The 1980s was the decade when the action film as it's now known came into being. Nonstop, big-budget excitement became the standard as epic adventures like
Raiders of the Lost Ark
and
The Road Warrior
set the tone for the summer blockbusters of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris.
Homages (and ripoffs) made with lesser budgets followed every hit, especially with the advent of direct-to-video releases. Providing detailed commentary on 284 films, this book explores the excitement, audacity and sheer weirdness of '80s low budget action cinema, from the
American Ninja
series to dime-a-dozen barbarian pictures to such bargain-basement productions as
The Courier of Death, Kill Squad
Samurai Cop
.