Action movies are the cornerstone of any moviegoer’s regular cinematic diet. They pack in the protein through death-defying stunts, explosive set pieces and bare-knuckle fights.From martial arts classicstosci-fi shoot ‘em ups, the action genre covers a lot of ground in bullets and bodies.
Picking out a favorite action movie is like the T-800 picking out guns; there’s one for every occasion. There’s no accounting for personal preferences, butsome action movies are such knock-down drag-out kick-ass watching experiencesthat they transcend the need for any deeper thought. These are ten action movie masterpieces.
1. ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
There are plenty of early progenitors to the full-fledged action genre, and some of the greatest of these come from Japanese cinema.The most influential action movieto come out of Japan in this early period isAkira Kurosawa’sepicSeven Samurai. It seems almost rote to mention Kurosawa’s masterpiece as an action classic, since cinephiles regularly like to sing its praises, and it is consistently listed asone of the best Japanese films of all time, if not as the greatest movie of all time, but it bears repeating for newer generations of action fans who may have yet to discover it.
The simple premise of seven samurai hired to protect a village from marauders, was such an effective framework for action and adventure thatit is still used in team-based action movies to this day. Kurosawa made pioneering use of multiple cameras to capture the action sequences, now a standard on any major blockbuster, andhis framing of the action influenced whole generations of action filmmakerswho would make their own influential classics. While there were many films that featured action previously,the true point of origin for modern action movies must beSeven Samurai.
Seven Samurai
2. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Action-adventure is that perfect hybridization of genres that can be hard to define, particularly among modern blockbusters, but if there is one film that is instantly identified with it, it’sRaiders of The Lost Ark.Steven SpielbergandGeorge Lucas’throwback to adventure serials is the kind of pop culture watershed that has been dissected and analyzed more than some of the artifacts that its protagonist chases after. There are a million and one things that could be cited as the key toRaiders’success;it has perfect editing, one of thebest movie heroes of all time, andSpielberg stages the action with effortless economy.
The truth is thatRaiderssucceeds because of one simple fact; its so damn fun.Harrison Fordwas simply born to play Indiana Jones, and his balance of curiosity, tenacity and incredulity as the character gets into increasingly dangerous circumstancesmakes him both an ideal while remaining completely relatable. Beyond the actor’s love of the character, the reason that Jones has been continually trotted out for a series of diminishing sequels (some way more than others) is thatstudios have been chasing the perfection of his first adventure for over forty years, and they still haven’t found a suitable replacement.
3. ‘Aliens’ (1986)
Directed by James Cameron
James Cameronis an S-tier action filmmaker.Terminator 2,True Lies,andAvatarare all undeniable in their action, but the most brilliant showcase for Cameron as action director is hisOscar-winning sci-fi sequelAliens. It can’t be overstated how subversive Cameron’s decision to takeRidley Scott’smasterpiece of sci-fi horrorand turn it into a war movie was. It may bestandard operating procedure now to make sequels that are exponentially largerthan their predecessors, but the leap fromAlientoAliensis startling when watched back to back.
Everything is given an aggressive upgrade, from the xenomorphs toSigourney Weaver’sRipley whogets the best boss fight of all timewhen she squares up to the alien queen in a power loader. Cameron doesn’t just make things bigger for the sake of bombast, but actuallyuses the larger scale to expand the universeof the movies and delve deeper into the life cycle of the aliens.Aliensis what a true expansive sequel should be and what an action masterpiece looks like.
4. Die Hard (1988)
Directed by John McTiernan
The 80s were when American action movies hit their stride. The excess of the decade meshed well with the explosive brand of action that became popular with audiences andmusclebound action stars were pumping out hits as much as they were iron. So it’s all the more impressive thatthe best action movie of the decadewas one that specifically set out to subvert the superhuman expectations that heroes had come to be judged by.
Die Hardgave audiences John McClane, a man for whom being a hero is the last thing he wants, as the movie’s trailer proclaimed. He was flawed, fallible and very human. Which made the heroic stunts he pulled off all the more impactful. McClane is only one piece of the puzzle toDie Hard’ssuccess, though. There’sJohn McTiernan’sperfectly crafted action setpieces,Alan Rickman’seloquent villain, anda terrific supporting castthat brings the perfect amount of levity.Die Hard’sformula wascopied by dozens of bad action movies, but their failure illustrates just how hard fought the original’s success truly was.
5. ‘Hard Boiled’ (1992)
Directed by John Woo
John Woo’scareer output from the mid-80s to the early 90s may be the best run any action director has ever had.The KillerandA Better Tomorroware action classics in their own right, andBullet in the HeadandOnce a Thiefare supremely underrated. He saved his best for last though, with hisHong Kong curtain call, before heading to Hollywood; action masterpieceHard Boiled.
Chow Yun-fatis a cop who’s Superman with one gun, and God with two. He’s dead set on taking down a dangerous triad and ready and willing to shoot up or through anything that gets in his way. In three of the most expertly executed action sequences,Woo and choreographer Philip Kwok create ballets of bullets and bodies. Destruction has never been so beautifully orchestrated as it is here, and Woo makes each sequence feel distinct. In possibly the best four minutes of any action film ever, Woo and his team accomplisha long-take of nonstop actionacross two floors of a hospital that has never been topped.
Hard Boiled
6. ‘Drunken Master II’ (1994)
Directed by Lau Kar-leung
Jackie Chan is a performer with several legitimate action masterpieces. ThePolice Storyfranchise isfilled with essential action movies, andWheels on Mealshas some of the best martial arts fight scenes bar none. If there is one thing that Chan does better than almost any other martial arts performer, it’s his ability to deftly combine action and comedy, and nowhere is that better exemplified than inthe thrilling, and hilarious,Drunken Master II(known asLegend of the Drunken Masterin the U.S.).
Playing Cantonese folk heroWong Fei Hong, Chan uses a form of martial arts known as drunken boxing but taken to a literal level. The more he drinks, the better he fights, and Chan uses his whole body in fight scenes with choreography that owes as much toBuster KeatonandHarold Lloydas it does to martial arts. For years, many different martial arts stars were touted as the heirs to Chan’s legacy. While that is indicative ofHollywood’s myopic viewpoint when it comes to international stars, it’s also a complete folly to ignore what is plainly obvious; thatJackie Chan is one of a kind.
Drunken Master II
7. ‘The Matrix’ (1999)
Directed by The Wachowskis
Action movies in the 90s were characterized by over-the-top actioners that carried on the traditions of the 80s, likeThe RockorCon Air, as well as an increasing influence from Asian filmmakers and stars who began to carve out careers in Hollywood, like Jackie Chan andJet Li. All of these influences and more made a perfect confluence inthe essential sci-fi action movieThe Matrix. Combining kung-fu fightswith gun-fu shootouts, along with a heaping helping of post-apocalyptic drama, theWachowskissynthesized a new action classic that was far more than just the sum of its parts.
Keanu Reevesleads his first action franchise as Neo, a wide-eyed hacker who discovers the world around him is all a simulation, andhe is the chosen one in the fight against the machines. It’s a perfect set-up for heightened action scenes where characters can move faster than bullets. Thesurprisingly old fashioned solution to creating the innovative bullet-time effectswas replicated across movies and video games ad nauseam for several years following the film’s release, but nothing has ever come close to replicating how awe-struck audiences were when they saw them for the first time.
The Matrix
8. ‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Just becausean action movie has a lot of fun, doesn’t make it any less important.Following up the tremendous success of their horror-comedyShaun of the Dead,Edgar Wrightre-teamed with actorsSimon PeggandNick Frostto deliver a wickedly funny send-up ofaction movies and buddy cop thrillers. Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, a London cop so elite he’s making the rest of the police force look bad, so he’s transferred to a sleepy town where everything seems perfect on the surface,until townsfolk start accidentally dying at an alarming rate.
What makesHot Fuzzso successful as an action-comedy isn’t that it’s hilarious (it is), but rather that the action is so good. Wright’s penchant for kinetic camerawork and rapid fire editing is perfectly suited to the action genre and while the majority of the movie is set-up,the action-packed payoff is so worth the wait. Paying homage to everything fromPoint BreaktoBad Boys 2, Wright and company have their hilarious cake and eat its delicious action too.
Directed by George Miller
George Millerhad spent so long trying to get a fourthMad Maxfilm made that it was originally supposed to star original Max actorMel Gibson, andwas even going to be an animated film at one point. Neither of those things came to pass, and eventually, Miller unleashed the face-melting awesomeness that isMad Max: Fury Road.Tom Hardytakes over for Gibson and his grumbly, mumbly Max fits in well withthe newest version of an Australian dystopia. He’s joined on screen by certified action badassCharlize Theronas Furiosa, who sets the plot in motion when she takes the warlord Immortan Joe’s harem of wives to escape to freedom.
What follows is one long car chase across the desert and back. That’s not a flaw of the film, but a feature, as Miller hasstripped down the engine of the post-apocalyptic franchise to its most fundamental parts. Miller manages to tell more story through simple images than most filmmakers can with an entire movie, and the vehicular action is second to none. It’sone of the best late career moviesof any director, with the veteran Miller doing laps around the younger generation of filmmakers.
Mad Max: Fury Road
10. ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman
Superhero movies are the biggest action franchises currently filling theaters, and while fatigue may have set in for some of Earth’s mightiest heroes, there’s one friendly neighborhood hero who’s animated exploits are a breath of fresh action air.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versegives the spotlight toalt-universe Spider-Man Miles Morales, a kid from Brooklyn who’s not quite ready to put on the red and blue tights.
Luckily, he’s got help from a cadre of other Spider-Heroes who are ready to team up and kick animated butt. The film’sstylish mix of 3D and 2D animation is a perfect translation of the comic book source material, and the action is frenetic without ever succumbing to chaos. Animation proves to be such a successful medium for the character that it’s honestly shocking it took as long as it did for a big budget feature film to utilize it. The sequel setsthe Spider-Verse to the maximum level, but now audiences will have to wait patiently for the third installment inthe most entertaining superhero franchise ever.
