Watch order guide · '90s Action

How to watch the '90s Action movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 18 min read · 26 titles · 54 hours

The '90s action marathon runs in release order from Die Hard 2 (1990) to The Matrix (1999). None of the films are connected, so any order works; for one weekend, Terminator 2, Speed, Heat and Face/Off are the core.

Titles

26

Films

26

Watch time

54 hours

Box office

$6.58 billion

Avg IMDb

7.4

'90s Action movies in release order

Here is every '90s Action title in the order it came out, 1990 to 1999: 26 films.

'90s Action timeline: movies in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 25 titles here. In release order you start with Total Recall (1990); in story order you start with Die Hard 2, set in Christmas Eve.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns '90s Action into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Where to start

Every '90s Action movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

No. 01 · 1990 · Film · 1h 53m · 25th in story order

Total Recall

Construction worker Douglas Quaid's obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Rekall, a virtual vacation company that manufactures memories. When something goes wrong during Quaid's memory implant procedure, his life turns upside down, leading him to question what is reality and what isn't.

Why it matters: Schwarzenegger on Mars.

Starring

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, and Sharon Stone

Director

Paul Verhoeven

Box office

$261 million on a $65 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 80%

No. 02 · 1990 · Film · 2h 4m · 1st in story order

Die Hard 2

One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.

Why it matters: McClane at the airport.

Starring

Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, and William Sadler

Director

Renny Harlin

Box office

$240 million on a $70 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 68%

No. 03 · 1991 · Film · 2h 2m · 2nd in story order

Point Break

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.

Why it matters: Surfing bank robbers.

Starring

Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Lori Petty

Director

Kathryn Bigelow

Box office

$84 million on a $24 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 68%

No. 04 · 1991 · Film · 2h 17m · 3rd in story order

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

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.

Why it matters: Cameron's benchmark sequel.

Starring

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong

Director

James Cameron

Box office

$518 million on a $102 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 90%

No. 05 · 1992 · Film · 2h 6m · 4th in story order

Hard Boiled

A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.

Why it matters: John Woo's Hong Kong gun ballet.

Starring

Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang

Director

John Woo

Box office

$3 million on a $5 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%

No. 06 · 1992 · Film · 1h 42m · 5th in story order

Under Siege

A disgruntled ex-CIA operative, his assistant and their assembled group of terrorists seize a battleship with nuclear blackmail in mind. They've planned for every contingency but ignore the ship's cook, former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback—an error that could be fatal.

Why it matters: Steven Seagal on a battleship.

Starring

Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gary Busey

Director

Andrew Davis

Box office

$157 million on a $35 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%

No. 07 · 1993 · Film · 1h 53m · 6th in story order

Cliffhanger

A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.

Why it matters: Stallone in the Rockies.

Starring

Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, and Michael Rooker

Director

Renny Harlin

Box office

$255 million on a $70 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 67%

No. 08 · 1993 · Film · 2h 11m · 7th in story order

The Fugitive

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.

Why it matters: Harrison Ford on the run.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, and Joe Pantoliano

Director

Andrew Davis

Box office

$369 million on a $44 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%

No. 09 · 1993 · Film · 1h 55m · 24th in story order

Demolition Man

In 1996, brash L.A. detective John Spartan and maniac killer Simon Phoenix are both sentenced to decades in a cryogenic prison as punishment for a rescue mission gone wrong. When Phoenix escapes 36 years later to wreak havoc on the future, Spartan is awakened to capture his nemesis the old-fashioned way.

Why it matters: Stallone thawed out in 2032.

Starring

Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock

Director

Marco Brambilla

Box office

$159 million on a $57 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 67%

No. 10 · 1994 · Film · 1h 56m · 8th in story order

Speed

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.

Why it matters: A bus that can't drop below 50.

Starring

Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock

Director

Jan de Bont

Box office

$350 million on a $30 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 95%

No. 11 · 1994 · Film · 2h 21m · 9th in story order

True Lies

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.

Why it matters: Schwarzenegger as a secret agent husband.

Starring

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Arnold

Director

James Cameron

Box office

$379 million on a $115 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%

No. 12 · 1994 · Film · 1h 51m · 10th in story order

Léon: The Professional

Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.

Why it matters: A hitman and a 12-year-old.

Starring

Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, and Gary Oldman

Director

Luc Besson

Box office

$20 million on a $16 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 76%

No. 13 · 1995 · Film · 1h 59m · 11th in story order

Bad Boys

Marcus Burnett is a henpecked family man. Mike Lowrey is a footloose and fancy free ladies' man. Both Miami policemen, they have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station's nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.

Why it matters: Michael Bay's first film.

Starring

Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Téa Leoni

Director

Michael Bay

Box office

$141 million on a $19 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 46%

No. 14 · 1995 · Film · 2h 8m · 12th in story order

Die Hard with a Vengeance

New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.

Why it matters: McClane and Samuel L. Jackson across New York.

Starring

Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, and Samuel L. Jackson

Director

John McTiernan

Box office

$366 million on a $90 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 60%

No. 15 · 1995 · Film · 2h 10m · 13th in story order

GoldenEye

When a powerful secret defense system is stolen, James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using it.

Why it matters: Pierce Brosnan's first Bond.

Starring

Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, and Izabella Scorupco

Director

Martin Campbell

Box office

$352 million on a $60 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 81%

No. 16 · 1995 · Film · 2h 50m · 14th in story order

Heat

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.

Why it matters: De Niro and Pacino.

Starring

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer

Director

Michael Mann

Box office

$187 million on a $60 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%

No. 17 · 1996 · Film · 1h 51m · 15th in story order

Mission: Impossible

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.

Why it matters: Ethan Hunt's first mission.

Starring

Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, and Emmanuelle Béart

Director

Brian De Palma

Box office

$458 million on a $80 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 65%

No. 18 · 1996 · Film · 2h 17m · 16th in story order

The Rock

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.

Why it matters: Alcatraz with Connery and Cage.

Starring

Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris

Director

Michael Bay

Box office

$335 million on a $75 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 76%

No. 19 · 1997 · Film · 1h 56m · 17th in story order

Con Air

Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.

Why it matters: Convicts take a plane.

Starring

Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malkovich

Director

Simon West

Box office

$224 million on a $75 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 59%

No. 20 · 1997 · Film · 2h 19m · 18th in story order

Face/Off

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.

Why it matters: Travolta and Cage swap faces.

Starring

John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, and Joan Allen

Director

John Woo

Box office

$246 million on a $80 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%

No. 21 · 1997 · Film · 2h 4m · 19th in story order

Air Force One

When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world's most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country's dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.

Why it matters: The President fights back.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close

Director

Wolfgang Petersen

Box office

$315 million on a $85 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%

No. 22 · 1998 · Film · 2h 1m · 20th in story order

Blade

The Daywalker known as "Blade" - a half-vampire, half-mortal man - becomes the protector of humanity against an underground army of vampires.

Why it matters: Wesley Snipes' vampire hunter.

Starring

Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, and Kris Kristofferson

Director

Stephen Norrington

Box office

$131 million on a $45 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 59%

No. 23 · 1998 · Film · 1h 37m · 21st in story order

Rush Hour

When Hong Kong Inspector Lee is summoned to Los Angeles to investigate a kidnapping, the FBI doesn't want any outside help and assigns cocky LAPD Detective James Carter to distract Lee from the case. Not content to watch the action from the sidelines, Lee and Carter form an unlikely partnership and investigate the case themselves.

Why it matters: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

Starring

Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, and Tom Wilkinson

Director

Brett Ratner

Box office

$245 million on a $33 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 62%

No. 24 · 1998 · Film · 2h 2m · 22nd in story order

Ronin

A briefcase with undisclosed contents – sought by Irish terrorists and the Russian mob – makes its way into criminals' hands. An Irish liaison assembles a squad of mercenaries, or 'ronin', and gives them the thorny task of recovering the case.

Why it matters: Car chases through Paris and Nice.

Starring

Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, and Natascha McElhone

Director

John Frankenheimer

Box office

$71 million on a $55 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 70%

No. 25 · 1998 · Film · 2h 12m · 23rd in story order

Enemy of the State

When the videotape of the murder of a congressman unknowingly ends up in the hands of labor lawyer and dedicated family man Robert Clayton Dean, he is framed for the murder. With the help of the mysterious Brill, Dean attempts to throw the NSA off his trail and prove his innocence.

Why it matters: Will Smith versus surveillance.

Starring

Will Smith, Gene Hackman, and Jon Voight

Director

Tony Scott

Box office

$251 million on a $90 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 71%

No. 26 · 1999 · Film · 2h 16m

The Matrix

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.

Why it matters: The decade's last word in action.

Starring

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss

Director

Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski

Box office

$464 million on a $63 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 83%

'90s Action box office and budgets

The 26 '90s Action films with reported numbers have grossed $6.58 billion worldwide on about $1.54 billion in combined budgets, roughly 4.3 times what they cost. The biggest is Terminator 2: Judgment Day at $518 million, 8% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by The Matrix ($464 million) and Mission: Impossible ($458 million).

Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Speed, which made 12 times its $30 million budget. The weakest was Hard Boiled at 58% of its $5 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.

The best and worst rated '90s Action movies

Across 26 rated titles, '90s Action averages 7.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is The Matrix at 8.7, then Terminator 2: Judgment Day (8.6) and Léon: The Professional (8.5). At the bottom: Cliffhanger (6.5) and Under Siege (6.5).

1. The Matrix8.7 · RT 83%
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day8.6 · RT 90%
3. Léon: The Professional8.5 · RT 76%
4. Heat8.3 · RT 84%
5. The Fugitive7.8 · RT 96%
6. Hard Boiled7.7 · RT 92%
7. Die Hard with a Vengeance7.6 · RT 60%
8. Total Recall7.5 · RT 80%
9. The Rock7.4 · RT 76%
10. Point Break7.3 · RT 68%

Who appears in the most '90s Action movies

Arnold Schwarzenegger leads with 3 appearances as Quaid and The Terminator, ahead of Keanu Reeves (3) and Joe Pantoliano (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

'90s Action directors and creators

22 filmmakers have directed or created '90s Action; Renny Harlin has the most, with 2.

• Renny HarlinDie Hard 2 (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993)
• James CameronTerminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994)
• John WooHard Boiled (1992) and Face/Off (1997)
• Andrew DavisUnder Siege (1992) and The Fugitive (1993)
• Michael BayBad Boys (1995) and The Rock (1996)
• Paul VerhoevenTotal Recall (1990)
• Kathryn BigelowPoint Break (1991)
• Marco BrambillaDemolition Man (1993)
• Jan de BontSpeed (1994)
• Luc BessonLéon: The Professional (1994)
• John McTiernanDie Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
• Martin CampbellGoldenEye (1995)
• Michael MannHeat (1995)
• Brian De PalmaMission: Impossible (1996)
• Simon WestCon Air (1997)
• Wolfgang PetersenAir Force One (1997)

How long it takes to watch every '90s Action movie

All 26 titles add up to 54 hours. That is about 27 two-hour evenings, or 6 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is Heat at 2h 50m.

Upcoming '90s Action movies

• Rush Hour 4Date to be announced

Common questions

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