The 80's

The 80's was a strange time, gammy (but great) music, gammy fashion, and OTT action movies. Arnie, Sly, & Chuck Norris were the kings of extreme action movies during the Cold War period with many of their films dealing with "outside terrors" / Eurotrash villians. Back in the heyday it was all shiny, gigantic muscles and an endless bodycount of commie soldiers, a much simplier time then.

America wanted the compensation of them kicking everyone's ass after their collosal fucknut of a period in Vietnam where they got brutally hammered. Many of the bigger films have dated badly and are now seen as comedy gold, especially Chuck's movies (Delta Force, Missing In Action series). I think Commando is the best though cuz of the almost poetry-like puns "I eat Green Berets for breakvast, and right now, I'm very 'ungry!!"

Here's a fine example of then-typical action movie poster, Invasion U.S.A. (1985), that fed to the fears of tensions between the USA and USSR. The poster is pretty much similiar to many 80's movies;
Guns - Check, Explosions - Check, Government building - Check, Helichopters - Check, Excuse to show exposed chest - Check!

Look at that cold, unphased, thousand-yard stare on Chuck as he randomly fires his Uzis. That's the look of a man having a flashback to when he was neck deep in shit at a P.O.W. camp in 'Nam before him and his buddy, Charlie, escaped...................Charlie obviously died during the escape and now Chuck ain't gonna take no shit from no goddamn invading commies!!

Naturally many, many truckloads of shitty rip-offs came along the tailcoats of these succesful action vehicles of the time. It was always essential to feature an inhuman lead star with muscles you could grate cheese off and acting that would make a plank of wood seem like the next Marlon Brando!

What was also essential in an 80's action movie was villians who couldn't shoot for shit, at least 1 death involving a guy falling off a balcony / gaurd tower, dreadful music, "witty" puns after heartlessly killing someone, endless amounts of ammo, grenade / rocket explosions that sent 2 - 4 commie soldiers into the air and an almost God-like lead star who never got hurt..........................he also must be in the Special Forces / Marines / Law Enforcement! American hostages / Drug Cartels were basically the "plot" of such movies, too.

This clip below is from a bargain basement Commando rip-off called Deadly Prey. Not quite sure what it's about but it's got the essential 80's cliches intact, plus a man gets beaten with his own dismembered arm!
(A similiar scene was never filmed in Commando where after Arnie lops a guy's arm off, the armless guy screams and Arnie hits him over the head with his limb telling him "Need a hand?"  It was never filmed as it was deemed a bit too sinister................but they were fine with him running through a garden blasting everyone the fuck away?)