Conquer Club

According to Bill Simmons from Grantland: (I wanted an easier to read list for myself, and you can use it as a reference too)

1968 - 1973 Steve McQueen Bullitt, Le Mans, The Getaway, Papillon
Challengers: Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry, High Plains Drifter)
Burt Reynolds (Deliverance, Shamus, White Lightning)

1973 - 1980 Clint Eastwood Magnum Force, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Eiger Sanction, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Enforcer, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Escape From Alcatraz, Any Which Way You Can)
Challengers: Charles Bronson (Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish, Breakout, Hard Times)
Steve McQueen (The Towering Inferno)
Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon)

1980-1982 Chuck Norris The Octagon, An Eye for an Eye, Silent Rage, Forced Vengeance
Challengers: Harrison Ford (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner)
Kurt Russel (Escape From New York)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Conan the Barbarian)

1982 - 1984 Sylvester Stallone First Blood
Challengers: Chuck Norris (Lone Wolf McQuade)

1984 - 1986 Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan the Destroyer, The Terminator, Red Sonja, Commando
Challengers: Sylvester Stallone (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rocky IV)
Chuck Norris (Missing in Action, Code of Silence, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning)
Charles Bronson (Death Wish 3, Murphy’s Law)

1986 Sylvester Stallone Cobra
Challengers: None

1986 - 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man
Challengers: Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon)

1988 Bruce Willis Die Hard
Challengers: Sylvester Stallone (Rambo III)
Steven Seagal (Above the Law)
Carl Weathers (Action Jackson)
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Bloodsport)

1989 Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon 2
Challengers: Sylvester Stallone (Lock Up, Tango and Cash)
Patrick Swayze (Road House)
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kickboxer)

1990 - 1992 Arnold Schwarzenegger Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Challengers: Bruce Willis (Die Hard 2)
Steven Seagal (Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, Out for Justice)
Patrick Swayze (Point Break)
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Black Eagle, Cyborg, Lionheart, Death Warrant, Double Impact)

1992 Clint Eastwood Unforgiven
Challengers: Steven Seagal (Under Siege)
Wesley Snipes (Passenger 57)

1993 Sylvester Stallone Cliffhanger, Demolition Man
Challengers: Clint Eastwood (In the Line of Fire)
Harrison Ford (The Fugitive)

1994 - 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger True Lies, Eraser
Challengers: Bruce Willis (Die Hard with a Vengeance)
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Nowhere to Run, Hard Target, Timecop, Street Fighter, Sudden Death, Maximum Risk, The Quest)
Steven Seagal (On Deadly Ground, Under Siege 2)
Keanu Reeves (Speed)
Sylvester Stallone (The Specialist, Judge Dredd, Assassins)

1996 Sylvester Stallone Daylight
Challengers: Will Smith (Independence Day)

1997 - 2000 Nicolas Cage Con Air, Face/Off, Snake Eyes, 8MM, Gone in Sixty Seconds
Challengers: Bruce Willis (Armageddon)
Keanu Reeves (The Matrix)
Jackie Chan (Rush Hour)

2001 - 2002 Vin Diesel The Fast and the Furious, Knockaround Guys, xXx
Challengers: None

2003 - 2004 Uma Thurman Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2
Challengers: The Rock (Rundown)

2004 Denzel Washington Man on Fire
Challengers: Tom Cruise (Collateral)

2005 - 2006 Jason Statham Transporter 2, Revolver, Crank
Challengers: None

2007 Jackie Chan Rush Hour 3
Challengers: None

2008 Liam Neeson Taken
Challengers: None

2009 - 2011 Vin Diesel Fast & Furious, Fast 5
Challengers: Liam Neeson (Unknown)
Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables)

2011 - 2014 Liam Neeson The Grey, Taken 2, Non-Stop


What do you think is missing? I think Daniel Craig in Casino Royale deserves a spot, even though Rule 1 explicitly prohibits James Bond. I also think Sean Connery should have started with the belt. Maybe The Train could have given it to Burt Lancaster.

That seems very accurate, to me at least.

I will split hairs on 1986. Cobra was awful and so was Raw Deal. I think Sigourney Weaver has that year, with Aliens.

DoomYoshi wrote:2007 Jackie Chan Rush Hour 3
Challengers: None

Loved the first two but 3 sucked. Anyway, Jeremy Renner should've won this for 28 Weeks Later.



One of my favorite scenes of any film period.

I agree on RH3, but I would give 2007 to Christian Bale/Russel Crowe for 3:10 to Yuma.

No Bruce Lee?
No Superhero movies?
Jackie Chan did a lot of stuff other than Rush Hour. I've always thought that if he could act. he'd be right up there with Burt Lancaster.

DoomYoshi wrote:
1973 - 1980 Clint Eastwood Magnum Force, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Eiger Sanction, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Enforcer, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Escape From Alcatraz, Any Which Way You Can)
Challengers: Charles Bronson (Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish, Breakout, Hard Times)
Steve McQueen (The Towering Inferno)
Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon)

** cough cough ** ... "ahem" ... <point> <point>

jonesthecurl wrote:No Bruce Lee?
No Superhero movies?
Jackie Chan did a lot of stuff other than Rush Hour. I've always thought that if he could act. he'd be right up there with Burt Lancaster.

What else should we add for Bruce Lee? When he kicked Chuck Norris' pansy ass?

I am a huge Jackie Chan Fan too, No More Mr. Nice Guy is probably his best movie.

Superhero movies are definitely not included since they caused the ruination of action movies in the new millenium. They aren't my rules.

Lance Thrust wrote:

DoomYoshi wrote:
1973 - 1980 Clint Eastwood Magnum Force, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Eiger Sanction, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Enforcer, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Escape From Alcatraz, Any Which Way You Can)
Challengers: Charles Bronson (Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish, Breakout, Hard Times)
Steve McQueen (The Towering Inferno)
Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon)

** cough cough ** ... "ahem" ... <point> <point>

Oops. Not a fan myself - actully not a fan of most of the movies in the list. But I know Lee's hero-level for many people. I hated Enter the Dragon btw.

Sometime soon I'll start editing the OP to include the OT decisions.

Army of GOD wrote:Jeremy Renner

I am ashamed that I didn't even notice Jeremy Renner was on the list. He is my personal favorite (over Neeson). I think according to Rule 1, he doesn't qualify due to the Bourne movie.

The next poll will deal with proposed 2005-2007 changes.
Add Daniel Craig in Casino Royale for a 2006 title change.
Add a 2007 title change for Jeremy Renner in 28 Weeks Later (May)
Add a 2007 title change for Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma (September)
Drop Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 3 win

Simmons didn't want to do superheroes or whatever, but Batman has no powers so he should have counted.

Kurt Russell should get consideration for such movies as Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York, Tango and Cash just to name a few. Burt Lancaster started way earlier in a lot of swashbuckling movies in the 50's which showed his acrobatic skills without the use of his own stuntman like Douglas Fairbanks.

Sackett58 wrote:Kurt Russell should get consideration for such movies as Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York, Tango and Cash just to name a few. Burt Lancaster started way earlier in a lot of swashbuckling movies in the 50's which showed his acrobatic skills without the use of his own stuntman like Douglas Fairbanks.

Came here to say this. Big Trouble was even 86! GO wach it RIGHT NOW. Its on netflix and is AWESOME

Also missing Timothy Dalton as 80s Bond, Daniel Craig Bond.

Nicolas Cage in Drive Angry. Joseph Gordon-Levit in Looper

That article is some of the best writing I've seen in a long time. Could not stop laughing.

I know he was under time pressures, but Simmons definitely should have done cruiserweight titles (for "wimpy" protagonists - like Bond) and intercontinental titles (for guys like Van Damme).