80's Futurist/Fantasy Action Movies

I just watched John Carpenter's "Escape from New York" (1981) and it got me thinking about the sort of futurist action movies that were made in the 80's, and what they had in common. For example, we have Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (1982), James Cameron's "The Terminator" (1984), "The Running Man" (1987), and to some extent Russell Mulcahy's "Highlander" (1986), and possibly "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" (1981). Does Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" (1981) belong on this list as well? I haven't seen it.

I didn't see any of these movies when they came out, being a bit too young to deal with the content. But I was watching movies in the 80's, and I've seen these ones in the years since. The films on this list strike me as having some things in common, and I would be interested in doing some comparisons and trying to see if there's some aspect of the social (or "collective") consciousness of the time that is being expressed here.

For instance, I can list some things that they seem, offhand, to have in common:

1. A hero who does not belong in his milieu;
2. Official authorities who are in some way untrustworthy or morally unsound;
3. A general sense of bleakness or pessimism about the future, that often gives way to specific sources of hope or possibility;
4. A resort to violence and/or militarism in service of "nobler" causes and missions;
5. The importance of the hero's use of his own judgement and self-discipline, compared to the anarchy and anxiety of those around him.

I might never go further into this, but if anyone has any thoughts (particularly if there are other movies that fit this pattern that I haven't mentioned, or if there are points that might be added to the list) I'd be really keen to hear them.

I think the links to the early-mid 1980's political and cultural situation are pretty clear. The Cold War and threat of nuclear armageddon, the rise of leaders like Thatcher and Reagan, and the increase (particularly in the US) of drug-related and poverty-related crime all shed light on the cultural background of these films.

Send me an e-mail or post a comment if you have any thoughts.

Blessings,
Murr