Best Action Movies of 1979

The highest-rated action films from 1979, ranked by MovieMagicScore based on authentic viewer ratings.

Action 1978 Action 1980 All Time Action

Comedy Drama Horror Science Fiction Thriller Romance Animation Documentary Fantasy Crime

The Warriors

1979

Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.

7.7

Mad Max

1979

In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them.

6.7

I'm for the Hippopotamus

1979

In Africa, Slim and Tom don't like it when a German tyrant starts selling all of the African wildlife to Canadian zoos. Slim and Tom must teach this guy a lesson by beating the hell out of him and his gang.

6.8

The In-Laws

1979

In preparation for his daughter's wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett meets Vince Ricardo, the groom's father. Vince, a manic fellow who claims to be a government agent, then proceeds to drag Sheldon into a series of chases and misadventures from New York to Central America.

6.7

Fearless Hyena

1979

Lung is a talented fighter but prefers to spend his time loafing around and picking fights, despite orders from his grandfather not to fight. Unknown to him, a brutal general has been slaughtering all the people from his grandfather’s clan. When the general recognizes Lung’s style of kung fu during one of his street fights, he hunts down Lung’s grandfather and kills him.

6.6

The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid

1979

A young humanoid alien who gets stranded on earth hooks up with a grizzled old sheriff in a western town and tries to help him solve a tough case, but the sheriff doesn't want any help from a "kid."

6.4

Hanover Street

1979

Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.

5.5

Moonraker

1979

After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the help of scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond soon uncovers Drax's nefarious plans for humanity, all the while fending off an old nemesis, Jaws, and venturing to Venice, Rio, the Amazon...and even outer space.

6.2

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

1979

After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are still on board waiting to be rescued, two rivaling salvage parties enter the ship on search for money, gold and a small amount of plutonium.

5.1

#10

The Black Hole

1979

The explorer craft USS Palomino is returning to Earth after a fruitless 18-month search for extra-terrestrial life when the crew comes upon a supposedly lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering near a black hole. The ship is controlled by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his monstrous robot companion, but the initial wonderment and awe the Palomino crew feel for the ship and its resistance to the power of the black hole turn to horror as they uncover Reinhardt's plans.

5.8

#11

A Force of One

1979

Karate champion Matt Logan is enlisted by the police to train officers in self-defense after narcotics agents are killed by an assailant using the martial arts.

4.8

#12

Meteor

1979

After a collision with a comet, a nearly 8km wide piece of the asteroid "Orpheus" is heading towards Earth. If it hits it will cause an incredible catastrophe which will probably extinguish mankind. To stop the meteor NASA wants to use the illegal nuclear weapon satellite "Hercules" but discovers soon that it doesn't have enough firepower. Their only chance to save the world is to join forces with the USSR who have also launched such an illegal satellite. But will both governments agree?

5.1

#13

1941

1979

In the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, panic grips California, where a military officer leads a mob chasing a Japanese sub.

5.8

#14

The Concorde... Airport '79

1979

Aviation disaster-prone Joe Patroni must contend with nuclear missiles, the French Air Force and the threat of the plane splitting in two over the Alps.

4.7

Best Action Movies of 1979

This ranking features the top action movies released in 1979, sorted by MovieMagicScore viewer ratings. Looking for more? Browse all genres from 1979 or see the best action movies of all time.