10. Independence Day (1996)

Will Smith's breakout role and one of the most entertaining films of the last 20 years. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Will Smith band together to battle back an alien invasion. The result: mind-numbing action, brilliant special effects, and the highest grossing film from 1996.

09. The Rock (1996)

An elite platoon of hostile Marines under the command of Ed Harris have taken possession of Alcatraz, threatening to hit the city of San Francisco with deadly V/X gas if their large ransom isn't paid. Only Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery can save the city from imminent destruction. Michael Bay's best-reviewed film.

08. Demolition Man (1993)

Sylvester Stallone vs. Wesley Snipes. What more needs to be said? Well...throw in a young and smoking hot Sandra Bullock, plus an underground rebellion led by Dennis Leary, and tons of death and destruction and you have yourself a pretty awesome action flick.

07. Under Siege (1992)

Die Hard on a ship. That was how this movie was pitched to producers when the idea for it was first proposed. Steven Seagal is an ex-Navy SEAL who gets caught up in terrorism that takes the shape of Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones. Seagal uses his famed martial arts skills and wooden acting to take down these two creeps and save the ship.

06. The Mask of Zorro (1998)

Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones light up the screen in this tale of the legendary Mexican bandit. Featuring awesome sword fights and excellent chemistry between the three leads, The Mask of Zorro went down as one of the best films to be released in the summer of 1998.

05. Face/Off (1997)

John Woo's direction impresses with this intelligent if not over the top action film about an FBI agent who surgically replaces his face with the face of one of the world's most dangerous terrorists in order to infiltrate his organization to discover the location of a dirty bomb. What we get next can only be described as John Travolta vs. Nicholas Cage vs. John Travolta vs. Nicholas Cage.

04. Goldeneye (1995)

James Bond returns in the guise of Pierce Brosnan to stop a Russian crime syndicate from destroying the world with a deadly space-based EMP weapon. The first film featuring Pierce Brosnan as the man in the tuxedo and one of the best 007 outings overall, Goldeneye is sure to entertain even the lowliest of Bond fans.

03. Speed (1994)

An original and suspenseful gimmick fuels this pulse-pounding action flick which stars an in-his-prime Keanu Reeves. Dennis Hopper plays the crazed, over-the-top villain who taunts our hero over the telephone and Sandra Bullock plays the hot bus driver turned love interest.

02. The Matrix (1999)

Keanu Reeves appears in another original action flick, this time as a messiah-like being who is destined to end the oppression of the human race. There is a twist though. Most of the humans he is saving lie trapped within a giant computer simulation. Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving offer memorable supporting performances in a film that brought kung fu, slow motion action to the United States.

01. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Was there any doubt? Arguably the greatest action movie of all-time (though I personally rank Die Hard above it), Terminator 2 was the quintessential action film of the 1990s. Combining a smart script with brilliant action set pieces and excellent character development, James Cameron offers up to us what is perhaps one of the greatest sequels of all-time as well as one of the lone few to surpass the original.

Honorable Mentions: Die Hard with a Vengeance, Broken Arrow, Total Recall and The Quick & the Dead