The Best R Rated Action Movies of the 00's
by j.e.collins | created - 02 Mar 2011 | updated - 02 Mar 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Apocalypto (2006)
R | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, a young man is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Max Trujillo, Dalia Hernández, Rudy Youngblood
Votes: 330,970 | Gross: $50.87M
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,192,077 | Gross: $70.10M
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
R | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Votes: 804,345 | Gross: $66.21M
4. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,440 | Gross: $74.10M
5. Miami Vice (2006)
R | 132 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Based on the 1980s TV action/drama, this update focuses on vice detectives Crockett and Tubbs as their respective personal and professional lives become dangerously intertwined.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Naomie Harris
Votes: 123,646 | Gross: $63.45M
6. The Way of the Gun (2000)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother carrying a baby for a powerful, shady man.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs
Votes: 35,214 | Gross: $6.06M
7. Elite Squad (2007)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 110,094 | Gross: $0.01M
8. Equilibrium (2002)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.
Director: Kurt Wimmer | Stars: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs
Votes: 346,793 | Gross: $1.20M
9. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
R | 109 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A machine from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to protect a man and a woman from an advanced robotic assassin to ensure they both survive a nuclear attack.
Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken, Claire Danes
Votes: 418,286 | Gross: $150.37M
10. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: Tony Jaa, Phetthai Vongkumlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai
Votes: 78,137 | Gross: $4.56M
11. Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
R | 86 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Director: Michael Davis | Stars: Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti, Stephen McHattie
Votes: 154,974 | Gross: $12.81M
12. Doomsday (I) (2008)
R | 105 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Alexander Siddig, Caryn Peterson
Votes: 79,885 | Gross: $10.96M
13. Blade II (2002)
R | 117 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reapers, who are feeding on vampires.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela
Votes: 234,224 | Gross: $82.35M
14. Man on Fire (2004)
R | 146 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell
Votes: 389,202 | Gross: $77.91M
15. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
R | 138 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Freedom fighters Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 629,937 | Gross: $281.49M
16. Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Hitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 169,657 | Gross: $56.36M
17. Unleashed (2005)
R | 103 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A man enslaved by the mob since childhood and raised into behaving like a human attack dog escapes his captors and attempts to start a new life.
Director: Louis Leterrier | Stars: Jet Li, Bob Hoskins, Morgan Freeman, Kerry Condon
Votes: 108,008 | Gross: $24.52M
18. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung
Votes: 150,709 | Gross: $17.11M
19. The Hunted (2003)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An FBI deep-woods tracker attempts to capture a trained assassin who has made a sport of hunting humans.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen, Leslie Stefanson
Votes: 51,373 | Gross: $34.24M
20. The Transporter (2002)
PG-13 | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Frank Martin, who "transports" packages for unknown clients, is asked to move a package that soon begins moving, and complications arise.
Directors: Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen | Stars: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, François Berléand
Votes: 320,900 | Gross: $25.30M
21. 300 (2006)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama
In the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. They face insurmountable odds when they are betrayed by a Spartan reject.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West
Votes: 863,462 | Gross: $210.61M
22. Terminator Salvation (2009)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 2018, a mysterious new weapon in the war against the machines, half-human and half-machine, comes to John Connor on the eve of a resistance attack on Skynet. But whose side is he on, and can he be trusted?
Director: McG | Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood
Votes: 377,078 | Gross: $125.32M
23. Crank (2006)
R | 88 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Professional assassin Chev Chelios learns his rival has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.
Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor | Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Carlos Sanz, Jose Pablo Cantillo
Votes: 263,361 | Gross: $27.83M
24. District B13 (2004)
R | 84 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and an ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.
Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri
Votes: 73,834 | Gross: $1.20M
25. Chocolate (2008)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama
An autistic girl with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: JeeJa Yanin, Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Taphon Phopwandee
Votes: 18,847 | Gross: $0.01M
26. The Punisher (2004)
R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover FBI agent becomes a vigilante and sets out to unleash his wrath upon the corrupt businessman who slaughtered his entire family at a reunion.
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh | Stars: Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Laura Harring
Votes: 170,478 | Gross: $33.81M
27. Shooter (I) (2007)
R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after hearing of a plot to kill the President. After being-double crossed for the attempt and on the run, he sets out for the real killer and the truth.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, Rhona Mitra, Danny Glover
Votes: 355,310 | Gross: $47.00M
28. Wanted (2008)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A frustrated office worker discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov | Stars: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp
Votes: 408,283 | Gross: $134.51M
29. Bad Boys II (2003)
R | 147 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two loose-cannon narcotics cops investigate the flow of Ecstasy into Florida from a Cuban drug cartel.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Mollà
Votes: 266,860 | Gross: $138.61M
30. Rambo (2008)
R | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish
Votes: 244,385 | Gross: $42.75M
31. Crank: High Voltage (2009)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker which requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor | Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Dwight Yoakam
Votes: 158,849 | Gross: $13.63M
32. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A police sergeant must rally the cops and prisoners together to protect themselves on New Year's Eve, just as corrupt policeman surround the station with the intent of killing all to keep their deception in the ranks.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne, Maria Bello
Votes: 81,899 | Gross: $19.98M
33. Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A betrayed intelligence officer enlists the aid of a prostitute to prove his innocence from a deadly conspiracy while returning a favor to her.
Director: Chris Nahon | Stars: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tchéky Karyo, Ric Young
Votes: 66,558 | Gross: $36.85M
34. The International (I) (2009)
R | 118 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen
Votes: 99,959 | Gross: $25.45M
35. Punisher: War Zone (2008)
R | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, ruthlessly demolishes organized crime, but it starts an even bigger war.
Director: Lexi Alexander | Stars: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, Doug Hutchison
Votes: 67,133 | Gross: $8.05M
36. Domino (2005)
R | 127 min | Action, Biography, Crime
A recounting of Domino Harvey's life story. The daughter of actor Laurence Harvey turned away from her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramírez, Rizz Abbasi
Votes: 69,363 | Gross: $10.17M
37. Reindeer Games (2000)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After assuming his dead cell-mate's identity to get with the other man's girlfriend, an ex-convict finds himself a reluctant participant in a casino heist.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, James Frain
Votes: 42,374 | Gross: $23.36M
38. Undisputed (2002)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When heavyweight champion George "Iceman" Chambers lands in prison, the resident gangster arranges a boxing match with the reigning prison champ.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker
Votes: 34,371 | Gross: $12.76M
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