User Reviews

Did you get my joke? No? Well then let me explain it to you cretins out there who have never indulged in bad cinema. Mike Nelson, the genius who wrote for and hosted the insanely brilliant series Mystery Science Theatre 3000, published a book all about wonderfully cheesy movies that he liked to watch. Action Jackson was just one of those movies, and I am glad to say that while it is most certainly dumb and as predictable as a parking meter, it's just goofy enough to be fun. A lot of people think that when a critic calls a film cheesy, they mean it's bad. Not necessarily, my naive friends. Everyone likes to eat cheese every now and then, right? Heck, one of my all-time favorite foods is macaroni and cheese! Sure, we all like to pretend that we have refined tastes, munching on caviar and other such sophisticated vittles, but every now and then we just have to let our hair down and have a nice slice of good American cheese. And trust me folks, Action Jackson, is just dripping with the stuff. Just look at the plot: A former lieutenant known for his hot temper and loose cannon tactics is reduced to a desk job (check). He has a bookish superior who likes to play by the rules and refuses to let our hero see some "action" until he shapes up (check). Then suddenly a new case opens up - it seems that the same man who cost Action Jackson's lieutenant position is up to his old tricks, but no one suspects him because he's a respected businessman (check). Will Action Jackson uncover the villain's dastardly plot, save the day, get the chick who he at first thought was annoying, and get that lucrative lieutenant position back? What do you think?! Come on, this is as by the numbers as you can get, people. This story has been done hundreds of times, and yet here it's still simple, dorky fun. Action Jackson is played by the man who trained Sylvesyer Stallone in the original Rocky, and Craig "Coach" T. Nelson himself is the bad guy. And to top it all off, VANITY is the romantic love interest! I could not believe it when her named popped up on the screen. Now I own two movies starring this horrible actress: Today's feature, and the John Stamos spy disaster, Never Too Young To Die. What a small world, huh? There are explosions, car chases, groovy 80s tunes, and even a hotel manager whose lisp is so obvious that you can't understand a word he says. How can you go wrong? Trust me folks, this is not painful in the slightest. Well, okay, maybe Vanity's two songs can be zipped through via the fast forward button (check out her nasty hair!), but otherwise Action Jackson is a great B-movie for those rainy days.

If you've ever wondered why Carl Weathers didn't become the greatest black action hero in movie history, this film will clear things up for you. He had the physique. He had the charisma. But in an era where a black actor was lucky to get one shot at big screen stardom, Weathers wasted his chance on something so poorly done it's barely a millimeter away from being an outright parody of bad 80s action flicks.

Sergeant Jericho "Action" Jackson (Carl Weathers) is a badass Detroit cop with so much backstory it feels like this thing is a sequel. An excessive force scandal has landed him a desk job and taken away his gun, but then he gets mixed up in the assassinations of auto worker union leaders. That points Jackson at car maker Peter Dellaplane (Craig T. Nelson) as the man responsible for the deaths and with help from Dellaplane's wife (Sharon Stone) and junkie mistress (Vanity), Jackson cycles through just about every 80s action cliché imaginable while acting as his own comic relief. People get punched, kicked, shot, blown up, set on fire and the most interesting thing about the whole shebang is seeing a couple of the other stars of Predator show up in minor roles.

Firstly, Weathers is still great, even in this crap, and both Sharon Stone and Vanity get naked. Secondly, Craig T. Nelson does a nice job playing a cartoonish villain who could have been the bad guy in at least 2 dozen other 80s action flicks. Thirdly, everything else in this movie feels like the product of an energetic third grader.

From not understanding what the bullet from a .357 handgun would actually do to the human body to portraying a junkie going through withdrawal as though it were as bothersome as a hangnail to having not one but two scenes where a man challenges his armed opponent to put down his gun and duke it out, and the opponent does it, Action Jackson is kind of astonishing. I'm not sure I've seen any other film every work this hard to be this routine and hackneyed. There are two Vanity musical performances, one gratuitous scene of Weathers with his shirt off, 5 super-ninja bad guys who would have to have the power to teleport and turn invisible to do all the things they do, 40 minutes of the movie that go by before Jackson does anything even remotely resembling action and a complete absence of any attempt to even vaguely approximate proper police procedure.

By the time it got to the point where Action Jackson has Dellaplane's entire scheme explained to him a lady barber who must also trim the nose hairs of Uatu the Watcher to know any of the things she knows, I almost thought I was watching an incredibly subtle satire that was just pretending to suck. But then Dellaplane lets loose with an utterly unironic speech where he not only gives the whole Bond villain "tell the captured good guy everything" speech, Dellaplane also announces that he's going to have his own son killed for absolutely no reason at all. The son had been mentioned several times in the story as an issue between Dellaplane and Jackson and it was as though they felt a need to tie up that plot point, but did it in the dumbest way possible.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger made The Last Action Hero, Action Jackson was the sort of film he was mocking. So, this is like the worst parts of an awful movie all put together for your viewing punishment. Skip this thing.

Im not going to beat around the bush here. This is a BAD movie. Terrible. God-awful, even. But I can't help myself. For some sad reason I like this movie. I mean, for one thing it's got absolute pearlers of dialogue, like this, "If I had that guy's family problems, I'd have myself neutered!" There's the guilty pleasure I have watching Carl Weathers trying to be tough. I don't quite know why he's so bad at it, I mean, it's not like he's teeny tiny or rake-thin or has a squeaky voice – but every time he was supposed to be intimidating in this movie I just found myself giggling.

And then there's Vanity. Again, for some sad reason, I find her really alluring. Never mind she's a former crack-wh*re turned born again evangelical preacher, in this movie she's got a sexy little body and a smoky bedroom voice. Nice.

Another thing is, I always believe Craig T Nelson when he plays a sleaze. Check him out in Devil's Advocate. I can picture him sipping Maker's Mark bourbon while he jacks off to the latest Hustler Barely Legal issue. The guy just creeps me out.

And I must say I enjoyed seeing Biff from Back to the Future as the dumb cop. Priceless.

For all it's good points though, it really is very forgettable fare. Even now, having only watched it two days ago I'm struggling to remember the action scenes. I think it was really a misguided attempt to launch Carl Weathers into a leading man career of his own, after he did okay jobs in things like Predator, ie when his role was MUCH smaller. Sadly, when compared to other actioners of the time, like Commando, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, it is a mediocre effort at best.

J Jackson is a cop in Detroit who went to Harvard but for some strange reason became a cop. Years ago he put away a child molester and he did it so violently that it got him taken down to being a normal cop. Years later the crooked father of the child molester is being voted in as man of the year and Jackson has to come face to face with him. He knows he is up to no good and goes on the trail and soon has the wealthy mans goons as well as his own people in the police department after him. He gets in good with the bad guys wife as well as his mistress and he wont stop until justice is done.

I had seen this a few times and never thought it was hot, it has a decent story, great actors and a decent budget but it was just too mediocre to amount to much. Using the Carl Weathers fame to try to sell a legendary name like Action Jackson, was a gamble and the gamble backfired.

The movie had a ton of clichés and fast cars, gun fights, drugs, nudity, fist fights and all that often makes a film like this work, but it just didn't mix it together well.

The direction and production was okay, but nothing outstanding. Great actors like Carl Weathers, Craig T Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone, Bill Duke, Robert Davi and that little Asian guy who was a thug on 4000 movies in the 80's and 90's.

I hated the bad music, I hated the clichés like the done to death top of the car scene where the hero holds on to the car in a high speed chase is shot at but always missed...it's done all the time.

If you don't mind seeing mediocre then this is your film - 2/10 stars

Carl Weathers displays his winning charm in yet another title role. Weathers IS Detroit cop Jericho "Action" Jackson - and you know with a nickname like that he doesn't mess around. Evil, megalomaniacal auto magnate Peter Dellaplane is killing off AWA (Auto Workers Alliance) members in order to keep a stranglehold on his already-impressive power. Dellaplane and Jackson have a past, as Jackson was demoted after roughing up his son before sending him to prison. Ignoring the fact that his wife is Sharon Stone in her prime years of hotness, Dellaplane also has a chick on the side, Sydney (Vanity), who he keeps drugged up with heroin. Sydney and Jackson now must team up to take down Dellaplane before he can frame Jackson for his many murders.

Ah, the golden 80's. Just take a second to pause and reflect about that magical decade. Back to the review at hand, Action Jackson is classic 80's action, reminiscent of Arnold vehicles such as Raw Deal (1986). It's well-shot, and unusually well-written, with plenty of clever jokes and dialogue. But the film also has all the action the underground action movies have, but this came out in a time when things like this came to the theater and had a moderate-to-big budget behind them.

Besides the aforementioned Sharon Stone and Vanity, Weathers has an impressive cast to back him up: Bill Duke as the classic BYC (Black Yelling Chief), Thomas F. Wilson (Biff of Back to the Future, 1985 fame) as the joke-telling uniformed officer, Bob Minor as the evil assassin Gamble, Nicholas Worth as Dellaplane's butler, Al Leong as Dellaplane's chauffeur, James Lew as Dellaplane's martial arts instructor, Charles Meshack of Fear (1988) fame, Sonny Landham and the ubiquitous Branscombe Richmond. It even has fan favorite Robert Davi in a small but important role. Last but not least is the "Coach" himself, Craig T. Nelson, looking more diabolical than usual, probably because of the hair. We even get to see him do some "Craig-Fu" - but does he really think he can beat Action Jackson in a fight? The movie is funny, snappy and a great vehicle for Weathers' charisma. But what else would you expect from director Baxley, the man behind Stone Cold (1991) and I Come In Peace (1990), among many others? It's a product of a great time for cinema - and it's also filled with great music, especially the title song by Madame X which you'll be singing for days. It's pretty tough to dislike this highly entertaining gem.

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In 1988, the head of the action family Sylvester Stallone released (Rambo III). His archenemy Arnold Schwarzenegger made (Red Heat), and the comedy (Twins). The third, yet less rich, brother Van Damme gave us (Black Eagle) & (Bloodsport). The family's black sheep Chuck Norris gave us (Hero and the Terror) & (Braddock: Missing in Action III). The funny cousin of Hong Kong Jackie Chan released both (Police Story 2) & (Dragons Forever). The godfather Eastwood presented (The Dead Pool). And the family's old uncles Danny Glover and Gene Hackman made (Bat 21). Boy! That brings back a whole lot of memories!

Also there was a room for newcomers who dazzled us to frustrate us sometimes later: Bruce Willis in (Die Hard), or dazzled us to frustrate us very: Steven Seagal in (Above the Law), or ones who didn't dazzle us at all: Mark Harmon in (The Presidio)!

During 15 years after (Shaft - 1973), we didn't run into black action hero much. Eddie Murphy was a revival in (Beverly Hills Cop), but sorry, he was just Axel Foley (or Folly!). In 1988, we had "Sonny Spoon" a TV show starring Mario Van Peebles. Yet, it was no Shaft either. Till (Action Jackson) came. Yes, (Carl Weathers) isn't one of the luckiest action heroes, but here he assured that he's one of the finest. And this movie is not the top of the top, but surely the top of the elite B-movies of the 1980s.

It got the case's usual: The man's man police detective, inspector, lieutenant,.. whatever (did it ever really matter?!!) + His cooperative or uncooperative, mostly black, chief + A relief of a sidekick (sometimes) + One violent, totally crazy, bad guy (every time!) + 2 chicks (one dies, one stays; like all the Bond movies) + all the good old stereotypes + the continuous action + the must BIG finish = the good cop-in-mad-city movie; Dirty Harry's next level; the modern maverick cowboy in the new wild west.

You'd be so wrong if you waited for deep characterization, arguable moral choices, or serious issues (racism maybe!), as that's the ultimate blah in the great nonsense that these movies are. (Action Jackson) is classic at being formulaic, episodic, and so hot also. Wickedly it gives you no time to rest by making (or making up) situation after another where the hero got to face a problem and hit some enemies anyway. Look at this series of unfortunate events and characters: a huge bodyguard, exploded flat, humans' cutters, noisy drug dealer, idiot police officers, jumping off a window, then threatening a girl by speeding a car to a wall, and there is a car that ascends stairs to the doorstep of the evil man in the nick of time; that - in specific - was beautifully wild and put Mr. Bond's stuff to complete shame!

(Weathers) not only got muscles, but charisma and wit. The supporting characters and actors were smart. I loved how drugs were shown as a good way to die, not a good way to live (as it is shown in today's cinema and TV!). The movie's elements pulled off a masterful action, funny atmosphere, making every moment bright, explosive and stunning, materializing "humid" perfectly; look how when Jackson doesn't wear a red shirt, he wears red tie!

Though, how the bad guy didn't know about the surviving Jackson? How he didn't notice him at the end party? And originally how Vanity's bodyguard knew about her place? But Naaa. The question to be asked is How to think in front of all of this?! It's just an amusing time for any brain that wants to get rest. What I did hate was the nudity and the bad language. I believe they degenerate movies, and their viewers as well.

After more than 20 years, still this movie isn't dated. Rather many of the action movies nowadays are! In fact, if it was made today, then we'd have: The lead, his girl, the bad guys all got to know Kung Fu, being hanged with flying wires all the time. After a lead who's a cross between (Dirty Harry) and (Bond), we'll have one who's a cross between (Bond) and (Superman)! Extra hyperbole and violence. The plot twist (at least one!). A soundtrack crammed with rap. With non-stop boring unnecessary CGI during everything; the explosions, the car chases, and maybe the backgrounds too. And don't forget the music video, the DVD with the deleted scenes. Plus the assured parody after nearly a month of the release. And a low-budget sequel, with another lead (a la xXx, and The Punisher!).

(Action Jackson) is pure brainless Hollywood fare, in above-average way. And along with it, 1988 got some classic action movies: (Shoot to Kill). Comedies (Switching Channels), (Without a Clue), (Big Business), (Beetlejuice). Action comedies (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), (The Naked Gun), (Short Circuit 2). Or drama (Stand and Deliver), (Rain Man). Well, that's partly why 1988 is personally one of my favorite years, and why the whole 1980s is cinematically one of the greatest decades.