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

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Skulldead

Member
Ridley327 said:
There are a lot of reasons to take fault with this list, but Oldboy isn't an action film by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, it does have one really great fight scene in it, but one great fight scene doesn't make it into an action film.
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You got a good point on this

but the movie have like 3 fight scene..... so... it can be on action genre ?

A Bittersweet Life is on the list... this is not a action movie... this list make no sense the more i think about it.
 
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Sgt. Kabukiman

Banned
HyperZone<3 said:
there are some really great, fully worthy and underseen films on the list.

Time and Tide (Tsui Hark's underrated work that pre-dated a looooong slump)
A Bittersweet Life (still my favorite Korean gangster movie)
and Johnnie To's Exiled and Drug War are fine choices as well (although I'd put Vengeance above Exiled, but that's just me).
13 Assassins might be Takashi Miike's most accessible film, its also one of his very best.

Some of them aren't really action films per se (Elite Squad, Why Don't You Play In Hell?, The Guest).

So, lots to criticize and laud here.
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I haven't thought about that one in a while. One of my favorite Korean films too.

I've never been able to enjoy Tsui Hark's work though, don't know why. Except for his weird cannibal film from the 80s, that one was kinda fun.
 
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bud

Member
HIGH DEF JEFF said:
I couldnt even think of what to say about Blackhat being on there..im a irrational michael mann apologist but that was the movie i had no defense for..and ive seen the "exclusive" directors cut he showed at BAM last year. Its one of the worst movies ive ever seen and to include it in an ACTION list just proves my point that the list is going for controversy not accuracy.
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i love mann, too, but that movie is a tepid mess.
 
P

p2535748

Member
I like that the list is trying for some different stuff, and I won't even complain about the ordering, but ...

Blackhat
GITS 2
Shoot 'em Up
300
Man on Fire

are all super weird inclusions to me. I'm a huge Mann apologist, but Blackhat is terrible, and the rest of them are various shades of forgettable, and I'm stunned someone would include any of those over The Raid 2.
 
A

archreaper93

Member
Seesaw15 said:
The Raid not in top 10?
the-raid-1.gif
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Literally right outside the top 10.

Still bullshit that it isn't top 10.
 
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Net_Wrecker

Member
Bunch of L carriers in this thread.

I got your back Expendable. Unique, more personal lists always >>> whatever these people want you to put out.

Plus putting Miami Vice at #1 shows a human at peak mental state, operating on a level that would make Scarlett Johansson jealous.
 
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zma1013

Member
Miami Vice was an action movie? Maybe it's just because I remember absolutely nothing about it, but is there action in it?
 
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TheFlow

Banned
Net_Wrecker said:
Bunch of L carriers in this thread.

I got your back Expendable. Unique, more personal lists always >>> whatever these people want you to put out.

Plus putting Miami Vice at #1 shows a human at peak mental state, operating on a level that would make Scarlett Johansson jealous.
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This is a good post
 
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starchild excalibur

Member
Surprised to see Non-Stop on there at all. It took me a sec to remember I watched that film. Other inclusions like Jack Reacher or Haywire or even Ghost Protocol (I literally don't remember anything about that film except the sky scraper scene) are strange to me, too. I haven't seen Miami Vice so I can't hate on it being number one, but that also comes as a shock to me.

Like others have said, the omission of Kingsman or even fun romps like Smokin' Aces feels like a big oversight. And while there was a bit too much narrative for my liking, The Raid 2 should easily be in the top 25.

But opinions are opinions. At the very least the list reminded me of a couple of films I still need to check out.
 
eso76

eso76

Member
Miami Vice is a good movie. From what I remember it's better at building tension than it is at action, but anyway, not a huge fan of pure action movies, so I'm not sure where it should be on the list.
What I know is that all E. Wright movies have copious amounts of action in them which make them eligible. Which means number 5 is the first available spot on the list for anything else.
And that probably goes to Kung fu hustle or Shaolin soccer anyway.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
Net_Wrecker said:
Bunch of L carriers in this thread.

I got your back Expendable. Unique, more personal lists always >>> whatever these people want you to put out.

Plus putting Miami Vice at #1 shows a human at peak mental state, operating on a level that would make Scarlett Johansson jealous.
Click to expand...

Yes. The plebs are lost right now. One day they will join us in the sun
 
F

Forsaken82

Member
Certainly not how my top 50 list would look, but I do like the Michael Mann love...

Despite Miami Vice being as slow as it was, the action scenes were damn good (Collateral is the superior Action film though for sure)

FWIW, this list looks more like a list of the 50 best action scenes in a 21st century film and not so much the best Action Movies...
 
T

TheFlow

Banned
eso76 said:
Miami Vice is a good movie. From what I remember it's better at building tension than it is at action, but anyway, not a huge fan of pure action movies, so I'm not sure where it should be on the list.
What I know is that all E. Wright movies have copious amounts of action in them which make them eligible. Which means number 5 is the first available spot on the list for anything else.
And that probably goes to Kung fu hustle or Shaolin soccer anyway.
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Fuck why wasn't kungfu hustle on the list!
 
eso76

eso76

Member
Forsaken82 said:
Certainly not how my top 50 list would look, but I do like the Michael Mann love...

Despite Miami Vice being as slow as it was, the action scenes were damn good (Collateral is the superior Action film though for sure)

FWIW, this list looks more like a list of the 50 best action scenes in a 21st century film and not so much the best Action Movies...
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's also not clear if it's best overall movies in the action genre, or movies with the best action sequences.

Tbh, clicking on the actual link might provide some clarification.
 
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brawly

Member
If it was "Best Fighting Movie", yeah it would be The Raid. But best action is Fury Road imo. A masterpiece of film making.
 
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Ridley327

Member
eot said:
Collateral is way too high.

So is Kill Bill IMO
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Real talk: Tarantino really can't shoot action all that well. Way too many closeups where nothing is going on, which made having Yuen Woo-ping aboard for the choreography somewhat fruitless. There good films, but they're a long ways away from being anywhere close to the best action films of any era.
 
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Net_Wrecker

Member
eso76 said:
Yeah, it's also not clear if it's best overall movies in the action genre, or movies with the best action sequences.

Tbh, clicking on the actual link might provide some clarification.
Click to expand...

Ehh, the classification is sort of fluid when it comes to lists. Where do you draw the line with pure action movies vs. action-comedies, vs action-adventure vs. adventure vs. action-thrillers vs. thrillers with big action scenes in them? It's weird.

Then you get to the question in the last few posts: Are you choosing the best overall movie containing action, or the movie with the best action scenes?

Go with your heart.
 
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Sanke__

Member
No kingsman in the top 10....WTF
(surely it's on the list somewhere)

Sanjuro said:
Miami Vice...
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Lol
I was ready to defend it being on the list.....but number 1???? Yeah fuck that

Edit:
This might be one of the worst lists I have ever seen

Rogue Nation was not good (easily the worst mission impossible movie) and blackhat......fucking blackhat is top contender for the worst action movie ever made, I was a diehard defender of Michael Mann until I saw that steaming pile of shit
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
proud member of the lost boys who had blackhat as one of the 10 best movies of 2015....

his latest works have been extremely polarizing ever since Miami Vice.

Only one I won't defend is public enemies, there are great moments in there but its still not particularly good overall. everything else I like quite a bit.
 
B

BioHazard

Member
HIGH DEF JEFF said:
I couldnt even think of what to say about Blackhat being on there..im a irrational michael mann apologist but that was the movie i had no defense for..and ive seen the "exclusive" directors cut he showed at BAM last year. Its one of the worst movies ive ever seen and to include it in an ACTION list just proves my point that the list is going for controversy not accuracy.
Click to expand...

I was there too, great screening. Although, I can't understand how you would deride the film for it's action elements. Sure maybe it's more of an action-thriller rather than a through-and-through action flick, but there is quite literally no filmmaker out there that shoots shoot-outs like Mann (honestly the closest I've seen recently was Michael Bay with 13 Hours, yes, really). Not even taking into account Heat, all of his films from his "digital" era are incredible when it comes to the action. Miami Vice, Public Enemies, and Blackhat in a proper theater with a proper sound system were actually scary when the guns came out, you clenched up and held your breath. Seeing as this list was formed around action, it only makes sense that Mann is heavily represented. They should have Public Enemies on there (another film that completely bewilders me why it's negatively received).

EDIT: thinking about it more, I think the action in his films can be compared to Sam Peckinpah. The violence is sudden and meaningful and walks that fine line of having style without being grindhouse/exploitation.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
The scene where Max and Nux were chained together and they were fighting with furiosa was really cool. Reminded me of a jackie chan scene with all the jerking around and scrambling about.

and then when he closes it with this:
https://youtu.be/5pTZ4Xo2vmI?t=2m28s

:whew:, its more than just great car action. the last setpiece was basically apocalyptic Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 
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