The 90s are often looked back upon as one of the best decades in film in USA. Hollywood was full of well-known stars, original ideas, and many memorable films. There were so many good movies in USA that it would be difficult to compile a list without leaving a few in the dust. Some are so good enough to make the list of the best action movies from the ’90s in USA. Most of the best ’80s and 90s action movies have joined the 2000s action movies in the top spot, making it hard to totally ignore them.
So, if you are looking for the best 90s action movies in USA and those forgotten 90s action movies, this article is for you. Here are the best 90s action movies in USA to watch.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron, William Wisher Jr.
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
Ever since Sarah Conner was the kill target of a cyborg from the future, things have taken a turn. Now, after 10 years, her son, John, is the new target. A deadlier and stronger terminator is after him and his mother, Sarah. This is one of the movies that rank at the top 10 most popular 90s action movies.
Face/Off (1997)
Director: John Woo
Writer: Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
Cast: Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Joan Allen
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
A deadly duel of intrigue and deception begins when Harry (Cage), a master art forger, meets Gaylord (Travolta), a master of disguise, and they engage in a war of one-upmanship to see who will come out on top. Face/Off is among the best 90s action movies in USA you need to stream.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Michael Crichton, David Koepp
Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
When an ill-advised tourist trip to a dinosaur theme park goes hideously wrong, Dr. Alan Grant (Neill) and two children find themselves stranded on the island of dinosaurs. It’s up to Dr. Ian Malcolm and a few others to save them from this disaster scenario.
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Doug Richardson, Steven E. de Souza
Cast: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Following the events of the first movie, officer John McClane finds himself being the only hope for a plane load of passengers when military hijackers take control and plan to let loose a dangerous prisoner.
Mission Impossible (1996)
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: David Koepp, Bruce Geller
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jon Voigt, Emmanuelle Béart
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Jim Phelps is doing a routine mission in Budapest when he finds himself the latest victim of the ‘dead agent’ protocol and has to run for his life. Now it’s up to him and a number of other disavowed secret agents to stop the evil mastermind behind the scenes.
Heat (1995)
Director: Michael Mann
Writer: Michael Mann
Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
A career thief intends to propose to his girlfriend with one last heist – a stereo warehouse score worth $1 million. But not everything goes as planned when the body of a night watchman is discovered, attracting police attention and forcing the thief to seek help from his partner in crime. It is among the best 90s action movies in USA you need to include in your list.
Speed (1994)
Directors: Jan de Bont, Graham Yost
Writer: Graham Yost
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
A young cop must prevent a bomb from exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph. If his passengers are blown up, they won’t be able to testify in an upcoming trial against the bomber. Speed is among the movies that rank as top 10 most popular 90s action movies.
Con Air (1997)
Directors: Simon West
Writer: Scott Rosenberg
Cast: Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, John Cusack
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
In a prison during a deadly riot, Cameron Poe is sentenced for murder. While being transported to another prison by air, the prisoners seize control of the aircraft. Poe is a hero to all on board after he saves a little girl from being harmed and joins in the attempt to retake the plane.
The Fifth Element (1997)
Directors: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson (written for the screen by), Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay)
Cast: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
In the 23rd century, a New York cabbie and former special forces soldier named Korben Dallas didn’t mean to be a hero, but he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years: A perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Together they must save the world from total destruction.
Hard Boiled (1992)
Director: John Woo
Writer: John Woo, Gordon Chan, Barry Wong (Film Editing)
Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Teresa Mo
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Tequila is considered the best cop in his precinct until he gets transferred to be the security guard of John Woo. While undercover, Tequila must get close to Mr. Woo’s partner Alan who plans to get rid of all the triads. You need to include this movie in the best 90s action movies in USA you need to watch this year.
Independence Day (1996)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich (screenplay)
Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
On July 2, the Earth’s orbit is entered by an enormous alien ship that deploys dozens of saucers to destroy the major cities. The next day, the US government launches a counter-attack that fails miserably. However, the government doesn’t stop there and devises a plan to invade the mothership in space and take control of the city.
Run Lola Run (1998)
Director: Tom Tykwer
Writer: Tom Tykwer (screenplay)
Cast: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend, who tells her that he needs 80,000 Deutsche Mark in 20 minutes. He is at the airport about to leave for St. Petersburg with his friends if he doesn’t get the money. She has no idea how she could possibly find such a large amount of cash in this short time but must do everything in her power to succeed.
The Crow (1994)
Director: Alex Proyas
Writer: David J. Schow, James O’Barr (Comic Book)
Cast: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Eric Draven is the survivor of a brutal murder along with his fiancée Shelly. One year after this tragedy, he returns from the dead looking to exact revenge on their attackers one by one as an undead angel of vengeance.
Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
Director: Stanley Tong
Writer: Edward Tang, Fibe Ma
Cast: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Ahn Sung-ki
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
Mr. Chin is a Hong Kong cop visiting New York City to receive an award. He bumps into a petty criminal and is soon entangled in a battle between gangsters and a powerful mobster.
Blade (1998)
Director: Stephen Norrington
Writer: David S. Goyer (screenplay)
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
A half-mortal, half-immortal is out to avenge his mother’s death and rid the world of vampires. The modern-day technologically advanced vampires he is going after are in search of his special blood type needed to summon an evil god who plays a key role in their plan to execute the human race. The blade is among the best 90s action movies in USA you need to watch.
Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
Director: Hark Tsui
Writer: Hark Tsui, Edward Tang (Screenplay), Wong Jing (Original story)
Cast: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
The final years of the Qing Dynasty in China, one of the bloodiest periods in history. The land is ravaged by marauding bandits and oppressed by foreign powers. Heroes emerge to champion the cause of justice and drive out the invaders. One such hero is Wong Fei-Hung (Jet li), whose exploits are vividly recounted in this action-packed collection of stories.
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)
Director: John McTiernan
Writer: Jonathan Hensleigh, Roderick Thorp
Cast: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
New York is facing the biggest threat in history. The former Colonel from East Germany has plans to spread out a web of detonating bombs that will burn the city to the ground. Now, John McClane must collaborate with Zeus Carver to overcome this threat and save New York before it’s too late.
The Jackal (1997)
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Writer: Kenneth Ross, Chuck Pfarrer
Cast: Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
A man known only as the “Jackal” is hired by an ultra-low-profile billionaire to avenge the death of his son, killed in a plane crash orchestrated by the CIA and for which no one has been brought to justice. His target: one dozen of America’s most famous, powerful, and well-guarded former government agents who now lead simple but lonely lives as ordinary civilians.
Tombstone (1993)
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Writer: Kevin Jarre (screenplay)
Cast: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Ike Clanton is upset by the Earp brothers’ claim to part of his ranch. When Wyatt refuses to let that happen, they run into each other in the infamous OK Corral in which three people are killed. The lawmen become fugitives with warrants out for their arrests so they begin robbing banks and looting stagecoaches.
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: Shane Black (story), Jonathan Lemkin, Alfred Gough
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
A dangerous China-based crime lord is threatening Los Angeles and trying to free his brother from prison. Now it’s up to Officers Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh to stop this from happening before all hell breaks loose. It is among the best 90s action movies in USA you need to watch.
The Rock (1996)
Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Douglas S. Cook, David Weisberg (Screenplay), Mark Rosner (Story)
Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Stanley Goodspeed, who is about to become a father, is a chemist for the FBI. His colleague and friend, John Patrick Mason, is convicted of espionage against the USA and sentenced to life in prison. When Stanley finds out that his friend did not commit the crime he has been convicted for, the head of the department orders him to go to Alcatraz Island with a group of Marines to find out what really happened.
Ronin (1998)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Writer: J.D. Zeik (story), David Mamet (screenplay)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Eight mercenaries accept a questionable job offer in war-torn Europe after meeting with an arms dealer. They are ambushed at their destination when it is revealed that they were never supposed to arrive, but they fight their way through the ambush and continue on to complete the mission. Their employers aren’t who they claim to be, which sends everything off track and puts them in danger.
Golden Eye (1995)
Director: Martin Campbell
Writer: Jeffrey Caine (screenplay), Ian Fleming (novel)
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
A satellite nuclear weapon has gone missing and Alec is the culprit, a former agent presumed dead. Now, it’s up to the duo Agent 007 and Natalia Simonav to go to Russia and retrieve the missing item.
The ’90s were a decade full of great movies. These are some of the 90s action comedy movies, and many of them have been turned into successful franchises. Hopefully, you found these best 90s action movies in USA helpful as you plan your next movie marathon. You can start with the top 10 most popular 90s action movies, go to the forgotten 90s action movies, before leaping to the 2000s action movies.
