The five most gratuitous moments in 1980s action movies
It’s fair to say that action movies, in general, are defined by their over-gratuitous nature and sheer self-indulgence. Action cinema, after all, goes in heavy on explosive set pieces, high-octane car chases and moments of cheesy dialogue delivered by their brave heroes and fearsome villains.
However, few eras of action movies were as memorable as the 1980s, when the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone all profited from a cultural obsession with the genre. The ‘80s were certainly known for its excess, and nowhere else was it better detailed in all its glory than on the big screen.
The 1980s action is simply crammed to the brim with moments of sheer ridiculousness, with all its bulging muscles, raucous gunfire, and overall thematic vision of championing spectacle rather than any sort of nuance. And for that very reason, it was all the better, at least from an entertainment perspective.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of the five most over-gratuitous moments in action movies of the 1980s. From slow-motion bullet dances to death-defying stunts, from iconic greetings to strange pieces of dialogue, here are the scenes in which the self-indulgence of the decade arrives on screen.
Self-indulgent moments in ’80s movies:
The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
Widely considered one of the greatest action movies ever made, John Woo’s 1989 classic The Killer sees Chow Yun-fat play an assassin who takes on one last hit in order to pay for the treatment of a singer he accidentally blinded on another job. The Killer is full of Woo’s highly stylised imagery and action moments dripping in bullet-heavy choreography.
There’s one moment captured in all its slow-motion glory where Chow’s character is faced with the onslaught of several other hitmen, and he miraculously takes them all down. At one point, though, Woo delves into sheer indulgence by having Chow leap through the air in slow-mo, firing his guns at his assailants in a showing of completely brilliant ridiculousness.
Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)
Another genuine classic of action cinema, John McTiernan’s truly iconic thriller Die Hard remains as culturally significant today as it was back when it was released in 1988. Bruce Willis’ portrayal of NYPD cop John McClane as he rescues the hostages of a skyscraper from terrorists is certainly one of the most memorable efforts the legendary actor ever delivered.
There are several iconic moments that define Die Hard, but one of the most gratuitous sees McClane needing to make his way off the Nakatomi Plaza, having saved all its hostages. In desperation, Willis wraps a fire hose around his body, telling himself, “Oh John, what the fuck are you doing?”, then throws himself down to safety. Completely over the top, yes, but also remarkably breathtaking.
Predator (John McTiernan, 1987)
It looks like John McTiernan is no stranger to a moment of sheer self-indulgence because a year before Die Hard, he’d handled another iconic action movie with several gratuitous scenes. Predator told on an elite paramilitary rescue team led by Arnold Schwarzenegger that’s hunted down by the titular technologically advanced alien lifeform.
As expected of 1980s action, Predator is dripping in sweat and explosives, and its most gratuitous moment is one that has been memed to death. The internet knows full well the brilliance of Schwarzenegger’s Dutch Schaefer meeting up with his old friend Al Dillon, and they greet with a “You son of a bitch” and one of the most iconic handshakes in the history of action cinema.
Savage Streets (Danny Steinmann, 1984)
Perhaps the least known movie on this list is Danny Steinmann’s 1984 teen vigilante exploitation film Savage Streets, in which Linda Blair plays a Los Angeles high school student who sets out for revenge on the drug-dealing gang who terrorise her younger, deaf-mute sister and murders her best friend.
Dripping in pure cheesiness, Savage Streets was criticised for its portrayal of rape and teenage violence and Blair’s performance was also widely panned. With a scene in which Blair’s character shoots one of the gang members in the neck with a crossbow, uttering the line, “Too bad you’re not double jointed, ‘cause if you were, you’d be able to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye,” it’s easy to see why the self-indulgence of the 1980s got the better of Steinmann’s film.
Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
When James Cameron took over from Ridley Scott for the sequel to 1979’s Alien, he doused Aliens in outright gun-toting action, departing from the claustrophobia of the original. Having survived the alien attack on the Nostromo, Ellen Ripley teams up with a band of Colonial Marines to take on a whole colony of xenomorphs armed to the teeth with heavy artillery.
Jenette Goldstein played one of the Marines’ privates, the fearsome and ripped-to-the-bone Vasquez. Getting dressed with action with her crewmates, Vasquez bangs out a few pull-ups, leading another marine to ask whether she’s ever been mistaken for a man. Cameron delivers an eternally memorable and indulgent moment of comedy with Vasquez’s cool reply, “No. Have you?” A truly brilliant moment in a brilliant piece of action cinema; sometimes gratuity isn’t always a bad thing.
