The '80s and '90s action movies were a wild ride. Think Die Hard, Terminator 2, Lethal Weapon, or Speed. They had this raw, unpolished energy: big explosions, one-liners that stuck with you, and heroes who felt larger than life but still human enough to root for.

Why were they more fun than today's action flicks? They leaned hard into escapism. Simple stakes, clear bad guys, and a pace that didn't mess around, even if it wasn't always "fast" by today's standards. The fun came from the vibe: practical stunts, tangible grit, and a sense that the filmmakers were just going for it without overthinking every frame.

Compare that to now. Modern action movies often split into two camps: the hyper-kinetic, CGI-heavy blockbusters (Fast & Furious sequels, Marvel stuff) or the slow-burn, brooding ones (John Wick still kicks ass, but some imitators drag). Today's pacing can be relentless, cut-cut-cut, no breathing room, or the opposite, with long stretches of moody buildup that don't always pay off.

The '80s and '90s found the sweet spot: plots moved quick enough to keep you hooked but gave you time to soak in the chaos. Plus, the practical effects - cars flipping, buildings blowing up for friggin' real - hit different than today's green-screen overload. CGI can dazzle, but it sometimes feels weightless, like we're watching a video game.

Why the shift? Part of it's tech; filmmakers can do more now, so we do, sometimes too much. Studios chase global box office these days, so plots get simpler or more convoluted to appeal everywhere, losing that scrappy, American-made charm. And post-9/11, action got darker, more serious. Less "Yippee-ki-yay," more gritty realism or dystopian stakes. The '80s and '90s didn't care about trauma; they just wanted us to cheer. And we did.

Do audiences miss that? Hell yeah. Look at how we still lose our minds over Top Gun: Maverick nailing that old-school vibe in 2022. Tom Cruise is keeping the spirit alive today with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, packed with death-defying stunts that echo the practical, go-for-broke energy of those classic action flicks. Nostalgia’s big, and there’s a hunger for wisecracking heroes who punch up and don’t need a 20-minute monologue about their feelings. That's why Die Hard still inspires action filmmakers today, nearly 40 years after its release.

That's why I wrote HeartRace - a fast-paced action-thriller about a father who will stop at nothing to save his dying daughter after a drug cartel hijacks her transplant heart. It's Speed meets Man on Fire, set within the world of Sicario.

The old stuff wasn't perfect. Plenty of it's cheesy as hell. But these filmmakers knew how to throw a party on screen.

It's time to make action movies fun again!