Top 20 Action Movies of 1996
by muybueno16 | created - 29 Jan 2014 | updated - 20 Sep 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.
Director: Jonathan Frakes | Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton
Votes: 131,975 | Gross: $92.00M
2. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
R | 108 min | Action, Crime, Horror
Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chaotic results.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino
Votes: 340,189 | Gross: $25.75M
3. Eraser (1996)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involving high-tech weapons.
Director: Chuck Russell | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan, James Coburn
Votes: 118,281 | Gross: $101.30M
4. The Substitute (1996)
R | 114 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shale's Mercenary team is retired after a (not so) covert mission in Cuba. He becomes a substitute teacher at his teacher fiancee's Miami high school to get those behind kneecapping her. His team helps him.
Director: Robert Mandel | Stars: Tom Berenger, Raymond Cruz, William Forsythe, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 15,642 | Gross: $14.75M
5. Black Mask (1996)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A survivor of a supersoldier project must fight his former comrades as a masked hero.
Director: Daniel Lee | Stars: Jet Li, Ching Wan Lau, Karen Mok, Françoise Yip
Votes: 12,263 | Gross: $12.49M
6. Big Bullet (1996)
91 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After assaulting his tactical commander during a raid gone sour, a dedicated but temperamental cop Sergeant Bill Chu is demoted to the Emergency Unit, long considered to be the police force's dumping ground for problem cops.
Director: Benny Chan | Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Jordan Chan, Tat-Ming Cheung, Theresa Lee
Votes: 1,017
7. Executive Decision (1996)
R | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
When terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation.
Director: Stuart Baird | Stars: Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo
Votes: 61,498 | Gross: $56.57M
8. The Rock (1996)
R | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A mild-mannered chemist and an ex-con must lead the counterstrike when a rogue group of military men, led by a renegade general, threaten a nerve gas attack from Alcatraz against San Francisco.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, John Spencer
Votes: 357,822 | Gross: $134.07M
9. Broken Arrow (1996)
R | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Terrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U.S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 105,150 | Gross: $70.77M
10. Maximum Risk (1996)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
While seeking answers to the death of the twin brother he never knew he had, a French cop and his sibling's fiancee find themselves pursued by corrupt FBI agents and the Russian mafia.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Natasha Henstridge, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Zach Grenier
Votes: 23,940 | Gross: $14.50M
11. Dark Breed (1996)
R | 104 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Six astronauts are infected by an alien organism.
Director: Richard Pepin | Stars: Jack Scalia, Cindy Ambuehl, Jonathan Banks, Gregg Brazzel
Votes: 700
12. The Silencers (1996)
R | 103 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Special Agent Rafferty is thrown into a maelstrom of action and intrigue when he identifies a mysterious alien race who are on a mission to invade Earth.
Director: Richard Pepin | Stars: Jack Scalia, Dennis Christopher, Carlos Lauchu, Lucinda Weist
Votes: 560
13. Pure Danger (1996 Video)
R | 99 min | Action, Thriller
A paroled short order cook and a waitress go on the run with a bag of diamonds that accidentally falls into their possession, prompting two warring gangs to come after them.
Director: C. Thomas Howell | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Teri Ann Linn, Michael Russo, Marcus Chong
Votes: 272
14. The Sweeper (1996 Video)
R | 90 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Mark Goddard, a Los Angeles cop with a penchant for violence, is recruited by a secret police society who deliver justice outside of the law.
Director: Joseph Merhi | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Jeff Fahey, Ed Lauter, Kristen Dalton
Votes: 630
15. Silent Trigger (1996)
R | 93 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Waxman is a former Special Forces soldier who is now working as a heavily armed assassin for a top secret government agency. When a covert mission goes terribly wrong, Waxman and fellow assassin Clegg become that agency's prime targets.
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Dolph Lundgren, Gina Bellman, Conrad Dunn, Christopher Heyerdahl
Votes: 4,466
16. Past Perfect (1996)
R | 92 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A cop (Roberts) tries to bust a gang of teenage gun dealers. In the process he catches only one and tries to charge him with a number of offences but fails since the gang member is underage... See full summary »
Director: Jonathan Heap | Stars: Eric Roberts, Laurie Holden, Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek
Votes: 402
17. Riot (1996)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An heiress is kidnapped during the chaos of a riot.
Director: Joseph Merhi | Stars: Gary Daniels, Sugar Ray Leonard, Paige Rowland, Charles Napier
Votes: 569
18. First Option (1996)
90 min | Drama, Action
Hong Kong action thriller, about the Hong Kong Police Department's Special Duties Unit. When a raid by customs officials goes drastically wrong, the SDU are called in to deal with the ... See full summary »
Director: Gordon Chan | Stars: Michael Wong, Gigi Leung, Damian Lau, Kathy Chow
Votes: 288
19. Crash Dive (1996 Video)
R | 90 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Nuclear submarine USS Ulysses rescues supposed victims of a boat disaster, who turn out to be terrorists intent on capturing nuclear weapons aboard the sub. Only a former SEAL can save the day by sliding aboard while the sub is underwater.
Director: Andrew Stevens | Stars: Michael Dudikoff, Frederic Forrest, Reiner Schöne, Jay Acovone
Votes: 975
20. Balance of Power (1996)
R | 92 min | Action
A peaceful karate instructor is propelled into the bloody, underworld kick-boxing circuit by the murder of a close friend. The man responsible is an Asian crime lord with a passion for gambling on the city's underground street fights.
Director: Rick Bennett | Stars: Billy Blanks, Mako, Lisa Jai, Denis Akiyama
Votes: 404
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