Top 10 Action Movies with Surprisingly Low Kill Counts

The “Bourne” movies are known for fast-paced action, ridiculously awesome car chases, and impressive hand-to-hand combat – however, the amount of survivors seems to go unnoticed. Although both “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy” didn’t rack up that many bodies either, the third film’s paltry five deaths (with a couple of others stated as just being left unconscious) is what earned its place here. Since seemingly nothing can take down Jason Bourne, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that death is so rare in this cinematic universe. In short, Bourne is far more likely to kick your ass than break your neck, despite clearly being adept at both.

When Jack Carter finds out that his brother is no longer among the living, he travels to Seattle to arrange the funeral and find out who is responsible. Since he’s a massive, cold-blooded mob enforcer motivated by a need for closure and cursed by a short fuse, you’d expect that those who stand between Carter and his goals will not only die, but die horribly. While the original film has slightly more people biting the big one, this remake’s tally of five allowed it to stand out and join our list.

Ethan Hunt and the IMF’s first foray into theaters is remarkable for a number of things. First off, the movie is a pretty darn fun action extravaganza, but also, the fact that Ethan never actually fires a single firearm in it is downright astonishing. When his allies breathe their last breaths, in some cases right in front of him, Ethan sets out to discover why and bring those responsible to justice. To our surprise, only nine people end up pushing up daisies in the resulting action.

For the majority of Clint Eastwood’s film career, it’s pretty much a given that when he appears on our screens, he’ll be brandishing a gun of some sort. Despite how much society has come to associate him with his Smith & Wesson revolver, Dirty Harry didn’t relish taking lives. His most famous line involves threatening a crook with his firearm, yet in this first installment of the police detective series, only seven people kick the bucket. Still, criminals would be wise to avoid this unpredictable cop.

When several scientists travel to a park where vicious dinosaurs are set loose after a storm, you’d think that the likelihood of making it out alive would be tiny. The fact that the titular park isn’t open to the public may have helped keep more bodies from winding up in dino bellies, but a surprising amount of those on the preliminary visit make it out alive. The result is that only five people can look forward to being digested, including a lawyer on a toilet and the park’s only IT guy.

James Bond is renowned for getting his man, bedding the girl, doing it all in style, and of course having a license to kill. Despite all that, the man doesn’t always cash the tickets of too many bad guys. “Dr. No” only has about a dozen deaths (or fewer by some counts!), while “The Man with the Golden Gun” necessitated a mere six funerals in the end. We suppose that is just further proof of what makes Bond so many people’s favorite spy. He’s good enough to get the job done without blood ruining his suits.

In a world where lawlessness rules the land and living has become a battle, our main character is one of the few men left trying to restore order where death seems to be a given. Faced with his wife and son dying at the hands of a biker gang, Max sets out to destroy those he holds responsible. Despite a blood feud and several men who are willing to kill without remorse and regret, only nine lives are snuffed out by the film’s end, and that includes Max’s family.

At one time, Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the world’s most celebrated action stars and for good reason. As he made righteous splits, impressive kicks, and blood curdling hits staples of his films, it was smart for bad guys to get their wills in order before they had the misfortune of crossing his path. In this early nineties flick, in which JCVD stars as a man on the run after breaking out of prison, the actual death count only involves the protagonist shooting a corrupt sheriff while one other man takes a dirt nap at the hands of a cop. Not as hardcore as you’d expect from Van Damme, that’s for sure.

In our list of the most violent movies ever, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” took up the number two entry. That is why it is so shocking that a mere three characters meet their makers due to the events in the second half of this tale. Not to mention the fact that we also never find out exactly what happens to the one-eyed Elle... On top of all that, this film was written and directed by a filmmaker known for his violent tendencies, which is the cherry on top that ensured its placement here.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- “Unknown” (2011)
Kill Count: 7
- “Fearless” (2006)
Kill Count: 5
- “Minority Report” (2002)
Kill Count: 4
- “Speed” (1994)
Kill Count: 7-13

John Rambo is an absolute killing machine that specializes in throat ripping and arrow shooting. In his first film, however, he is a war vet who has trouble coping with both the death of the final other survivor of his army unit and a sheriff infringing on the rights he fought and killed for. Escaping into the wilderness, all Rambo wants is to be left alone… and if that helicopter hadn’t come by, nobody would have died at all!

Do you agree with our list? Which movie’s body count surprised you the most? For more unexpected Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.