Cannon’s Honorable Mentions
Bulletproof Action celebrated its four year anniversary in grand fashion this year when we presented The Ultimate Cannon Countdown!
The Top 10 list, generated by compiling the opinions of the Bulletproof Action staff and some friends of the site, was hotly debated on social media as was expected. Cannon was an action movie juggernaut and there was simply no way, every deserving film was going to make the cut… in fact The Ultimate Cannon Countdown could have easily been a Top 20, maybe even Top 25 list and I dare say there’d still be someone out there wondering why their favorite Cannon movie didn’t make the list and wondering why others did.
Cobra, coming in at #5, was without question the most divisive selection on The Ultimate Cannon Countdown. One side believes that the executive producer credits that Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus received for Cobra, were title only and that neither man had anything to do with the actual film. As the story goes, the producers of Cobra cut a deal with Cannon to give them Executive Producer credits in exchange for Cannon postponing production of Over the Top… so Cobra was not a true Cannon movie. The other side of the argument is that Sylvester Stallone signed a two picture deal with Cannon with the first film being Cobra and the second being Over the Top… proving that Cobra was a true Cannon movie.
Now there was a lot of work that went into putting together The Ultimate Cannon Countdown and it was actually filmmaker Dominik Starck (one of the contributors to the list) that suggested I post a follow up piece highlighting the runners up and giving ten more Cannon classics the honorable mention they so richly deserve…
Chris DePetrillo: Some may favor the American Ninja series more, but for me, the ultimate Michael Dudikoff vehicle is this one right here. While this was initially to be a sequel to Chuck Norris’ Invasion USA, it saddens me that Matt Hunter never got to carry out his promise to take down anyone associated with The Pentangle in an Avenging Force sequel.
Chad Cruise: A fantastically underrated 80’s actioner re-teaming Dudikoff and Steve James that follows the character of Matt Hunter from Invasion U.S.A. while also forgetting everything that happened in it. This movie would have been a rousing success if it had been an American Ninja sequel instead.
Matt Spector: There are so many good Charles Bronson Cannon films, but 10 to Midnight might have the strangest villain and the best ending.
Chris DePetrillo: A highly underrated thriller starring the legendary Charles Bronson. I recall it from cable during my youth, but unlike the Death Wish movies that I always loved, I didn’t grow to appreciate this one until I got older. Warren Stacy is one of the creepiest killers in movie history, and Bronson is one of the best badasses in the business. This would have worked just as well as a Death Wish movie, but what we got is an often overlooked slice of Cannon cinematic history that can still put people on edge.
Aaron Williams: Cyborg is the reason I became a huge fan of sci-fi and post apocalyptic flicks. Cyborg mixed martial arts in a world where everything was in ruin, but still reminded me that in the most desperate places there is something to fight for. And I believed Fender was a legit threat. He was different than Chong Li and Tong Po… he liked death and destruction. As a kid he was a terror.
Chad Cruise: Thank goodness that Van Damme got into the editing room for this movie. Cyborg could have been a total disaster if director Albert Pyun had his way with the final edit but Van Damme’s emphasis on the action, shirtless screaming, and accidental blinding of people while doing the splits turned this afterthought of an 80’s action movie into a cult classic. Bonus points to JCVD for using his serious leg power to literally kick his way out of a crucifixion.
Chris The Brain: Revenge of the Ninja is the movie that made me a Shô Kosugi fan for life and it is also the best of the best where Cannon’s Ninja Trilogy is concerned. The rooftop battle at the end is one for the ages. Revenge of the Ninja also has the added bonus of Keith Vitali, who I am shocked did not work with Cannon more.
Chris DePetrillo: This is not just my top Cannon film of all time, but it’s an all time favorite that I’ve been watching practically all my life. It was the first R rated movie I ever saw (I was 4) and the first that I ever had on tape. It’s been watched and re-watched and I love it just as much every time I see it.
Ryan Campbell: Death Wish II holds a special place as being the film to give us a glimpse of where the franchise would be heading under Cannon’s guidance. It may not be the best Death Wish film, but it has some of the best moments, including a memorable impaling on a fence. #Dead
Matt Spector: Death Wish II makes it easy to root for Bronson’s murdering Paul Kersey by going into great detail (sometimes too much detail) of the despicable acts of the bad guys.
Chad Cruise: The film that introduced the world to the team of Michael Dudikoff and Steve James and gave me the life goal of becoming the “next American Ninja” that I continue to strive for to this day.
Ryan Campbell: American Ninja was a big step forward for Cannon Films. It merged two worlds of martial arts and American action films in the wake of Ninja III: The Domination and established a new star to invest in with Michael Dudikoff.
Matt Spector: When I first saw Lifeforce on broadcast television I did not understand the hype… that is until I saw the original version and now I know why this sci-fi action film consistently gets standing ovations.
Timon Singh: Naked space vampires try to take over London and only Peter Firth can stop them?! Sold! Also, Sir Patrick Stewart is in it in an wonderfully weird performance.
Dominik Starck: Even though it’s not as good as an Indiana Jones movie this might be the best version of Haggard’s adventure novel and makes for a good adventure movie. I might prefer Stewart Granger but Shogun star Richard Chamberlain makes a good, memorable Alan Quatermain.
Timon Singh: Such a painful cash-in on Raiders of the Lost Ark that it hurts, however Richard Chamberlain appears to be having a laugh and Jerry Goldsmith’s score is wonderful. Sure, the effects are ropey, but you have to love a film where Sharon Stone was cast accidentally, because Yoram Globus demanded that “Stone Girl” for the lead and no-one realized he meant Kathleen Turner from Romancing The Stone.
Dominik Strarck: This Charles Bronson movie comes closest to a real movie while most of the others he made with Cannon are more of the kind that nowadays look and sound like a parody of 80’s movies.
Chris The Brain: In my opinion Murphy’s Law is Bronson’s best movie that does not contain the words death and wish in the title. Filled with memorable lines and Bronson doing what Bronson does best.
Timon Singh: Sure Enter The Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja were responsible for the myth of ninjitsu entering the pop culture, but do they feature an aerobics instructor getting possessed by the ghost of a dead ninja and a scene where she tries to exorcise it through the power of dance? No they don’t!
Chris The Brain: One of Cannon’s most bizarre films, Ninja III: The Domination embodies Menahem Golan’s love for the melding of genres. Super natural elements, mixed with martial arts, mixed with Lucinda Dickey’s dancing abilities. Ninja III: The Domination feels like a movie that ONLY the brain trust Cannon could have conceived.
