu: Warriors From the Magic Mountain (stole some special effects talent from the Star Wars movies and put it to use in something completely different)
Project A
Winners and Sinners
The Professional: Golgio 13 (solid anime based on the super-sleazy 70s manga)
Seven Magnificent Gladiators (Swords'n'sandals remake of The Seven Samurai starring Lou Ferrigno!)
Revenge of the Ninja.

1982:
The Prodigal Son
Dragon Lord
Conan the Barbarian.

1981: An Eye for an Eye.

1980:
Encounters of the Spooky Kind
The Young Master
Return to the 36 Chambers
We’re Going to Eat You (self-conscious Hong Kong attempt at a "Roger Corman" exploitation film. A detective investigates disappearances in a town that turns out to be run by cannibals. Martial arts action ensues.)
The Sword (some good practical fx in this "new wave" wuxia film.)

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Arnold Schwarzenegger films of the 80's (Red Heat, Conan The Barbarian, Commando, Raw Deal)
Fight Club

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Most of the Chuck Noris movies, lol

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Ooh I loved Showdown in Little Tokyo too! That was freakin awesome!

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

This category could go on forever. Action & martial arts movies seems a bit redundant.

anyway, of the top of my head, martial arts flicks of my youth that bring a smile are :

http://wherebadmovieslive.files.word...ovieposter.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LN_P9uZB4i...lack+Dutch.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...erTheNinja.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kDhCJqDfNq...600/force1.jpg

http://www.motionpictureart.com/stor...ePosterUSA.jpg

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Oh how could I forget the ORIGINAL punisher with my favourite, DOLPH 'DREAMBOAT' LUNDGREN :) I just love how he owns heaps of people in the first few minutes. Brilliant.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Anything starring Seagal, Van Damme, Lundgren, Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Norris.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

One of my favourites is Royal Tramp starring Stephen Chow.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

How about Collision Course, with Jay Leno an Mr.Miyagi (Pat Morita). Jay Leno is a cop from Detroit and so on...

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Lines made a real nice post.
But he mentioned American Samurai & left out American Ninja.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

The Last Dragon & Harley Davidson & Marlboro Man, the classics!

Lines already mentioned some great ones, especially Six String Samurai.

Mark Dacascos had some great movies in the 90s like Drive, DNA, Only the strong, Crying Freeman,
Albert Pyun has one of the most fun filmography to try out, movies like Captain America, Nemesis, Dollman, Nemesis, Brainsmasher, Radioactive Dreams, Omega Doom, etc..

Rutger Hauer's Wanted: Dead or Alive, Blind Fury, Crossworlds..

Some other few good ones:-
Johnny 2.0
Stone Cold
Uncommon Valor
Trancers
Perfect Weapon (starring Jeff Speakman)

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Harvey Davidson & The Marlboro Man, that's a good one.

"You shot me you **** bird."

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Jackie Chan: First Strike 1996 (aka Police Story 4)
Jackie Chan: Who Am I? 1998
Bloodsport 1988

I grew up on Jackie Chan to say the least, so theres probably a lot of his that I either dont remember the name of, or just cant think to put cause its near 2am for me.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Just saw Lockout yesterday, though not from 80s or 90s.. it is definitely a tribute to the sci-fi action movies of that era.
Ignore the reviews on this one & enjoy the cheesefest.

Guy Pearce makes a fabulous action hero.

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

Showdown in Little Tokyo
Sidekicks
No Retreat No Surrender
Showdown
Airborne
Lionheart
The Running Man
Timecop
Only the Strong

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

I can't believe noone mentioned this.. shame on you all.

Passenger 57
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EPd0M8mfQi...eventhumb+.jpg

Another fun film with Snipes: Drop Zone

Re: Cheesy 80's and 90's action and martial art flicks. What were your favourites?
 

I got Kill and Kill Again on DVD recently for about 2 dollars... There is actually some decent Karate in that flick, as well as the first use of Bullet Time!