Top 45 Action Films You Need To See!
by dan-deinhart-787-454873 | created - 09 Sep 2013 | updated - 09 Sep 2013 | PublicI come from the era of balls, brawn, and bombs. The 80's and 90's hold the best action films in my opinion. They were over the top, cheesy, and most of all FUN TO WATCH.
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1. True Lies (1994)
R | 141 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton
Votes: 280,532 | Gross: $146.28M
This is number one to me because of the following
1. Arnold (The greatest action hero ever.)
2. Directed by James Cameron
3. Tia Carrere and Jamie Lee Curtis being all hot
4. Tom Arnold and Bill Paxton adding the perfect comedic flair.
I could watch this movie every day forever.
I pretty much have so far.
2. 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: 244,329 | Gross: $42.75M
Stallone directing makes this whole film, that and the throat rip.
3. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 407,785 | Gross: $100.01M
Willis and Jackson make the perfect duo, add a german terrorist and we've got 90's gold baby.
4. The Expendables 2 (2012)
R | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Liam Hemsworth, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Votes: 322,064 | Gross: $85.02M
The cast alone makes this one a must see.
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,172,448 | Gross: $204.84M
Arny+Cameron=Masterpiece.
6. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 943,896 | Gross: $83.01M
Rickman.
7. The Fifth Element (1997)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm
Votes: 505,434 | Gross: $63.54M
Probably the most fun movie ever made in any genre.
8. Demolition Man (1993)
R | 115 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A police officer is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent nemesis who is loose in a non-violent future society.
Director: Marco Brambilla | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne
Votes: 193,068 | Gross: $58.06M
This is a Classic.
9. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 454,092 | Gross: $59.74M
Duh.
10. The Expendables (2010)
R | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A CIA operative hires a team of mercenaries to eliminate a Latin dictator and a renegade CIA agent.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren
Votes: 364,402 | Gross: $103.07M
I've wanted to see Bruce, Sly, and Arnold on screen together my whole life.
And it happened.
11. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.
Director: George P. Cosmatos | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff
Votes: 182,260 | Gross: $150.42M
Nam, Russians, Rambo.
12. Aliens (1986)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
Votes: 761,927 | Gross: $85.16M
It's got Aliens.
13. Tombstone (1993)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History
A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton
Votes: 165,940 | Gross: $56.51M
This movie makes you want to be a man.
14. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,090,278 | Gross: $75.60M
Maybe not an all out action, but it's got nothing but heart... a BRAVE one at that!
15. Face/Off (1997)
R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 400,423 | Gross: $112.23M
The ending takes forever and it's wonderful.
16. Road House (1989)
R | 114 min | Action, Thriller
A bouncer hired to clean up the baddest honkytonk in a Missouri town. Armed with a black belt in karate and a degree in philosophy, Patrick Swayze sets out to tame the Double Deuce for its owner.
Director: Rowdy Herrington | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara
Votes: 99,081 | Gross: $30.05M
Throat rip.
17. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 201,879 | Gross: $43.22M
Swayze, Reeves, and it's 90's as *beep*.
18. Universal Soldier (1992)
R | 102 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Soldiers who were killed in action are brought back to life in a top secret military experiment that creates superhuman warriors.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross
Votes: 96,072 | Gross: $36.30M
JCVD doesn't have the best movies, but he is such a good action star. I really wish he got a few films with better directors. That being said, this one is pretty bad ass.
19. Total Recall (1990)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin
Votes: 353,998 | Gross: $119.39M
Three titted lady... THREE TITS.
20. The Running Man (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.
Director: Paul Michael Glaser | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown
Votes: 167,430 | Gross: $38.12M
Catch Phrase city.
21. Timecop (1994)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
Max Walker, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel, must fend for his life against a shady politician who's intent on changing the past to control the future.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill
Votes: 64,102 | Gross: $44.85M
Sci fi, Action, 1994... yup.
Not to mention the sick mullet.
22. MacGruber (2010)
R | 90 min | Action, Comedy
Former special operative MacGruber is called back into action to take down his arch-enemy, Dieter Von Cunth, who's in possession of a nuclear warhead and bent on destroying Washington, D.C.
Director: Jorma Taccone | Stars: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe
Votes: 47,253 | Gross: $8.46M
It's a comedy, but it's done so well I consider it a real action movie.
23. Planet Terror (2007)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton
Votes: 223,028
Just fun. Pure fun.
24. Independence Day (1996)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell
Votes: 604,947 | Gross: $306.17M
America, that's why.
25. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 693,914 | Gross: $167.45M
Best Bond film in my opinion.
26. Mortal Kombat (1995)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Votes: 124,512 | Gross: $70.45M
Goro.
27. Commando (1985)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.
Director: Mark L. Lester | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells
Votes: 174,656 | Gross: $35.10M
Another Classic.
28. Desperado (1995)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Former musician and gunslinger El Mariachi arrives at a small Mexican border town after being away for a long time. His past quickly catches up with him and he soon gets entangled with the local drug kingpin Bucho and his gang.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Cheech Marin
Votes: 197,440 | Gross: $25.63M
Salma Hayek is the hottest babe on the planet. That's it.
29. A History of Violence (2005)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt
Votes: 252,606 | Gross: $31.49M
A lot of people hate this one, I loved it for it's simplicity.
That, and the 69 scene.
30. Bloodsport (1988)
R | 92 min | Action, Biography, Drama
"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.
Director: Newt Arnold | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton
Votes: 93,827 | Gross: $11.81M
Fighting.
31. Who Am I? (1998)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A Secret Agent loses his memory after falling from a crashing helicopter. He is then chased by several other agency operatives, but he has no idea why.
Directors: Benny Chan, Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, Mirai Yamamoto, Ron Smerczak
Votes: 42,891
Jackie wins my heart in this mediocre action film.
32. Highlander (1986)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, Roxanne Hart
Votes: 147,243 | Gross: $5.90M
Not really action, but it belongs here.
There can only be one.
33. Machete (2010)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.
Directors: Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba
Votes: 203,968 | Gross: $26.59M
This movie should have been made years ago.
34. Drive (I) (2011)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks
Votes: 703,495 | Gross: $35.06M
I don't even like the star, but this ones got some great directing.
35. Con Air (1997)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Newly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney
Votes: 318,908 | Gross: $101.12M
This used to be on TV all day erryday and it should still be.
36. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
PG | 107 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After helping the local police with some horse thieves, a Texas Ranger aims at a drug lord with arms trade as well. They're interested in the same woman and they're both into martial arts.
Director: Steve Carver | Stars: Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Leon Isaac Kennedy
Votes: 13,932 | Gross: $12.23M
Norris let's people die in this movie right in the beginning for no reason. It's great.
37. Surf Ninjas (1993)
PG | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Two boys learn from a mysterious warrior that they are the heirs to the throne of Patusan and set out to overthrow the current monarchy.
Director: Neal Israel | Stars: Ernie Reyes Sr., Rob Schneider, Ernie Reyes Jr., Nicolas Cowan
Votes: 8,731 | Gross: $4.92M
Early Rob Schneider.
38. 3 Ninjas (1992)
PG | 84 min | Action, Comedy, Family
Each year, three brothers visit their grandfather for the summer. He is highly skilled in ninjutsu, and for years he has trained the boys in his techniques.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, Chad Power
Votes: 23,270 | Gross: $29.00M
I was a kid once, and I wanted to be a ninja more than anything.
39. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
PG | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Turtles discover their origins while they endeavour to save New York City from the evil Shredder and his Foot Clan.
Director: Michael Pressman | Stars: Paige Turco, David Warner, Michelan Sisti, Leif Tilden
Votes: 60,943 | Gross: $78.66M
They're half human, half turtle, half ninja. What's to lose here?
40. Judge Dredd (1995)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopian future, Joseph Dredd, the most famous Judge (a police officer with instant field judiciary powers), is convicted for a crime he did not commit and must face his murderous counterpart.
Director: Danny Cannon | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 124,813 | Gross: $34.69M
Sly and Schneider again.
I'll take it.
41. RoboCop (1987)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Votes: 282,675 | Gross: $53.42M
All of the RoboCop movies make me feel sick, and I love them for it.
42. 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: 863,266 | Gross: $210.61M
Not the greatest work of art, but it's primal, manly, and fun.
See it.
43. Rambo III (1988)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
Director: Peter MacDonald | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge, Kurtwood Smith
Votes: 140,051 | Gross: $53.72M
Steroids.
44. Lethal Weapon (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 276,050 | Gross: $65.21M
I like it.
Get a couple beers and watch it.
45. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being exiled from the most advanced town in post apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen.
Directors: George Miller, George Ogilvie | Stars: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence, Adam Cockburn
Votes: 147,403 | Gross: $36.20M
I like how wacky and out there the Mad Max films are. Plus Gibson is pretty bad ass.
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