Nothing beats any Die Hard. Fine action served Bruce Willis style. I was actually watching Speed not to long ago thats not a bad piece of action either.
I still count the first Die Hard as one of the best action movies out there. The sequels get weaker as they go on, which is not unusual. Growing up in the 80’s, I was exposed to plenty of (mostly crappy, but fun) action flicks, starring the likes of Arnold, Van Damme, Seagal, etc. The Terminator series isn’t too bad, considering, and Predator has a special place in my heart.
Predator nice, youre right about the die hard sequels getting weaker, but they still are better than half of all the other crap around. The last one done by Len Wiseman wasn’t bad but i honestly prefer Jeremy Irons over Timothy Olyphant. The trick is in casting a heavy as your villain. Maggie Q wasn’t bad though and she does have a fucking nasty death scene. Jason Statham ain’t bad either. One that i can’t wait for it to hit Blu ray is True Lies. And that always reminds me of the classic Commando. " hey i thought you said you’d let me go" Schwarzenegger accent " I Lied" drops down cliff.:)
I thought Raiders of the Lost Ark was the perfect action film. Terminator and Die Hard are good, too, and the free-running at the beginning of Casino Royale is one of the most inspired action scenes I’ve ever seen.
I used to think action movies were rather dumb as a whole until I saw Kill Bill, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Both Quentin Tarantino and Akira Kurosawa have made action films that still manage to tell good stories while providing all the thrills action movies can provide.
Face/Off is the definition of action film.
“Commando” is so much fun: campy, funny, violent, stupid, but above all, very, very entertaining. “Terminator 2”, “Die Hard” and “Raiders” are also excellent for wall-to-wall action.
Action? (I am watching Terminator as I type this). Give me Hard Boiled, The Killer, First Blood…so many good memories.
“Commando” is a movie worthy of being called a film. So many great parts, scenes, mistakes, and the idea that it was actually made is awesome.
That being said, I enjoy the “action” films that Criterion has put out and hope that more continue.
I think the only kind of action films worth watching are gangster films, like Tokyo Drifter and Reservoir Dogs. They have a sense of brotherhood, usually, and that in itself creates a plot. The characters have bonds that show through the violence and high speed thrills. Most action movies, such as Eagle Eye, have a lack of plot due to the fact that there is no connection between the characters…It seems like they all meet half way through the movie and just jump around to keep the bored entertained. Maybe I don’t make much sense, but I’m really not big on action movies- well, the mainstream ones at least.
shit gino, took the words right out of my mouth.
i wouldn’t call tokyo drifter or reservoir dogs action
“Action” films have come to have too much action. As a result they are becoming deficient in drama.
“Action” is the resolution of drama and is not drama itself. As a result this genre is becoming just one big video game and needs some attention if it’s to become interesting again.
The Road Warrior (let’s face it, it’s non stop) and Ronin (for a very classy action movie)
I second The Road Warrior and Ronin…Die Hard 2 is the shit. Blade II also (with fight choreography by Donnie Yen).
But – damn – has anyone seen Timur Bekmambetov’s Day Watch? Just watched it a few days ago – and I have to say that it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen…
It rarely gets better than Terminator 2 for me.
“Commando” is just so straight-forward, it’s great.
I like “Mad Max” and “Road Warrior” for their setting, really beautiful stuff. The characters seem very much of the wastelands.
The best action movies are the ones that have the greatest wit, charm and pleasure of how to entertain audiences in various ways. And that is why ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘North by Northwest’ and ‘Terminator 2’ are the best action movies around. The way they do it seems effortless and even if there are moments implausable, you still leave theaters with a shit-eating grin on your face. In fact, ‘T2’ is so good it makes you forgive Cameron for making ‘Titanic’.
I enjoy a good action movie every once in a while. Crank? Absolutely loved it.
Frankenheimer’s The Train. A political action film.
Just saw Point Break for the first time, really terrific. An authentically spiritual movie, which was a tremendous surprise.
Lorna Israel
I’ve watched The Transporter (Corey Yuen, 2002) on HBO last night and I was literally transported. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is The Transporter who silently and efficiently delivers what he is paid to do—to transport—asking no questions, no details about what he is about to deliver—in short, all those details that could make one ask if what is being delivered is legitimate or not—he silences them all. His basic premise, as a former military man, is that those operating within and outside the laws are basically following the same line of thinking: no questions are asked, simply implement the law. He applies the same to his transporting activities, which are basically outside the rule of law.
And he soon discovers that operating outside the law in order to bring within the folds of law those involve in illegal activities are much more efficient than doing it through police work.