Action movies are one of the most exciting, colourful and popular genres in the world of cinema. That’s why we’ve collected the best action movies of all time with cool fights, shootouts, chases, high ratings and iconic characters. Enjoy your viewing!
Die Hard (1988)
Genre: Action, Thriller
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Gleeson
IMDb Rating: 8.2
Police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) arrives in Los Angeles to spend the winter holidays with his wife and save his broken marriage. But it suddenly turns out that it’s not the marriage that needs saving—it’s his wife. Together with her colleagues, she has been taken hostage by a gang of political terrorists. Now, McClane is their only hope.
Die Hard may not be the greatest action film in history, but in December, it’s the perfect alternative to the usual New Year’s Eve comedies. It’s a rare example of a police thriller that also doubles as a Christmas classic. Still not convinced? Just look at the evidence: the story unfolds during the holiday season, a Christmas party plays a central role, and the film includes four (!) Christmas songs.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
IMDb Rating: 8.6
Our list of the greatest action films of all time wouldn’t be complete without James Cameron’s legendary sci-fi blockbuster. Terminator 2: Judgment Day not only boasts the highest IMDb rating on this list, but it also revolutionised action cinema with groundbreaking special effects, intense shootouts, and jaw-dropping stunt sequences. On top of that, it delivered unforgettable one-liners—who doesn’t remember “Hasta la vista, baby”?—and introduced audiences to the most iconic cyborg in movie history.
This classic, led by the indestructible Arnold Schwarzenegger, needs no introduction. But since the film turns 33 this year, some might need a refresher on its plot. After the events of the first Terminator, the war between humans and Skynet-controlled machines rages on. Humanity’s only hope lies with John Connor, the future leader of the resistance. To stop him before he can fulfill his destiny, Skynet sends an advanced shape-shifting assassin—the T-1000—back in time to eliminate young John.
However, the adult John Connor from the future anticipates this and dispatches a reprogrammed T-800 (Schwarzenegger) to protect his younger self. The battle that follows is nothing short of spectacular, as the nearly indestructible T-1000, made of liquid metal, proves to be a formidable enemy. With its mix of thrilling action, innovative CGI, and a compelling storyline, Terminator 2 remains one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush similar to the high-octane action in the film, you can experience non-stop excitement at Hidden Jack Casino, where thrilling experiences await with every turn.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Genre: comedy action film
Director: Director.
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci
IMDb rating: 7.6
A classic eighties action film that gave the genre a new hero – not an invulnerable killing machine played by Schwarzenegger or Stallone, but a young desperate policeman Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), who repeatedly drives his partner, an aging, respectable family man Roger Mert (Danny Glover), to a heart attack and, despite his depressive tendencies, constantly finds himself in some comical situations.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Genre: post-apocalyptic action, thriller, sci-fi
Director: George Miller
Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz
IMDb rating: 8.1
In the fourth instalment of the cult post-apocalyptic franchise, former policeman Max Rockatansky finds himself in the crossfire between Empress Furiosa’s convoy and the bandits who are chasing her. Devastated by grief, the man unwittingly takes the side of the fugitive and finds himself in a crazy race, in which it is almost impossible to survive. The action scenes of Fury Road are something special: more violent and faster than in previous films, they are so explosive that the eye does not have time to cover everything that happens in the frame in one viewing.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Genre: crime action, thriller
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Michael Madsen
IMDb rating: 8.2
One of the best assassins in the world, nicknamed The Bride (Uma Thurman), wants to retire for a quiet life with her lover. Her former boss, Bill (David Carradine), doesn’t like this and orders her to be killed right during the wedding ceremony.
The assassination attempt is only partially successful. After a severe head injury and four years in a coma, the Bride regains consciousness and embarks on a path of revenge. A big fan of pop culture, Quentin Tarantino has combined the influence of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and samurai films to create a simultaneously exciting, funny, exciting and emotionally devastating action film that is worth watching for all fans of the genre.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Genre: spy action, detective, thriller
Directed by: Director.
Cast: Matt Damon, Franca Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen
IMDb rating: 7.8
The plot of the spy action film The Bourne Identity begins when fishermen find a mysterious stranger in the Mediterranean Sea with two gunshot wounds and a microcapsule sewn into his thigh. The hero cannot remember his own name or profession. But he suddenly discovers that he is a lethal weapon. Using a hidden instinct, Bourne escapes from intelligence agents and emerges victorious in the fiercest fights to recover his past and finally understand who wants to kill him.
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Genre: action adventure film
Director: Director.
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
IMDb rating: 8.4
The love for 1930s adventure series, comic books and stories about the famous spy James Bond prompted George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to create their own charismatic film hero who would travel to distant lands, search for mysterious treasures and get into amazing adventures. This is how Indiana Jones was born – an archaeologist with a whip in a cowboy hat.
In order not to spend a lot of screen time telling who the antagonists are, the authors chose to cast them as fascists from the Anenerbe occult organisation of the Third Reich. The fanatics are trying to find the Holy Ark, which can make Hitler invincible. Therefore, Indiana Jones must find the relic before they do to save the world from enslavement.
Harrison Ford’s Jones has become a model of a humane and vulnerable hero who can make mistakes, often finds himself in a difficult situation, but perseveres and achieves his goal. It’s also noteworthy that Indiana is not just a burly bonehead. He is an educated man who speaks dozens of languages, is well versed in history, and thanks to this, he skilfully finds a way out of numerous traps, constantly outrunning insidious enemies.
John Wick (2014)
Genre: crime action, thriller
Director: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe
IMDb rating: 7.4
A brutal action film of the old school, in which Keanu Reeves created the image of a retired hired killer John Wick. He had no idea that one day he would have to take up arms again. But after a stranger steals his only hobby, a rare 1969 Ford Mustang, and kills his beloved dog, he quickly recalls his lost skills. The pain of loss has flared up like a burning flame, and now only bloody revenge can quench it.
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Genre: crime action film
Director: Director.
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah
IMDb rating: 7.6
Thanks to its impressive fight sequences, the low-budget Indonesian action film has suddenly become one of the best examples of the genre. Iko Uwais plays Rama, a rookie police officer who is ordered to storm a crime lord’s lair in an abandoned 30-storey building. He is forced to fight his way through crowds of enemies when his squad is trapped. Together with his colleagues, the hero demonstrates a level of physical agility that previously seemed impossible.
Sicario (2015)
Genre: action, drama, detective
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
IMDb rating: 7.7
In the film by Dune director Denis Villeneuve, the main character, FBI agent Kate Macy (Emily Blunt), travels to the Mexican border town of Juarez. There, she joins a secret task force that is trying to destroy a powerful drug trafficking group. Kate will have to see the true face of the undeclared war against the cartels: mass graves, brutal shootings and ambushes on the border. She will also face difficult moral dilemmas when she discovers that police officers are involved in illegal dealings and must forget everything she believed in in order to stay alive.