Top 10 Action Movies of the 2010s So Far

There’s just something about Tom Cruise and action movies, right? This one puts a sci-fi spin on things, with Cruise taking on the role of a PR officer that’s thrown into combat without having any previous military experience. But that’s not all: the enemies the humans are fighting in this future aren’t even human – they’re aliens! William Cage soon discovers he’s stuck in a time loop in which he continually relives the day of his death. The movie really starts to thrill once he fully teams up with the badass Sergeant Rita in an attempt to save the day. “Live. Die. Repeat.” Indeed.

Remember how gritty, simple and awesome classic ‘80s action movies were? Well, picture them in cool, new high-resolution quality and you get “Dredd.” Rebooting what Sylvester Stallone started in 1995, this Pete Travis-directed movie gives fans the gun-slinging, bike-riding, skull cracking Judge we fell in love with in the comics. Trapped in a tower block occupied by bloodthirsty drug dealers, Dredd and his rookie partner must fight for their lives. Oh, and its slow-mo sequences… incredible.

This movie is as star-spangled as the American flag itself, and there are very few dream-team ensembles that could pull it off. Even though Loki and an alien invasion threaten planet Earth, they are no match for Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers. Large cinematic spaceships, awesome hand-to-hand combat and a large dose of Downey Jr’s swagger, make this not only one of the finest action movies in the first half of the decade, but also one of the greatest Marvel flicks ever.

We loved the dramatic finale of “Furious 7,” but it’s “Fast Five”’s adrenaline-pumped action and franchise-debut of a certain Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson that assure the fifth instalment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise a place on this list. As opposed to the usual smash and grab, this action flick sees Brian O'Conner and Dominic Toretto’s crew team up with the authorities to earn their freedom. What’s better than seeing Diesel and Johnson battle it out on the road? How about a fight in which they are using their bare hands?

The superhero genre continues to find popularity and success in the 2010s and this 10th instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was no exception. Thanks to this 2014 film, a band of extra-terrestrial rebels that weren’t particularly well known outside of the comic book world found a home on the big screen and helped “Guardians of the Galaxy” become that year’s highest grossing superhero movie. Funny, visually stunning, and filled with loads of action, it’s no surprise the critical and commercial success went on to spawn a sequel with a projected 2017 release date.

Edgy martial art movies can be very hit and miss, but “The Raid” and its 2014 sequel are both textbook examples of hits. Trapped in an apartment building, we get to see Lieutenant Wahyu fight his way out of a drug lord stronghold in “The Raid: Redemption.” The result? Blood-splattered chaos. It’s the eerie realism of the fight scenes that truly make this Indonesian movie memorable, which is thanks to brilliant choreography and the fact that many cast members were trained at a special boot camp. Method acting much? And yes, we loved every minute of it!

Word of advice: don’t piss off the boogey-man. More to the point, and perhaps more relevant to this particular movie: don’t piss off the guy you call to kill the boogey-man. And, especially, do not steal this guy’s car and murder his dog. With nothing left to lose, retired hitman John Wick picks up his guns once again and hunts down the men that attacked him. Clearing rooms one henchman at a time, “John Wick” is a great example of a good ol’ revenge flick. And thanks to the camera angles used by directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, we feel engrossed in every punch, kick and gunshot of this film’s action.

Similar to Christopher Nolan and his “Batman” trilogy, Daniel Craig’s reign as Bond gave the franchise a new, realistic makeover. “Skyfall,” Craig’s third turn as 007, takes a much closer look at the secret agent’s origins and also sees him in a much more vulnerable light. Fighting a revenge-driven mad man and licking his wounds along the way, James Bond has never fought such a varied, daring and personal battle. And let’s not forget Javier Bardem’s excellently dastardly performance as Raoul Silva.

Yes, that really is Tom Cruise climbing up the Burj Khalifa. Like many other secret agent movies, “Ghost Protocol” takes a famous fictional agency like the Impossible Missions Force and implicates it in an act of terrorism, this time, bombing the Kremlin. Ethan and his team set out to prove their innocence with a cool blend of stylised action and ‘interesting’ gadgets. Although 15 years on from the original, in this fourth instalment, director Brad Bird still manages to deliver the same trademark excitement we fell in love with all those years ago.


Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2015)

“Kick-Ass” (2010)

“Jack Reacher” (2010)

“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)

Did anyone see the successful revival of this 35-year-plus franchise coming? And does it really matter? With Tom Hardy taking over the role originated by Mel Gibson in the first three “Mad Max” films, “Fury Road” sees George Miller once again taking the reins as director and co-writer, as well as co-producer. The story follows our titular protagonist as he joins forces with Imperator Furiosa in a battle for gas during post-apocalyptic times. Not even halfway through 2015, the movie was already hailed as one of the year’s best action flicks. The sci-fi action movie earned 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been seen as on par with “Mad Max 2,” which was previously considered the best in the series.

Do you agree with our list? Which action movie of the last five years took your fancy? For more bullet-ridden Top Tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.