It’s the genre that never goes out of fashion — action in cinema started out with the earliest days of the art form and pretty much defined cinematic spectacle before landmark films like Citizen Kane came up with the modern film language. Action cinema has taken a turn for the better in the past two decades with the reinvention of what brawls and firefights look like on the screen. Gone are the days of big guns, massive explosions, and one-dimensional machismo. Good action these days is all about gritty, tactical realism, utilizing the best of what actors and modern film technology have to offer.
Updated June 13, 2023: In honor of the release of Extraction 2, this article has been updated by Gaurav Krishnan with additional content and titles.
Filmmakers who appreciate good, tactical action on-screen have invented an entire sub-genre of their own, one that is becoming more and more popular with audiences. You can’t get a major action movie these days that doesn’t incorporate at least some amount of realism in their fight scenes. The best movies in the tactical action genre, however, utilize action sequences to do a great deal of their storytelling. The combination of gritty, tactical action, along with good storytelling, is what makes these movies stand out. Here are 20 movies in the tactical action genre that are literally perfect.
20 The Bourne Trilogy
The original Bourne trilogy single-handedly reinvented action cinema, foregoing grand action set pieces for a more intimate style of cinematic action that was much more visceral and realistic. Based on the eponymous book series by Robert Ludlum, the series introduced Matt Damon as an unlikely CIA assassin who is dealing with amnesia. Director Doug Liman directed the first film, and Paul Greengrass stepped in to helm the two follow-ups.
The quick, frenetic, hand-held action filmmaking with quick cuts redefined the genre. It became the inspiration for many action films and even inspired the shift in the James Bond series in the 2000s. When it comes to action franchises, it is hard to argue that the original Bourne trilogy is not one of the most influential of all time. The two follow-ups, 2012’s The Bourne Legacy and 2016’s Jason Bourne, could not quite capture the magic of those first three films.
19 John Wick Franchise
If the Bourne movies were the defining action franchise of the 2000s, then the John Wick franchise is defining action franchise of the 2010s. Its creator, Chad Stahelsky, envisioned a unique new style of action for the screen and combined a variety of martial arts styles with real-world firearms practices to bring it to fruition. Keanu Reeves was the perfect vessel to bring this brand of action to life, committing himself to a grueling few months of martial arts and firearms training.
The formula worked: he brought a whole new level of fluency to his fighting sequences in John Wick. The John Wick franchise has grown more popular with each entry, with the most recent addition John Wick: Chapter 4, grossing $432 million worldwide. A spin-off film, a television mini-series, and a potential fifth film are all planned.
18 Black Hawk Down
A collaboration of two Hollywood heavy hitters, director Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, 2001’s Black Hawk Down explores military tactics and strategic warfare and portrays the story of the US Army’s 1993 raid of Mogadishu, Somalia, during the Somalian Civil War wherein a US Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the heart of enemy territory.
Considering it’s a Bruckheimer production, the film is duly extravagant, as it retells the story of how the US Army deployed rescue teams behind enemy lines to save the team whose helicopter was shot down while they are stuck in the middle of a deadly warzone with Somalian rebels converging. Although the film is a dramatized depiction of the true event, it still is a hard-hitting tactical action film comprising an ensemble cast with riveting action sequences that explores the military strategy and the valiant efforts of the US Army amidst the dangers and perils that their rescue mission entails.
17 Sicario
Released in 2015, Sicario is a one-of-a-kind movie that holds up as a powerful work of cinema even outside the action genre tag. Two illustrious names are behind this movie — it was written by Taylor Sheridan, who has garnered acclaim for his work in the modern Western genre, and directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has become one of the most influential modern filmmakers with films like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune.
Sicario is an intensely thrilling movie with an unforgettable action style. The highway firefight scene is perhaps one of the most thrilling shootouts ever. The movie spends no time in unnecessary motions and takes a set of well-written characters on a journey that explores the workings of the CIA and Mexican drug cartels.
16 Phone Booth
In what is one of the most cerebral and inventive screenplays written in the tactical action genre, that’s also a suspense and thriller flick, Phone Booth starring Colin Farrell is right up there in terms of plot line and execution. The story follows Stu (Farrell), a New York publicist who is having an affair away from his marriage and is then held hostage in a phone booth by a killer sniper, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who is strategically positioned somewhere in the surrounding buildings.
The sniper, armed with a 30-caliber bolt-action 700 sniper rifle with a state-of-the-art Hensoldt tactical scope, begins to shoot and take out people on the street unless Stu does exactly as he says while the NYPD led by Ed Ramey (Forest Whittaker) try to decode the situation and use their police intelligence and investigation tactics to locate and nullify the sniper. The film is shot from the perspectives of both the sniper and the protagonist and their ongoing conversation as it cuts to shots of the sniper’s tactical scope and visuals of the on-street drama from several angles, using innovative filming techniques while the unique and compelling plot unfolds.
15 S.W.A.T.
Colin Farrell also stars in 2003’s S.W.A.T., which is a tactical action film including the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Michelle Rodriguez, and LL Cool J that plays out the story of an LAPD S.W.A.T. team who are tasked with escorting a French fugitive drug lord named Alexander Montel to prison. Montel goes on live TV after his arrest declaring an offer of a sum of $100 million for anybody who can free him from police custody which leads to a plethora of mercenaries attempting to free him.
The film centers around how Sergeant Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles his S.W.A.T. team and their tactical, grueling, and intense training process, apart from a few missions they are called into action for before they have to escort Montel to prison and the plot twists that follow. The film is all-action and explores how S.W.A.T. teams function, along with some drama and subplots that keep it rather interesting.
14 Mission Of Honor
- Lipsync Productions
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Kino Swiat
Also on our list of Best Aerial War Films, Mission Of Honor, also called Hurricane, is a take on aerial warfare and air-force tactics along with a storyline that echoes camaraderie. The film retells the story of RAF Squadron No. 303, a starkly different squadron in its conception comprising Polish, Canadian and British pilots, who were one of the deadliest air-force units to take to the skies during WWII.
The film explores aerial tactics and aircraft battles and has elaborate action sequences and dogfights that make for an enthralling watch. It’s a definitive account of the heroic squadron, a unit of the Allied airforce resistance that isn’t very well-known in the broader context of WWII.
13 Fury
A riveting and engrossing tactical action film, Fury starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf, tells the fictional story of the members of an M4 Sherman tank called “Fury” and their journey through the battlefields and towns of German territory during the April 1945 Western Allied invasion of Germany.
The movie portrays how Fury’s crew evade the dangers of Panzerfausts(anti-tank guns) and afflict heavy casualties to the Nazis in their journey deep into German territory while also losing some of their crew members before they are rescued by American soldiers and are celebrated for their exploits. Shot from the perspective of the tank and its crew, the film is a rare account of how tanks operate in the scheme of on-the-ground warfare, particularly during WWII, and is an inspiring story that has expertly conceived action sequences.
12 The Hurt Locker
2008’s The Hurt Locker is a modern tactical marvel and a film that sheds light on modern warfare and the psychological effects of war. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, the film depicts the story of a bomb diffuser unit of the US Army that is stationed in Iraq during the war. Jeremy Renner stars as Sergeant First Class William James, a bomb diffuser who is at odds with his superiors and team members because of his maverick way of diffusing bombs by hand. The story explores the team’s exploits in Iraq as they are targeted by Iraqi insurgents as they go about their bomb-disarming missions.
The film has some exquisite and ground-breaking cinematography, especially of the bomb-diffusing sequences, which is complemented by exemplary acting by Renner and a driving score by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders. The movie won six Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and is an exhilarating and intense film that keeps audiences gripped and quite rightly swept up several accolades and awards after its release.
The 2020 movie Extraction is one of Chris Hemsworth’s memorable recent performances outside the MCU. It was directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe Russo, presenting an international cast in much the same way as The Gray Man. Most notably, the movie featured Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda and Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani in key roles. The movie takes place in Bangladesh and features Hemsworth as a mercenary who is contracted to rescue the kidnapped son of a crime lord.
Extraction was praised for its elaborate fighting sequences that focused on real-world tactics. The movie pulled viewers right into the action with long takes, minimal cutting, and a lot of practical effects. Released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Extraction provided the big summer action at home that audiences were missing from theaters. Extraction 2 is set for release on Netflix on June 16, 2023, just in time for Father’s Day weekend.
10 Triple Frontier
Triple Frontier is a 2019 movie about a group of elite former US soldiers who band together to plan a heist on a Columbian drug lord. The movie has a minimal plot that draws you straight into the action. Triple Frontier makes a visible effort to focus on real-life military tactics. In fact, there is very little in the way of abject violence for most of the first half of the movie.
But a stalwart cast, including actors like Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Oscar Issac, keeps you fully engaged and in a state of tense anticipation throughout the movie. The movie’s brutal action sequence certainly will help fans feel excited for director J.C Chandlor’s upcoming Sony Marvel film Kraven the Hunter, which will be R-rated and hopefully have the same style of action as Triple Frontier.
9 Collateral
Collateral is a 2004 movie by Michael Mann, starring Tom Cruise as a cold, ruthless assassin and Jamie Foxx as a taxi driver who is hired to drive him around for a night. Described as a neo-noir action thriller, the movie was the subject of critical acclaim and garnered many awards and nominations in all aspects — writing, direction, cinematography, and performance. Cruise plays one of his most unique roles ever in this movie, with his famous perfectionism towards action sequences appearing as a key trait of his role as a cold, sociopathic assassin.
8 1917
Set during WWI, 1917 depicts how two British soldiers, Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), navigate through the trenches and lines of battle on their critical mission after the Germans strategically withdraw to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich, to set a trap for the British to surprise them with a heavy-artillery offensive. Schofield and Blake are assigned the task of delivering the intelligence message to the British soldiers to call off their attack to prevent them from falling into the German trap.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins is particularly interesting, which is seemingly being shot continuously, i.e., using a continuous shot, and the action sequences are staggeringly impressive throughout. It culminates in a rather artistic yet explorative take with tactical underpinnings and with screenplay and direction to match. 1917 was a rare awards contender that also resonated as a blockbuster with mainstream audiences, grossing $384 million worldwide.
7 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was the movie that marked John Krasinski’s transition from The Office into a credible action hero. The movie seeks to retell the events of the 2012 Benghazi attack from the perspective of the ex-military security contractors who were on the ground that day. The movie is directed by Michael Bay and was considered one of his more mature works by him. For 13 Hours, Bay let go of his famous directorial signatures and sought to take a more grounded approach to the action, showcasing the devastation of the incident from the perspective of its victims.
6 No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men made it on numerous critics’ lists of the best 2007 movies, a singular movie by the Coen Brothers that also included one of the most memorable villains in film history. The movie is a modern Western. It executes cinematic violence in an inimitable way, utilizing its action to create layers of meaning — about its characters and about the senseless nature of violence that often visits those in the land of the living. No Country for Old Men won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
5 The Old Guard
The Old Guard is another successful recent film in the action genre. This film harkens back to 90s action movies. The plot focuses on a group of ancient warriors who gained immortality through unexplained causes at different times in history. With no explanation for their quandary, they navigate the modern world as elite guns for hire. Charlize Theron gives a power-packed performance as the leader of this immortal troupe, giving some intense fight sequences. The movie also does a good job of creating a fantastic legend around her character, elevating the overall enjoyment factor to the next level.
Similar to Extraction, The Old Guard provided audiences with a summer action film at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Old Guard 2 is set for release on Netflix sometime in 2023.
4 The Accountant
The Accountant is an enjoyable portrayal of the classic action movie formula of a mysterious, average-seeming person who appears to be endowed with high-level fighting skills. The movie stars Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an accountant with high-functioning autism who lends his accountancy services to crime lords around the world. He wins the audience’s hearts as the socially awkward accountant who also happens to be ruthlessly proficient at all manners of fighting styles and firearms usage. The movie also earned praise for its portrayal of the Indonesian martial arts known as Pencak silat.
3 Greyhound
Another intriguing tactical screenplay staged against the backdrop of WWII, particularly centered around the US Navy, is 2020’s Greyhound. The film, directed by Aaron Schneider and written by and starring Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks, is based on a 1955 book called The Good Shepard by C.S. Forester. The film recounts the story of a convoy of 37 Allied ships that have to cross the Atlantic to reach Liverpool, England, with the US just entering the fray of WWII in February 1942.
The story revolves around the ship, the USS Keeling, called “Greyhound” captained by Commander Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks), that has to lead the entire convoy as they cross what is dubbed as “The Black Pit” – a region in the middle of the Atlantic, where they will not be able to receive protective air cover from the Allied air force for five days. Krause has to ensure that the convoy is safe from the threat of German U-boats as they make their way across the Atlantic to the shores of England. Schneider does a terrific job depicting the Naval tactics and maneuvers that Krause and the Naval officers on Greyhound resort to in order to sink the German U-boats and protect the convoy on their journey.
2 Daniel Craig James Bond Movies
The James Bond film franchise has maintained relevance for six decades by continually evolving the character to keep up with the times. The Daniel Craig era of James Bond was the first to explore an emotional arc for the character and his take on the iconic film hero. Alongside the character itself, Craig’s run of the character was also characterized by a revamped look at the movie’s action style. Starting from Casino Royale, the James Bond movies employed a new style of cinematography that allowed the character’s physicality to really shine — often starting the movies with an elaborate action sequence that was simultaneously grand yet more personal to the character.
1 Zero Dark Thirty
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Zero Dark Thirty is a fictionalized account of the years-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. The movie is also directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the critically acclaimed filmmaker behind The Hurt Locker. Bigelow is a prolific filmmaker in the action genre, a filmmaker who has always sought to transcend the genre, preparing for lengthy periods behind the scenes to create a visceral, kinetic visual style for her movies. Zero Dark Thirty displays the same visual signatures and explores the CIA tradecraft in extensive detail.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
