The Greatest Action Movies of 1979
Classic High Octane Hits and Cult Retro Thrillers
Explore the best action cinema from the end of the seventies. From dystopian roads to deep space, discover the year's top stunts and heroic adventures.
About 1979 Action Movies
The year 1979 often feels like a cultural border crossing. It was the moment where the gritty, cynical realism of the seventies began to dissolve into the high-concept, neon-soaked spectacle that would define the eighties. In the world of action cinema, this transition produced a fascinating crop of films that felt both elegiac and prophetic. The genre was moving away from the lone detective in a trench coat and toward something more visceral, atmospheric, and stylized.
If you want to understand the shift, you have to look at Walter Hill. His film The Warriors turned a simple gang trek through New York City into a comic book odyssey. By stripping away the dense sociopolitical lecturing of earlier decade crime films, Hill focused on movement, color, and mythology. It was an action movie that felt like a rock concert. It proved that audiences were hungry for a heightened sense of reality, where the stakes were life and death but the aesthetic was pure imagination.
While Hill was reinventing the urban jungle, George Miller was doing the same for the actual wasteland. Out of Australia came Mad Max, a low budget thunderbolt that changed the grammar of the car chase forever. It is easy to forget how lean and mean that first installment was compared to the operatic sequels. It was a revenge movie built on the sound of screaming engines and the sight of asphalt blurring into a horizon of doom. Mel Gibson became an instant icon, but the true star was the kinetic energy of the editing. It signaled a move toward global action cinema, proving that the next great thrill might not come from a Hollywood backlot.
Inside the studio system, 1979 also gave us the ultimate hybrid in Ridley Scott’s Alien. While often categorized strictly as horror, the second half of the film is a masterclass in survival action. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley redefined the archetype of the action protagonist. She was not a superhero or a hyper-masculine brawler; she was a professional reacting to a lethal tactical situation. This shift toward the capable, resilient survivor would pave the way for the blockbusters of the next decade.
Even the veteran franchises were feeling the change in the air. James Bond went to space in Moonraker, a film often mocked for its campiness but one that represented the genre’s desperate need to compete with the burgeoning sci-fi craze. It was an acknowledgment that the traditional spy thriller was no longer enough. The audience wanted scale, gadgetry, and a sense of the impossible.
Looking back, 1979 was the year action cinema stopped trying to be respectable and started trying to be legendary. We saw the end of the dusty, world-weary hero and the birth of the cinematic icon. From the street gangs of Coney Island to the interceptors of the Australian outback, the genre was expanding its borders. It was a year of incredible tension, where the sweat of the seventies met the chrome of the eighties, leaving us with a collection of films that still feel vital and dangerous forty-five years later.
The Concorde... Airport '79
1979Aviation disaster-prone Joe Patroni must contend with nuclear missiles, the French Air Force and the threat of the plane splitting in two over the Alps.
A Force of One
1979Karate champion Matt Logan is enlisted by the police to train officers in self-defense after narcotics agents are killed by an assailant using the martial arts.
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are still on board waiting to be rescued, two rivaling salvage parties enter the ship on search for money, gold and a small amount of plutonium.
Meteor
1979After a collision with a comet, a nearly 8km wide piece of the asteroid "Orpheus" is heading towards Earth. If it hits it will cause an incredible catastrophe which will probably extinguish mankind. To stop the meteor NASA wants to use the illegal nuclear weapon satellite "Hercules" but discovers soon that it doesn't have enough firepower. Their only chance to save the world is to join forces with the USSR who have also launched such an illegal satellite. But will both governments agree?
The Black Hole
1979The explorer craft USS Palomino is returning to Earth after a fruitless 18-month search for extra-terrestrial life when the crew comes upon a supposedly lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering near a black hole. The ship is controlled by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his monstrous robot companion, but the initial wonderment and awe the Palomino crew feel for the ship and its resistance to the power of the black hole turn to horror as they uncover Reinhardt's plans.
The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid
1979The town of Newnan are seeing little green men everywhere. The military have arrived and are on the lookout for UFOs. Everyone's high strung and Sheriff Hall (Bud Spencer) is left to deal with the aftermaths of the hysteria. On his way home from patrol he happens upon a little boy claiming to be an alien by the name of H7-25. At first the sheriff doesn't believe the boy, but with the mounting evidence, even he must eventually concede. Soon the military is after Sheriff Hall and H7-25, and it is up to the sheriff to keep the boy safe and beat up large swaths of soldiers so H7-25 can go home.
Bud Spencer trades his usual dusty backdrop for a charming blend of sci-fi whimsy and his trademark brawling power. The film’s appeal lies in its bizarre tonal cocktail, mixing ET-inspired wonder with the heavy-hitting satisfaction of an old-school barroom blitz.
The In-Laws
1979In preparation for his daughter's wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett meets Vince Ricardo, the groom's father. Vince, a manic fellow who claims to be a government agent, then proceeds to drag Sheldon into a series of chases and misadventures from New York to Central America.
This comedic thriller weaponizes the deadpan friction between Alan Arkin and Peter Falk to propel an increasingly absurd series of international escapades. It stands out for its ability to weave genuine ballistic stakes into the fabric of a manic, screwball pacing.
Fearless Hyena
1979Lung is a talented fighter but prefers to spend his time loafing around and picking fights, despite orders from his grandfather not to fight. Unknown to him, a brutal general has been slaughtering all the people from his grandfather’s clan. When the general recognizes Lung’s style of kung fu during one of his street fights, he hunts down Lung’s grandfather and kills him.
Jackie Chan’s directorial debut signaled a seismic shift in martial arts cinema by marrying intricate, acrobatics-heavy choreography with impeccable physical comedy. This film refined the 'emotional kung fu' style, proving that rhythmic slapstick could be just as lethal as traditional strikes.
Hanover Street
1979Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.
While anchored by its romantic core, the film’s second half explodes into a gritty, behind-the-lines commando raid that rivals contemporary war dramas. The shift from melodrama to explosive airborne tension provides a surprising, muscular jolt to the narrative.
I'm for the Hippopotamus
1979In Africa, Slim and Tom don't like it when a German tyrant starts selling all of the African wildlife to Canadian zoos. Slim and Tom must teach this guy a lesson by beating the hell out of him and his gang.
The chemistry of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer elevates this slapstick safari into a symphony of choreographed chaos. It is a prime showcase for their unique brand of heavy-handed fisticuffs and irreverent, blue-collar heroism.
G.I. Samurai
1979A squadron of Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers find themselves transported through time to their country's warring states era, when rival samurai clans were battling to become the supreme Shogun.
A brilliant collision of anachronistic tropes, this Japanese cult classic pits modern military hardware against the lethal precision of the Sengoku period. The resulting friction provides a fascinating, blood-soaked meditation on tactical evolution.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979Capt. William "Buck" Rogers is a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate.
This space opera thrives on its vibrant, Saturday-morning-serial energy and sleek retro-futurist aesthetics. It captures a specific cultural pivot point where disco-era flair met the burgeoning public appetite for high-flying laser pyrotechnics.
The Warriors
1979Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.
Walter Hill transforms a New York City odyssey into a stylized, neon-drenched comic book myth. Its tactile urban atmosphere and rhythmic, percussive brawls established a visceral new grammar for the street-gang subgenre.
Moonraker
1979After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the help of scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond soon uncovers Drax's nefarious plans for humanity, all the while fending off an old nemesis, Jaws, and venturing to Venice, Rio, the Amazon...and even outer space.
Bond’s foray into the cosmos succeeds on the back of Ken Adam’s breathtaking production design and a series of vertigo-inducing aerial set pieces. While the setting is interstellar, the film’s rhythmic pacing and gadgetry represent the apex of 1970s maximalist spectacle.
Mad Max
1979In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them.
George Miller’s high-octane debut redefined the kinetic potential of the frame, utilizing low-angle camerawork and sacrificial stunt choreography to create a sensory assault. It remains the definitive masterclass in low-budget world-building through sheer mechanical velocity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts
- The action films of 1979 mark a cultural transition from the gritty realism of the early seventies to a more stylized, high-concept approach. Movies like Mad Max and The Warriors introduced atmospheric and visceral storytelling, blending dystopian elements with thrilling stunts and intense combat sequences.
- Science fiction heavily impacted 1979 action cinema, as seen in films like Moonraker and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. These movies combined futuristic settings and technology with traditional action and adventure, creating a blend that expanded the genre's boundaries and offered audiences imaginative escapes.
- Mad Max is renowned for its innovative vehicular stunt sequences that influenced countless action films thereafter. Similarly, Jackie Chan’s Fearless Hyena brought highly skilled martial arts choreography and comedic timing, setting a new standard for action-comedy hybrids.
- Yes, themes of survival, dystopia, and heroism recur frequently in 1979’s action films. Movies like G.I. Samurai and The Warriors explore warriors fighting against overwhelming odds, while others such as Meteor and The Black Hole delve into cosmic threats and human courage.
- I'm for the Hippopotamus and The In-Laws both successfully blend action with comedic elements, offering lighthearted and entertaining narratives. These films showcase how 1979 action cinema could balance thrilling sequences with humor to appeal to broader audiences.
- Films like Hanover Street and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure combine war and adventure genres with action, providing dramatic and intense narratives. These movies emphasize heroism and human resilience during wartime or disaster scenarios, enriching the action experience with emotional depth.
- Directors like George Miller, Walter Hill, and Lewis Gilbert played pivotal roles in evolving 1979’s action genre. Their vision brought unique stylistic elements and thematic depth to films such as Mad Max, The Warriors, and Moonraker, influencing the direction of action cinema into the following decade.
