10 Best R-Rated Action Movies of the '90s

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Following on from the massive action movie boom of the 1980s, which introduced audiences to major franchises such as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and Indiana Jones, the 1990s was a more transitional era for the action genre. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was becoming increasingly more advanced, seamlessly melding together real-life actors with fantastical alternate worlds, seen in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Independence Day. Of course, with the added expense this technology brought, came the need for filmmakers to recoup costs by targeting the broadest possible audience. It's no coincidence that every action film in the top ten for highest box office revenue in the '90s was rated PG or PG-13.

By definition, a good action flick should include chase sequences, fights, shootouts and explosions and, while the PG offerings can be very entertaining, they tend to dilute a lot of these elements, making them seem unrealistic and a lot less gritty. True fans of the action genre, would be more satiated by these R-rated offerings that featured some of the best action stars of the 90s.

10 'Total Recall' (1990)

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Closeup of Doug Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the memory implant machine in Total Recall

In the year 2084, Doug Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a happily married construction worker, haunted by dreams of Mars and a mystery woman. An ad from a company called Rekall Inc. offering mind trips to Mars piques Doug's interest, but something goes wrong with the memory implantation. Doug's real memory has been erased, and he is in fact a secret agent, working to uncover the ruthless corruption of Mars administrator Cohaagen (Ronnie Cox).

While the special effects were not as sophisticated at the start of the decade, Total Recall is still a great movie that outshines the 2012 remake by miles. The touches of humor interspersed with the kick-ass fight scenes make this one of the most rewatchable Schwarzenegger movies out there. For those who haven't seen it, 'get ready for a surprise!'

9 'The Crow' (1994)

Directed by: Alex Proyas

Brandon Lee as Eric Draven in The Crow created using CGI

Based on the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr, The Crow is a story of vengeance on a supernatural scale. A year after he and his fiancée are brutally murdered by a Detroit gang, musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) returns to life when a crow awakens him from his grave. The crow guides Draven through the living world, leads him to his killers, and makes him invincible, so he can exact his revenge.

Were it not for the advancement of movie special effects like CGI in the '90s, The Crow might never have made it to the screen. After Brandon Lee's tragic death on set, there were still a few key scenes missing, so a company called Dreamquest Images was called in to create them using a body double and Lee's image. The film is a testament to Lee's remarkable talent and gifted audiences with a unique breed of vigilante action hero.

8 'Crimson Tide' (1995)

Directed by: Tony Scott

Denzel Washington as Hunter and Gene Hackman as Ramsey talk on a submarine in Crimson Tide

In the midst of a Russian civil war, a U.S. Navy submarine is assigned on a patrol mission that involves being prepared to launch its missiles in a preemptive strike should Russian nationalists ready their weapons. The commanding officer, Captain Ramsey (Gene Hackman), chooses Lieutenant Commander Hunter (Denzel Washington) to be his Executive Officer (XO), who is extremely knowledgeable about military history and tactics but has no combat experience. The two men clash on their approach to military operations and things come to a head when a vital piece of communication is interrupted. Hunter's philosophy is to approach with caution, whereas Ramsey is a shoot-now-ask-questions-later kind of guy and the wrong decision could bring about a nuclear war.

Crimson Tide made an action hero of Denzel Washington and was one of the most thrilling war dramas of the '90s. The tension between the two leads is palpable and intensified by the close quarters of the submarine and the impending nuclear threat. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is also an amazing accompaniment to the heart-pounding action.

7 'Hard Boiled' (1992)

Directed by: John Woo

Tony Leung as Alan in Hard Boiled looking at something off-camera

There's a war going on between two rival gun smuggling gangs in Hong Kong and in the middle of everything is tough city cop Inspector 'Tequila' Yuen (Chow Yun-Fat). When Tequila's partner and a valuable informant are killed in a tea house fracas, Superintendent Pang (Philip Chan) blames him for his recklessness but keeps him on the case. It turns out that Pang has another man by the name of Alan (Tony Leung Chui-Wai) deep undercover, who is communicating via coded messages sent to Tequila's girlfriend. When the two agents' paths cross, they realize they'll have to work together to bring down the criminals.

Before he made a name for himself in Hollywood, John Woo was busy redefining the movie industry in his home region with films like Hard Boiled, which is not only is it a great action flick, but one of the best Hong Kong movies made to date. The warehouse shoot-out with the motorcycle riders is a brilliant piece of seamless action choreography, which no doubt contributed to the editing awards the film received at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and Hong Kong Film Awards.

6 'In The Line of Fire' (1993)

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

John Malkovich as Mitch Leary holding the ghost gun in In the Line of Fire

In his heyday, Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) was working the detail of US President Kennedy, whose assassination still haunts him. Today he's a bit of a washout, one-step away from retirement when he starts getting taunting phone calls from a man calling himself Booth (John Malkovich) who threatens to assassinate the current President (Jim Curley). Even after finding out that Booth is an ex-CIA wet boy (trained assassin), Frank is determined to do everything he can to stop him, even if that means standing In the Line of Fire.

This is one of Eastwood's most badass movies and although a stuntperson did the jump and the fall onto the fire escape at the end of the rooftop chase scene, the then 62-year-old actor did actually hang six stories above the ground (with the help of a harness) during the filming. Malkovich, with his many elaborate disguises and stone-cold ruthlessness, is also wonderful to watch in this political pleasure fest.

5 'Speed' (1994)

Directed by: Jan de Bont

Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven and Sandra Bullock as Annie on a bus in Speed

A retired and disgruntled bomb squad employee, Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), is after revenge and a boatload of money by holding hostages for ransom. When his first attempt is foiled by young S.W.A.T. officer Jack Traven and his partner Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels), Payne retaliates by arming a city bus full of passengers with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. When the bus driver is injured, passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock) takes the wheel and Traven and colleagues are left to figure out how to keep everyone alive.

Who would have thought public transport would have made such a dramatic stage for an action movie, but Speed definitely managed to pull it off. This non-stop action fest is one of Keanu Reeves' most rewatchable movies, and it confirmed his status as a viable action hero that the earlier Point Break laid the groundwork for.

4 'True Lies' (1994)

Directed by: James Cameron

Harry and Helen Tasker, spying on someone in True Lies

As far as his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) is concerned, Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) is a safe, predictable computer salesman. Their life together, while happy, has gotten a little stale and, desperate for a little adventure, Helen gets involved with a man named Simon (Bill Paxton) who claims to be a secret agent. In reality, Simon is a scam artist and Harry is the one heading up deadly covert operations for the government. When a group of fanatical terrorists come into possession of nuclear weapons, Harry is forced to juggle his failing family life with trying to prevent a nuclear disaster.

True Lies was the first film ever to cost $100 million and the reward was an international box office of more than triple that. While there's plenty of action, the movie's comedic and romantic elements give it a much broader appeal and the R-rating allows it to be a bit more rough with the violence and a bit more risqué with the language, which heightens the entertainment value immensely.

3 'Face/Off' (1997)

Directed by: John Woo

Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy and John Travolta Sean Archer in a gun fight in Face/Off

After years of surveillance, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) finally brings down master criminal Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) in an altercation that leaves the latter in a coma. But, a bomb has been set somewhere in the city, so Archer agrees to undergo facial transplant surgery and assume Castor's identity so he can glean information about the bomb's whereabouts from his brother Pollux (Alessandro Nivola). But, in a shocking twist, Caster wakes up from his coma and takes on Archer's identity before destroying the evidence and killing everyone who knew about the top-secret mission.

Face/Off is action-packed with guns, knives, police chases and explosions, making it one of Travolta and Cage's most rewatchable movies. The way the two actors take on each other's personas with such conviction is mesmerizing and, while the premise of face transplants might be a little far-fetched for the era, it doesn't take anything away from the electrifying action of the story.

2 'The Matrix' (1999)

Directed by: Lana and Lilly Wachowski

Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity fighting with a police officer in The Matrix

What is The Matrix? 'It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth', is the simple explanation Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) offers Neo (Reeves) to describe the computer-generated simulation he accepts as his reality, which has allowed machines to enslave and control humans. Only when Neo learns to free his mind, will he become 'The One' who is destined to save what remains of humanity.

By the end of the decade, CGI technology had vastly improved from the days of Total Recall, allowing The Matrix to bring action fans some of the best fight scenes ever filmed. A computer-generated world provided the perfect platform to showcase technological advancement in the movie industry and give audiences something never seen before.

1 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)

Directed by: James Cameron

Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) on motorbikes being chased by truck in Terminator 2 Judgement Day

John Conner is the man who will become the future leader of the human resistance when Skynet becomes self-aware and machines take over the world. First, the machines sent a Terminator (Schwarzenegger) back in time to kill John's mother (Linda Hamilton) but they failed, so this time they're sending back the more advanced T-1000 (Robert Patrick) to kill the 10-year-old John (Edward Furlong) and others that will grow up to play important roles in the resistance. Luckily for the younger John, his older self sent back a protector who, in an ironic twist, just happens to be a replica of the robot assassin who tried to take out his mother all those years ago.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the best in the series in terms of action and entertainment and contributes to some of the best movie quotes from the Terminator franchise, which are a treasured relic of the era. Despite this movie having an R-rating, it's difficult to find a child of the '90s who doesn't know the origin of 'Hasta la vista, baby.'

NEXT: The 10 Best R-Rated Sci-Fi Movies of the 1990s, Ranked

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