Action Jackson (1988)

Aaaah the late 80sÂ… when:

• The fact that a character's name is 'Action' Jackson didn't need to be justified. It just was. • We take for granted that Action Jackson is scary and awe-inspiring as peripheral characters tell us so. • Ditto the fact that his passion for his job and creative methods have resulted in him being demoted and his wife leaving him… • The bad guy is identified early. • Better still he is already Action Jackson's nemesis. • Better still, still. The guy responsible for his demotion and wife leaving him. • Unexpected and unnecessary nudity was both expected and necessary. • The bad guy has a hot trophy wife (Sharon Stone) and a hot mistress (Vanity). • Both of whom are more than willing to take their clothes off for little reason.

FurthermoreÂ…

• Women get out of the shower nude. Guys are wearing jeans. • Performing in a club with a totally see through top isn't noticed by anyone in the club – but those of us watching at home… • It doesn't matter if the hero doesn't actually say something funny or clever, as long as he and the other characters seem to think what he is saying is funny and/or clever. • Post-kill quips still need work though, no "Hasta la vista Baby" or "Stick around here"… (though "How do you like your ribs" was OK. The answer is apparently 'exploded'.) • Dangerous minions can time their hit and run assassination attempts to coincide with the came split second that their target walks through a door, despite traffic and the fact that they are hundreds of yards away with no possible way of knowing that this was the point he was to emerge… • "I have to catch a cab' means a chase scene, with Jackson not only catching up but giving him a mouthful through the window of his speeding car… while still on foot! • Leading to big explosions and certain civilian deaths, none of which are mentioned again. • People get hit in the face and actually bleed. (Happens less on film nowadays than you think.) • Cheesy pop music on the soundtrack is justifiable for the fact that it was the 80s, the spiritual home of cheesy pop music. • Every character actor in the film is recognisable from another classic film of the era. In the first 10 minutes I saw minor roles filled with actors from Predator, Beverly Hills Cop, Red Heat, Back to the Future and seemingly half of the cast of Die Hard. • We know the big showdown will be a fist fight when we see the Bad Guy training in hand to hand combat. • A good body double can make you think that a 60 year old is a karate machine… why don't we ever manage to see his face while he pulling off these athletic moves…? • Stunt men are plentiful and disposable, and unnecessary CGI is not needed. • Movies were 80 minutes long and had a beginning, middle and end.

Final Rating – 6 / 10. None of the above things are bad. Action Jackson is not in the same league as Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and their peers, but it is a solid formula action comedy, which proves that Carl Weathers had genuine on screen likability.

Fmovies: Great late 80's Action Film that's a lot of fun!. The characters were all great, Especially Weather's and Vanity's characters. The Main villain was VERY menacing in Craig T. Nelson he does fabulous here. There is lots of action, and lots of funny one liners from Carl Weathers!. This has been Panned by a lot of people why? it's a lot of fun and i personally enjoyed it a lot!. The Direction is fine. Craig R. Baxley does a fine job keeping the film at a tight pace , cool camera angles and overall he did a good job!. There is a bit of blood and violence. a person gets some bloody cuts on there face from glass, knife in the hand, 2 knives in the chest, arrow in the back, 5 very bloody gunshot wounds, impaling, and someone gets hit by a car graphically. The Acting is great!. Carl Weathers is AWESOME here delivering those one liners like a champ, he had good chemistry with Vanity and overall he just entertained the hell out of me! and was perfect for the part he is an awesome actor and one of my favorites!. (Weathers Rules!). Craig T. Nelson is perfect as The Main villain he is very menacing and did a terrific job overall!. Vanity is GORGEOUS! and did surprisingly very well here i liked her a lot. Sharon Stone is STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS! and does good here too too bad she is rather wasted!. Robert Davi, Ed O'Ross, Mary Ellen Trainor, and Nicholas Worth are all good in there short roles. Overall i highly recommend this for a night of cheesy fun!. ***1/2 out of 5 (Barely)

A late-'80s action movie directed by a stunt man (and all that that implies!)

No one's pretending "Action Jackson" is high art, but man is it fun. The only guns Carl Weathers needs to fight crime are his rippling biceps. Throw in the wickedly evil Craig T. Nelson and a couple of foxy supporting ladies, and baby you got a stew going (couldn't help the Arrested Development reference).

This has all of the tropes of the period, plus a healthy dose of blaxploitation; and it's a potent mixture. Not to mention the wide range of stunts. Let me put it another way; a bad guy is thrown out of the window of one building ... and through the window of another one! It's loud, over-the-top and wildly entertaining.

Action Jackson fmovies. The violence in this movie is brutal and efficiently directed, the action sequences spectacular, the main villain great and the hero, Carl Weathers, can hold his own when compared to other big action stars of the 80's. In short, "Action Jackson" has all the ingredients to be a good rental choice for action fans. If only they had avoided some of those needless digressions (like Jackson's fight with a junkie).... (**1/2)

Carl Weathers gets a chance to be an action hero in this very enjoyable 80's action movie. There are plenty of fist fights, explosions, car crashes, and other action in this one, and I thought Weathers did a good job in this film. The scene when he outruns a cab and rides on the roof of it was kinda dumb but still entertaining. Craig T. Nelson does a good job as the bad guy. There are plenty of familiar faces in this one including Sharon Stone, Bill Duke, Ed O'Ross, Sonny Landham, and many more. In all, a recommended film, not the best action film of the 80's, but still a fun one. 3.5/5

When I saw this movie back in 1988, I thought then & think now that it was one of the most action packed movies for this genre. Carl Weathers plays a likable cop that goes after an unscrupulous high-end car manufacturer. All of the characters, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson & Sharon Stone round out the cast nicely to make an enjoyable, action packed viewing experience for the 1h30m that it's on. It wasn't mean't to be an academy award winner, but it set out to do what it was intended to do, and that's to be an action packed movie from start to finish. If you can appreciate movies from the '80s, this one will be a welcome addition to any collector's library. I am glad to see it on DVD, because I have played my VHS copy to the max!