Of course, looking back at the nineties of the twentieth century, a lot of promoted militants come to mind. However, today we will explore little-known masterpieces – paintings that did not deserve the hype and did not perform too well at the box office. From the point of view of today, their influence on the genre is undeniable, and the artistic merit is well worth spending time watching. So here are the ten most underrated action movies of the 90s!
Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991)
Already someone, and Mark L. Lester knows how to shoot action films, and participation in the main roles of such pillars of the “fighting” genre as Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee and Carey-Hiroyuki Tagawa were supposed to ensure the success of Showdown. Alas, the picture barely collected a third of its budget at the box office (it was $ 7.5 million). Nowadays, unraveling the misadventures of the two Los Angeles police officers who challenged the yakuza gang operating in the city is very interesting. Not for nothing, many critics call the tape a cult.
Ricochet (1991)
Another underrated diamond is now from Russell Mulcay. Denzel Washington and John Lithgow act out the bare nerve of confrontation: the criminal Blake, sent to prison by policeman Nick Styles, escapes from prison years later and arranges a real hunt for the main character. Washington is a miracle, how good it is in this role, the action is famously twisted – it’s a pity that the tape did not win box office success.
Stone Cold (1991)
Craig R. Baxley tells the story of Joe Huff, a cop who infiltrates a biker gang run by the practically maniac Chains. Today, the duel between Brian Bosworth and Lance Henriksen is recognized as canonical, and the “Unperturbed” itself was sold for quotes. Alas and oh, in the nineties few people knew about the picture.
Deep Cover (1992)
Bill Duke recruited Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum on Undercover. The plot is rather simple (policeman Russell Stevens infiltrates the cartel in order to neutralize the head of the clan Anton Gallegos), but the acting draws out literally everything: Goldblum is incredibly impressive, and Fishburne is completely immersed in his role. Sharp shooting style and excellent dynamics complement this picture and make it stylistically impeccable.
Rapid Fire (1992)
Brandon Lee in the action movie Dwyatt H. Little plays student Jake Law, who decided to testify about the murder and got into a hard spot – the fake FBI agents are now hunting him. Trusting cop Ryan, the hero becomes a “decoy duck”, well, and then such adrenaline races begin that the hair stands on end.
Trespass (1992)
A classic of the genre, Walter Hill used Bill Paxton and Ice T in this picture. The classic “black” action tells the story of two firefighters who found a “treasure map” – indicating the place where the gold stolen half a century ago is hidden. “At the point” the guys intersect with the bandits – and then, of course, the whole plan goes downhill. Reconciled phrases, monumental images – this picture was completely misunderstood at the start, but after that it was considered Hill’s undisputed merit. The brilliant soundtrack should also be noted.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Robert Longo took on a task that was too heavy for 1996 – to film the cyberpunk of William Gibson. Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer, Ice-Tee, Takeshi Kitano and Dolph Lundgren in the lead roles did not help the success either – the picture was received very coolly. Today, all dreams have come true in the game Cyberpunk 2077 (again, with Keanu Reeves in the title role, and even with the same name – Johnny). But, and “Johnny Mnemonic” cannot be disregarded – the story about the transportation of information in your own brain, if you do not impose mega-expectations on it, looks very good, and the role of Lundgren, and does seem to be a reference.
Strange Days (1995)
Many hopes were pinned on Katherine Bigelow’s Strange Days – starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliet Lewis and Tom Sizemore, a futuristic story about the future of 1999, in which it was possible to relive other people’s memories, a beautiful and sophisticated production. Alas, at the time of the release of the tape, its ingredients were very unflattering ($ 7 million in fees with a budget of $ 42 million – a deafening failure), but now the story about illegal dealer Lenny Nero, who begins to investigate the murder, looks fantastic. Bigelow knows how to pull the strings at the right moments.
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Antoine Fukua is a great master of action, and Chou Yun-Fat is one of the most recognizable actors involved in the action movie genre. The ensemble is skillfully set off by Mira Sorvino, Jurgen Prokhnov, Til Schweiger and Danny Trejo – so this sentimental novel about a killer who took pity on a child and became a target himself looks great. By combining the styles of John Wu and Sam Peckinpah, Fukua achieves a stunning effect.
The Corruptor (1999)
Again Chow Yun-Fat in the title role – now in tandem with Mark Wahlberg. James Foley, author of The Destroyer, is in the director’s chair, so the “tabloid detective” about two cops competing with the triads will be colored with the whole gamut of action. The painting is beautifully balanced and stylized in the style of the seventies of the twentieth century, and the adrenaline pumping in it is excellent.
