Action movies feel unimaginative when you’re not a fan; what, they just run around, jump, shoot guns, and kick each other? Sure, sometimes it’s that simple, but when you really give yourself to the genre, you realize—it rules. Action movies have a lot of love and effort invested in them. It takes a lot to be physically fit for a high-octane role, and it takes even more effort to be able to emote when you just need to show brawn.
Besides the obvious effort invested into production and set safety, great casting, and compelling ideas that don’t become derivative or boring, action movies are just incredibly fun. Yes, they sometimes just run around, jump, shoot guns, and kick each other, and to that we say, so what? It’s great cinema. Just look at the 20 greatest action movie masterpieces of all time and tell me it’s not true; you can’t.
20
‘The Raid’ (2011)
The Raid is often described as the purest form of modern combat cinema, and few action films feel as ruthless and tiring as this one. Director Gareth Evans built the film entirely around the Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat, working closely with the film’s leading stars, Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian; Evans specifically wanted Uwais for The Raid, and they worked together a couple more times. The production had a small budget, limiting fights to cramped hallways and narrow rooms and using improvised weapons; with long takes and wide framing, Evans showcases the effectiveness of Pencak Silat, creating a relentless film that became almost instantly influential.
The Raid follows a rookie SWAT officer, Rama (Uwais), who joins a raid on a crime-lord-controlled apartment building, where they inevitably become trapped. Forced to fight floor by floor, Rama faces escalating waves of enemies while realizing he has personal connections to the building’s criminal hierarchy. By the end, The Raid, as entertaining as it is, feels tiring and like the final form of survival. It’s tiring but satisfying, proving that action is best when relying on physical storytelling.
19
‘Hard Boiled’ (1992)
Fans of John Woo know he’s one of the OGs of pure action cinema, and Hard Boiled represents the absolute apex of the “heroic bloodshed” era in Hong Kong film. There’s some melodrama and emotions, but a lot more stylized gun violence and fancy shootouts. Woo choreographed the action sequences like they were musical compositions or waves, going through rhythm and slow motion, even using white doves for extra visual poetry points. Hard Boiled has a long and climactic hospital shootout, which seems to unfold in a single continuous take, and it required weeks of planning. It’s one of the most technically daring action sequences ever filmed, in one of the greatest action movies imaginable.
Hard Boiled follows Inspector “Tequila” Yuen (Chow Yun-fat), a jazz and tequila slammer-loving cop, waging a relentless war against arms traffickers after the death of his partner. As he teams up with Alan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), an undercover agent embedded in the Hong Kong criminal network, the conflict escalates into increasingly explosive confrontations, though beneath all that chaos lies a surprisingly emotional core about loyalty and sacrifice. Hard Boiled is amazing because it makes gunfights look spectacular and carry heavy emotional stakes, proving action can be both emotionally resonant and visually overwhelming.
18
‘First Blood’ (1982)
First Blood is mostly known across the globe as just “Rambo,” with many people believing that’s the real name of the film. First Blood spawned the Rambo franchise, but unlike its sequels, it stands out as a deeply introspective action film that redefined the action hero archetype. Sylvester Stallone portrays John Rambo as affected by trauma and grief, reflecting America’s unresolved cultural wounds post–Vietnam War. The film was adapted from David Morrell‘s novel, though Stallone insisted on softening the character’s original brutality by making him more vulnerable and sympathetic.
First Blood follows John Rambo wandering into a small town in Washington, where he is harrassed by local authorities after being mistaken for a grifter. The harassment triggers Rambo to have a violent breakdown rooted in his wartime trauma. Rambo defends himself and runs to the nearby mountains, making himself the target of an intense manhunt, using his acquired survival skills to avoid capture. The action scenes rely heavily on practical stunts and real locations, including a dangerous cliff jump performed by Stallone himself. Despite being a festival of violence, First Blood shows that the action genre is capable of exploring trauma and alienation, showing how Rambo is ultimately a soldier abandoned by those he was sent to defend.
17
‘Casino Royale’ (2006)
Casino Royale is the first Daniel Craig-era James Bond film, and it revitalized the franchise into something very interesting, stripping away decades of camp and making Bond a raw man with emotional stakes involved in every mission. Craig’s casting sparked controversy at first, but the entire movie, in particular the parkour chase scene, immediately established his Bond as a physically intense and fallible operative. Director Martin Campbell decided to use practical stunts and realistic fight choreography, opting for visceral and grounded action sequences instead of over-the-top gadgetry.
Casino Royale follows Bond just after receiving his 00 license, aka “license to kill.” The movie shows his mission to bankrupt the terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) during a high-stakes poker game in Casino Royale in Montenegro. Besides intense action and high-stakes poker, the story follows Bond’s evolving relationship with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), which ultimately reshapes his worldview. By the end, Bond comes out of the experience hardened and emotionally guarded, setting the stage for the modern era of the character. Casino Royale is a brilliant action thriller, but also a much-needed reinvention of James Bond that brought dramatic weight and realism into one of cinema’s longest-running franchises.
16
‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’ (2003)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 is pretty much a cinematic collage of global action movie influences. Quentin Tarantino created it by drawing from samurai films, kung fu cinema, spaghetti westerns, and anime. In it, he references classic works, from Shaw Brothers productions to Japanese lone warrior epics, while simultaneously creating a unique visual language that soon became synonymous with Kill Bill in particular. The film’s most famous sequence, the House of Blue Leaves showdown, required months of choreography, with some critics considering it as the last line of originality and a beginning of self-indulgent, Tarantinoesque cinema.
Kill Bill: Volume 1 follows Beatrix Kiddo, aka “The Bride” (Uma Thurman), a former assassin from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, seeking revenge against her squad comrades who massacred her wedding rehearsal. As she tracks down all the old members, each confrontation unfolds by showing the fight against each of the members through a uniquely descriptive visual style. The Bride is the epitome of resilience and vengeance, truly embodying the title of the “deadliest woman on Earth.” Kill Bill: Volume 1 achieves a rare balance by functioning both as a thrilling revenge tale and a celebration of action cinema itself.
15
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Christopher Nolan reformed the superhero genre by making The Dark Knight an intense action thriller with heavy moral consequences. Though layered and intelligent, Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker became the thing that was instantly legendary out of anything, even earning Ledger a posthumous Oscar win. While many consider Christian Bale the best Batman because he embodies the mental and physical qualities of the vigilante, Ledger’s portrayal became so legendary that it set a redefined standard for blockbuster villains and raised audience expectations for good.
The Dark Knight follows Batman’s escalating conflict with the Joker, a criminal mastermind determined to dismantle Gotham’s social order. As the city descends into fear, Bruce Wayne realizes the limits of his vigilantism by slowly losing people’s trust in his actions. With that, he becomes a symbol of frustration instead of hope, forever eroding his reputation among Gotham’s residents. This emotional and philosophical weight, combined with expertly crafted action sequences, makes The Dark Knight a rare kind of action spectacle—one that becomes a serious drama filled with questions of morality, surveillance, and justice.
14
‘Bullitt’ (1968)
Bullitt is one of the most influential action movies of all time, revolutionizing car chases and on-location action sequences. Director Peter Yates insisted on authenticity, so he filmed the most famous chase scene (that is just under 11 minutes) on actual San Francisco streets for weeks, combining an intriguing musical score with engine roars and tire squeals in post-production. Bullitt was Steve McQueen‘s star vehicle, and he performed much of the driving himself, leaving the high-speed sequences to his usual stuntman, Loren James. Bullitt influenced numerous films, from gritty police dramas to modern action thrillers, and Yates is often an inspiration to filmmakers of all genres.
Bullitt follows Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (McQueen), tasked to protect a key witness while investigating a politically sensitive case. However, the witness is suddenly assassinated, and Bullitt works to solve his murder, resulting in him uncovering a deeper conspiracy and corruption. The story is straightforward and quite linear, driven by Bullitt’s stoicism, professionalism, and strong moral beliefs and core, making him an ultimate hero of justice. Bullitt truly turned into an immersive experience for audiences at the time of its release, and the fact it avoids theatrics and exaggeration makes it even more relevant today because of how well it holds up.
13
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
The Matrix stands tall as one of the most influential action films ever made, successfully blending philosophical storytelling with groundbreaking visual innovation. The Wachowskis took inspiration from Hong Kong’s wire-fu choreographies, notably collaborating with Yuen Woo-ping, director of Drunken Master and choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (among many, many other films). Additionally, the invention of “bullet time” instantly became one of the coolest and most imitated visual techniques for action movies. Beyond these achievements, The Matrix boosted action cinema that engaged with complex existential ideas.
The Matrix follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), a hacker who discovers that reality is a simulation controlled by machines. Guided by hackers Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), he learns to manipulate the artificial world’s physical laws while being pursued by powerful agents who enforce the system. Each action sequence advances the narrative and emphasizes the movie’s philosophical themes about perception and freedom. By seamlessly integrating two seemingly opposite ideas—physicality and intellect—The Matrix transformed action into a genre that can explore identity, consciousness, and reality on film.
12
‘Predator’ (1987)
Predator might only seem to be the ultimate 1980s action spectacle to the outside eyes, with its cast of hyper-muscular stars and exciting and explosive jungle combat. However, director John McTiernan takes what could have been a very macho premise and turns Predator into a survival horror story. The alien creature’s (Predator’s) design was created by Stan Winston, and it became iconic, mostly for its thermal vision perspective, adding an interesting and fresh way to introduce tension into a classically crafted action flick.
Predator follows an elite commando team led by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who are sent into a Central American jungle on a rescue mission, only to realize they are being hunted by a deadly alien creature they cannot see. As the team members are eliminated one by one, Dutch is forced to abandon brute force tactics and to start strategizing and improvizing. Giving classical action tropes this kind of twist makes Predator a lasting resident in the hall of fame of greatness; it’s not easy to find credible ways of introducing higher stakes into an established genre, but this movie did it perfectly and set the bar high.
11
‘Enter the Dragon’ (1973)
Enter the Dragon has a special place in action cinema as the movie that helped make martial arts more known and popular among global audiences. Bruce Lee‘s charisma, physical fitness and performance, and philosophical presence turned kung fu into a cultural phenomenon, giving this niche genre a chance to become mainstream. Enter the Dragon had an international co-production, between Hong Kong and Hollywood studios, and it was Lee’s final completed film before his untimely death in July 1973. The movie premiered in Hong Kong first, then in Los Angeles.
Enter the Dragon follows Lee, a martial artist from a Shaolin temple, who gets recruited by the British Intelligence to infiltrate crime lord Han’s island tournament. Lee has more than one motive to go, and he seeks personal revenge while there. Enter the Dragon has a straightforward vengeance plot with an iconic action sequence in a hall of mirrors, but it’s ultimately amazing because of Lee’s presence. He had a way of elevating every scene and film into a lesson in discipline and philosophy. Redefining the action genre is one thing, but realizing you can teach through it was a wholly different ballgame; this insistence remains a legacy and something we will always remember Lee for.