There must be thousands of action movies on the market, and it's gotten to the point where they can all feel derivative and bland. But for those few that stand out the most, a good action movie will be more than constant shooting -- it's got to be a sublime combination of well-staged setpieces, captivating storytelling and characters, and quality filming. This three-way combination is what I value most in films of any genre. More than just being a good story or good film, it's got to have motion and pacing for me to totally love a film. So why not have an occasional car chase, or an impressive kung-fu fight, or a huge shoot-out in the mix? What makes an action movie work, however, is that the whole plot is stitched together with the action, with one thing leading to another until the final showdown. It can't have too much or too little -- a good action movie strikes a balance and keeps the conflict rolling at full speed up to the end, and can do so without sacrificing the story or character development. Some of the absolute best can even build a strong story out of the action, or vice-versa.
For this list of personal favorite action movies, I've done my best to boil down the top 100 best experiences in action and adventure storytelling. A lot of these may be just big dumb fun, but just about all of these offer huge amounts of explosive and thrilling action scenes, and for action junkies like me they would all be worth a look.
It's easy to assume that most action movies will be about spies, cops, criminals, etc. There are certainly bunches of them on this list, but I felt it wouldn't be fair to exclude the occasional sci-fi, fantasy, or historic film -- some of these cross-genre films boast some of the coolest action scenes of the lot. What you won't see are very many superhero films -- even though they may have the biggest spectacles of the lot, there's just too many of them, and I decided that they deserve their own list with their own set of criteria rather than crowd out dozens of other eligible titles.
Get ready to be blown away, by Al's Top 100 Favorite Action/Adventure Movies!
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100: Cutthroat Island
The Conflict: Pirates battle over a treasure map.
The Film: Before the Pirates of the Caribbean movies came along and redefined pirate adventure for the generation, we had this movie. It's a bit on the generic side, but the battles and fights are decently-explosive, and it's not a bad little adventure film in the end.
My current score: 3.5/5
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99: Jewel of the Nile
The Conflict: Joan and Jack go to Africa and have to find "the jewel of the Nile."
The Film: Not quite as deep or endearing as the previous film, Romancing the Stone, but this movie does have plenty of great action and some fun comedy. A modestly satisfying adventure and a modestly satisfying sequel.
My current score: 3.5/5
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The Film: Before the Pirates of the Caribbean movies came along and redefined pirate adventure for the generation, we had this movie. It's a bit on the generic side, but the battles and fights are decently-explosive, and it's not a bad little adventure film in the end.
My current score: 3.5/5
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99: Jewel of the Nile
The Film: Not quite as deep or endearing as the previous film, Romancing the Stone, but this movie does have plenty of great action and some fun comedy. A modestly satisfying adventure and a modestly satisfying sequel.
My current score: 3.5/5
98: The Executioner (Chokugeki! Jigoku-ken)
The Conflict: Three thugs vs a Tokyo drug lord.
The Film: This is about as cheesy and sleazy as a 70s crime film can get. It makes for a really fun show, thanks to its plethora of over-the-top fight scenes. There is a lot of silliness and a certain level of 70s grit to it, but it is a breezy and fun martial arts flick.
My current score: 4/5
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97: Cliffhanger
The Film: This is about as cheesy and sleazy as a 70s crime film can get. It makes for a really fun show, thanks to its plethora of over-the-top fight scenes. There is a lot of silliness and a certain level of 70s grit to it, but it is a breezy and fun martial arts flick.
My current score: 4/5
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97: Cliffhanger
The Conflict: A mountain climber has to stop bad guys from making off with money form a crashed Dept. of Treasure plane.
The Film: Despite being rather bland in style, the film is exciting, with plenty of gunfights, stunts, and peril to satisfy action fans. The heroes are good guys we love to root for, and the bad guys are guys we love to hate. The dialogue is awesomely cheesy. It's far from my favorite action movie, but for action-movie fans, this film can be a lot of fun.
My current score: 3/5
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96: The Marine
The Conflict: An ex-marine has to rescue his wife from bad guys.
The Film: A pretty cheap and short film, but the action is pretty phenomenal. It is stylish, there are a ton of fights, chases, and big explosions. Pretty loud and dumb fun, but it is a satisfying action flick that I feel is a mile-a-minute fun.
My current score: 3/5
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95: Showtime
The Conflict: Two mismatched cops are paired together for a reality TV show, while they work to take out an arms dealer.
The Film: Even though this may be formulaic buddy-cop fare, I always found the two characters to be a fun bunch, and their antics are often amusing. As far as the action goes, it is pretty awesome stuff; there are super-duper guns that blow holes in cars like they're made of paper, and then all heck breaks lose. Scenes toward the end feature chases with dump trucks and some explosive gunfighting. I think it's a fun flick.
My current score: 3.5/5
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94: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
The Film: Easily my favorite car-chase movie. The film is loaded with gripping chase scenes, featuring some nice-looking cars and nice-looking locales. Some of the random encounters in the middle get pretty weird, and the pacing sags a little for it, but it is still a cool and fun flick with a heck of an ending.
My current score: 4/5
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90: Swordfish
The Film: Despite being rather bland in style, the film is exciting, with plenty of gunfights, stunts, and peril to satisfy action fans. The heroes are good guys we love to root for, and the bad guys are guys we love to hate. The dialogue is awesomely cheesy. It's far from my favorite action movie, but for action-movie fans, this film can be a lot of fun.
My current score: 3/5
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96: The Marine
The Film: A pretty cheap and short film, but the action is pretty phenomenal. It is stylish, there are a ton of fights, chases, and big explosions. Pretty loud and dumb fun, but it is a satisfying action flick that I feel is a mile-a-minute fun.
My current score: 3/5
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95: Showtime
The Film: Even though this may be formulaic buddy-cop fare, I always found the two characters to be a fun bunch, and their antics are often amusing. As far as the action goes, it is pretty awesome stuff; there are super-duper guns that blow holes in cars like they're made of paper, and then all heck breaks lose. Scenes toward the end feature chases with dump trucks and some explosive gunfighting. I think it's a fun flick.
My current score: 3.5/5
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94: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
The Conflict: Lara Croft goes on a quest to find Pandora's Box.
The Film: Even though the first film felt like quite the hit back in the day, it's always been the sequel I admired the most. This film boasts good-looking stuntwork, some great gunfighting, and awesome locales. The plot and characters won't blow anybody away, but there's enough there to make it fun and hip. Unless a rebooted movie comes out (which it could at any time), this is currently the best it gets for seeing Tomb Raider on the big screen, and it does have some nice-looking action.
My current score: 4/5
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The Film: Even though the first film felt like quite the hit back in the day, it's always been the sequel I admired the most. This film boasts good-looking stuntwork, some great gunfighting, and awesome locales. The plot and characters won't blow anybody away, but there's enough there to make it fun and hip. Unless a rebooted movie comes out (which it could at any time), this is currently the best it gets for seeing Tomb Raider on the big screen, and it does have some nice-looking action.
My current score: 4/5
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93: Die Another Day
The Conflict:
James Bond is captured in North Korea. 18 months later, he's exchanged
for a wanted terrorist. So, Bond goes off the grid, hunts the guy down,
and eventually comes face-to-face with a rich adversary with the most
outlandish plot yet!
The Film: Widely considered to be one of the worst Bond films ever, I have to classify this as one of my biggest action-movie guilty pleasures. It is definitely derivative, ridiculous, and all-style-no-substance. However, the film is far from dull; it is jam-packed with huge action, including a hovercraft chase, a car battle on a smooth glacier, a lot of fighting on a crashing airplane, and more. The film does its best to one-up everything in the Bond universe, and even if it is one big mess, it's at least a cool, stylish, and entertaining one.
My current score: 3.5/5
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The Film: Widely considered to be one of the worst Bond films ever, I have to classify this as one of my biggest action-movie guilty pleasures. It is definitely derivative, ridiculous, and all-style-no-substance. However, the film is far from dull; it is jam-packed with huge action, including a hovercraft chase, a car battle on a smooth glacier, a lot of fighting on a crashing airplane, and more. The film does its best to one-up everything in the Bond universe, and even if it is one big mess, it's at least a cool, stylish, and entertaining one.
My current score: 3.5/5
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92: GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra
The Conflict: COBRA vs GI Joes over nanoweapons.
The Film: My mother probably described this the best as "less yapping more zapping!" Seriously, this film is wall-to-wall action, complete with bullets, bombs, lasers, trucks, planes, submarines, underground drilling thingies, and more. The chase through Paris is one of my favorite chase scenes, with tons of mass destruction. It can be cartoony and silly, but the film is hardly ever dull, and I find it quick and easy entertainment.
My current score: 4/5
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The Film: My mother probably described this the best as "less yapping more zapping!" Seriously, this film is wall-to-wall action, complete with bullets, bombs, lasers, trucks, planes, submarines, underground drilling thingies, and more. The chase through Paris is one of my favorite chase scenes, with tons of mass destruction. It can be cartoony and silly, but the film is hardly ever dull, and I find it quick and easy entertainment.
My current score: 4/5
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91: Vanishing Point
The Conflict: Kowalski races against time, the authorities, and the elements to reach San Francisco.
The Film: Easily my favorite car-chase movie. The film is loaded with gripping chase scenes, featuring some nice-looking cars and nice-looking locales. Some of the random encounters in the middle get pretty weird, and the pacing sags a little for it, but it is still a cool and fun flick with a heck of an ending.
My current score: 4/5
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90: Swordfish
The Conflict: A hacker is hired to help a terrorist steal from a high-tech bank.
The Film: This film might be seen as dated and cheesy, but it is quite the stylish and interesting heist thriller. The opening scene pulls out some clever misdirection, before delivering a really incredible shot where the camera rotates 360 degrees around an explosion. There is a nice car-chase scene in the middle, and some really crazy stuff towards the end where a bus is hauled away by a helicopter. The plot is an interesting affair though, which delivers plenty of clever twists to keep you guessing. It's a neat thriller that deserves to be seen at least once.
My current score: 3.5/5
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89: xXx
The Film: This film might be seen as dated and cheesy, but it is quite the stylish and interesting heist thriller. The opening scene pulls out some clever misdirection, before delivering a really incredible shot where the camera rotates 360 degrees around an explosion. There is a nice car-chase scene in the middle, and some really crazy stuff towards the end where a bus is hauled away by a helicopter. The plot is an interesting affair though, which delivers plenty of clever twists to keep you guessing. It's a neat thriller that deserves to be seen at least once.
My current score: 3.5/5
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89: xXx
The Conflict:
Xander Cage is a thrillseeking deviant who becomes a spy, and has to
stop some Russian anarchists from launching a chemical warhead platform.
The Film: This is what James Bond looks like with more hard rock, more babes, more booze, and more extreme sports. It's a very silly movie, but it's a fun one with lots of crazy stuntwork, explosions, gunplay, and gadgets. Despite being rather juvenile and unbelievable, I find the film easily-digestible with a fun plot and fun characters.
My current score: 3.5/5
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88: The Tournament
The Conflict: The world's deadliest assassins gather in a town to engage in a contest of death and mayhem.
The Film: What this film lacks in depth, it makes up for in just being a bloody good time. The fight scenes and violence are extreme and hard-hitting. The gunfighting is fantastic, and the film still manages to find time to lay out some halfway decent story and characters.
My current score: 3.5/5
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87: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Conflict: Indiana Jones confronts Soviets, who are searching for the secret behind the mysterious crystal skulls.
The Film: This film is hated by many, and even I will admit that it's my least-favorite of the series. The characters aren't always endearing. As far as the action goes though, it is really fun stuff. The warehouse fight and the big jungle chase scene are expertly-choreographed. Things can get pretty goofy, but lots the classic clash of heroes and villains hardly ever gets old. Even if this is a guilty pleasure, it's a fine-looking one with a few exciting moments worth seeing.
My current score: 4/5
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86: The Rocketeer
The Conflict: A pilot discovers a jetpack, which he uses to fight off some Nazi conspirators.
The Film: The film is quite the slick-looking period piece, with a style and production that's highly reminiscent of 1940s Hollywood. As such, the film itself is pure pulp adventure, the likes of which mirrors the 40s, with all the danger and intrigue of the war-era driving the explosive action. It is a pretty fun adventure.
My current score: 4/5
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85: RED
The Conflict: People are trying to kill Frank Moses, and he has to find out why.
The Film: This colorful film very slickly combines loud, over-the-top action with zany characters and amusing dialogue to craft an enjoyable combination of thrills and laughs. It's not always the most engaging film, but the action is pretty cool, and the characters are lovable.
My current score: 3.5/5
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84: US Marshals
The Conflict: Mark Warren is wrongfully accused for murder, and goes on the run to prove his innocence (why does this sound familiar?).
The Film: Even though The Fugitive provided a good, original action-movie experience, I think the action of this spiritual sequel is a grade more impressive. From the opening plane crash to the foot-chase at the end, the film is well-paced, thoroughly exciting, and quite colorful throughout. Not everybody really cares for this flick, but I think it's great.
My current score: 4/5
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83: Lethal Weapon
The Conflict:
Martin Riggs is an unstable cop with a death wish, and Roger Murtaugh
is an experienced cop approaching retirement. Both join forces to
investigate and take down a powerful drug smuggling ring.
The Film: There is action to be had and it is often pretty slick. What makes this film most memorable, however, are its characters. Both are very well-developed and they both elicit sympathy that makes the audience really care about the case at hand. It's even more endearing that the two characters are as opposite as can be, but wind up bonding in profound ways. With its grand combination of action, comedy, and heart, the film is still one of the best buddy-cop movies around.
My current score: 4.5/5
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82: The Killer (Dip Huet Seung Hung)
The Conflict: A hitman goes on one last job to help a woman he hurt from going blind.
The Film: This early John Woo film has all the right stuff: bloody gunfights, gratuitous slow-motion, and cool characters. Despite being a bit dated, it has a decent plot and decent action.
My current score: 4/5
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81: Crying Freeman
The Conflict:
A woman witnesses a fight between an assassin and a bunch of Yakuza
dudes, and she inevitably becomes caught in the middle of a huge gang
war.
The Film: Dialogue and acting are pretty bad, but the rest of the film is great. It has a very solid style of editing and filming, which stitches the images together smoothly into a kind of live-action anime. With the backdrop of rich settings and locales, the action is quite frequently awesome to behold.
My current score: 4/5
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To be continued...
The Film: This is what James Bond looks like with more hard rock, more babes, more booze, and more extreme sports. It's a very silly movie, but it's a fun one with lots of crazy stuntwork, explosions, gunplay, and gadgets. Despite being rather juvenile and unbelievable, I find the film easily-digestible with a fun plot and fun characters.
My current score: 3.5/5
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88: The Tournament
The Film: What this film lacks in depth, it makes up for in just being a bloody good time. The fight scenes and violence are extreme and hard-hitting. The gunfighting is fantastic, and the film still manages to find time to lay out some halfway decent story and characters.
My current score: 3.5/5
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87: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Film: This film is hated by many, and even I will admit that it's my least-favorite of the series. The characters aren't always endearing. As far as the action goes though, it is really fun stuff. The warehouse fight and the big jungle chase scene are expertly-choreographed. Things can get pretty goofy, but lots the classic clash of heroes and villains hardly ever gets old. Even if this is a guilty pleasure, it's a fine-looking one with a few exciting moments worth seeing.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------
86: The Rocketeer
The Film: The film is quite the slick-looking period piece, with a style and production that's highly reminiscent of 1940s Hollywood. As such, the film itself is pure pulp adventure, the likes of which mirrors the 40s, with all the danger and intrigue of the war-era driving the explosive action. It is a pretty fun adventure.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------
85: RED
The Film: This colorful film very slickly combines loud, over-the-top action with zany characters and amusing dialogue to craft an enjoyable combination of thrills and laughs. It's not always the most engaging film, but the action is pretty cool, and the characters are lovable.
My current score: 3.5/5
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84: US Marshals
The Film: Even though The Fugitive provided a good, original action-movie experience, I think the action of this spiritual sequel is a grade more impressive. From the opening plane crash to the foot-chase at the end, the film is well-paced, thoroughly exciting, and quite colorful throughout. Not everybody really cares for this flick, but I think it's great.
My current score: 4/5
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83: Lethal Weapon
The Film: There is action to be had and it is often pretty slick. What makes this film most memorable, however, are its characters. Both are very well-developed and they both elicit sympathy that makes the audience really care about the case at hand. It's even more endearing that the two characters are as opposite as can be, but wind up bonding in profound ways. With its grand combination of action, comedy, and heart, the film is still one of the best buddy-cop movies around.
My current score: 4.5/5
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82: The Killer (Dip Huet Seung Hung)
The Film: This early John Woo film has all the right stuff: bloody gunfights, gratuitous slow-motion, and cool characters. Despite being a bit dated, it has a decent plot and decent action.
My current score: 4/5
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81: Crying Freeman
The Film: Dialogue and acting are pretty bad, but the rest of the film is great. It has a very solid style of editing and filming, which stitches the images together smoothly into a kind of live-action anime. With the backdrop of rich settings and locales, the action is quite frequently awesome to behold.
My current score: 4/5
To be continued...
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