James Cameron
Known for:
The Terminator
Aliens
The Abyss
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
True Lies
Titanic
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◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: The Greatest Action Movie Director of All Time
Crash! Bang! Wallop! Who, in your opinion, is the greatest action movie director of all time?
Special Mentions
The following people are considered fine action movie directors but didn't quite make the list:
Buster Keaton, William Wyler, Martin Campbell, Joe Carnahan, Louis Leterrier, George Miller, Guy Ritchie
Make Your Choice
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John McTiernan
Known for:Predator
Die Hard
The Hunt for Red October
Last Action Hero
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
The 13th Warrior
Basic
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Tony Scott
Known for:Top Gun
Beverly Hills Cop II
Days of Thunder
The Last Boy Scout
Crimson Tide
Enemy of the State
Spy Game
Man on Fire
Deja Vu
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
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Ridley Scott
Known for:Blade Runner
Black Rain
Gladiator
Black Hawk Down
Kingdom of Heaven
Body of Lies
Exodus
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John Woo
Known for:The Young Dragons
A Better Tomorrow
A Better Tomorrow II
The Killer
Just Heroes
Bullet in the Head
Hard Boiled
Hard Target
Broken Arrow
Face/Off
Mission: Impossible II
Windtalkers
Paycheck
Red Cliff
Red Cliff II
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Michael Bay
Known for:Bad Boys
The Rock
Bad Boys II
Armageddon
Pearl Harbor
The Island
Transformers
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Pain and Gain
Transformers: Age of Extinction
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Woo-Ping Yuen
Known for:Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master
Dance of the Drunken Mantis
The Miracle Fighters
Last Hero in China
Drunken Tai Chi
Iron Monkey
True Legend
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Hark Tsui
Known for:Once Upon a Time in China
Once Upon a Time in China II
Once Upon a Time in China III
Once Upon a Time in China V
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
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Paul Greengrass
Known for:The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum
Green Zone
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Sam Peckinpah
Known for:The Wild Bunch
The Getaway
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
The Killer Elite
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Wolfgang Petersen
Known for:Das Boot
Enemy Mine
Outbreak
In the Line of Fire
Air Force One
Troy
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Walter Hill
Known for:The Driver
The Warriors
48 Hrs.
Red Heat
Last Man Standing
Bullet to the Head
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Michael Mann
Known for:Thief
The Last of the Mohicans
Heat
Collateral
Miami Vice
Blackhat
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Richard Donner
Known for:Superman
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 4
16 Blocks
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Paul Verhoeven
Known for:Robocop
Total Recall
Starship Troopers
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Gareth Evans
Known for:The Raid: Redemption
The Raid 2
Merantau
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David Ayer
Known for:Harsh Times
Street Kings
End of Watch
Sabotage
Fury
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Sylvester Stallone
Known for:Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky Balboa
Rambo
The Expendables
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Doug Liman
Known for:The Bourne Identity
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Edge of Tomorrow
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Justin Lin
Known for:The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast & Furious
Fast Five
Fast & Furious 6
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Christopher Nolan
Known for:Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Inception
The Dark Knight Rises
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Steven Spielberg
Known for:Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Jurassic Park
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
War of the Worlds
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Adventures of Tintin
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Antoine Fuqua
Known for:Training Day
The Equalizer
Olympus Has Fallen
Shooter
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Matthew Vaughn
Known for:X-Men: First Class
Kick-Ass
Kingsman: The Secret Service
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Stephen Chow
Known for:Kung Fu Hustle
Shaolin Soccer
From Beijing with Love
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Jaume Collet-Serra
Known for:Unknown
Non-Stop
Run All Night
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Simon West
Known for:Con Air
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
The Mechanic
The Expendables 2
Stolen
Wild Card
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Roland Emmerich
Known for:Universal Soldier
Stargate
Independence Day
The Day After Tomorrow
White House Down
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Guillermo del Toro
Known for:Hellboy
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Pacific Rim
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Kathryn Bigelow
Known for:Point Break
Blue Steel
Strange Days
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Akira Kurosawa
Known for:Seven Samurai
Throne of Blood
Yojimbo
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Sam Raimi
Known for:Darkman
The Quick and the Dead
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
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Bryan Singer
Known for:X-Men
X-Men 2
Superman Returns
X-Men: Days of Future Past
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John Sturges
Known for:The Great Escape
The Magnificent Seven
The Eagle Has Landed
Joe Kidd
Marooned
Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall
Escape from Fort Bravo
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Robert Aldrich
Known for:The Dirty Dozen
The Longest Yard
The Flight of the Phoenix
Ten Seconds to Hell
...All the Marbles
The Choirboys
