Action movies have a way of getting people jacked up. Explosions, insane car chases, death-defying stunts are all made to wow audiences and build up box office returns. Watching people at the height of their craft risking their lives to pull off unimaginable stunts will never not be thrilling. That’s why action movies have been some of the biggest tentpoles in cinema history.
Certain action movies, or at least scenes, stick out in people’s minds as soon as they watch them for the first time. A jaw-dropping stunt can have long-lasting effects. In fact, it can make people want to revisit the movie almost immediately after it’s finished. Luckily, there are plenty of good action movies that have more than just one or two scenes worth watching.
10
‘Rush Hour’ (1998)
A refreshing take on the buddy cop genre, Rush Hour hit theaters in 1998 and was such a huge hit, it spawned two sequels and a TV show remake. It stars Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee and Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter. Lee is a Hong Kong police officer who is in the U.S. to try and track down the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese diplomat. Carter is an LAPD detective who gets assigned to watch Lee and keep him out of the FBI’s way. But Lee and Carter take it upon themselves to solve the case.
Tucker’s charm and Chan’s skills as an action star shine through and the movie is revered by fans. There are some terrific action scenes, including watching Chan climb up the side of buildings and walls without the use of ladders, fight scenes in pool halls and restaurants, all leading to a brawl at a gala with Chan having to do stunts with a bomb strapped to his chest. Action comedy fans won’t get tired of Carter and Lee.
9
‘Baby Driver’ (2017)
Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver is an action thrill ride from start to finish. The movie revolves around Ansel Elgort’s Baby, a getaway driver who wants to escape his life of crime. He’s met the innocent waitress Debora, played by Lily James, and doesn’t want to live a troubled life. However, his job keeps pulling him in deeper, as the robbery his boss sets up for the crew he is working with isn’t what it seems to be. Co-starring Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm, and Jon Bernthal, the movie is packed with intense car chase scenes.
The key to Baby’s success is his ability to listen to music while he’s driving and have it lead his driving. The movie features one of the best soundtracks of the past 10 years and absolutely insane car stunts. The drifting and action-packed shootouts that take place in the film are impressive and leave fans on the edge of their seats. Just make sure to have on the right Mike Myers mask on when rewatching the movie.
8
‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)
Far from a movie that a pacifist will enjoy, there is a ton of violence in Kingsman: The Secret Service. The film made Colin Firth an action star and brought Taron Edgerton to stardom. This stylish action film also had Samuel L. Jackson as a main villain who seemed delighted to inflict pain on others. Further pushing the violence, his henchman, played by Sofia Boutella, has knives for legs. Seriously. The movie, also starring Mark Strong who always seems to find a good part in action movies, and Michael Caine, spawned multiple sequels after its huge box office success.
While there are many crazy scenes to think about in Kingsman, the one that stands out is the scene in the church where Firth’s Harry and a barrage of angry churchgoers face off in a showdown set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” It is seven minutes of non-stop action with pretty much a million different things to keep your eyes on.
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7
‘Bullet Train’ (2022)
Assassins and criminals aboard a high-speed bullet train. What will happen? That’s the premise of Bullet Train, David Leitch’s 2022 action thriller. Leitch, who has directed some of the most memorable action movies in the past 15 years including John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, and The Fall Guy, helmed a movie with a phenomenal cast that stars Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Zazie Beetz, Joey King, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
There is a briefcase filled with money, Yakuza crime bosses, sleeping powders, poisons, venom, and a lot of deaths that are all intertwined on this bullet train. There are a ton of characters to keep track of and the audience is figuring things out as Pitt’s character Ladybug is. Taylor-Johnson’s death-defying boarding of the train as it’s in motion and the fight between Ladybug and Beetz’s Hornet are scenes that require revisiting.
6
‘Nobody’ (2021)
Just as the Kingsman franchise turned Colin Firth into an action star, Nobody turned Bob Odenkirk into one. Written by Derek Kolstad, the creator of the John Wick franchise, and produced by Leitch, Nobody features Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell, a seemingly normal guy whose house gets robbed. While he decides to let it happen and not fight back, the incident builds the plot to Hutch’s eventual reemergence as a government assassin. Odenkirk is great as the everyman Hutch but surprised many in his ability to carry an action film.
The movie has some delightful action scenes, led by Christopher Lloyd, playing Hutch’s father, and RZA, who plays Hutch’s brother, staving off a wave of criminals with a fierce gun battle in a warehouse. There’s also a remarkable action and fight scene on a bus where Hutch takes down an entire group of thugs and, after crushing one of their windpipes, performs a procedure to help them breathe with a straw. It’s high-octane action meeting a mundane lifestyle and is perfect for a rewatch with Nobody 2 coming out in August 2025.
5
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Who wouldn’t want to revisit the original Indiana Jones film? Raiders of the Lost Ark became a global phenomenon, sparking four film sequels, TV series, books, video games, and more. Stephen Spielberg’s epic caper showed that not every action star needs to be an assassin or highly trained marksman. Indiana Jones was an archaeologist and a professor whose weapon of choice is a whip. He battles Nazis to stop them from finding the Ark of the Covenant, which would potentially give them an invincible army.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most iconic films in American cinema history and features some of the best chase scenes ever. The boulder scene is arguably one of the most famous action scenes ever and everyone knows that a sword doesn’t beat a gun in a fight because of this movie. For an action classic that heightens around adventure, look no further.
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4
‘Drive’ (2011)
Drive, a stylish thriller and action film that is also incredibly violent, was director Nicolas Winding Refn’s breakthrough film. Starring Ryan Gosling as a stuntman who works as a getaway driver in his spare time, it is moody and grim with a terrific lead performance from its star. The film is stylistically beautiful to look at and the score is terrific. Gosling and Albert Brooks, who plays the villain, were praised for their performances in a cast that included Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, and Christina Hendricks.
The stunts in the film are plentiful, as there is an opening driving scene that sets the mood right off the bat. The audience is brought along with the Driver (Gosling’s character) during a high-speed chase and the movie doesn’t let up off the gas after that. The graphic violence may be hard to stomach for some viewers, but the elevator scene sticks out in memory as it is superbly shot and difficult to watch.
3
‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning’ (2023)
Any of the Mission: Impossible films could be on this list, as they are worth rewatching over and over again. The most recent one, titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (the Part One was dropped) continued to build on the legacy of the franchise with more charismatic scenes from Tom Cruise and more breathtaking stunts. Anyone watching movies in the series knows they are in for some serious stunts, as Cruise and crew always bring it. From climbing the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol to holding his breath for over six minutes in an underwater scene in Rogue Nation, Cruise is the king of modern-day stunts.
There are some awesome scenes in Dead Reckoning, including one in an airport that shows the mix of technology advancements and stunts that the franchise is known for. The climax of the movie takes place on a train and, of course, Cruise and others have to escape it while it’s moving. Not only that, but he also has to enter it while it’s moving, making for a perfect place to showcase the movie’s action.
2
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
It took 36 years to get a sequel to one of the most iconic films of the 1980s but Top Gun: Maverick did not disappoint audiences around the world. It grossed nearly $1.5B globally and showcased Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to a new generation. The original Top Gun is incredibly fun with a sexiness and style that is made for the ’80s. The trick for Maverick was trying to up the ante for style and action in the sequel.
Not only did it collect a charismatic class of young actors like Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Lewis Pullman, and Monica Barbaro, but it showcased some of the best from the original with Cruise and Val Kilmer returning. It also provided terrific action sequences with some mesmerizing fight scenes. Watching Maverick dogfight against the incoming class of trainees is thrilling. Some of the most exciting action actually comes on the ground towards the end of the film with Rooster and Maverick fighting for their lives. For those looking for something to rewatch, watching Cruise in what is maybe his most iconic role ever is a good idea.
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1
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Has there been an action movie in recent years that seemed like it had more incredible stunts than Mad Max: Fury Road? The movie grossed over $380M worldwide and won six Academy Awards, all for the technical achievements of the crew. The film is stunning to look at. It was shot in the Australian outback, so it feels like the audience is as beaten down by the sun as the characters are. The amount of technical prowess it took George Miller and his team to pull off this movie is astounding.
The entire movie feels like a stunt. The huge vehicles with insane weapons and designs barreling through the sand for high-speed chases is non-stop. The amount of fire and explosions seems endless and the weapons are all unique. It’s hard to pick just one scene to go back and pay attention to because the film does an impressive job of highlighting action. Just take the flame-throwing guitar for example. That was fully functional, just showing the level of craft it took to make smaller details in the film. Sit back and be in awe the next time you watch this whole movie.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
