6 Standalone Action Movies From The 1980s That Should've Started Franchises

These amazing standalone '80s action films should have launched explosive franchises, but none of them received sequels. Franchises were all the rage in the 1980s, and many of the best films from the decade spawned at least one or two follow-ups over the years. This was especially true in the action genre, with larger-than-life sequels filling up the cineplex each weekend.

Big names like Schwarzenegger and Stallone splashed across the screen as bombastic heroes, and audiences couldn't get enough. Even if the sequels were unmotivated or even repetitive, that didn't stop the tentpole franchise from springing up left and right. All these sequels needed was a huge star and a lot of action, and they were essentially a recipe to print money.

Movies like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, First Blood, and many others were given the sequel treatment, and the franchises grew with each new installment. However, for every movie that got sequels, plenty were one and done. These standalone action films had all the same star power and excitement as their contemporaries, but they never got the chance to grow into something bigger.

That's not to say they're inferior movies, and many sequel-less flicks from the '80s actually surpass the larger franchises in terms of overall quality. Even decades later, it's often confounding that there weren't even more action movie sequels during a decade known for its largesse. Regardless, these excellent flicks had the potential to blossom into franchises, but that potential was never fully realized.

6 Sharky's Machine (1981)

Though Burt Reynolds is mostly known as one of the action stars of the 1970s, his Golden Period continued well into the 1980s. Sharky's Machine is a neo-noir action thriller based on the book by William Diehl and directed by Reynolds himself in his third effort behind the camera. Unlike some of Reynold's earlier works, the 1981 film is gritty and totally serious in its tone.

Reynolds plays the title character, an Atlanta cop who investigates a mysterious woman that has ties to some of the city's most powerful politicians. The moody flick blends genres, and has just as much drama as it does action. While it may not be as explosive as other films from the period, it's one of the better action efforts in overall presentation and filmmaking. It even snagged a Golden Globe nomination for Reynold's co-star, Rachel Ward.

Despite being a critical and commercial success, Tom Sharky never returned to the big screen. Diehl penned other books starring the character, and Reynolds was certainly no stranger to sequels, but the stars never aligned for a Sharky follow-up. Perhaps if the movie had released a few years later, it could have joined the ranks of the great '80s action franchises.

5 Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

The title of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins became ironic in hindsight, because the planned franchise-starter was the beginning and the end of the title character's journey on the big screen. Using the beloved paperback series, The Destroyer, as inspiration, 1985's Remo Williams had a lot of material to work with. Fred Ward starred, and the film was helmed by frequent James Bond director, Guy Hamilton.

In the movie, a cop is forced to become a covert operative who works undercover to expose a dangerous businessman with important defense contracts with the U.S. government. Unlike the more violent or extreme action films from the mid 1980s, Remo Williams opts for a lighter approach with a tongue-in-cheek style. Hamilton's Bond connection is evident from the very first frame of the movie.

It's really no mystery that the cult classic didn't get a sequel. It was a financial disappointment and certainly didn't live up to the lofty expectations placed on its shoulders. Had the producers opted for a softer launch for the potential franchise, Remo Williams might be one of those beloved film series from the '80s that everyone still crows about. Unfortunately, the first film dreamed too big and came crashing down to Earth.

4 Cobra (1986)

Everything Sylvester Stallone touched turned to gold in the 1980s, and many of his films grew into franchises before the decade was over. That's not the case for Cobra, one of the actor's lesser-known vehicles that saw him stretch his wings into something a little different while staying right in his wheelhouse. Instead of playing a nearly unstoppable one-man-army like Rambo, Stallone is a gritty cop with a loaded gun.

The city streets are terrorized by a fascist group that's murdering those they think are inferior, and Stallone's Lt. "Cobra" Cobretti must protect a key witness from their deadly clutches. The movie's attempts to be dour mostly come off as cheesy, but Cobra is still an engaging piece of '80s action schlock that has rightfully earned its status as a cult classic.

The movie made a bundle at the box office but was reviled by critics. History has shown that the former is always more important than the latter, and Cobra left a lot of money on the table by never getting the sequel treatment. The character could have easily returned for another case, but Stallone was such a busy man in the 1980s that he might not have had the time. As it stands now, Cobra is one of those fun little gems from the '80s that's worth rediscovering.

3 Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

John Carpenter's career is a series of what-ifs that are fun to contemplate. Big Trouble in Little China is now recognized as one of the best action flicks of the 1980s, but its commercial failure was a massive disappointment in the aforementioned director's impressive filmography. The fantasy action comedy was just too far ahead of its time, and audiences have finally caught up with it 40 years later.

A wise-cracking truck driver finds himself entangled in an ancient battle between good and evil under the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco. Kurt Russell headlines as Jack Burton, the would-be hero who is often way over his head. His humor sells the silly absurdity of the entire premise, and Big Trouble in Little China is 100 minutes of pure, unfiltered fun. More than that, it also introduces a larger world that's ripe for exploration in sequels.

Sadly, that was never going to happen. The movie's underperformance at the box office was another nail in John Carpenter's Hollywood coffin, and even a resurgence on home video was not enough to earn a sequel. Interest in the movie has only grown in the decades since, but the time for a Big Trouble in Little China sequel has long passed.

2 Tango & Cash (1989)

Some movies seem like home runs that are bound to launch successful sequels, and 1989's Tango & Cash is one such film that fits that description. The buddy cop action comedy came at the very end of the decade, but embraced all the larger-than-life excitement that made '80s movies so memorable. It wasn't the first film to follow the Lethal Weapon formula, but none did it better.

Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell star as police officers who are framed by a powerful drug kingpin and sent to prison. They hatch an escape plan and exact their revenge against their adversary. The pairing is a match made in movie heaven, and they play off one another brilliantly. The shortcomings of the movie's script are fixed by the charisma of the cast and the over-the-top excitement of the action.

Tango & Cash came out at arguably the worst time for a movie to start a franchise. Cinema changed pretty rapidly in the early 1990s, and even a 1989 release felt somewhat dated a few years later. Though Stallone spurred interest in a sequel a few years ago, the blockbuster is probably destined to remain a one and done forever.

1 Commando (1985)

There's really only one name synonymous with 1980s action movies, and that's Arnold Schwarzenegger. The muscle-bound Austrian shot to the top of box office charts in movies like The Terminator and Conan the Barbarian, and most of his '80s efforts spawned franchises of their own. Commando, on the other hand, is one Schwarzenegger '80s classic that hasn't been touched by the sequel bug.

John Matrix is a retired Special Forces soldier living a reclusive life with his daughter. When his former army buddies start turning up dead, he returns to action. There's no pretense to Commando, and the silly romp seems to revel in its own ridiculousness. It's one of Schwarzenegger's best movies because it lets him shine without ever trying to do too much.

The film has a nice conclusion, but there's no storyline reason that a sequel couldn't happen. Audiences would have returned in droves to see Arnie shoot his way through waves of enemies and unload with some memorable quips, and it's astounding a sequel never came. An action classic like Commando comes ready-made for sequels, but Schwarzenegger likely won't be back.