Today’s category: Action. The genre where subtlety goes to die and bad one liners make or break a film.
Action movies are comfort food. Sometimes you want nuance and layered character arcs. Other times you want slow-motion punches, impossible stunts, and someone walking away from an explosion without looking back. If you’re lucky, you get both. This is the category that makes you want to work out, learn martial arts, or think, “yeah, I could totally do a roundhouse kick.”
As always, these are not ranked. Prepare for chaos, choreography, and questionable physics.
- Gladiator
- The Matrix
- Casino Royale (Daniel Craig)
- John Wick
- Speed
- Con Air
- Unleashed
- Shanghai Noon
- 300
- True Lies
Here are some brief bits of rationale:
Gladiator
“Are you not entertained?” Yes. Yes, I am. This movie is epic in every sense of the word. The music, the performances, the revenge arc—it all works. It says something as to why this was the first movie that came to mind when I thought “action”. This rose above mindless spectacle and gave us a real reason to root for Maximus.
The Matrix
This movie changed everything. The action, the philosophy, the slow-motion bullet dodging—it rewired what audiences expected from the genre. It mainstreamed the idea of action and thought provocation going hand in hand. And I’ll never hate Joe Pantoliano whenever I see him.
Casino Royale (Daniel Craig)
This is the Bond reboot done right. Gritty, grounded, and emotionally layered. The parkour chase scene, the dramatic poker games, the actual emotional connection between Bond and Vespa. This is probably the best Bond film ever. Also, crying blood? If that doesn’t say “bad guy” I don’t know what does.
John Wick
Action choreography perfection. The simplicity of the premise is proves that you can make an action movie out of anything. One of the coolest part of the movie is the authenticity. Keanu Reeves did his research and it shows.
Speed
The third Keanu Reeves movie on the list, and somehow more absurd than living in a computer simulation. Not the situation, but perhaps the bus jumping that giant gap. Speed solidified Reeves as a leading action star, and it also put Sandra Bullock on the map. Plus, it will always feel satisfying as they unload the passengers all sneaky-like.
Con Air
This movie is ridiculous in the best way. Nicolas Cage with that accent. The stacked cast. The over-the-top villainy. It’s peak 90s action and I love it for exactly that. Is it a cinematic masterpiece? No. Is it wonderful action? Definitely.
Unleashed
Of all the movies on here, the is the one that comes the closest to emotional manipulation. Jet Li is known for his crazy action roles, but the drama that he manages to bring, especially with Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins as scene partners, elevates this to something more. Simply a wonderful movie.
Shanghai Noon
I knew I had to get Jackie Chan on here somewhere. He’s my childhood’s epitome of action. It’s hard to say where he perfected his martial arts comedy bit, but this is definitely up there. Martial arts in the Wild West is how you strike gold.
300
Stylized, hyper-violent, and visually striking. This movie, like the Matrix, showed up a new way to view action. It may have also contributed to a fair amount of masculine body dysmorphia, but dang was it awesome to watch.
True Lies
This movie is pure spectacle. Action, comedy, espionage, and one of the most memorable helicopter sequences ever. Arnold and action are pretty much synonymous, and the is the first movie I think of when I think of him. Well, after Jingle All the Way, but beating up Sinbad doesn’t make something an action movie. :)
What action movies would you add? Which ones do you think I committed a crime by leaving off? Let me know.
Eric Taveren 