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The 50 Best Action Movies of the 21st Century Thus Far

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Sephzilla

Member
I'd either have Fury Road or John Wick at #1 (leaning more towards Fury Road). Those are my two personal favorite action movies since The Matrix.
 

deleted

Member
Where are Undisputed 2 and 3? Legit great B-Movie Action Tournament Movies!

There so much stuff that should not be on the list in favor of more impressive flicks that those two would be absolutely high up.

Weird list. Opinions and all, but some on there are hardly action movies, but movies with an action scene or two.
 

Foggy

Member
Yeah the lack of Isaac Florentine and John Hyams is lamentable, especially considering the fawning love for late cycle Mann and Mission Impossible.
 
Yeah the lack of Isaac Florentine and John Hyams is lamentable, especially considering the fawning love for late cycle Mann and Mission Impossible.

It's not just Mission Impossible; I think the reviewer has a thing for Tom Cruise. Jack Reacher doesn't really belong here and as much as I like Oblivion (largely because of the soundtrack), it's not really an action film.
 

Brinbe

Member
Not nearly enough love for Asian action movies, which generally kick the shit outta Hollywood crap.
And people have mentioned tons of alternatives to the Raid series

Personally, that I've seen
Raid 2 (HOW THE FUCK IS THIS NOT NUMBER 1?????) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y8uKKgMjYU
Tom Yum Goong (I guarantee this scene shits on about 90% of this list https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHtpN0ypQuc )
Ong-Bak 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7d_UacumGk
Headshot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqN-U0CZWp4
Kill Zone 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxoC2eIMiw

and lots more. This list is shit.
 

Ronin Ray

Member
Where are Undisputed 2 and 3? Legit great B-Movie Action Tournament Movies!

There so much stuff that should not be on the list in favor of more impressive flicks that those two would be absolutely high up.

Weird list. Opinions and all, but some on there are hardly action movies, but movies with an action scene or two.

My man this is a post I can get behind .

I think there are two type of action fans in the world. Ones that know Hard Boiled is one of the greatest action movies ever made and there are people who don't like subtitles and stick to american action moives
 
If the plan was to put Miami Vice on my radar, they succeeded. I want to know why they think it's better than The Raid, Shoot Em Up, Crank, John Wick and Mad Max Fury Road.
 
Neat list Expendable. I attempted to make my personal top 15, but ranking action movies is tough so I appreciate the effort that must have gone into it. Balancing quality of the action and quality of the movie, and deciding if a movie even counts as action...

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. The Raid 2
3. Kill Bill
4. The Fellowship of the Ring
5. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
6. John Wick: Chapter 2
7. The Bourne Supremacy
8. The Raid
9. Casino Royale
10. Rambo
11. The Bourne Ultimatum
12. Bad Boys II
13. Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heaven's Door
14. The Good the Bad the Weird
15. Dredd
 

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
If the plan was to put Miami Vice on my radar, they succeeded. I want to know why they think it's better than The Raid, Shoot Em Up, Crank, John Wick and Mad Max Fury Road.

I've never seen Miami Vice either. Gonna have to check it out. If they include Crockett's Theme from GTA Vice City it'll make it worth it even if the movie sucks
 
Miami Vice is amazing you heathens.

I like Miami Vice, but no, lol. That list is laughable.

I really like Miami Vice. But I'm guess the list creators are just really into Mann seeing as how Blackhat got in there, which is really similar to Miami Vice, but not nearly as good.

I liked Miami Vice

Miami Vice is my favorite Mann film. There, I said it. It doesn't deserve to be number 1 but I'm glad it's getting some love.

Miami Vice is God-Tier

Miami Vice is good and vastly underrated, but it does not belong at 1.

Miami Vice is fantastic but this is one bizarre ass list.

I love Miami Vice but this is hilarious.

If the plan was to put Miami Vice on my radar, they succeeded.

Yeah, if this whole list exists to 1) flush out people who recognize Vice is a good movie, or 2) get people to give Miami Vice a second chance, then mission accomplished.

But at that point - just write a good article on why Miami Vice is worthy of reappraisal. Like this AV Club article by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. Or Bilge Elbri's case for it at Vulture.

But there is no way it's the best action movie of the 21st century. List is goddamned ridiculous.

I've never seen Miami Vice either. Gonna have to check it out. If they include Crockett's Theme from GTA Vice City it'll make it worth it even if the movie sucks

It's nothing like the TV show at all. Which it got dinged pretty hard for when it first came out.

I like the idea of calling it "Crockett's Theme from GTA Vice City" though. That's kinda funny.
 
Miami Vice is sweet, end of story. Slick visuals, bumpin soundtrack, Mann's clinical coolness operating in full. It's no Heat or Thief, but it doesn't deserve the flak it gets.
 

Sephzilla

Member
This thread is making me wonder if I'm weird, because I prefer Raid 1 over Raid 2 and John Wick over Chapter 2. But I seem to be in the minority
 
This thread is making me wonder if I'm weird, because I prefer Raid 1 over Raid 2 and John Wick over Chapter 2. But I seem to be in the minority

I know plenty of people who hold the same opinions. I liked the tight pacing and confined nature of Raid 1, but Raid 2's action is better full stop. Visuals are better, more ambitious, scene to scene pacing is better, and each fight is memorable rather than how they kinda blend together after a while in the first.

Ditto for John Wick as well. The story motivation isn't as punchy but lawd they went all out with the action.
 

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
It's nothing like the TV show at all. Which it got dinged pretty hard for when it first came out.

I like the idea of calling it "Crockett's Theme from GTA Vice City" though. That's kinda funny.



lol hell yeah, not to derail but whenever that song would come on in that game i'd just drive around in a trance enjoying the immersion. I had no idea it was originally from Miami Vice until just a few weeks ago. I spent years looking for this fucking song.
 
This thread is making me wonder if I'm weird, because I prefer Raid 1 over Raid 2 and John Wick over Chapter 2. But I seem to be in the minority

You're not weird. Raid 1 is better than Raid 2. And while I have yet to see Chapter 2, I've heard from all my Wick crazy friends who HAVE seen Chapter 2 that they preferred the first one.

So you're not some sort of freakish outlier.
 
You're not weird. Raid 1 is better than Raid 2. And while I have yet to see Chapter 2, I've heard from all my Wick crazy friends who HAVE seen Chapter 2 that they preferred the first one.

So you're not some sort of freakish outlier.

I never understood this sentiment. Raid 2 was a much better movie in pretty much every aspect, unless all you wanted was nonstop action and nothing else
 

creatchee

Member
Whatever one was in theaters...and I did not like it that much. The fact it's #1 is pretty crazy. What version should I watch to give it another chance?

There's a good write up here that delves into the impact that the differences has on each version of the film rather than simply listing them:

http://thoughtsonstuff.blogspot.com/2007/01/miami-vice-directors-edition.html?m=1

My biggest takeaway from the write-up is this:
I'd imagine there's even more material on the various people in the crew, and from a creative point of view, I think Mann was smart to cut that stuff for the theatrical cut. However, I think the added information of the new edition would make the film work better for the 'average viewer.' The theatrical cut is a Wong Kar-Wai style art film in the guise of a summer blockbuster, and that's why it largely fell through the cracks, marketed to one audience, but intended for another.

I loved Miami Vice precisely because of this. Mann always has a unique style with his presentation of scenes and atmosphere, but his narrative methods are often overlooked. A good parallel to Vice is one of his earlier works: Thief. While, at face value, that film is about a series of heists, the real exposition is the desperation of Frank to be happy and fulfilled with life, or rather his idea of what a good life should feel like. In Miami Vice, undercover policing is merely a vehicle for the story of Sonny opening up to a real connection with somebody, even if it's predicated by (however good-intentioned) deceit - the same deceit that is his daily life through his career.
 

Ronin Ray

Member
This thread is making me wonder if I'm weird, because I prefer Raid 1 over Raid 2 and John Wick over Chapter 2. But I seem to be in the minority

Your just saying you prefer action movies with out the extra fluff. Nothing wrong with that and I think John Wick is better then Chapter 2 which I was slightly disappointed in . Also most people like Raid 1 over 2 so I don't think your in the minority at all .

I feel like I am the only person that remembers the Kingsmen and thinks its a fantastic action movie
 
I never understood this sentiment. Raid 2 was a much better movie in pretty much every aspect, unless all you wanted was nonstop action and nothing else

I think the sentiment is based on a read of Raid 2 that sees the movie as being more movie, not necessarily better. Just more.

The more that was there is not good more.

So Raid 1 ends up seeming like a better movie to them because it's all the parts that work, glued together as efficiently as possible, without the hour of wheel-spinning mediocrity glued to it.

A good parallel to Vice is one of his earlier works: Thief. While, at face value, that film is about a series of heists, the real exposition is the desperation of Frank to be happy and fulfilled with life, or rather his idea of what a good life should feel like. In Miami Vice, undercover policing is merely a vehicle for the story of Sonny opening up to a real connection with somebody, even if it's predicated by (however good-intentioned) deceit - the same deceit that is his daily life through his career.

Yeah, this is good.
 
Ive been defending Miami Vice on these message boards for years and there is no way it should be number one. First...it has almost no action. Second..its not Casino Royale.
 
Non-Stop.

NON-STOP.

This guy has the gall, the MOTHERFUCKING TEMERITY, to include an Olivier Megaton movie on a list of the 50 Best Action Movies of the 21st Century. Olivier Megaton.

Oliver

irg55aK.gif


Megaton
 
I think it's a fantastic list. Don't agree with the ranking of it all but theres a lot of great stuff here

And while I think mad max belongs at number 1, Miami Vice being up there instead is fine by me. Both of them would end up being some of my favorite movies this century? Action or not.

Also raid 2 > 1 so it would have been nice to see that in here. That, bad boys 2 and world's end are the only glaring omissions I can think of at the moment.
 

Jarnet87

Member
This guy would been better off not even mentioning Kung Fu Hustle as a mention, because it's an absolute disrespect to leave it off and then put something like Hero on the list. Hero is bad. Hustle is incredible.
 

Sephzilla

Member
I think I just prefer action movies that are inherently more small scale because I feel smaller-scale action movies tend to stay more on track and not lose focus. Raid 1, Die Hard, Taken, John Wick, and Dredd are all pretty good examples of this. Raid 2, Die Hard 3/4/5*, and John Wick 2 are movies that are awesome but I feel get bogged down a little by trying to be bigger scale movies that have a bigger impact on the worlds they exist in and it ultimately causes the well oiled machine to get a big sluggish. Don't get me wrong, I love all of those sequels (and wish Dredd would get one) but I'm just trying to explain why I think I prefer stuff like Raid 1 and John Wick over their sequels.

* I actually think Die Hard 2 is fucking awesome and is a great sequel
 
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