You know the trouble with the action movie genre and, by extension, whittling down a list of the best action movies?
The term is so damn broad that taxonomy often fails to box it all up neatly. And what you're left with is a million options as well as a whole lot of crossover.
Prime example: Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz is definitely an action comedy, although it can also be categorised under crime action. The same can be said about Lethal Weapon, The Other Guys, Beverly Hills Cop, and even Black Dynamite.
Another example: John Wick starring Keanu Reeves — is it crime action or martial arts action? The answer is... yes. File it under both.
Then there's the matter of what should theoretically have a place here but instead has been omitted. Surely the Rocky franchise is also martial arts action. Right? Wrong. It's apparently a sports drama. Meaning we have to give it a miss in this conversation entirely.
With all this in mind, check out BH's 101 best action movies of all time below.
The 101 Best Action Movies Of All Time
Classic Action
Die Hard not only set the standard for modern action flicks, but also established the blueprint. Here we have Bruce Willis at his very finest: an extremely capable cop who, like the archetypal hard-boiled detectives before him, can't seem to get a handle on his personal life and effectively takes it out on a band of terrorists led by the late great Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber. It's peak escapism.
While the franchise's earlier instalments undoubtedly had more of a cultural impact, as a film, Mad Max: Fury Road is by far the strongest (and most technically brilliant). Despite the reported on-set tensions between the two, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron nail it. Actually... given their characters' begrudging dynamic, the icy treatment of one another in real life might have enhanced the performances.
Quentin Tarantino does what he does best as a fanboy of cinema in this ultra-stylish pastiche of the grindhouse genre, kung fu flicks, samurai flicks, blaxploitation movies, and of course, Spaghetti Westerns. It's like they say: revenge is a dish best served a la Tarantino. We can still hear that unforgettable guitar riff of Tomoyasu Hotei's 'Battle Without Honor or Humanity.'
Bold. Brash. Bloody. This is the quintessential Hong Kong action movie; and the final one director John Woo produced before he transplanted himself to the Hollywood system and started pumping out the likes of Broken Arrow and Face/Off (see:vbelow). One can easily see why both Woo and leading man Chow Yun-fat skyrocketed to international stardom shortly after its bullet-riddled premiere.
A key testament to Keanu Reeves enduring star power, as the synopsis suggests, this is non-stop thrills over the course of two hours. Bar The Matrix, the man has never looked more bankable. The same can be said about Sandra Bullock.
No list of best action movies is complete without a dose of Michael Bay, and for our money, it has to be The Rock. Between Sean Connery at arguably his most Sean Connery-ish to Nic Cage playing the straight man, this highly-quotable yet intellectually nutritionless piece of explosive Americana is a must-watch. Side note: it also provides quite a convincing fan theory regarding the fate of Connery's James Bond.
Creepy undertones regarding age-appropriate relationships aside, this twisted assassin's apprenticeship between Jean Reno's titular Leon and Natalie Portman's Mathilda makes for fascinating viewing. Leon: The Professional also features Gary Oldman at his most menacing.
There's a reason why Alien put Ridley Scott on the (mainstream) map: it's a goddamn masterpiece in tension and horror. While it would eventually spawn a string of, shall we say, "mixed bag" follow-ups, this debut instalment deserves to be celebrated as the stunning achievement it is.
Bullitt essentially revolutionised car chases in modern cinema with that unforgettable sequence over the hilly San Francisco streets (and Steve McQueen has honestly never been cooler).
Is it bloody ridiculous? Yes. But is it enjoyable AF? Also yes. It was comforting to see that director John Woo hadn't rid himself of that over-the-top flair that made him a household name in Hong Kong. Sometimes you just want to observe a spectacle. However silly it may strike you upon further analysis.
Zero explanation required. Just Sly doing Sly things.
Action Comedies
As far as breakout screenplays go, this one is certified a Hall of Famer. It slingshot Shane Black, then a 20-something-year-old wunderkind, into Hollywood superstardom and delivered riches beyond his imagination. Black would go on to pen The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero, The Long Kiss Goodnight; penning and directing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, as well as The Nice Guys. The Lethal Weapon franchise, on the other hand, spanned four films and grossed well over half a billion dollars in box office revenue.
Aside from Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright's direction has honestly never been sharper. Shaun of the Dead, which also stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as a buddy duo, also deserves a spot on this list. But for the sake of variety, we've opted to stick with the slightly stronger Cornetto Trilogy instalment.
I defy you to name a comedic duo with more unexpected chemistry than Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys. While Adam McKay would eventually direct the likes of The Big Short and HBO's Succession, this was his original masterpiece. At least in our books.
Prior to Barbie, Ryan Gosling was considered an underrated comedic actor. The Nice Guys proves what a select few had known the entire time.
This love letter to classic martial art cinema, gangster flicks, and even cartoons is a masterfully layered pastiche that both film buffs and the everyday punter can appreciate. It's hard to pull of slapstick in the 21st century but if anyone could do it, it was gonna be Stephen Chow.
Crime Action
Sci-Fi Action
RELATED: The 10 Greatest Al Pacino Movies Of All Time (Ranked)
Action Western
War Action
Spy Action
Action Adventure
Martial Arts Action
Historical Action Movies
There's more where that came from.
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The 100 Best Action Movies Of All Time — Frequently Asked Questions
An action movie, and the action movie genre, is generally typified by films that involve exciting events, often acts of violence, and incredible physical feats.
Action is certainly among the most popular movie genres alongside drama and comedy (globally). In the United States, action is the fourth most-streamed genre behind drama, animated, and crime.
According to IMDb, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger is the highest-rated action movie of all time (9.0). This is followed closely by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and another Nolan flick with Inception.
