movies from the '80s, this one will be a welcome addition to any collector's library. I am glad to see it on DVD, because I have played my VHS copy to the max!

ancestors will feel it 12 centuries from now. He knocks a giant fat guy through a door! He throws some guy out a window with such force that the sorry punk flies through the window of the building on the other side of the alleyway! He destroys a cab by flipping over it for Pete's Sake!!! Why do they call him Action? Do the Math Brainiac!!! SEE IT!!!

his work in that case has left Jackson basically in a rather unflattering cop position where his true desire is to be lieutenant again. Meanwhile, Nelson's blonde-headed Dellaplane continues to use a group of assassins known as The Invisible Man to get rid of unioneers that stand in his way of orchestrating a coup where he's calling the shots of the AWA behind a man of his choosing. Jackson joins forces with a sexy lounge singing heroine addict she comes along reluctantly, but this serves as a wake-up call to her when Dellaplane had a bomb rigged to kill her in her apartment in the hopes of keeping her alive and getting to Dellaplane. The actress formerly known as Vanity wasn't much of a thespian but she does look mighty delish in a skin-tight lounge dress. She even shows her tits for us. There's no doubt she was a feast for the eyes. This was during that period before Sharon Stone broke out in Basic Instinct, and she was still trying to find the actress she'd become. Here, she is a looker but her acting leaves much to be desired. It was clear she was hired for her beauty. Her fate is no surprise, as her accidental snooping isn't about to make Dellaplane just avoid dealing with any chance of his plans being ruined by Action Jackson.This cast has some 80s faces in it that should amuse action fans. Like Nicholas Worth Darkman as a security guard, Branscombe Richmond you guessed it, he gets his ass kicked *again* and Miguel Nunez Friday the 13th Part Five and Shadowzone as thugs in a pool hall as well as Charles Meshack was the big brute Arnie kills in the airplane in Commando , Brian Libby the Frankenstein experiment psycho Chuck Norris has to contend with in Silent Rage as a security guard of Nelson's, and gravel-voiced Fat Williams as a former boxer pal of Jackson's. Bill Duke of Predator and Commando is Jackson's superior who grows tired of Jackson's wreckage and Robert Davi is a high school friend of Jackson's who gets offed by Dellaplane because he knows too much. Sonny Landham has a small part as a knife-wielding drug supplier that Jackson tosses out of the apartment window into another apartment window across the street! Thomas Wilson Back to the Future's antagonist, Biff is a cop wanting to achieve Jackson's lofty position in the police force.Want to see Jackson leap a moving taxi without touching it landing on his feet? Want to see Jackson drive a Ferrari up the stairs of a mansion? Want to see Jackson and Vanity leap from a window into the retractable roof of a convertible and get away without even a bruise? This is the kind of action film where the body count couldn't be high enough, there isn't a limit on how many cars are destroyed or wreck, and no matter how many times you punch the hero he seems to recover without showing any long-term effects. The fact that Nelson is a master martial artist, can operate such a criminal enterprise with little resistance from the police, and shoot a woman and just dump her body in Jackson's home with no serious ramifications of law enforcement questioning him with any clear provocation tells you all you need to know about what kind of action film this is. This kills brain cells and requests that you forget the notion of looking at the film with any sort of real scrutiny. This is about Weathers, and that chiseled athletic action hero physique, hurling big- bodied bruisers through doors, hanging onto moving cars without being slung off despite them going at advanced speeds around curves and hitting other cars in traffic spots encountered , and a woman at his side who gives us something to salivate over. Vanity's ability to emote may not be her greatest attribute but her slinky figure sure isn't a liability, either. Still, it was nice to see Weathers get his own action movie, even if he never benefited by a studio push he obviously deserved.

Jericho "Action" Jackson- Detroit native, Harvard Law graduate and veteran police officer. He currently holds the rank of sergeant demoted in the aftermath of a high-profile bust of the son of a prominent businessman. Jackson gets involved in a murder case involving several labor union executives, and the investigation reveals a conspiracy leading to prominent auto manufacturing mogul Peter Dellaplane Craig T. Nelson, imagined as a murderous John DeLorean .Weathers and Nelson make the most of the script, which puts an emphasis on quippy lines and larger-than-life characters. Beat cops, bodyguards, dive hotel managers and hairdressers all get to spout some unusually clever lines.Weathers is a refreshing change of pace from some of his action-movie peers, here. Decked out with a form-fitting wardrobe no doubt a pleasure for female moviegoers , he seems more relaxed, charismatic and believable than the various tough guys Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Norris tended to play. Nelson is sufficiently oily as the corrupt auto magnate, though it's kind of a thankless role.Pop singer Vanity, an ex-Prince protégé', plays the main love interest Sydney. Here she's a nightclub singer and mistress of Dellaplane, who is among the last secret-keepers of the villain, which naturally makes her a marked woman once Jackson's investigation begins to heat up.Producer Joel Silver "Predator", "Die Hard", "Lethal Weapon" was behind this, and his pedigree shows in this feature. Silver doesn't skimp on the action set pieces, as "Action" features such sequences as assassins crashing through skyscraper windows, yachts rigged with dynamite, taxicabs diving through storefronts, and even a sports car driving to the top floor of a mansion! All in all, "Action Jackson" delivers as an action thriller of the 1980s- light on plot, but heavy on fights, pretty women and explosions. Definitely worth renting/streaming.Further analysis: Surprisingly, no sequel was ever made. In retrospect, the film largely ignores the then-current state of affairs in Detroit-- which by the 1980s was largely abandoned by the auto industry-- as well as most of its white population having left for the suburbs and elsewhere. The film was mostly savaged by critics, but managed to pull in a modest profit at the domestic box-office as well as making impact on international screens. By the mid-80s, the African American action movie stars of the 1970s Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, et al fell into near-obscurity, shunt into infrequent supporting roles or straight to video features. Comic actor Eddie Murphy became the "exception that proves the rule", as his commercial success didn't do much of anything to open the floodgates for a new wave of black leading actors. Weathers' Jackson should have joined Axel Foley, John McClane, John Rambo, etc. in the action hero sequel fraternity. Unfortunately, a likely combination of studio skepticism and mainstream-culture reluctance put a damper on the continuation of Jericho's adventures.

Craig R. Baxley A-Team , I watched this movie over and over as a teen. Wondering how it holds up after all these years, I was excited and nervous! to see if Action Jackson is still the man I remember him after all these years. And the answer is...YES!!! Action Jackson is still the man!!Carl Weathers is Sgt. Jericho 'Action' Jackson, which is in my opinion his coolest role ever. He plays a tough as nails Detroit cop with a reputation for being a one man army, and a real loose cannon. Jackson beats up dozens of 80's bad guys from ninja assassins to junkies, all while delivering classic cheesy one liners. Speaking of classic cheesy one liner's, Weathers also starred in Predator one of my all time favorite action films! with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Action Jackson brings Predators squad mates Bill Duke Mac and Sonny Landham Billy back together again. The whole cast is great in this film, from a strung out Robert Davi, to Craig T. Nelson as a Kung Fu kicking Crime Boss. And with Sharon Stone as his Nelsons girlfriend and Vanity as his junkie mistress Vanity is smoking hot, albeit slightly annoying at first, as a singer/junkie that Jackson has to protect from Nelson , to the aforementioned Bill Duke as Jacksons Police Capt., the movie is filled with familiar faces from start to finish. This movie is exactly what it set out to be, a non stop, over the top, tongue in cheek action film. Its got a tone that is set early on and holds true to the end. There are kung fu fight scenes, shoot outs, car chases, car crashes ! , blonde mullet having assassins, nudity, drugs, a classic 80's soundtrack including The Pointer Sisters and Vanity ,basically everything you need for an 80's good time! I mean, Action Jackson even does a front flip over a car speeding towards him thats trying to run him down, because he is just that much of a badass. Cool cars, hot women , cheesy one liners, and all the action you can fit into a 96 minute movie! If you enjoy action films, this is one 'Action' fest you need to check out, or re-visit, because they don't make em like this anymore....and in this case, that's a bad thing.

he needs to shoot Vanity full of heroin, too. Side note: Vanity was extremely strung out on crack cocaine at this time, read Motley Crue's book: "The Dirt" for more info. The action and laughs are nonstop. If you love dumb 80s big budget action, this is a must see. 8/10.

with Weathers on Predator. Baxley delivers action galore and keeps it fast and loose with lots of one liners, fights and explosions. Also from Predator, Bill Duke appears as a police superior and Sonny Landham appears as a dope dealer. For good looks we have an early performance from Sharon Stone and also singer Vanity. Action Jackson has all the action that fans of the genre need and Carl Weathers did a hell of a job as the lead in this film.

film also included as well as Vanity who's role was small but sexy a certain Kelly Preston whom 1980's teenagers will be FOREVER grateful for :- So two OK films but then came this one..."ACTION JACKSON" has so much over-the-top machismo that you can't help but smile and enjoy the wave of 80's action.Carl Weathers is BRILLIANT...he really is! he knows what kind of film this is and I love how he plays it tongue firmly set in cheek he's also super cool in the Rocky films, Predator and he was even in Close Encounters of the Third Kind one of my all-time favourite films BLINK and you'll miss him though.This has an EPIC 1980's cast...Carl, Craig T Nelson so incredibly good in the first two Poltergeist movies , Bill Duke one of his buddies from Predator , Robert Davi 007 Baddie from LTK add in Sharon Stone in an early role and the even more beautiful Vanity and you have what is really something of a secret 'cult' 1980's action movie.Straight from the get go this sprints off the line...Great lines for Carl I won't spoil 'em for you...go discover them yourself And yet whilst it's without a doubt Carl's film...VANITY as his squeeze is just joyful and brings a smile to your face every time she's on the screen, unlike Miss Stone who although clearly beautiful is at least for me not a match for Vanity it's funny who makes it BIG and who doesn't sometimes...as I would have gone with Vanity to be the breakaway star after this! This was her BIG TIME Film and she owns it along with Carl Weathers WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GET THIS FANTASTIC ACTION GUY from the 1980's THAT WE LOVE...BACK in the MOVIES! GOD BLESS Vanity...And family & friends know this... There are a number of teenagers from the 1980's that will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS...Remember her."ACTION JACKSON" is simply a film the likes of which you just don't see made thesedays and that's kinda SAD.They'll be future viewers of this film that fall for the charms of Vanity in the future and this is the film in which there is a twinkle in her eye.