Deep Cover and Narc.

Both similar movies that

Strange Days
The Running Man
Demolition Man
The Island
Domino
Big Trouble in Little China

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory - One of Seagal's best, and even better than the first. Lots of action, and good snarling villains.

The Exterminator - If you like them so gritty you'll need a shower later.

Road House - Is this considered lesser-known? Swayze at his best.

They Live - Cheesy and cheap, but still pretty good.

Already mentioned, and all terrific movies:
The Last Boy Scout
Remo Williams
Nighthawks
Black Rain
Out for Justice

I really liked Van Damme's "Knock-Off". Surprising funny and really good action.

Breakdown is amazing. I love that movie.

Another vote for Equilibrium.

Gonna throw in a vote for Timecop as well.

Yup Piper is one of Dice's henchman, and Robert Davi is also in it, as a cop who is helping Tweed.



I also love Breakdown. It started playing on HBO when I was in college with free HBO and I lost count how many times i watched it.

How about a vote for The PeaceMaker with Clooney?

Judgement Night is an old favorite of mine. I remember catching this on HBO when I was younger. They would give us a free month of service every once and a while, and I watched Judgement Night over and over again one month. I even taped it. It's been 15 years since I last saw it, but I think it would hold up pretty well. Solid cast - Jeremy Piven, Dennis Leary, and Cuba Gooding Jr., as well as a decent soundtrack.

^I agree. Judgment night is pretty good. Trespass is kinda similar and also pretty decent.

Deep Cover.

Navy Seals with Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn, its kind of a shame its been forgotten after all of these years.

I wouldn't consider it lesser known, given the recent SE dvd, its more of a cult classic.

The most satisfying action movie (with a gangster bent) I've seen in a few years was Johnny To's Exiled (2006). Another from further back was One Nite in Mongkuk (2004, Tung-Shing Yee). Before that was another To flick: Fulltime Killer.

I can't pinpoint exactly why this Asian action-crime style appeals to me. It uses just as many conventions as American action films. I guess it's in the execution and tight, consistent themes that make the outrageous gunfights more involving.

Black Hawk Down

I know a lot of people don't like the politics behind it, and it has been criticized for being long on action and short on character development, but I always felt it was one hell of a kick-ass war movie!!

I was going to post this but I didn't know if it was "lesser known". Either way it is an awesome movie (not quite up to the Bourne flicks, but close and it has the same atmosphere, IMO). Definitely in my top 5 favorite action movies of all time.

My favorite as well.

Forgot to mention Paycheck with Affleck in it. Thought it was awesome.

The Last Hunter (1980) this one made by Italy after the success of Apocalypse Now/Deer Hunter, about a group going through Nam to blow up a radio station, but with some great gore like decomposed pilots hanging from trees, people exploding, lots of bloody headshots, the obligatory bamboo cage, etc. Plus there's a character called Hu Flung Dung!

what about, i come in peace, with dolph!!!

Commando - An epitome of action genre; it's self-reflexive, iconic star, open male spectatorship, classic one-liners, and most importantly a lot of action. It's a flawless movie.

I'm with you! This one of the only movies I know of filmed in Houston and set in Houston... where is this on dvd anyway?

Hard Rain
Timecop
Equilibrium
Demolition Man
I Come In Peace

Couldn't disagree more about The Peacemaker. I would MUCH rather watch paint dry for 2 hours than sit through that movie again, I found it to be rediculously boring.

Some excellent choices all around.

I'll also throw in Walter Hill's Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken. Essentially a remake of Yojimbo/Fist Full of Dollars told via the prohibition era in some ghost town in the midwest .. though not nearly as strong as either.

Though the plot is out there, it doesn't matter. The film is a blast to watch; full of wild and stylish gunfights and a lot of disposable characters, most of which are well played. Nihilistic and more violent than I was expecting.

Forgot this when I mentioned Walter Hill.

Love the part where Willis is banging the bitchy sister from Knocked Up and he just stops midway through to blast a few bad guys away.

I'm not really a big To fan, but I can see why he has generated such a fan base.

To get slightly away from HK for a bit, make sure to check out a few Korean action/crime films if you can:

Bittersweet Life
Bloody Ties
Cruel Winter Blues (more dramatic)
Public Enemy
Sunflower (more dramatic) - ending is classicly nasty!
Dirty Carnival

All of these are much closer to Hollywood films of the late 70's early 80's than of recent. Unsavory characters, brutal, realistic, unpolished (some), a certain essence that is currently missing in Hollywood - and for worse.