TOP 10 Best Action Movies of All Time
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| TOP 10 best action movies of all time. Photo: Empire |
Some action movies are like a shotgun blast to the god damn face, leaving little to the imagination – like Nicholas Cage'sCon Air’, which is the mullet haircut of movies. Others, like Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now’, are real pieces of ‘cinema’ – an important tile on the Mozaic of films past and present. But with so many in the action movie back-catalog, comes a dire need to organize and sort; to sift through the empty bullet casings, charred corpses, burnt rubber and slick one-liners, and determine exactly which explosions were the coolest to walk away from without looking back.
So here it is, for those who prefer their dialogue served rare and their gunfights in ample portions, Knowinsiders’ comprehensive list of The 10 Best Action Movies Of All Time, Ranked.
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
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| Photo: The Drum |
Ang Lee’s stunning wuxia masterpiece won him an Oscar in 2001 for best foreign-language film. And so much of the action focuses on its female warriors, played by Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, who pull off some of the most intensely choreographed fight scenes in the whole movie.
It’s possible you couldn’t go to a house party in the early aughts without seeing Ang Lee’s remarkable fantasy adventure playing in the background, juxtaposing a playlist of Jay-Z, Eminem, and Destiny’s Child. A brilliant work of art, the film about a warrior, a sword, and the romantic adventure that takes him to the treetops makes for the ideal conversation starter, so we get it. But, really, the best way to take in Lee’s Oscar-winning, action-filled epic is to turn down the party jams, and turn up Tan Dun’s triumphant score.
9. Star Wars (1977)
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| Photo: Businessinsider |
Kicking off the franchise to which all other franchises aspire, George Lucas’ “Star Wars” debuted in 1977 to rapturous reception. Young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) channels the Force as he wages battle against Darth Vader and the evil Empire. Savvy linguists potentially uncovered a major plot reveal as early as this first film, since Darth Vader loosely translates to “Dark Father.”
| "What makes the "Star Wars" experience unique, though, is that it happens on such an innocent and often funny level. It's usually violence that draws me so deeply into a movie -- violence ranging from the psychological torment of a Bergman character to the mindless crunch of a shark's jaws. Maybe movies that scare us find the most direct route to our imaginations. But there's hardly any violence at all in "Star Wars" (and even then it's presented as essentially bloodless swashbuckling). Instead, there's entertainment so direct and simple that all of the complications of the modern movie seem to vaporize." - Robert Ebert. |
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
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| Photo: Thisorthatedition |
Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue their quest to destroy an all-powerful ring in this beloved sequel. Director Peter Jackson expands upon his vision of Middle-earth while introducing a shifty CGI creature named Gollum (Andy Serkis). The story culminates with an epic 40-minute battle sequence, which took a whopping 120 days to film.
7. Apocalypse Now
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| Photo: Film |
Considered one of the all-time classics, Apocalypse Now is directed by industry heavyweight, Francis Ford Coppolla and is eerily accurate in depicting the various human atrocities of the Vietnam War – its a psychologically demanding film, to say the least. Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper, this feature boasts one of the most memorable pairings of music and film in any scene throughout cinema history.
6. The Dark Knight (2008)
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| Photo: Film 89 |
Nolan’s take on the caped crusader was for its time, nothing short of a masterpiece. Made iconic by Australia’s own Heath Ledger as the ‘Joker’ in the second instalment, and driven by Christian Bale’s steady-as-a-coal-train performance, the Dark Knight Trilogy is nothing short of a masterwork. Nolans decision to use practical effects wherever possible – and this includes that scene where Bane (Tom Hardy) drops the hull of a plane from the sky – has undoubtedly solidified this set of films as total classics, Manofmany commented.
5. The Matrix(1999)
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| Photo: Screencrush |
Undeniably one of the best sci-fi movies out there, The Matrix also totally holds it’s own as one of the best action movies of all time. Kung-fu, machine guns, tasty one-liners: there isn’t a shortage of action movie tropes to be found in this Wachowski Siblings film that turned the heads of both critics and viewers at the turn of the century.
4. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
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| Photo: TCM |
Technicolour swashbucklery, as Errol Flynn’s green-hosed merry man takes on the dastardly might of Basil Rathbone’s Guy Of Gisbourne, in the service of Claude Raines’ waspish King John. It’s justly reputed as a thoroughly jolly romp, but there’s a steel to Flynn’s flashing blade that he often misses the credit for. He can trade a quip, slap a thigh, clash a foil, string a bow and roister a jape with the best of them, but he’s also a great romantic and a stirring rebel leader, Stacker expressed.
READ MORE: Top 10 Best Movies to Watch on Netflix in 2021
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
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| Photo: Oscarchamps |
Peter Jackson welcomes viewers to Middle-earth in this lofty adaptation of Tolkien’s classic. Tasked with destroying an all-powerful ring, a gentle Hobbit (Elijah Wood) must conquer internal fears and external forces. Lurking just beyond the magical veneer are a number of potential themes, prompting endless discussion among cinephiles, theologians, and academics alike.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
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| Photo: Thecourieronline |
A beloved trilogy comes to a close in spectacular fashion, depicting the final battle between good and evil. The film scored massive box-office success and swept at the Academy Awards, winning 11 Oscars out of 11 nominations. Completists will want to check out the 2004 extended version, which contains recut scenes and 50 minutes of additional footage.
1. Seven Samurai (1954)
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| Photo: Thebigpicturemagazine |
| The perfect fusion of action and character, East and West, blockbuster and arthouse, Akira Kurosawa's first entry into the samurai genre is one of the great masterpieces in any language. The great director creates distinct, memorable characters out of seven luckless samurai hired to defend a poor farming village from marauding bandits, showcasing his heroes as rounded but dignified outcasts - Takashi Shimura's noble leader and Toshiro Mifune's crazed hothead are the standouts. All human life is here, as are debatably cinema's greatest battle scenes: the climactic showdown in the rain is the stuff of cinematic legend, Empireonline noted. |
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