Top 10 Action Movies with the Most Action

Few franchises make it to seven films, and when they do, it’s rarely a good thing. For “The Fast and the Furious” series however, the seventh time up to bat was easily among the best. From humble beginnings as a modestly budgeted racing/action franchise, “Fast & Furious” has been fine-tuned into a well-oiled, high-octane cinematic juggernaut. “Furious 7” is a franchise operating at peak performance, and it raised the bar for the blockbuster action flicks to follow. It’s hectic, it’s over-the-top, and it has very little respect for the laws of physics, human frailty or common sense. But you know what? We wouldn't have it any other way.

It’s the film that comic book icon Judge Dredd deserved, and far too few people have seen it. Dismissed by some as a B-list superhero flick and simply unheard of by others, “Dredd” is a sci-fi action movie that earns its R-rating. Thanks to a perspective-altering drug used by the characters called “Slo-Mo”, the excessive carnage and gore of its bone-crunching fight scenes is all captured in super slow-motion, turning the action into a bloody work of cinematic art. Gritty and unflinching, “Dredd” takes us on a relentless ride with the titular law enforcement officer as he serves as judge, jury and executioner in a crime-ridden tower block.

If you ever find yourself beginning to doubt Arnold Schwarzenegger’s status as an action icon as he gets older, throw on “Commando” and allow him to blow you away all over again. As John Matrix, Arnie is a one man army that’s only too happy to mow down the seemingly endless supply of cannon-fodder henchmen thrown his way. Hey, sometimes in movieland, saving the day just means decimating any and all potential opposition. According to moviebodycounts.com, Matrix accumulates a whopping 81 corpses to his name. Operating at the pace he does, it’s a wonder he didn’t run out of bullets or breath - because we were certainly short on the latter.

The first Matrix film struck a perfect balance between high concepts and satisfying action. After that however, things got a little convoluted. People are quick to write off both sequels, but history has a bad habit of focusing on a sequel’s faults and overlooking what it got right. And boy oh boy did “The Matrix: Reloaded” ever get the action right. Ignore the labyrinthine themes if they don’t interest you, and simply bask in the glory of these masterfully choreographed, physics-defying fight scenes. Need we remind you of the highway fight? Guns, vehicular mayhem, serious fisticuffs - what more could you ask for? With “Reloaded”, the Wachowskis delivered a one of kind action extravaganza.

We’d like to remind you that at no point did we claim that this was going to be a “best of” list. We’re here for action - as much as we can get. Drawing heavily on video games for influence, “Hardcore Henry” puts you in the first person perspective of the titular Henry and never deviates. After Henry wakes up in a lab with cybernetic prosthetics, he fights his way through hordes of henchmen for most of the film’s 96 minute runtime. It’s often thrilling, occasionally nauseating and, by the end of the film, downright exhausting. The story is inconsequential, as are the characters - this is 100% pure uncut action.

In 2014, Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski resurrected the type of action hero we didn’t think could exist in the modern action landscape - a simple, grim and thoroughly human protagonist who holds an audience’s attention without huge set pieces. In 2017’s “John Wick: Chapter 2”, they perfected that formula, polishing and intensifying the deeply satisfying gunplay and close quarter combat that earned the first film such praise. A magnet for viewers, Wick moves breathlessly from one conflict to the next, showing signs of wear and tear after each encounter. It’s an exhilarating ride, and a true masterclass in action filmmaking and pacing.

The first “Crank” was, just as its premise promised, a non-stop and often over-the-top action film experiment. You’d think that they couldn’t really crank the dial any higher, but then this sequel hit theaters. “Crank: High Voltage” is, in a word, “absurd”. Jason Statham’s Chev Chelios literally needs to electrocute himself to keep his artificial heart going - at least long enough to retrieve his actual heart. When he’s not sprinting, punching thugs, throwing guys out of cars, or hooking up jumper cables to his tongue, he can be found trying to create static electricity by rubbing up on strangers or having sex. Like we said… it’s absurd, but it’s also never boring.

This Indonesian action film by director Gareth Evans is a movie that knows what it wants to be from the outset and follows through on its mission statement - start to finish. A bloody, bone-crunching good time, it follows rookie special forces member Rama as he fights his way through an apartment block run by villainous crime lord Tama. Rama gets few breaks in the film, but the audience gets even fewer with multiple fights happening simultaneously throughout the building. Director Gareth Evans and his team deliver one thrilling display of martial arts after another. Our only real issue with the film was that it ended. Thankfully, there’s a worthy sequel!

“Fury Road” has often favorably been described as one long car chase. That’s not exactly true though. Before that incredible, neverending chase kicks off, we first get a thrilling reintroduction to our titular character as he’s kidnapped and branded by the War Boys . . . only to subsequently attempt to escape. From its opening scene, the film rarely lets up on the action, and thanks to George Miller’s unique vision and frenetic camerawork, every shot is imbued with violent energy. What earns “Fury Road” such a high spot on our list is not just the amount of pulse pounding action in it, but the style with which the action is presented.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions

“Smokin' Aces” (2007)


“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” (2018)

“Edge of Tomorrow” (2014)

The title says it all - this film is an unabashed celebration of gunplay. We first meet our reluctant hero, Smith, sitting at a bus stop chomping on a carrot a la Bugs Bunny. When a distraught pregnant woman hobbles past, pursued by a hitman, he can’t help but begrudgingly involve himself. Mere minutes later he’s delivering a baby while blasting bad guys away. From this point on, the film rarely slows down, and when it does, it’s only to lay the groundwork necessary to keep the plot moving; as soon as that’s done, the bullets start flying again. “Shoot ‘Em Up” pushes the action to a cartoonish level, and it is glorious.