A Glean movie guide
The Golden Age of Action
Pure, high-octane nostalgia.
Relive the adrenaline, grit, and iconic heroes of 1980s cinema.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Die Hard
A lone cop battles terrorists in a skyscraper, setting the gold standard for the modern action thriller.
High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.
- 02
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones delivers the ultimate globe-trotting adventure filled with legendary set pieces.
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.
- 03
The Terminator
A relentless cyborg assassin makes for one of the most tense and influential sci-fi thrillers ever made.
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
- 04
Aliens
This high-stakes sequel trades horror for pure, pulse-pounding military action.
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
- 05
Predator
An elite team faces an extraterrestrial hunter in a masterclass of 80s muscle-bound intensity.
A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
- 06
Lethal Weapon
The definitive buddy-cop film that perfectly balances explosive action with sharp character chemistry.
A veteran cop and an unstable detective become partners who must put their differences aside in order to bring down a heroin-smuggling ring run by ex-Special Forces.
- 07
RoboCop
A brutal and brilliant satire that delivers stylized violence in a dystopian future.
In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.
- 08
First Blood
A grounded, gritty survival story that launched one of cinema's most famous action heroes.
When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
- 09
The Road Warrior
A post-apocalyptic masterpiece defined by its incredible, high-speed practical stunt work.
Max Rockatansky returns as the heroic loner who drives the dusty roads of a postapocalyptic Australian Outback in an unending search for gasoline. Arrayed against him and the other scraggly defendants of a fuel-depot encampment are the bizarre warriors commanded by the charismatic Lord Humungus, a violent leader whose scruples are as barren as the surrounding landscape.
- 10
Top Gun
High-flying aerial sequences and iconic 80s style make this a quintessential blockbuster.
For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.