Cheesy action movie recommendations

May 7, 2020 9:54 AM

I would like to watch some cheesy/dumb action movies, preferably streaming on Amazon Prime or Netflix in the US.

I am looking for cheesy and/or dumb and/or hilarious (inadvertent or intentional) action movies to watch to turn my brain off for a while.

Things I am looking for: explosions; explosions in slow motion that people somehow manage to run away from; explosions where someone walks away in sunglasses with a quip; car chases; car chases where the car goes up over a hill in San Francisco and all four wheels leave the ground; terrible/hilarious dialogue; incomprehensible or ludicrous plots; fantastic stunts and/or fight scenes; bad guys who fire their guns a lot and somehow never hit anything; outlandish gadgets and/or weaponry (no James Bond recs please); heists; capers; jail breaks; etc.

Things I am not looking for: realistic gore; sexual assault; gay or trans panic plot points.

To give you some idea, I recently enjoyed The Rock, and Hobbes and Shaw. I am planning to re-watch The Mummy, as well as potentially The Scorpion King, which I haven't seen yet. Mostly watching on Netflix and Amazon Prime but am absolutely willing to pay extra to rent similar movies.

posted by skycrashesdown to Media & Arts (51 answers total)

Under Siege.
posted by Melismata at 9:56 AM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Commando is a classic of this genre.
posted by Ragged Richard at 9:58 AM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Spy Who Dumped Me, which is on Amazon Prime.
posted by wintersweet at 10:03 AM on May 7, 2020

I think Six Underground is still on Netflix. Basically Michael Bay car chases/explosions + Ryan Reynolds quips.
posted by kuanes at 10:07 AM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

What's Up, Doc? is a screwball comedy, but has an EPIC chase scene in San Francisco.
posted by mefireader at 10:08 AM on May 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

Big Trouble in Little China
posted by fellion at 10:12 AM on May 7, 2020 [9 favorites]

Amazon Prime has 125 Shaw Brothers martial arts movies. Infra-Man is completely ludicrous. The Lady Hermit is really good (there's some gore but not at all realistic). The Magic Blade falls somewhere in-between (an action movie but with comedic elements).
posted by cpound at 10:14 AM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

2012 is on Netflix. The Mayans said the world would end in 2012. They were right. Watch as John Cusack outruns a massive earthquake in a limo and, later on, an airplane.

The Day After Tomorrow has Jake Gyllenhall outrunning an arctic blast of freezing air.

I also highly recommend The Long Kiss Goodnight. Geena Davis & Samuel L. Jackson. Geena is an assassin who lost her memory and built a new life as Miss PTA. Sam is the private detective she hired to find out about her past. It's fun.

The last two movies aren't available on Netflix and is $3.99 on Prime. If you have to choose one, I much prefer the Geena Davis movie. There are more explosions and car chases.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 10:14 AM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Man of Tai Chi is on Netflix and is mostly a series of cool fight scenes hung on a minimal plot. Directed by Keanu Reeves. Everyone kicks the absolute shit out of each other, but I don't recall much blood, if any.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:20 AM on May 7, 2020

My first thought was: Rush Hour. But really, any not-too-serious Jackie Chan movie.
posted by vespertinism at 10:21 AM on May 7, 2020 [5 favorites]

Ohhh what about National Treasure/ National Treasure 2 and 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' .
posted by Captain_Science at 10:21 AM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's in outer space, and it's rentable on YouTube and Google play and such for only a couple bucks - Guardians Of The Galaxy 2. You don't need to know a damn thing about the comic, and you don't need to have seen the first picture - I didn't, all I knew going into it was that the friend who brought me said "it's like The A Team in space." They brought me after I'd had an utterly hideous day at work and it was exactly what I needed.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:25 AM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

The 4th Die Hard (Live free or die hard) was pretty over the top and I found it really cheesy and quite escapist. "You just killed a helicopter with a car."
posted by hydra77 at 10:26 AM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Netflix just today added Lockout, which is so clearly Escape From New York in Space, that John Carpenter sued them and got a settlement.

I would also recommend Spectral, which is basically future soldiers vs. ghosts.

But most of all, for cheesy modern action, I recommend Hurricane Heist, which is exactly what it says on the tin.
posted by subocoyne at 10:29 AM on May 7, 2020

Any of Keanu Reeves' action movies. Also Charlize Theron has done a lot of good action in her career.
posted by toastyk at 10:35 AM on May 7, 2020

I saw Crank 2 without seeing the first one and it makes no sense at all but it ticks a lot of your boxes. It has a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is way, way higher than I would have guessed.
posted by SeedStitch at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2020

Road House is really incredible.
posted by so fucking future at 10:46 AM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Omg we watched Hobbs & Shaw last week and it was SO STUPID. But completely enjoyable!
posted by cooker girl at 10:49 AM on May 7, 2020

watch all 3 mummy movies - the mummy, the mummy returns, and the scorpion king - which as we all know were the ONLY mummy movies made in that franchise. no others exist! do not believe the lies the internet may tell you!

bad boys 2 is super dumb and i love it.

if you are interested in dumb action in SPACE then obvsly the first choice should be the 5th element, followed by jupiter ascending.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:51 AM on May 7, 2020 [5 favorites]

50% of Nic Cage movies are your description above.
All Schwarzenegger movies until Last Action Hero.
Director John Woo -
Jackie Chan movies.
Kurt Russel action movies
Stallone action movies from the '80s to today.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:57 AM on May 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

Pineapple Express.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:04 AM on May 7, 2020

On the lighter side, but have you seen any of the comedy/chase/caper movies from the '60's - someone above mentioned (and I endorse) What's Up, Doc? - and there are car chases in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and some fun stuff, including a car chase, in The Pink Panther (Peter Sellers version).
posted by gudrun at 11:07 AM on May 7, 2020

Speed holds up.

I've got gum on my seat. Gum.
posted by Beardman at 11:13 AM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Skyscraper is a very silly film available to rent on Amazon Prime, which stars The Rock as a one-legged security consultant who designs the super-advanced fire suppression systems in the world's tallest skyscraper, which (SPOILER) is set very much on fire by some ridiculous Eurovillains, and he then has to rescue his wife and children from the Towering Inferno™. It has shooting, flames, explosions, a heist, Eurovillainy, a billionaire in a panic room made of Secret Military Alloys, hand-to-prosthetic leg combat, at least two quips-followed-by-death, a crap holodeck and possibly the laziest save-the-day mechanism I have ever seen in an action film, which is saying something.

Spy is available on Netflix and has Jason Statham in, which was enough for me, but it's also very entertaining for non-Statham reasons.
posted by inire at 11:22 AM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
The Pacifier
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
posted by plinth at 12:00 PM on May 7, 2020

Dead Heat. That answer has always been Dead Heat.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:10 PM on May 7, 2020

Obligatory "you know that John Wick doesn't suck, right?"

I saw Crank 2 without seeing the first one and it makes no sense at all but it ticks a lot of your boxes

I'd anti-recommend this one. Crank 2 is many things (and definitely dumb as hell) but unproblematic is not one of them. I do however have a soft spot for Neveldine/Taylor's other trash-tastic film Gamer which somehow manages to have zero scenes where strippers get shot in their breast implants. Terry Crews is even in it!

Man of Tai Chi is on Netflix and is mostly a series of cool fight scenes hung on a minimal plot. Directed by Keanu Reeves.

I really liked this one, although without the Keanu factor it's just a decently-made martial arts film I guess. You forgot to mention that Reeves plays the villain, which he rarely gets to do.

Poking through my library quick for others to mention: Face/Off, Hard Boiled, Equilibrium (tries to be Fahrenheit 451 and fails hard, some great action sequences)

martial arts ones: Ong-Bak, Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, Chocolate
posted by neckro23 at 12:30 PM on May 7, 2020

The Mask of Zorro is one of my favorites in this genre. I would put it in the same pantheon as The Mummy.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

My friend and I were laughing out loud in the movie theater watching Volcano. Groan worthy lines, completely unrealistic escapes. I loved it!
posted by MountainDaisy at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Mission Impossible series fit the bill. I recently watched Fallout (the most recent one) and it was basically an excuse to do a few hours of the wildest, most ridiculous stunts they could think of.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:35 PM on May 7, 2020

The Meg
posted by Dr. Twist at 12:51 PM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Spenser Confidential is a Netflix exclusive that we found pretty perfect for dumb fun while quarantined. Murder Mystery on Netflix is more comedy than action movie but does have a hilarious car chase at the end.
posted by carolr at 12:56 PM on May 7, 2020

CON AIR is my go-to for this kinda thing.
posted by Dr. Wu at 1:09 PM on May 7, 2020 [6 favorites]

Ok so I thought it would be awful, but a few weeks ago we watched The Do-Over with Adam Sandler and David Spade for something stupid to watch, and it was actually really enjoyable.
posted by jabes at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2020

Goldfinger seems a bit cartoony these days, especially if you know anything about how movies are made.
posted by Wild_Eep at 3:17 PM on May 7, 2020

I cant believe no one mentioned The Core (Netflix, 40% on Rotten Tomatoes) - no scientists were harmed in the filming of this movie.

I see also that Deep Impact is on Netflix. Im going to watch it again tonight!

Since MountainDaisy mentioned Volcano, I have to put in a plug for Dante's Peak. James Bond and Sarah Connor in the Pacific Northwest with kids and an exploding mountain - good stuff! However, its $3.99 on Amazon.
posted by Illusory contour at 3:20 PM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Face/Off is the platonic form of this.
posted by MrBobinski at 4:11 PM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Spy is a comedy send-up of this genre with great fight scenes. It’s hilarious.
posted by missmary6 at 4:13 PM on May 7, 2020

I just rewatched Road House today for this very reason. I also recently watched Tango and Cash for the first time and got the same feel. So much ridiculousness.
posted by pepper bird at 6:09 PM on May 7, 2020

The Blues Brothers, while not an action movie per-se, fits many of these criteria.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:39 PM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

I deeply enjoyed the cheesy action goodness of San Andreas, ft. The Rock + obligatory fam. vs. Super Big Earthquake.

Seconding Diehard 4, in which John McClane kills a helicopter with a car.

If you're at all into Marvel, the Iron Man trilogy is full of explosions and quips - and in Iron Man 3, Tony Stark kills a helicopter with a piano. Good times! In fact, all the Marvel movies are cheesy action and they're all on Disney+, which you can get for a month the cost of a couple movie rentals on Amazon Prime.

As a connoisseur of apocalyptic disaster movies, I have to put in an anti-rec for 2012, which - in spite of having the ever-adorable John Cusack as its star - is the most mind-numbingly boring apocalypse in the history of the genre. I mean, it is right up there with the one we're currently living through in terms of "omg is it over yet???"
posted by invincible summer at 7:37 PM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

It's not free on Amazon (I think you'd have to rent/buy), but The Hitman's Bodyguard is a riot and Sam Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are so clearly having a great time (as is Salma Hayek) that it's incredibly infectious.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 9:10 PM on May 7, 2020

You can't go wrong with almost any of these suggestions, but Tango and Cash is truly a cut above. It does not make sense, and somehow features Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone at the height of their powers. This was an A list movie! You will watch it and boggle that it ever got made.
posted by billjings at 11:44 PM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

The Rock + Christopher Walken = The Rundown. Great fun. Seann William Scott makes a quite capable comic sidekick to The Rock.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 7:13 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

I think The Ice Pirates is streaming free on Amazon Prime right now.
So bad. Enjoy.
posted by cleverevans at 8:58 AM on May 8, 2020

True lies
Con air
Roadhouse
Kindergarten cop
Any old Van Damme/Seagal movie
Kiss of the dragon
Romeo must die
.. Leon? (The professional)
Rambo
Predator
Tremors
posted by speakeasy at 11:40 AM on May 8, 2020 [3 favorites]

Sahara is a truly trashy action film with a fun soundtrack and the always entertaining Steve Zahn. It's not free (although it should be) but is showing on BBC America. Lo, how the Beeb has fallen.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 2:08 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

KUNG FU HUSTLE
posted by Kitchen Witch at 2:16 PM on May 8, 2020 [2 favorites]

Commando is chef's kiss.
posted by condour75 at 7:04 PM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

Young Frankenstein (1974)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Anything Simon Pegg/Nick Frost - Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), Paul (2011), The World's End (2014)
Ghostbusters. Any Ghostbusters.
Sometimes Johnny Depp hits this area - Sleepy Hollow (1999), Dark Shadows (2012), Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Sometimes Whoopi Goldberg hits this area - Jumping Jack Flash (1986), Burglar (1987), the Sister Act movies.
Tremors. Any Tremors. Even the series.
posted by TrishaU at 3:22 AM on May 9, 2020

FYI - Face/Off contains implied sexual assault, which really made it a lot less fun.
posted by Paper rabies at 12:09 PM on May 10, 2020