The war sequence is one of the best action set-pieces of all-time, it's James Cameron firing on all cylinders, and that's why it makes my list. I really like Avatar myself though, I find it to be a hugely enjoyable adventure flick.
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NeoGAF Greatest Action Movies of All Time (September 2015) - Voting Thread
- Thread starter inm8num2
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The war sequence is one of the best action set-pieces of all-time, it's James Cameron firing on all cylinders, and that's why it makes my list. I really like Avatar myself though, I find it to be a hugely enjoyable adventure flick.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
This may not be my go-to as an action movie, which is kind of silly because it does action so well. Not only that, it complements the adventure in a way almost no other movies do. The sequence starting with fighting the biff on the plane, to attacking the convoy via horse and beating off Nazis is one of my favorite in any movie.
- The Road Warrior
Okay, so Mad Max is in vogue right now but fuck it. I've been thinking of whether The Road Warrior or Fury Road wins out in the series, but with only having seen the latter once I can't in good conscience place it above The Road Warrior. Every time I've watched this movie I've been surprised at just how good it actually is, which means it'll probably end up being the best movie ever in a few years.
And damn it if it doesn't have a better soundtrack than Fury Road.
- Hard Boiled
Purely as an action spectacle this immediately became my favorite when watching it. Look, I even made a thread on it (which unlike all of my posts I don't cringe when re-reading)! The action scenes are intense and on point all the way through. It's a feast for the eyes too, with tons of explosions, wild stunts and debris flying everywhere. Not least important, it happens to star my man-crush Tony Leung.
- Police Story
Really, this could be many of Jackie's movies -- it's Police Story because that's the best shot of him getting any recognition in this list wars. Jackie and his team worked hard as fuck to entertain you by any means possible. So what if the story sequences sometimes are a bit boring, the next thing you know he's jumping from a motocross to grab onto a shipping crate while cars chasing him fly past.
- Ghost in the Shell
Not to reopen last page's debate
p), but although anything indeed is possible in animation it's obviously not very easy to decide what to do with it. Action in GITS is sparse but to the point, and makes an impact whenever it's used. Not unlike Raiders it's not the action itself but how it pairs with the rest of the story and visuals that sets it apart.
- Kill Bill pt. 1
Tarantino sure knows how to stage action. Most of the action in Kill Bill is as good as or better than anything else on this list, but my favorite is probably the one against Vernita Green. It's one-on-one in a very tight space, happens quickly and makes for a fantastic shot when the school bus rolls up in the background.
- Robocop
I'm tempted to put Starship Troopers here since the action might be a smidge better than in Robocop. In the end though, Robocop is just that much better of a movie. It has more memorable moments, better squibs, better humour and one of the greatest villains ever set on film.
- Die Hard
Nakatomi Plaza is a pretty great environment for action. I'd say this is the most tense movie on my list. The action is very downscaled with just a few baddies to kill, but it makes the most with them and every encounter feels lethal. It's hella fun.
Chinese movies are definitely a huge blind spot for me (as is Japanese action). I watched a lot of kung-fu movies in high school, but mostly the famous stuff: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and a bit of Sammo Hung. I know Tsui Hark from Once Upon a Time in China but nothing else.
I'll be sure to check these movies that you mention out.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Seeing a couple mentions of Ong-Bak! That's pretty cool.
Seeing almost no mentions of Lethal Weapon or Lethal Weapon 2. Which is probably appropriate, considering. But it is weird that the series was so huge once upon a time and people don't really think of it much anymore. Hell, I've owned them in one form or another since the VHS days and I honestly can't think of any action sequences in ANY of them beyond a) Murtaugh on the toilet b) Riggs on the lawn and c) completely wasting Jet Li in the 4th.
I know there were others, they just don't come to mind at all. It's weird how Lethal Weapon just sorta got kicked down the memory hole.
Seeing almost no mentions of Lethal Weapon or Lethal Weapon 2. Which is probably appropriate, considering. But it is weird that the series was so huge once upon a time and people don't really think of it much anymore. Hell, I've owned them in one form or another since the VHS days and I honestly can't think of any action sequences in ANY of them beyond a) Murtaugh on the toilet b) Riggs on the lawn and c) completely wasting Jet Li in the 4th.
I know there were others, they just don't come to mind at all. It's weird how Lethal Weapon just sorta got kicked down the memory hole.
hendersonhank
Member
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Die hard
3. The Terminator
4. Rambo (fourth one)
5. Predator
6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
7. Cliffhanger
8. Aliens
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Personal favorite single action scene is the opening chase scene in Casino Royale remake.
2. Die hard
3. The Terminator
4. Rambo (fourth one)
5. Predator
6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
7. Cliffhanger
8. Aliens
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Personal favorite single action scene is the opening chase scene in Casino Royale remake.
Secret Fawful
Member
Messed up the quotes here because I'm on mobile, but I wanted to say that there's way more in wuxia than just those movies. If you really wanna take a look, pull up the Wiki entry on it, and look through some of the more famous entries. There's different eras of wuxia, and I can't claim to have seen much because there is so much and it can be a daunting genre, but the ones I mentioned are good entries. You just need to remember one thing. There are so many eras and types of wuxia that cover every genre from spy to horror to sci-fi to fantasy that you never know what you're gonna get. Some of it uses extensive wire-fu, and I know some people don't like that. To give you an idea of what you might expect, Dragonball is an exploration of all the eras of wuxia taken to a huge extreme, hiding behind a Journey to the West adaption. Detective Dee is a who-dunnit, for instance. It just features great kung fu action and a big scope and Indiana Jones-esque action mixed with some wire-fu at points. But it's insane for me to believe such a wide, varied, massive genre, some of which hasn't even seen a western release outside specialty theaters, doesn't have any impressive action classics. Especially when I've seen such good stuff from it so far.
The Lone Courier
Member
1. The Raid: Redemption
2. Dredd (2012)
3. Lethal Weapon 2
4. Bad Boys 2
5. Beverly Hills Cop 2
6. KickAss
7 .RocknRolla
8. Casino Royale (2006)
9. Rush Hour
10.Blue Streak
2. Dredd (2012)
3. Lethal Weapon 2
4. Bad Boys 2
5. Beverly Hills Cop 2
6. KickAss
7 .RocknRolla
8. Casino Royale (2006)
9. Rush Hour
10.Blue Streak
The QBComics
Member
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Die Hard
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Aliens
5. The Raid: Redemption
6. Kill Bill Vol. 1
7. Predator
8. The Matrix
9. Terminator 2: Judgement
10. RoboCop
Action films I haven't seen (for shame): Drunken Master 2, Hard Boiled, Speed, among others. Really need to educate myself on Jackie Chan's stuff.
2. Die Hard
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Aliens
5. The Raid: Redemption
6. Kill Bill Vol. 1
7. Predator
8. The Matrix
9. Terminator 2: Judgement
10. RoboCop
Action films I haven't seen (for shame): Drunken Master 2, Hard Boiled, Speed, among others. Really need to educate myself on Jackie Chan's stuff.
True Savior
Member
CrimsonCrescendo
Banned
Will be thinking about it. Die Hard, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Casino Royale (2006), and Aliens are definitely on the list, though!
First Row (Left to Right): Stop or My Momma Will Shoot, Wild Wild West, Conan, Tomb Raider, A Good Day To Die Hard
Second Row (Left to Right): ???
What are the movies on the second row?
We've had a great run of action movies lately, and we're long overdue for a ranking of the best the genre has to offer!
First Row (Left to Right): Stop or My Momma Will Shoot, Wild Wild West, Conan, Tomb Raider, A Good Day To Die Hard
Second Row (Left to Right): ???
What are the movies on the second row?
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, Bangkok Dangerous, Double Team, I dunno what that Wesley movie is, he's made a lot of DTV Filmed in Bulgaria trash between Art of War and now, and The Avengers.
The Art of War II (pic from IMDb). Otherwise probably would have gone with Money Train for the Snipes movie.
edit:
Red Sonja, to be precise - I wouldn't disgrace Conan the Barbarian or even Conan the Destroyer by putting one of them with those other movies.
True Savior
Member
It's the sequel of Art of War.
27
I just didn't watch all the '80s and '90s action movies that everyone else is listing as a kid, so I have no nostalgia for them. I've seen a lot of them since, though, and honestly I don't think many of them besides Die Hard and T2 hold up.
Also, I prefer well done CGI spectacle to old-school practical effects.
I think I definitely need to watch more of the older and obscure action films from Hong Kong/ Japan. They were playing these old Shaw Brother films on late night TV a few years back and they were amazing yet I heard anything about them before.
1.Seven Samurai-
Maybe its a bit cheating to include Seven Samurai as it is hard to tell whether it fits the modern definition of an action film. Nonetheless, it does contain a spectacular action climax. The best thing about this film is that the action feels emotional; it is thrilling to watch the samurai and peasants risk their lives in order to survive another day from the cruelty of the bandits. Also, the samurais are so cool and personable.
I am pretty sure that scene in Fury Road where Max goes into the mist and the action happens off screen is a homage to a similar scene in Seven Samurai where one of the samurai goes off into the distance and comes back latter with enemy muskets.
2. Kill Bill (vol1)
I recently saw a retro back-to-back screening of these films. I used to think that they felt like different films and preferred vol.1 over vol.2. I think seeing them together made me realise that it was originally just one very long film. After the crazy action of vol.1, it makes perfect sense to focus more on the background story and characters as a counter point. Vol.2 still has great action as well with Pai Mei and the Elle Driver fight (I love the use of comedy in this fight; half the time Elle is trying to retract the Hanzo sword but cannot due to the small fighting space). The crazy mix of samurai/martial arts/ western/ exploitation films is great.
[Edit: due to the rules I will just include both as separate movies seeing as I only have five entries anyway.
3. Kill Bill (vol2)
4. Drunken Master II
Jackie Chan films seem dangerous. The stunt work they do is just insane and mindblowing; it is thrilling to watch because you aware of the dangers they are putting themselves through just to get a shot. Great use of comedy as well which makes the fight scenes more entertaining.
5. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
Saw this on late night tv one time. These Buddhists monks are super violent lol. Love the scene where main character violently shaves his head to be accepted at the monastery. The over the top melodrama in some of the scenes makes this a fun watch as well.Need to see more of these old school martial arts flicks!
6. The Terminator
The sequel has more crazy stunts and pure spectacle but I prefer how lean and raw the first one is. The sense of dread that underpins the action in this film is great. Funnily enough, Andrei Tarkovsky, of all people ,was apparently a fan of this film.
1.Seven Samurai-
Maybe its a bit cheating to include Seven Samurai as it is hard to tell whether it fits the modern definition of an action film. Nonetheless, it does contain a spectacular action climax. The best thing about this film is that the action feels emotional; it is thrilling to watch the samurai and peasants risk their lives in order to survive another day from the cruelty of the bandits. Also, the samurais are so cool and personable.
I am pretty sure that scene in Fury Road where Max goes into the mist and the action happens off screen is a homage to a similar scene in Seven Samurai where one of the samurai goes off into the distance and comes back latter with enemy muskets.
2. Kill Bill (vol1)
I recently saw a retro back-to-back screening of these films. I used to think that they felt like different films and preferred vol.1 over vol.2. I think seeing them together made me realise that it was originally just one very long film. After the crazy action of vol.1, it makes perfect sense to focus more on the background story and characters as a counter point. Vol.2 still has great action as well with Pai Mei and the Elle Driver fight (I love the use of comedy in this fight; half the time Elle is trying to retract the Hanzo sword but cannot due to the small fighting space). The crazy mix of samurai/martial arts/ western/ exploitation films is great.
[Edit: due to the rules I will just include both as separate movies seeing as I only have five entries anyway.
3. Kill Bill (vol2)
4. Drunken Master II
Jackie Chan films seem dangerous. The stunt work they do is just insane and mindblowing; it is thrilling to watch because you aware of the dangers they are putting themselves through just to get a shot. Great use of comedy as well which makes the fight scenes more entertaining.
5. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
Saw this on late night tv one time. These Buddhists monks are super violent lol. Love the scene where main character violently shaves his head to be accepted at the monastery. The over the top melodrama in some of the scenes makes this a fun watch as well.Need to see more of these old school martial arts flicks!
6. The Terminator
The sequel has more crazy stunts and pure spectacle but I prefer how lean and raw the first one is. The sense of dread that underpins the action in this film is great. Funnily enough, Andrei Tarkovsky, of all people ,was apparently a fan of this film.
superdeluxe
Member
1) T2
2) Die Hard
3) Aliens
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark
5) The Road Warrior
6) Leon: The Professional
7) Mad Max: Fury Road
8) Predator
9) Matrix
10) Bourne Ultimatum
2) Die Hard
3) Aliens
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark
5) The Road Warrior
6) Leon: The Professional
7) Mad Max: Fury Road
8) Predator
9) Matrix
10) Bourne Ultimatum
Randomizer
Member
1. Diehard
2. Predator
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Big Trouble in Little China
5. Leon: The Professional
6. Lethal Weapon
7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
8. Police Story
9. Total Recall
10. Enter the Dragon
2. Predator
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Big Trouble in Little China
5. Leon: The Professional
6. Lethal Weapon
7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
8. Police Story
9. Total Recall
10. Enter the Dragon
Splatterpunk
Member
You must really love buddy cop movies if somehow a damn Martin Lawrence comedy made it onto your best action movies list.
Violence Jack
Member
Re-doing my list. Going with my heart. Too hard to choose only 10.
1. Die Hard
2. Robocop
3. Kill Bill Volume 1
4. Die Hard With A Vengeance
5. Enter The Dragon
6. Lethal Weapon
7. The Last Boy Scout
8. Predator
9. Rambo 2
10. Hard Target
Honorable Mentions:
The Matrix
Blade
Bloodsport
Kick-Ass
The Road Warrior
Mad Max: Fury Road
Commando
The Running Man
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Aliens
Speed
Terminator 2
1. Die Hard
2. Robocop
3. Kill Bill Volume 1
4. Die Hard With A Vengeance
5. Enter The Dragon
6. Lethal Weapon
7. The Last Boy Scout
8. Predator
9. Rambo 2
10. Hard Target
Honorable Mentions:
The Matrix
Blade
Bloodsport
Kick-Ass
The Road Warrior
Mad Max: Fury Road
Commando
The Running Man
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Aliens
Speed
Terminator 2
Interesting. How diverse and different taste can develop. I didn't watch many of them either, since my parents were very strict with age ratings - and they are a bit harsher in Germany I guess. I'm 29 btw, so not that far off.
I watched most of these movies beginning 16 and up, Commando in my early 20s e.g. - but I just love how they made movies back then. The practical effects and everything that came with it. I don' mind the CGI fests nowadays, but I get really excited, when a movie production tries to do stuff without it - or uses CGI just for support. I also like the fact, that even the movies in franchises worked really well on their own back then and didn't hassle with setting up the next one. T2, Aliens, Die Harder... They did just fine on their own. Which is incidentally one of the qualities I love about the new Mad Max. Part of the franchise, works on its own.
Jack Remington
Banned
So my girlfriend loves the Simon Pegg / Nick Frost films, but I had never seen this one. So we watched it. I was kind of nodding along at this Sideways-esque dramedy about guys on the verge of middle age.
Then the restroom scene happened. My eyes went wide with confusion. Then wider with amazement.
Fucking phenomenal film.
Magic Mushroom
Member
Yeah, Brad Allan does great action choreography. He did Kingsman as well and the church scene in that alone is an action classic.
Jack Remington
Banned
Colin Firth: action hero.
It's so good. I read that the director offered him the role on the condition that he train his ass off to do that scene convincingly.
So this fucking guy from The King's Speech got in the best shape of his life and absolutely crushed it. I love that so much.
1. Aliens
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Terminator 2
===
4. Star Wars
5. The Matrix Reloaded
6. Akira
7. Titanic (I know it's a period romance movie but the ship sinking sequence is more intense than some pure action movies imo)
8. Avatar
9. Ghost in the Shell
10. Apocalypto
Honorable mentions: Inception, The Incredibles, X:2, The Dark Knight
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Terminator 2
===
4. Star Wars
5. The Matrix Reloaded
6. Akira
7. Titanic (I know it's a period romance movie but the ship sinking sequence is more intense than some pure action movies imo)
8. Avatar
9. Ghost in the Shell
10. Apocalypto
Honorable mentions: Inception, The Incredibles, X:2, The Dark Knight
Firth is an awesome, awesome actor.
Some follow-up after scanning the thread (may have missed a few, but I'll be going through in detail soon to check for other issues).
Same as above. Since this item is currently invalid you only have 4 items on your list, under the minimum threshold of 5. You can separate the KB movies into two items or just pick one.
Same as above. I'm guessing you mean Vol. 1 but again, can't be sure unless specified.
List must be numbered - otherwise can't be counted.
You only have 4 ranked items - need a minimum of 5 to be eligible.
I'm counting this as the 1995 Stallone movie and not 2012's Dredd. If intended differently you can update your post.
Each ranked item must be a single movie, not a representation of multiple films in a franchise. As written it's not clear if you're ranking the first LW and DH movies, so these two entries would be invalid and your #10 item would get bumped up to #8.
Same as above. Since this item is currently invalid you only have 4 items on your list, under the minimum threshold of 5. You can separate the KB movies into two items or just pick one.
Same as above. I'm guessing you mean Vol. 1 but again, can't be sure unless specified.
Even though I am an 80s kid and have seen a lot of the movies as a kid, I don't personally think a lot of the oldies are clearly superior to everything that has come afterwards, so my list is probably a lot different from the people who adore the likes of Terminator, Rambo, Predator & Die Hard. There's just something in modern aesthetics & feel of movies that I prefer to the older pre-90s ones. Also, a lot of the movies from my list of honorable mentions could be included in the Top 10, but these were the ones that I felt like putting in the Top 10 today.
1) Mad Max: Fury Road
I'm not that big of a fan of the older Mad Max movies, so I wasn't originally going to even see this movie. But then I heard the positive buzz and wowZZIEEEE. :O I think this is as close to movie perfection as a movie can be. It's not that they couldn't have picked better actors or that there couldn't be more depth to the story, but even as it is there's nothing that drags this movie down. Even if they had some actor who could've acted better than the ones it has now, it would have been an incremental improvement, at best. The story is good enough (especially for an action movie) that I never really hoped that there would be something more to it. The movie has good & even great performances by the cast. The pacing is top-notch, giving just enough time to breathe between the action sequences and knowing when to create tension. And the action in this movie is just insane on a whole new level.
The movie DOES require some suspension of disbelief and appreciation of the somewhat wacky dark-ish humor that it's filled with, but if one is not turned off by all that stuff, then this is a pretty mind-blowingly awesome experience.
2) The Raid: Redemption
One of the most exciting action movies of all time. The stakes remain high throughout the movie and you never stop wondering how in hell will any of them "good guys" survive out of the building. Some really impressive fight scenes & inventive scenarios. Brutal as hell.
I picked the first movie because I think the second movie suffers from the same problem as Age of Ultron: there are things that I think the sequel does better & the action part of the movie is perhaps constantly even more impressive than the first movie, but the sequel feels a bit too incoherrent & bloated, to the detriment of the overall experience. Like the first Avengers, the first Raid is just a tighter, better paced package and that perhaps made it the more enjoyable movie to watch.
3) Kill Bill Vol. 1
The movie that brought Tarantino into my life. An audiovisually stunning homage to kung fu movies. I love that every fight is different. It's also great that the Bride never seems invincible (though her recovery from all of the shit she goes through is nothing short of a miracle, lol). She constantly screws up & suffers for it. Can't mention Kill Bill without giving kudos to its awesome soundtrack that is used extremely well during the movie.
4) The Matrix
The first Matrix is easily the best action movie of the 90s, before the Wachowskis went off the deep CGI end with the sequels. An interesting concept, really awesome combat and cool style.
5) Fifth Element
I don't know what it is about this movie that makes it so good. It could have & maybe SHOULD have been an absolute train-wreck & embarrassment of a movie, everything considered. But it just all works in all of its weirdness, corniness, over-the-topness & at times low-budget-lookness. One of those movies I re-watch at least once or twice every year.
6) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This is probably the most beautiful action movie ever. There's just this beauty in everything about the movie that you don't really find in a lot of action movies. The movement, the action, the vistas, the cast. A sad, yet beautiful story.
7) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Probably the best action movie based on a comic/graphical novel. Some really fun fight scenes, sublime visual direction, neat little homages to video games and great music. Not the deepest action movie of all time from a thematic/story POV, but one of the most entertaining ones for sure.
8) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Couldn't leave Marvel out of the Top 10 completely. Winter Soldier is easily the best superhero movie of all time. Great action, fun espionage filled almost thriller like story and probably the best villains in a modern Marvel movie so far. The stakes are high yet the movie still manages to feel quite personal. The only downside is the somewhat generic EPIC ACTION near the end but even there it manages to have some decent moments.
9) Kung Fu Hustle
I just really, really like this movie.
10) Kingsman
Silly, corny & totally over-the-top. Really entertaining and well paced with some fun action sequences. I agree that the movie kind of suffered after
, but it still remained entertaining throughout. The only bigger blemish of this otherwise entertaining movie is how they treat that Scandinavian princess near the end, but the movie luckily isn't filled with that kind of objectification, so I'm not gonna let that affect my opinion of this movie too much.
This is also a movie that made me understand why some people like the old Bond movies with all their corny stuff & silly villains. I still don't care for them myself, but I perhaps understand now why some people enjoy them. This is basically a modernized (and imho, better done in every way) old school Bond movie. The reason why I like Kingsman while I somewhat dislike old Bond movies is probably because even in all of its wackiness, there is a somewhat more grounded and kind of more humane, serious side that works better than the old Bonds in which I just don't find much to relate with (elements like the main character's mother living in an abusive relationship and
are at least somewhat relatable). It's probably also got to do with the style of action & the more modern aesthetics that I prefer. The church scene is one of the GOAT action scenes, something I can't find in the old Bond movies.
Honorable mentions
Nikita
Kick Ass
Dredd
Avengers
Sin City
Leon: The Professional
Casino Royale
Goldeneye
The Bourne trilogy
Watchmen
John Wick
Taken
The Incredibles
Oldboy
Inception
True Lies
1) Mad Max: Fury Road
I'm not that big of a fan of the older Mad Max movies, so I wasn't originally going to even see this movie. But then I heard the positive buzz and wowZZIEEEE. :O I think this is as close to movie perfection as a movie can be. It's not that they couldn't have picked better actors or that there couldn't be more depth to the story, but even as it is there's nothing that drags this movie down. Even if they had some actor who could've acted better than the ones it has now, it would have been an incremental improvement, at best. The story is good enough (especially for an action movie) that I never really hoped that there would be something more to it. The movie has good & even great performances by the cast. The pacing is top-notch, giving just enough time to breathe between the action sequences and knowing when to create tension. And the action in this movie is just insane on a whole new level.
The movie DOES require some suspension of disbelief and appreciation of the somewhat wacky dark-ish humor that it's filled with, but if one is not turned off by all that stuff, then this is a pretty mind-blowingly awesome experience.
2) The Raid: Redemption
One of the most exciting action movies of all time. The stakes remain high throughout the movie and you never stop wondering how in hell will any of them "good guys" survive out of the building. Some really impressive fight scenes & inventive scenarios. Brutal as hell.
I picked the first movie because I think the second movie suffers from the same problem as Age of Ultron: there are things that I think the sequel does better & the action part of the movie is perhaps constantly even more impressive than the first movie, but the sequel feels a bit too incoherrent & bloated, to the detriment of the overall experience. Like the first Avengers, the first Raid is just a tighter, better paced package and that perhaps made it the more enjoyable movie to watch.
3) Kill Bill Vol. 1
The movie that brought Tarantino into my life. An audiovisually stunning homage to kung fu movies. I love that every fight is different. It's also great that the Bride never seems invincible (though her recovery from all of the shit she goes through is nothing short of a miracle, lol). She constantly screws up & suffers for it. Can't mention Kill Bill without giving kudos to its awesome soundtrack that is used extremely well during the movie.
4) The Matrix
The first Matrix is easily the best action movie of the 90s, before the Wachowskis went off the deep CGI end with the sequels. An interesting concept, really awesome combat and cool style.
5) Fifth Element
I don't know what it is about this movie that makes it so good. It could have & maybe SHOULD have been an absolute train-wreck & embarrassment of a movie, everything considered. But it just all works in all of its weirdness, corniness, over-the-topness & at times low-budget-lookness. One of those movies I re-watch at least once or twice every year.
6) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This is probably the most beautiful action movie ever. There's just this beauty in everything about the movie that you don't really find in a lot of action movies. The movement, the action, the vistas, the cast. A sad, yet beautiful story.
7) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Probably the best action movie based on a comic/graphical novel. Some really fun fight scenes, sublime visual direction, neat little homages to video games and great music. Not the deepest action movie of all time from a thematic/story POV, but one of the most entertaining ones for sure.
8) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Couldn't leave Marvel out of the Top 10 completely. Winter Soldier is easily the best superhero movie of all time. Great action, fun espionage filled almost thriller like story and probably the best villains in a modern Marvel movie so far. The stakes are high yet the movie still manages to feel quite personal. The only downside is the somewhat generic EPIC ACTION near the end but even there it manages to have some decent moments.
9) Kung Fu Hustle
I just really, really like this movie.
10) Kingsman
Silly, corny & totally over-the-top. Really entertaining and well paced with some fun action sequences. I agree that the movie kind of suffered after
the death of Firth's character
This is also a movie that made me understand why some people like the old Bond movies with all their corny stuff & silly villains. I still don't care for them myself, but I perhaps understand now why some people enjoy them. This is basically a modernized (and imho, better done in every way) old school Bond movie. The reason why I like Kingsman while I somewhat dislike old Bond movies is probably because even in all of its wackiness, there is a somewhat more grounded and kind of more humane, serious side that works better than the old Bonds in which I just don't find much to relate with (elements like the main character's mother living in an abusive relationship and
the danger her baby was in near the end of the movie
Honorable mentions
Nikita
Kick Ass
Dredd
Avengers
Sin City
Leon: The Professional
Casino Royale
Goldeneye
The Bourne trilogy
Watchmen
John Wick
Taken
The Incredibles
Oldboy
Inception
True Lies
oh, well ok then. I edited my ranking.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
While I didn't put them on my own list, I do like seeing Hot Fuzz, World's End, and Scott Pilgrim showing up on other people's lists. Most people tend to think of him as a comedic director, but Edgar Wright absolutely has an understanding of how to shoot action that is better than 95% of most action directors currently working.
WadiumArcadium
Member
Makes me laugh every time. So good.
1. Terminator 2
2. Heat
3. Matrix
4. Die Hard
5. Snatch
6. Avengers
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
8. Top Gun
9. 28 Days Later
10. Dredd
Honorable mention to The Rock, Lethal Weapon series, and Fast and Furious series.
Edit: shit forgot a Badass one that needs to be on my list.
2. Heat
3. Matrix
4. Die Hard
5. Snatch
6. Avengers
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
8. Top Gun
9. 28 Days Later
10. Dredd
Honorable mention to The Rock, Lethal Weapon series, and Fast and Furious series.
Edit: shit forgot a Badass one that needs to be on my list.
1. Die Hard - I always considered it a great movie, but having seen it a few years bck with a more thorough understanding of movies (pacing and such) Die Hard blew me away. Engaging, fun and most importantly tight as a great action movie should be. It's no wonder then what my next tw entries will be.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - So, so glad I was able to see in a cinema.
3. The Raid Redemption - It still blows my mind that my friends were rather unimpressed by it. Through its entire runtime was in awe of the devastating but hands-on action. Haven't seen The Raid 2 yet since I fear the added story and whatnot will leave me rather disappointed.
4. Con Air - I adore this movie. One of greatest cast, over the top like nothing else.
Now some movies in "random" order
5. Die Hard with a Vengeance
6. Ong-Bak
7. Commando
8. The Rock
9. The Matrix
10. Crank
2. Mad Max: Fury Road - So, so glad I was able to see in a cinema.
3. The Raid Redemption - It still blows my mind that my friends were rather unimpressed by it. Through its entire runtime was in awe of the devastating but hands-on action. Haven't seen The Raid 2 yet since I fear the added story and whatnot will leave me rather disappointed.
4. Con Air - I adore this movie. One of greatest cast, over the top like nothing else.
Now some movies in "random" order
5. Die Hard with a Vengeance
6. Ong-Bak
7. Commando
8. The Rock
9. The Matrix
10. Crank
Secret Fawful
Member
Oh yeah. This is gonna be a good list. There's potential for this to be my favorite post in the topic. I need to rewatch Winners and Sinners, City Hunter, and Bloodsport.
What the fuck? xD
In no particular order:
1-Aliens
2-Die Hard
3-Raid Berendal
4-Mad Max Fury Road
5-Heat
6-Terminator 2
7-Die Hard With a Vengeance
8-Indiana Jones and the last crusade
9-Indiana Jones and raiders of lost ark
10-Matrix
Honorable mentions:
Kingsman
John Wick
Terminator
Capt America Winter Soldier
The Rock
etc
1-Aliens
2-Die Hard
3-Raid Berendal
4-Mad Max Fury Road
5-Heat
6-Terminator 2
7-Die Hard With a Vengeance
8-Indiana Jones and the last crusade
9-Indiana Jones and raiders of lost ark
10-Matrix
Honorable mentions:
Kingsman
John Wick
Terminator
Capt America Winter Soldier
The Rock
etc
marvelharvey
Member
1986-1991, what a time to be alive.
1 Aliens (1986)
2 Terminator 2 (1991)
3 Die Hard (1989)
4 Predator (1987)
5 Robocop (1987)
Golden era of action movies bookends:
6 True Lies (1994)
7 Raiders Of The Lost Arc (1981)
This is pretty good too
8 The Matrix (1999)
Other movies I liked but can't bring myself to add them to a 'greatest of all time' list:
Leon, Mad Max Fury Road, Total Recall, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Speed, Hard Boiled, Edge Of Tomorrow, Drunken Master II
1 Aliens (1986)
2 Terminator 2 (1991)
3 Die Hard (1989)
4 Predator (1987)
5 Robocop (1987)
Golden era of action movies bookends:
6 True Lies (1994)
7 Raiders Of The Lost Arc (1981)
This is pretty good too
8 The Matrix (1999)
Other movies I liked but can't bring myself to add them to a 'greatest of all time' list:
Leon, Mad Max Fury Road, Total Recall, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Speed, Hard Boiled, Edge Of Tomorrow, Drunken Master II
DiscoJer
Member
1) Where Eagles Dare
2) Predator 2
3) Robocop
4) Die Hard
5) Hard Boiled
6) The Dirty Dozen
7) Kill Zone (Donnie Yen/Sammo Hung movie)
8) The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
9) Aliens
10) The Fifth Element
Where Eagles Dare is to my mind, the first "modern" action movie. It's basically non-stop action from start to finish and has a tremendous body count (Clint Eastwood's highest). While you saw the same basic formula before in The Guns of Navarone, that was much slower paced and more suspense rather than action. It's really pure action,
Predator 2 is really a great movie on several different levels. Firstly, the movie starts off with an amazing action scene, then slows down a bit in the middle, the last 1/3 of the movie is basically one long fight between Danny Glover and a Predator. But beyond that, there's a lot of satire in the movie and a great supporting cast of B movies actors from the 1970s.
The Dirty Dozen doesn't have as much action as the later Where Eagles Dare, but it spends a lot of time on character development of main characters,
2) Predator 2
3) Robocop
4) Die Hard
5) Hard Boiled
6) The Dirty Dozen
7) Kill Zone (Donnie Yen/Sammo Hung movie)
8) The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
9) Aliens
10) The Fifth Element
Where Eagles Dare is to my mind, the first "modern" action movie. It's basically non-stop action from start to finish and has a tremendous body count (Clint Eastwood's highest). While you saw the same basic formula before in The Guns of Navarone, that was much slower paced and more suspense rather than action. It's really pure action,
Predator 2 is really a great movie on several different levels. Firstly, the movie starts off with an amazing action scene, then slows down a bit in the middle, the last 1/3 of the movie is basically one long fight between Danny Glover and a Predator. But beyond that, there's a lot of satire in the movie and a great supporting cast of B movies actors from the 1970s.
The Dirty Dozen doesn't have as much action as the later Where Eagles Dare, but it spends a lot of time on character development of main characters,
lemmykoopa
Junior Member
1) Terminator 2
2) Predator
3) The Raid 2
4) Aliens
5) John Rambo (Rambo 4)
6) Police Story
7) The Raid
8) Mad Max Fury Road
9) Jurassic Park
10) The Matrix
2) Predator
3) The Raid 2
4) Aliens
5) John Rambo (Rambo 4)
6) Police Story
7) The Raid
8) Mad Max Fury Road
9) Jurassic Park
10) The Matrix
This is hard as hell to do. There are a number of films that could be swapped out on a different day but here it is:
1. Hard Boiled
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Die Hard
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. 13 Assassins
6. Aliens
7. Terminator 2
8. The Raid 2
9. Starship Troopers
10. Predator
1. Hard Boiled
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Die Hard
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
5. 13 Assassins
6. Aliens
7. Terminator 2
8. The Raid 2
9. Starship Troopers
10. Predator
Since this thread came up, I realized that I never watched Hard Boiled, despite it being on my Watchlist for a few years now.
Looked it up, Netflix UK and Ireland have it, went for it.
Should have picked a better day though. While I liked what I saw, I was way to tired and dozed off. Had nothing to do with the movie, maybe I was too tired for subtitles yesterday, who knows..
I have to try it again with a clear mind, but I really liked the performances so far and the action is really well made, even if I associate the John Woo look with his Hollywood work more and here, the quality of the cameras used seem to be highly fluctuating and less polished.
Well, I'll try again soon
Looked it up, Netflix UK and Ireland have it, went for it.
Should have picked a better day though. While I liked what I saw, I was way to tired and dozed off. Had nothing to do with the movie, maybe I was too tired for subtitles yesterday, who knows..
I have to try it again with a clear mind, but I really liked the performances so far and the action is really well made, even if I associate the John Woo look with his Hollywood work more and here, the quality of the cameras used seem to be highly fluctuating and less polished.
Well, I'll try again soon
- Status