A Glean movie guide
90s Action Essentials
Pure adrenaline from the 1990s.
The decade of high-octane stunts, practical effects, and legendary blockbusters.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece that redefined the summer blockbuster with its revolutionary visual effects.
Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.
- 02
The Matrix
A stylish, mind-bending journey that changed action cinema forever with its iconic 'bullet time' sequences.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
- 03
Speed
A relentless, high-concept thriller that keeps the tension high from start to finish on a runaway bus.
Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.
- 04
The Fugitive
A perfectly paced cat-and-mouse chase anchored by powerhouse performances and a gripping mystery.
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
- 05
Heat
A sprawling, atmospheric crime epic featuring one of the most realistic street shootouts in film history.
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
- 06
The Rock
A quintessential 90s military thriller with explosive energy and a high-stakes Alcatraz setting.
When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.
- 07
Face/Off
A wild, highly stylized spectacle of dual identities and John Woo’s signature operatic gunplay.
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.
- 08
Point Break
A cult classic that perfectly blends undercover crime drama with high-adrenaline extreme sports.
In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.
- 09
Independence Day
The definitive 90s disaster movie, delivering massive scale and iconic alien-invasion thrills.
Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
- 10
Mission: Impossible
A tense, gadget-filled spy thriller that launched one of cinema's most enduring and successful franchises.
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
- 11
True Lies
A massive James Cameron production that expertly balances explosive action with domestic comedy.
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
- 12
GoldenEye
The film that successfully modernized James Bond for the 90s with grit, style, and a memorable villain.
When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world from a dangerous space weapon that -- in one short pulse -- could destroy the earth! As Bond squares off against his former compatriot, he also battles Xenia Onatopp, an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.