Top 20 Smartest Decisions in Action Movies
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Smartest Decisions in Action Movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at the cleverest choices and plans by action movie characters. While many straight-up villains have ingenious schemes, that’s a whole other list. We’ll be touching on key plot points, so this is your spoiler alert. Did we forget a foolproof idea from an action movie? Let us know in the comments below.
#20: Shouting the Suspect’s Name
“The Fugitive” (1993)
Deputy US Marshal Sam Gerard is tracking down Richard Kimble on a tense chase. When the investigator finds a lead, he follows after a man in the hopes that he’s the real target. They both end up in a stairwell where the marshal yells out the fugitive’s name … and Kimble instinctively looks up. Gerard’s quick thinking takes advantage of everyone’s response to hearing their own name, confirming that he’s chasing the right person. While Kimble isn’t caught in this sequence, Gerard’s decision shows off his intuitive skills.
#19: Telling His Daughter to Scream Out a Description
“Taken” (2008)
Liam Neeson’s tough-guy persona was arguably born in this iconic sequence from “Taken.” When Neeson’s character Bryan Mills calls his daughter Kim to check on her, men enter the apartment and abduct her friend. An ex-CIA officer, Bryan realizes what’s happening, and tells Kim to provide him with as much information as she can as she’s being taken. She yells out a description before her captors get hold of her phone. In just a few moments, the hero learns enough to track down the villain and rescue his daughter.
#18: Trapping Dormammu
“Doctor Strange” (2016)
When Earth is threatened by the primordial entity Dormammu, Doctor Strange enters the Dark Dimension to stop him. Dormammu is far more powerful … but that doesn’t mean he can’t be outsmarted. Using the Eye of Agamotto, the sorcerer traps the evil entity in a time loop. Dormammu kills him again and again. But Strange doesn’t back down. Talk about putting it all on the line! At last, Dormammu agrees to a bargain - pledging to leave Earth alone and never come back. Strange’s decision wins him the day and saves the planet!
#17: Using a Shotgun to Trick a Sniper
Top 10 Smartest Decisions In Action Movies
“The Bourne Identity” (2002)
Pinned down by a sniper, Jason Bourne must act fast. He finds a shotgun and his super spy senses kick into overdrive. Using the gun, he causes an explosion that obscures the sniper’s view, allowing him to change locations. He fires again in a field, scaring a flock of birds and misdirecting his opponent. The sniper’s movements reveal his location, and Bourne shoots him down. It’s a cunning strategy that saves the hero’s life. Clive Owen’s assassin, the Professor, may have started out as the predator here, but the tables are quickly turned.
#16: Sacrificing Himself
“Looper” (2012)
In Rian Johnson’s clever sci-fi thriller, assassins known as ‘loopers’ are sent victims from the future to execute and dispose of. When their contract ends, they’re sent back in time to meet the same fate themselves! When Joe’s older self is sent back in time, he manages to avoid execution. In order to stop Old Joe from committing a horrible deed, Young Joe sacrifices himself. This changes the timeline so that Old Joe never exists! And he just disappears. It’s not often that a classic genre surprises audiences with a great twist, but Rian Johnson’s writing here does that and much more.
#15: Ramming the Armored Truck
“Heat” (1995)
How do you rob an armored truck? Well, how about with another truck. The opening scene of “Heat” introduces Neil McCauley and his team of professional thieves with a lucrative heist in L.A. The armored truck flips over, leaving the guards inside at the thieves’ mercy. The well-organized team uses explosives to blow the truck open. The guards don’t have a chance as the thieves steal the bearer bonds that the truck was transporting. It’s a slick and brutal operation that, aside from some violent hiccups, shows just how professional these thieves are.
#14: Using a Flare to Distract the T-Rex
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“Jurassic Park” (1993)
There’s nothing amusing about this park. Corporate sabotage leads to the dinosaurs escaping their pens in “Jurassic Park”. In an iconic scene, the T-Rex attacks a jeep with Lex and Tim inside. Paleontologist Alan Grant and chaotician Ian Malcolm know they have to do something. Fortunately, Grant is aware that, at least in the universe of the films, tyrannosaurus rexes can only see movement. So he breaks out a flare to distract the beast. Malcolm tries to do his part too, but hasn’t really understood the idea … Still, it’s quick thinking, and it saved the kids from being dessert.
#13: Distracting the Villain with a Dance-Off
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“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)
Keeping the focus on humor, writer and director James Gunn decided to subvert expectations at the end of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” While there is a big battle, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord challenges villain Ronan to a dance-off instead of a duel. His love of music finally pays off; Ronan is distracted, giving the other Guardians enough time to destroy his warhammer. When Stan Vincent wrote this song back in 1970, little could he have imagined it would save the world!
12: Setting Up Three Layers of Dreams
“Inception” (2010)
Christopher Nolan is no stranger to tricky material, with “Inception” being amongst his most cerebral films. The plot concerns a team of thieves, led by Leonardo DeCaprio’s Dom Cobb, that infiltrates people’s minds through their dreams, normally to steal ideas. But this time, they need to plant an idea in someone’s head. Their client wants the son of his competitor to dissolve his father’s company. In order to fool their target and reach his subconscious, Cobb and his accomplices establish three layers of dreams - dreams within dreams. The target, Robert, dreams that his father has told him to create something new - completing Cob’s plan.
#11: Switching Lane & Benji
“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” (2018)
You can never know who you’re really talking to in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise! On the trail of extremist John Lark, the team begins to suspect August Walker. So they have Benji pose as anarchist mastermind Solomon Lane. Sure enough, Walker soon spills his guts to the fake Lane! Walker was John Lark all along. It was a devious plan, and the reveal that ‘Lane’ is actually Benji in a Lane mask makes for a great twist. You’d think we would have gotten wise to all the identity swaps in the “Mission: Impossible” films by this point, but it’s a franchise that always finds new ways to surprise us!
#10: Attaching the Explosive to the Villain
“Casino Royale” (2006)
James Bond has always been a savvy hero. After sending a refueling tanker hurtling toward a prototype aircraft, freelance terrorist Carlos thinks he has Bond beat. During the struggle, however, Bond finds himself face to face with the bomb on the tanker. Carlos looks pretty smug as he prepares to detonate it, but as he soon sees, Bond has clipped the bomb to a new target. Thanks to quick thinking under pressure, Bond gets the last smirk, and mastermind Le Chiffre is out millions.
#9: Placing Weapons in the Escape Route
“John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017)
He can kill with a pencil, so it’s no surprise that John Wick is well prepared when crime lord Santino D’Antonio sends him to kill his own sister, Gianna. Double-crossed and ambushed, John is caught in a furious gunfight during his escape, but he has a surprise of his own: he’s stashed weapons and ammunition in the catacombs, just in case. It’s a near thing, but the extra arms allow him to fight his way free. When every day could be your last, you always need to be ten steps ahead of your enemies.
#8: Counting Down the Pen Grenade
“Goldeneye” (1995)
James Bond makes his second appearance on our list, demonstrating just how resourceful he is. The pen grenade might seem like the least of the gadgets that Q gives 007, particularly compared to the BMW Z3, which comes complete with stinger missiles. But when it comes to crunch time, the small device is surprisingly handy. As a captured Bond looks on, fidgety programmer Boris picks up the pen by accident and starts clicking away. The observant Bond bides his time, carefully counting down clicks, so he knows exactly when to take action. The pen is mightier indeed.
#7: Closing Their Eyes When the Ark Is Opened
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“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
The Ark of the Covenant must be a tempting sight for any intrepid archeologist. As it begins to emanate a pale glow, however, Indiana Jones squeezes his eyes shut and instructs Marion to do likewise. Apparitions destroy the Nazis holding them captive, but spare the heroes. How did Indiana know? In deleted dialogue, the old man who deciphers the writing on the headpiece also translates a warning about looking at the Ark. Theoretically, Indiana might also have deduced this from 1 Samuel 6:19, in which the Lord smites 70 people in the city Beth Shemesh for peering inside. In any case, good call, Indy.
#6: Taping the Gun to His Back
“Die Hard” (1989)
When criminal mastermind Hans Gruber takes his wife hostage on Christmas Eve, NYPD Detective John McClane devises an impromptu gift - his willing surrender - and a surprise: a gun taped to his back. It shows that even after falling down stairs, sprinting over broken glass, and bungee jumping off a rooftop using a fire hose, McClane still has his wits about him. While it doesn’t all go as planned, the trick gives McClane the advantage he needs to rescue his wife and defeat Gruber.
#5: Using Mud as Camouflage
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“Predator” (1987)
Muscles alone can’t always get Arnold out of trouble. Pursued through the jungle by an alien hunting him for sport, Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer gets a lucky break when he scrambles up a muddy river bank. Even from just a few feet away, the creature can’t see him anymore. It turns out that the thick layer of mud interferes with its thermal sensor. Finding an advantage at last, Dutch covers himself in mud and summons the creature with a mighty war cry - luring it straight into an ambush.
#4: Capturing the Bus for a Re-Run
“Speed” (1994)
Pop quiz, hotshot: how do you offload passengers from a bus rigged with explosives? Defuse the bomb on the bottom of the speeding bus? Good luck. After SWAT officer Jack Traven realizes that the bomber is watching the bus on a hidden camera, his superior, Lieutenant "Mac" McMahon, comes up with a quick plan. He has a news crew loop the transmission, making the bomber think the passengers are still on board while they’re really being offloaded onto another bus. This leaves Jack and Annie to make a quick and dangerous escape. It’s a truly inspired plan that many other people have borrowed from over the years.
#3: Using the Cargo-Loader to Fight the Alien Queen
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“Aliens” (1986)
How do you go toe-to-toe with a Xenomorph? Watch and learn. As the alien queen advances on the orphan Newt, Ripley improvises. Climbing into a powered exoskeleton used for loading cargo, she reenters the fight . . . in the most badass way possible. In the exosuit, Ripley is able to match the alien queen’s strength, and hurl her into the spaceship’s airlock. From there, she’s on her own, but a gamble to open the airlock while she’s still inside sees the alien queen jettisoned into space.
#2: Heading Back to the Citadel
“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)
Even the simplest action, like turning around, can be the smartest decision of your life. It takes a lot of courage to venture into the unknown. But as Furiosa prepares to lead her band over barren salt flats, hoping desperately that there’s someplace green and habitable on the other side, Max intervenes. His plan is crazy, but probably no worse than the endless desert. Together, Max and Furiosa decide to book it back to Immortan Joe’s Citadel, where there’s water and crops. Sometimes, it’s better to go for a sure thing.
#1: Calling the Dog the Wrong Name
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1992)
It was brilliant to reprogram Terminators in the future to serve as protectors for humans, but the classic T-800’s revealing trick on his liquid metal adversary takes the cake. The T-1000 is disguised as John Connor’s foster mother, and when John calls home he feels like something is not quite right. Fortunately, Arnie’s quick-thinking good-guy-robot is there to save the day: suspecting it’s the T-1000 on the other end; he impersonates John’s voice and asks about the dog, but uses the wrong name. When the T-1000 replies with the same fake name, the jig is up. Ha, who says T-1000 is a more advanced model than the T-800?! Still, Arnie is kind of harsh about it!
