Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
generationofswine
It was not a good movie...but that doesn't matter. OK, fine, it sort of matters now, but, honestly, it came out when I was 8.I saw it when I was 8, mainly because Carl Weathers was Apollo Creed from "Rocky" and one of the guys from "Predator" and I loved both of those movies so...mommy, daddy, let me see it, let me see it...And being the '80s when parents considered "Robocop" a child friendly film, of course I got to see it.And when you are 8 this movie is awesome and "Action Jackson" is a total hero and you are going to wait in line to see Action Jackson 2, and 3, and they never made any more because it wasn't that good to start with.None of that matters. Not when you are 8 and movies like this fit into the "Cop Adventure" mold...and "Action Jackson" fit perfectly into that. So kids like me loved it.And let's be totally honest like "Robocop" it was rated "R" and like so many other films in the '80s it was totally inappropriate for little kids to see--by today's standards--but back then movies like this were made for kids, made to appeal to little boys too.So honestly, it's an 80s kids movie that was made for adults and it sort of was just taken over by kids...falls under "Childhood Classic." And you can't rate movies from your childhood the same way that you do movies you like as an adult. Totally different standard. Kids movies should have kid movie ratings.It's a shame they don't do that anymore.
sol-
Always a likable supporting player in films such as 'Predator', 'Death Hunt' and 'Rocky', this film was an attempt to turn Carl Weathers into a leading action star and he delivers well here, but it is no surprise to discover that the film failed to propel his career. In addition to Weathers, the supporting cast is bursting with talent from the likes of Robert Davi, Thomas F. Wilson and Sharon Stone, but the plot is very second rate and always comes second to over-the-top stunts such as Weathers somersaulting over the top of a speeding car (!). Craig T. Nelson feels a tad miscast as the chief antagonist too, never all that charismatic, villainous or foreboding, though the film's biggest drawback is its fusion of comedy within the action plot. At the best of times, the film is laugh-out-loud funny with a particularly memorable scene in which a drunken Vanity keeps making quips with sexual innuendo as she takes a nighttime drive with Weathers, not to mention a petty thief who amusingly keeps fainting in the opening few minutes, but the comedy side of the film too often takes a back-seat to the rather formulaic weeding out corruption angle with Nelson. Weathers does get some great one-liners though and there is a very neat scene transition between Weathers commenting a barbecue, blowing a bad guy away and a barbecue firing up in the very next scene. More cleverness like this would have helped the film along. 'Action Jackson' is, however, highly watchable as it is as long as one does not think too much about the unrealistic stunts and by-the-numbers plot.
Predrag
Carl Weathers is a tough cop named "Action Jackson" who takes on a crooked Detroit auto executive with a dishonest scheme going. As a fan of action movies and football I love Carl Weathers and never understood why Hollywood never did more with him as an actor. His movies are pretty darn awesome, besides this one he co-stared with Arnold in "Predator" and with Harrison Ford playing the role of the African American Sergeant in the WW2 adventure "Force 10 from Naverone" all great movies in their own right because of Carl Weathers. This is not a great movie, but it does have Sharon Stone in a backless dress.The script is too stupid, and the directing too pedestrian to result in anything but B-movie filler. It isn't quite bad enough to be fun, though it has some moments that are just stupefying in their ridiculousness, and not good enough to be good. The violence in this movie is brutal and efficiently directed, the action sequences spectacular. If you can appreciate movies from the 80's, this one will be a welcome addition to any collector's library.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
PeterMitchell-506-564364
1988's Lethal Weapon, only more violent, Detective Jericho Jackson, a.k.a Action Jackson, (Carl Weathers) who lives up to his name, is at war with his most hated rival, Peter Dellaplane (Craig T Nelson). I'm glad Craig T. did this as he's superb as the arch villain, car magnate, killing off his competition, the way a person kills flies. From the exciting opening, the first two faces, instantly recognizable from the first Lethal Weapon. Ed O Ross, a great actor, is barbecued, literally, a human fireball, plunging many stories below, before the titles ensue, where we then see one of the most dumbest black robbers, ever captured on film. This film is indeed fun, I can't deny that. It's never boring, but what brains it does have, are seldom few. Officer Jackson, who was robbed of his Lieutenants stripes cause he got too physical with a kid, and nearly tore his arm, almost has us believe he's invincible, the way he lives danger, but no one's invincible. The kid was unfortunately Dellaplane's son who ended up in a mental home, hence the two rival's need for vengeance that runs high in this action pic. A few other faces pop up from Lethal Weapon too, and the different story I liked too. I remember taking my Mum to see it, where the next week I took my Dad to see Colors. She said it was good. But is a good movie, something, where a guy can outrun cabs, somersault over them, or where a thief faints in front of Jackson when learning prior of his hocus story, or just happening to show up in the same places our Jericho is. This isn't spose' to be serious. It's spose' to be action and comedy and this is where it excels. It's great to watch Carl Weathers and Craig T face off in the end. I love these moments where sworn hated enemies go at it, in the name of vengeance. The fantastic fun script for this, is something I'd love to have a read of, (take note of all the hip dialogue) where in the end, stupidity lets the movie down, but for action lovers, who don't mind the hot Vanity, doing some songs (Dellaplane's mistress) or Sharon Stone (Dellaplane's wife), this one is right up your alley.
