1FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) is sent on an urgent mission with a former British spy, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), to stop Gen. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) from launching chemical weapons on Alcatraz Island into San Francisco. Gen. Hummel demands $100 million in war reparations to be paid to the families of slain servicemen who died on covert operations. After their SEAL team is wiped out, Stanley and John deal with the soldiers on their own.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Michael Bay
2When U.S. government operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his mentor, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), go on a covert assignment that takes a disastrous turn, Jim is killed, and Ethan becomes the prime murder suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt recruits brilliant hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and maverick pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to help him sneak into a heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file that will prove his innocence.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Brian De Palma
3On the run from a bank robbery that left several police officers dead, Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his paranoid, loose-cannon brother, Richard (Quentin Tarantino), hightail it to the Mexican border. Kidnapping preacher Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his kids, the criminals sneak across the border in the family's RV and hole up in a topless bar. Unfortunately, the bar also happens to be home base for a gang of vampires, and the brothers and their hostages have to fight their way out.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
4When terrorists hijack a plane traveling from Greece to Washington, D.C., U.S. Army specialist David Grant (Kurt Russell) and Lt. Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal) join forces to bring the plane to safety. While terrorists on board the plane claim they hijacked the plane to force the U.S. government to release their leader, who was captured by military forces, David and Austin discover that the plane is carrying a bomb full of nerve gas to be released on Washington, D.C.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Stuart Baird
5A group of armed robbers fleeing the police head for the New Jersey Tunnel and run right into trucks transporting toxic waste. The spectacular explosion that follows results in both ends of the tunnel collapsing and the handful of people who survived the explosion are now in peril. Kit Latura is the only man with the skill and knowledge to lead the band of survivors out of the tunnel before the structure collapses.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Rob Cohen
6Air Force pilots Vic Deakins (John Travolta) and Riley Hale (Christian Slater) are sent on an overnight top-secret mission with two nuclear weapons aboard their aircraft. But, after they are in the air, Deakins changes the plan. He attempts to kill Hale and then steals the weapons with the intent of selling them to terrorists. However, Hale survives the crash and meets up with park ranger Terry Carmichael (Samantha Mathis). Together, Hale and Terry attempt to thwart Deakins' plan.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: John Woo
7In 2013, the United States president (Cliff Robertson) is exiling all citizens who don't conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But, when the president's daughter nabs the detonator to her dad's apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn't succeed quickly, he'll be executed.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: John Carpenter
8In the epic adventure film "Independence Day," 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.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Roland Emmerich
9Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialTwister is a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled ride through the world of storm chasing. Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), a seasoned meteorologist, teams up with his estranged wife Jo (Helen Hunt), an equally passionate and fearless tornado researcher. Their mission? To deploy their revolutionary weather research device right in the heart of dangerously unpredictable cyclones. The movie, directed by Jan de Bont, delivers a gripping tale of science, nature's fury, and human resilience. Aided by an ensemble cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alan Ruck, Twister is an action-packed thriller where the weather is the ultimate antagonist.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Jan de Bont
10A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Tim Burton
- 1Glenn Close24 Votes
- 2Jack Nicholson23 Votes
- 3Annette Bening21 Votes
- 4Lisa Marie14 Votes
11After being fired from her job as a bank teller, Frankie (Vivica A. Fox) begins working at a janitorial service with her friends Tisean (Kimberly Elise), a single mother; Cleo (Queen Latifah), a boisterous lesbian; and Stony (Jada Pinkett), who is dealing with the recent death of her brother. The women are struggling with their finances, so they decide to start robbing banks. At first the group is successful, but they soon attract the attention of an obsessive detective (John C. McGinley).- Released: 1996
- Directed by: F. Gary Gray
12The Enterprise and its crew follow a Borg ship through a time warp to prevent the Borg from taking over the Earth in a past era. Stuck in the past, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) helps a pioneer of space travel (James Cromwell) in his efforts to create the first warp drive while Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner) battle the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) as she tries to take over the Enterprise.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Jonathan Frakes
13John "The Eraser" Kruger is the top gun in the US Marshall Witness Protection scheme; he erases their past and deals with their future. His latest assignment is whistle-blower Dr. Lee Cullen, who has evidence against a major arms corporation that's selling weapons to terrorists with the collusion of rogue enemy agents within, but there is danger nearer home for Kruger, from within his own department.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Chuck Russell
14A none-too-bright criminal, Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) works for drug kingpin Frank Colton (James Caan) and remains oblivious to the fact that one of his closest buddies is actually an undercover police officer named Jack Carter (Damon Wayans). After Moses accidentally shoots Carter, the cop must recover and then bring the two-bit thug in to take the stand against Colton. With Carter and Moses on far from good terms, however, the trip does not go well.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson
15Schoolteacher and single mother Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) lives an average suburban life -- until she begins having strange memories of unexplained violence and discovers that she has physical skills that she never imagined. Hiring private detective Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to probe into her past, Samantha discovers that she's a well-trained government assassin who went missing after suffering a bout of amnesia and that her former handlers want her back in their employ.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Renny Harlin
16Sir Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman (Henry Cele), seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas), who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Stephen Hopkins
17Inner-city Miami schoolteacher Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora) gets her knee broken when she stands up to the school's gang leader, Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony). Her boyfriend, mercenary combat specialist Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger), goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk, but soon discovers that Lacas is merely an underling for the real criminal mastermind. Assembling the team from his last jungle raid, led by his right-hand man, Joey Six (Raymond Cruz), Shale declares war.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Robert Mandel
18After mechanic Ashe (Vincent Perez) and his son (Eric Acosta) witness a murder, they are captured and killed by drug lord Judah (Richard Brooks). Soon, a young artist named Sarah (Mia Kirshner) meets Ashe, who has just returned from the dead. Sarah, who had known a man resurrected into the vengeful warrior the Crow years ago, explains to Ashe that he is now the Crow. Ashe sets out to get revenge by slaying Judah and his minions, but Judah discovers the Crow's power and craves it for himself.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Tim Pope
19Loyal to nobody but himself, John Smith (Bruce Willis) hires his services out to Fredo Strozzi (Ned Eisenberg), a bootlegging gangster who operates in a drab Texas town. However, he is quick to trade information to Strozzi's rival, Doyle (David Patrick Kelly). Then, having learned about Doyle's infatuation with beautiful Felina (Karina Lombard), Smith uses her to push both bosses into full-scale bloodshed. The only one who suspects anything is Hickey (Christopher Walken), Doyle's lieutenant.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Walter Hill
20Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialAt a Chicago university, a research team that includes brilliant Eddie Kasalivich (Keanu Reeves) experiences a breakthrough: a stable form of fusion that may lead to a waste-free energy source. However, Dr. Paul Shannon (Morgan Freeman) has ties to a private company that wants to exploit the technology, so Kasalivich and Dr. Lily Sinclair (Rachel Weisz) are framed for murder, and the fusion device is stolen. On the run from the FBI, they must recover the technology and exonerate themselves.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Andrew Davis
21After spending all the reward money from his first encounter with the giant man-eating worms called Graboids, Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) agrees to hunt more of the deadly creatures at a Mexican oil refinery for $50,000 each. Knowing that he cannot face the monsters alone, Earl recruits Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), another veteran of the incident in Nevada, to supply the firepower. There is only one problem: The Graboids have now evolved to attack above ground.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: S.S. Wilson
22French police officer Alain Moreau (Jean-Claude Van Damme) makes an astonishing discovery: Mikhail, a man who died recently in a breakneck car chase, is the twin brother he never knew. Alain then uncovers a web of family secrets that lead him to New York City, where his brother was involved with the Russian Mafia. Teaming up with Mikhail's lover, Alex Minetti (Natasha Henstridge), Alain must now assume his twin's identity and go undercover to avenge Mikhail's death.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Ringo Lam
23Disillusioned knight Bowen (Dennis Quaid) befriends Draco (Sean Connery), the last of the dragons, and the two begin scamming village folk as Bowen repeatedly "kills" Draco for money. Bowen soon learns that Draco is the same dragon who once saved his former student, now King Einon (David Thewlis), from death by giving him a piece of his heart. Einon is now a merciless tyrant, and Bowen is compelled to stop him -- but the bond between king and dragon means if one dies, the other does as well.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Rob Cohen
24Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialA purple-costumed superhero (Billy Zane) tries to thwart a master criminal's (Treat Williams) acquisition of mystical skulls with legendary powers.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Simon Wincer
25A former government operative renowned for his stealth, Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) is now a Los Angeles police detective. When a series of horrible murders occurs in the metro area, Cole is assigned to the case, along with tough-talking fellow cop Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans). Although the two men clash, they gradually become effective partners as they uncover a conspiracy linked to the killings, which also involves terrorism and organized crime.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: John Gray
26Cmdr. Joe Hendricksson (Peter Weller) and new recruit Ace Jefferson (Andy Lauer) set out across the surface of Sirius 6B, where they hope to settle a violent labor dispute at a remote mining outpost. After going too far to turn back, they find the desert riddled with deadly Autonomous Mobile Swords, or "Screamers." Created to protect the mines, these burrowing weapons have learned to replicate themselves. To make matters worse, recent generations of Screamers can assume humanoid form.- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Christian Duguay
27After mob boss Vic (Richard Dreyfuss) leaves a mental hospital, he returns to find his nightclub operation in disarray. Even though Mickey (Jeff Goldblum) has taken his place in his absence, he's been distracted by his affairs with Vic's ex-girlfriend, Grace (Diane Lane), and her sister, Rita (Ellen Barkin). While Vic attempts to clean things up, other mobsters -- including Jake (Kyle MacLachlan), Wacky Jacky (Burt Reynolds) and Ben London (Gabriel Byrne) -- try to step in and take control.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Larry Bishop
28Strip for Action
Nikki Fritz, Maria Ford, Kevin Williamson- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Lev L. Spiro
29The evil Gen. Rancor (Andy Griffith) has his sights set on world domination, and only one man can stop him: Dick Steele (Leslie Nielsen), also known as Agent WD-40. Rancor needs to obtain a computer circuit for the missile that he is planning to fire, so Steele teams up with Veronique Ukrinsky (Nicollette Sheridan), a KGB agent whose father designed the chip. Together they try to locate the evil mastermind's headquarters, where Veronique's father and several other hostages are being held.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Rick Friedberg
30When a blackout hits, it doesn't take long before Matthew (Kyle MacLachlan) and Annie (Elisabeth Shue) start breaking the law to protect themselves as they steal medicine for their sick child. But when the power stays out for several days and violence erupts, both the couple and their friend, Joe (Dermot Mulroney), decide that the best action is driving to Annie's parents' home. During the long road trip, they must stop to steal gasoline -- but those with resources are desperately guarding them.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: David Koepp
31In the slums of New York City during the 1920s, petty thief Chris Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) finds himself on the run from the police. At the docks, he hides on an outbound freight ship leaving for Asia. Taken in by the mysterious Lord Dobbs (Roger Moore) as the boat docks in Thailand, Dubois is introduced to the underground world of martial arts fighting. His training culminates in a secret battle between the world's greatest fighters that takes place before a select audience in Tibet.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Jean-Claude Van Damme
32Three generations of the same family deal with the consequences of unleashing the forces of hell. In 18th-century France, Paul L'Merchant (Bruce Ramsay) works as a toymaker until he's coerced into creating a box that serves as a portal between hell and Earth. The box summons demonic Angelique (Valentina Vargas) and Pinhead (Doug Bradley), who -- 200 years later -- hunt down John Merchant (Bruce Ramsay). Then, centuries later, Phillip Merchant (also Ramsay) prepares for a final confrontation.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Kevin Yagher, Joe Chappelle
33Mr. Romeo is a 1996 Tamil language film directed by K. S. Ravi and produced by R. B. Choudary. The film starred Prabhu Deva in a double role with Shilpa Shetty and Madhoo playing other leading roles. Surendra Pal, Vadivelu and Vijayakumar play supporting roles, while A. R. Rahman scored music for the film. The film opened in November 1996 to moderate response at the box office.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: K. S. Ravi
34Kaalapani is a 1996 Indian epic film directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal, Prabhu Ganesan, Tabu, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Tinnu Anand, Annu Kapoor, Alex Draper, Amrish Puri, and Vineeth. Although it is originally a Malayalam film, it was dubbed into Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film is about the lives of prisoners in British India who are brought to Kālā Pānī, the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The name Kalapani is derived from the mode of imprisonment in British India. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music, the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan, and the editing by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film introduced Dolby Stereo into Malayalam cinema. It was made on a budget of 5.5 crore. Mohanlal produced the film under his studio Pranavam Arts International. The film won three National Film Awards including the awards for Best Art Direction, Best Special Effects and Best Cinematography. Along with that it won six Kerala State Film Awards. It was released in 450 theaters worldwide.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Priyadarshan
35A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson Lee) moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire (Victoria Rowell) wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison), who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: David Hogan
36Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite is the sequel to the 1987 film Bloodsport. This sequel had a limited release before going direct-to-video in 1996 and starred Daniel Bernhardt, who reprised the role in a sequel.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Alan Mehrez
37Zero Woman: Assassin Lovers
Tokuma Nishioka, Kumiko Takeda, Keiji MatsudaZero Woman: Assassin Lovers is a 1996 Japanese V-Cinema erotic thriller film. It is the third installment in the Zero Woman series.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Masahide Kuwabara
38Los Angeles heroin addict Jesse (Eric Stoltz) endangers the lives of his childhood friends after he discovers a briefcase full of money from a drug deal gone bad, and returns home with it to Texas. Hoping to turn his life around with his newfound wealth, Jessie endures detox with the support of his friends. However, the gang leader (Billy Bob Thornton) behind the drug deal, along with his cronies, trace Jesse's footsteps to Texas to exact revenge and take back their money.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Geoff Murphy
39An honest veteran, having served in the Indian Army, decides to teach corrupt officials a lesson. He targets officials, ministers, and bureaucrats to make them work diligently without accepting bribes.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: S. Shankar
40Successful Los Angeles football coach John Bookman (Fred Williamson) returns home to Gary, Ind., when his father is murdered. Discovering the town overrun with violent street gangs, John is even more horrified to learn his father was shot by a member of the Rebels, a gang John himself helped form in his youth. John teams up with Jake (Jim Brown) and Laurie (Pam Grier), the parents of a boy who was also killed by a Rebel, to organize their neighborhood against gang violence.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Larry Cohen
41Maanbumigu Maanavan is a 1996 Tamil action film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar. The film had Vijay and Swapna Bedi in the lead. Music is by Deva.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: S. A. Chandrasekhar
42Butch Stein (Mickey Rourke) is out of prison and back on the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y. A lifelong junkie, Butch quickly falls back into his old ways with best friend Lester (John Enos III). Then Butch steals from a local drug pusher, Tank (Tupac Shakur), who decides to settle an old score by sending one of his toughest soldiers after Butch. But Tank soon discovers that Butch is going to put up a fight -- with the help of his brothers, Louis (Ted Levine) and Ruby (Adrien Brody).- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Julien Temple
43Vaanmathi
Ajith Kumar, Dhamu, SwathiVaanmathi is a 1996 Tamil language film directed by Agathiyan starring Ajith Kumar and Swathi in the lead roles. This film portrays hatred that slowly transforms to love between two young souls who are from very different financial backgrounds. The film was released on January 15, 1996 and went on to become a commercial success, running for 175 days at the box office.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Agathiyan
44Zero Woman: The Accused
Mai Tachihara, Daisuke Yamazaki, Ayana Inoue- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Daisuke Gotô
45Sam Clayton's (Vincent D'Onofrio) marriage to ex-stripper Freddie (Cameron Diaz) comes about when she's strong-armed into the match by Red (Delroy Lindo), a club proprietor who once did her a favor. But Freddie falls in love with Jiaks (Keanu Reeves), Sam's brother, and the pair tries to escape the situation together. It isn't long before both Sam and Red catch up with them, resulting in threats against the two of them -- although tension also starts to build between Sam and Red.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Steven Baigelman
46Chauffeur Edwina "Eddie" Franklin (Whoopi Goldberg) is fanatical about the New York Knicks basketball team. After she wins a contest to be their honorary assistant coach, Eddie so impresses the team's owner (Frank Langella) that he fires the head coach, John Bailey (Dennis Farina), and replaces him with Eddie. She is instrumental in turning the floundering team around, just in time to make the playoffs. There, they will face the Charlotte Hornets -- now led by former Knicks coach Bailey.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Steve Rash
47An English U.N. negotiator (David Thewlis) becomes stranded in the tropics with a mad scientist (Marlon Brando) who makes half-human beasts.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: John Frankenheimer
48A teen having trouble fitting in at his new high school becomes an unwitting hero when deadly terrorists arrive.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Jim Wynorski
49Kuruthipunal is a 1995 Tamil action thriller film directed by veteran cinematographer P. C. Sreeram. The film stars Kamal Haasan in the lead role, with Arjun and Nassar in supporting roles. The film featured no songs and the background score was composed by Mahesh Mahadevan. Produced by Kamal Hassan, the story is a remake of Govind Nihalani's Hindi film Drohkaal, The film met with critical acclaim upon release and became a trendsetter for action films during that period of time. The film was India's official entry for the 68th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category.- Released: 1995
- Directed by: P. C. Sreeram
50Kadhal Desam is a 1996 Tamil romance film directed by Kathir and produced by K. T. Kunjumon. The film starred Vineeth, Abbas, and Tabu in the lead roles, while S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vadivelu, Chinni Jayanth and Srividya played other pivotal characters. K. V. Anand was the cinematographer for the project and A. R. Rahman composed the film's soundtrack and score. The film opened in August 1996 to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success.- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Kathir
COLLECTION13 LISTS
High Octane Action ThrillersRunning in slo-mo at the top action movies, scene, stunts, characters, chases, explosions, etc., ranked.
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High Octane Action Thrillers
Running in slo-mo at the top action movies, scene, stunts, characters, chases, explosions, etc., ranked.
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