The Action Movie Hall of Fame- The '90s

Action movies don't win major Academy Awards. They generally don't show up on critics' lists of the best films of the year. That's why I'm here. The 1990s is arguably the greatest decade in movie history, and I've compiled a comprehensive list of all the action classics from 1990-1999 and deciding the best one from each year. Remember, we're talking about ACTION here, in the most agreeable definition of the word. The films below aren't necessarily ranked in order of quality or importance. I'm taking the red pill and cutting the blue wire. Let's get started.

1990- It's Arnold Schwarzenegger vs. Bruce Willis, and Renny Harlin vs. Paul Verhoeven as we kick off the '90s. This was a very competitive summer movie season, and these two action classics are evenly matched. They both star genre icons, they are both roughly two hours, and they both cost in the $50-70 million range. They both grossed just under $120 million domestically. Arnold beats up Sharon Stone and gets his ass to Mars, Bruce stabs a guy in the eye with an icicle and blows up a 747. I was ten years old in 1990, so it was my duty to watch these two movies ten times each(even the badly-dubbed, slightly-infamous basic cable airings of "DH2". Yippee-Kai-Yay, Mr. Falcon). The Winner- "Total Recall", but it's close.

1991- How did one summer contain such awesomeness? "Terminator 2" is totally revered and for good reason. Actually, there's many reasons- Arnold's shotgun twirl on a speeding Harley, the T-1000's morphing effects heralding the birth of CGI, Linda Hamilton's kick-ass Sarah Connor, Cyberdyne, I could do this all day. Literally, TWO WEEKS LATER, an extremely cable-friendly beach bromance was born between Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, and it was helmed by the greatest female director ever, Kathryn Bigelow. You've got that kamikaze look, Johnny. Winner- "Terminator 2".

1992- Big year for Warner Bros. Michael Keaton's Batman returned, along with Riggs and Murtaugh. What a time to be alive. Michelle Pfeiffer's incredible Catwoman was the '92 equivalent of Princess Leia in a gold bikini, and Danny DeVito's deranged Penguin angered parents, toy manufacturers, and Happy Meal peddlers. Tim Burton has every right to be proud. "LW3" wasn't far behind at the domestic box office, a testament to an untarnished Mel Gibson's approval rating and Richard Donner's crowd-pleasing sensibilities. Hold on, what else do we have here? Steven Seagal in a movie("Under Siege") that doesn't suck. The winner- "Batman Returns".

1993- Is "Jurassic Park" an action movie? We've got a T-Rex and velociraptors chasing terrified humans in Steven Spielberg's instant classic, so I'd say yes, absolutely. Ditto for Harrison Ford's frenzied pursuit of the one-armed man(he didn't kill his wife!). Elsewhere, Sylvester Stallone came up big, in really his last great year until the "Expendables"/"Creed" comeback. "Cliffhanger" is a banger that got the summer started off right. Too bad about Renny Harlin's subsequent career, aside from "The Long Kiss Goodnight". Six months later, Stallone battled Wesley Snipes' Dennis Rodman-inspired supervillain in a sterile future that's eerily similar to our current predicament. Bravo to Sly, but this is a no-brainer. Winner- "Jurassic Park".

1994- It's Arnold vs. Keanu in a symbolic battle for the future of action movies. A changing of the guard, if you will. Schwarzenegger and James Cameron completed their trilogy with this big-budget spy spoof that stole some business from "Forrest Gump" in July and August. "True Lies" has great set-pieces that maximized the potential of it's then-whopping $100 million+ budget. Earlier that summer, Dennis Hopper put a bomb on a bus. Jan de Bont didn't get to join big Jim Cameron on the A-list directory, but "Speed" was brilliant in it's simplicity and execution, and launched Sandra Bullock to boot. Winner- "Speed".

1995- It's Bruce Willis vs. James Bond, as we reach the decade's halfway point. "Die Hard With a Vengeance" dropped on Memorial Day and was the year's biggest worldwide hit, and many put Sam Jackson's sidekick and it's combustible Manhattan setting on the same level as the 1988 original. On Thanksgiving, Pierce Brosnan brought 007 back to life after a six-year hiatus and an underwhelming Timothy Dalton tenure. "Goldeneye" was good, thanks to a tank, Tina Turner, and Famke Janssen's thighs. But scared NYC residents thought the explosive opening of John McTiernan's last great film was real.

Wait a minute, is "Braveheart" an action movie? Mel Gibson's historical epic has Oscars, so let's be fair. Winner- "Die Hard With a Vengeance".

1996- We've got Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich at their best, and Schwarzenegger's last stand as a top-tier action star, in the year Bill Clinton won a second term. Nic Cage celebrated his Oscar win with Sean Connery in Alcatraz, and I'm pleased to report that "The Rock" still rocks. But "Independence Day" was instantly iconic and the year's box office champ. The White House blew up, and a 27 year old Will Smith's future was very bright. "Eraser" and it's electromagnetic rifle made my 16 year old self extremely happy. What happened to director Chuck Russell? Winner- "Independence Day".

1997- Speaking of directors that peaked in the '90s, I give you Jonathan Mostow. "Breakdown" may be the era's best movie that never gets talked about, and Kurt Russell's showdown with J.T. Walsh represents his leading man apex. Nic Cage continued to reinvent himself, when it wasn't even necessary. Is he an action hero, or a comedic actor? Is he a thespian, or an indie weirdo? Nic is all of these things, and I'm taking "Face/Off" over "Con Air". We've also got more Spielberg dinosaurs, Harrison Ford throwing Gary Oldman off his plane, and Paul Verhoeven. What a year! Winner- "Breakdown".

1998- The decade's dumbest blockbuster was undeniably fun, and firmly established Michael Bay as a brand-name filmmaker. A contractually-obligated Bruce Willis had his doubts, then he had his name next to the #2 movie of the year(behind "Saving Private Ryan", which I'm leaving off here, along with "Titanic"). Summertime audiences didn't want to miss a thing, as the Aerosmith song goes. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover took their final bow, after a beatdown from Jet Li, in his American film debut. "Lethal Weapon 4" cost $100 million, but Richard Donner and Joel Silver put the money onscreen. Winner- "Armageddon".

1999- We have a very interesting battle as we enter the new millennium. Is Keanu Reeves the king of '90s action? Maybe, if you don't mind "Chain Reaction" and "Johnny Mnemonic". Neo was the One as we closed out the decade, and 'Bullet Time' had us convinced for a few years that the Wachowskis were creative geniuses in the same mold as George Lucas. What a smooth segue. The Modesto multi-billionaire officially relaunched "Star Wars" in May, after two years of massive hype and raging fanfare. There were complaints, but the Pod Race and Duel of the Fates paved the way for a lot of what the FX fantasy genre became in the 2000s and beyond. Winner- "The Matrix".

The Top - 90. "Batman & Robin"(1997) 89. "Sudden Death"(1995) 88. "Marked for Death"(1990) 87. "Lost in Space"(1998) 86. "Navy Seals"(1990) 85. "Fire Birds"(1990) 84. "Mercury Rising"(1998) 83. "Mighty Joe Young"(1998) 82. "The Three Musketeers"(1993) 81. "Enemy of the State"(1998) 80. "The Siege"(1998) 79. "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"(1991) 78. "The Hard Way"(1991) 77. "Last of the Mohicans"(1992) 76. "Backdraft"(1991) 75. "Star Trek: First Contact"(1996) 74. "Out for Justice"(1991) 73. "Alien 3"(1992) 72. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III"(1993) 71. "Metro"(1997) 70. "Assassins"(1995) 69. "Hard Rain"(1998) 68. "Hard to Kill"(1990) 67. "Robocop 2"(1990) 66. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze"(1991) 65. "The Peacemaker"(1997) 64. "The Last Boy Scout"(1991) 63. "Predator 2"(1990) 62. "The Specialist"(1994) 61. "Beverly Hills Cop III"(1994) 60. "Judge Dredd"(1995) 59. "Deep Impact"(1998) 58. "Godzilla"(1998) 57. "Bad Boys"(1995) 56. "Con Air"(1997) 55. "Under Siege 2"(1995) 54. "Rush Hour"(1998) 53. "The Rocketeer"(1991) 52. "The World Is Not Enough"(1999)

51. "Bird on a Wire"(1990) 50. "Desperado"(1995) 49. "From Dusk till Dawn"(1996) 48. "Broken Arrow"(1996) 47. "The Mask of Zorro"(1998) 46. "Back to the Future Part III"(1990) 45. "The Getaway"(1994) 44. "Another 48 Hrs."(1990) 43. "Patriot Games"(1992) 42. "Last Action Hero"(1993) 41. "Hard Target"(1993) 40. "Clear and Present Danger"(1994) 39. "The Long Kiss Goodnight"(1996) 38. "True Romance"(1993) 37. "Timecop"(1994) 36. "Batman Forever"(1995) 35. "Heat"(1995) 34. "Blade"(1998) 33. "The Mummy"(1999) 34. "Hard Boiled"(1992) 33. "In the Line of Fire"(1993)

32. "The Hunt for Red October"(1990) 31. "Tomorrow Never Dies"(1997) 30. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"(1990) 29. "Under Siege"(1992) 28. "Starship Troopers"(1997) 27. "Goldeneye"(1995) 26. "Mission Impossible"(1996) the sequels have more action. 25. "Braveheart"(1995) 24. "Eraser"(1996) 23. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"(1997) 22. "Air Force One"(1997) 21. "Lethal Weapon 4"(1998) 20. "Demolition Man"(1993) 19. "Lethal Weapon 3"(1992) 18. "Face/Off"(1997) 17. "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace"(1999) 16. "Armageddon"(1998) 15. "The Rock"(1996) 14. "Die Hard 2"(1990) 13. "Total Recall"(1990) 12. "Cliffhanger"(1993) 11. "True Lies"(1994) 10. "Independence Day"(1996) 9. "Batman Returns"(1992) 8. "Jurassic Park"(1993) 7. Breakdown"(1997) 6. "The Fugitive"(1993) 5. "Die Hard with a Vengeance"(1995) 4. "Point Break"(1991) 3. "The Matrix"(1999) 2. "Speed"(1994) 1. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"(1991)