The 1990s witnessed a major transformation in action cinema, with the rise to prominence in Hollywood of stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the arrival of directors like John Woo and Michael Bay. Films weren't as goofy as in the '80s, but they were yet to become as grounded as in the 2000s.

Sensationalized violence, slow-motion, grand heroes, guns, explosions, over-the-top setpieces that just stayed on the reasonable side of ridiculous, and believable, but extravagant use of martial arts define the careers of the best action stars from the 1990s . The best action-comedies of the 1990s are also not as silly as 1980s action-comedy films, and their humor is more situational than observational.

The rise of gritty action movies

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