Ransom Riggs
Just The Craziest 80s Action Movies Ever
by Ransom Riggs - March 30, 2010 - 7:20 AM

There was a point in the 80s when filmmakers were all trying to out-do each other to make the all-out bad-assest action movie of all time. It was kind of like the nuclear arms race, except it was all about pecs and punching rather than missiles in space. And it didn’t matter how low-budget your movie was — you could still have wicked action! For instance, watch this a clip from this 80s classic, Hard Ticket to Hawaii. It’s completely insane. And I mean insane.

I just really had to share that. Thank you.

Also wonderful is the film Deadly Prey, which the fine folks at Everything is Terrible unearthed and distilled down to its punchiest three minutes. Due to NSFW language, gunplay, and bitch-slapping, don’t watch this with five-year-olds or bosses around!

But when they’re not pumping you up with action, they can really make you think — like Stephen Baldwin’s masterpiece, Cutaway. Watch this and see if you can figure out what the theme of the film is! (Hint: it doesn’t take a graduate degree in cinema. Which, sadly, can be said of many things.)

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Comments (12)

  1. A NSFW Language warning might be nice.

    posted by david on 3-30-2010 at 8:34 am

  2. Oh, please. I will defend the right to read Mental_Floss at work, but if you’re at work watching clips of bad action movies with the sound turned up, you deserve to be dinged for the language being NSFW.

    posted by E on 3-30-2010 at 10:29 am

  3. No kidding E –

    David — get back to work — no wonder all of our jobs are going overseas!

    posted by Leslie on 3-30-2010 at 10:53 am

  4. I would have appreciated a NSFW too, but only because my 5 year old was sitting next to me while I was watching. I try not to expose her to that language.

    posted by Amanda on 3-30-2010 at 10:58 am

  5. Taken care of. Sorry, guys.

    posted by Ransom Riggs on 3-30-2010 at 11:40 am

  6. If you guys do a follow-up (and you really should!), you should use “Action USA,” linked to through my name. “Sorry about your house,” indeed.

    posted by Sillstaw on 3-30-2010 at 12:04 pm

  7. You should look at “Action USA,” linked through my name. “Sorry about your house,” indeed.

    posted by Sillstaw on 3-30-2010 at 12:05 pm

  8. My recaptcha – excedrin Friday. For me, that is usually excedrin Monday!!

    posted by Jaime on 3-30-2010 at 1:30 pm

  9. Hard Ticket was featured during B-Fest 2010, an annual celebration of truly crappy movies.

    posted by Dinosaur on 3-30-2010 at 1:43 pm

  10. I’m suprised Big Trouble in Little CHina wasn;t there. I love it because it is campy but oh my is it bad.

    posted by Mr. Fish on 3-30-2010 at 3:22 pm

  11. EIT rules!! It’s my Prozac when I’m feeling down!

    posted by Marty on 3-30-2010 at 9:49 pm

  12. you forgot everything is terrible’s 3 minute bulletproof starring gary “butthorn” busey. complete with the tied-to-a-giant-spool escape scene.

    posted by yourworstnightmarebutthorn on 5-4-2010 at 11:56 pm

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