Greatest Action Movies (Revision Version)

[ManPerson]

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1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman)
2. Die Hard
(1988, John McTiernan) (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman)
3. Goldfinger
(1964, Guy Hamilton) (Sean Connery, Honor Blackman)
4. The Terminator
(1984, James Cameron) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton)
5. The Killer
(1989, John Woo) (Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee)
6. Enter the Dragon
(1973, Robert Clouse) (Bruce Lee, Kien Shih)
7. The Matrix
(1999, Larry and Andy Wachowski) (Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne)
8. Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015, George Miller) (Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult)
9. Lethal Weapon
(1987, Richard Donner) (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover)
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(2000, Ang Lee) (Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh)
11. The Road Warrior
(1981, George Miller) (Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence)
12. Bullitt
(1968, Peter Yates) (Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughan)
13. From Russia With Love
(1963, Terence Young) (Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi)
14. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(1991, James Cameron) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton)
15. Skyfall
(2012, Sam Mendes) (Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris)
16. Once Upon a Time in China
(1991, Tsui Hark) (Jet Li, Yuen Biao)
17. Hard Boiled
(1992, John Woo) (Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung)
18. Predator
(1987, John McTiernan) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers)
19. The Bourne Ultimatum
(2007, Paul Greengrass) (Matt Damon, Julia Stiles)
20. Speed
(1994, Jan de Bont) (Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock)
21. The French Connection
(1971, William Friedkin) (Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider)
22. Kill Bill Vol. 1
(2004, Quentin Tarantino) (Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu)
23. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
(1972, K. Misumi) (Tomisaburo Wakayama)
24. Furious 7
(2015, James Wan) (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson)
25. Dr. No
(1962, Terence Young) (Sean Connery, Ursula Andress)
26. Mad Max
(1979, George Miller) (Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel)
27. A Better Tomorrow
(1986, John Woo) (Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung)
28. Robocop
(1987, Paul Verhoeven) (Peter Weller, Nancy Allen)
29. The Fugitive
(1993, Andrew Davis) (Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones)
30. Top Gun: Maverick
(2021, Joseph Kosinski) (Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller)
31. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
(1978, Chia-Liang Liu) (Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Chia Yung Liu)
32. The Legend of Drunken Master
(1994, Chia-Liang Liu) (Jackie Chan, Ti Lung)
33. Fist of Fury
(1972, Lo Wei) (Bruce Lee, Nora Miao)
34. Police Story
(1985, Jackie Chan) (Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin)
35. John Wick
(2014, Chad Stahelski) (Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen)
36. Sin City
(2005, Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller) (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba)
37. Tokyo Drifter
(1966, Seijun Suzuki) (Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara)
38. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
(2015, Christopher McQuarrie) (Tom Cruise)
39. First Blood
(1982, George P. Cosmatos) (Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna)
40. Clear and Present Danger
(1994, Phillip Noyce) (Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer)
41. Shaft
(1971, Gordon Parks) (Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn)
42. Fast Five
(2011, Justin Lin) (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster)
43. The Warriors
(1978, Walter Hill) (Michael Beck, James Remar)
44. Kill Bill Vol. 2
(2005, Quentin Tarantino) (Uma Thurman, David Carradine)
45. The Raid: Redemption
(2011, Gareth Evans) (Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy)
46. Taken
(2008, Pierre Morel) (Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser)
47. Midnight Run
(1988, Martin Brest) (Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin)
48. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
(1969, Peter R. Hunt) (George Lazenby, Diana Rigg)
49. Cliffhanger
(1993, Renny Harlin) (Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow)
50. Face/Off
(1997, John Woo) (John Travolta, Nicolas Cage)
51. The Rock
(1996, Michael Bay) (Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage)
52. La Femme Nikita
(1990, Luc Besson) (Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret)
53. Casino Royale
(2006, Martin Campbell) (Daniel Craig, Eva Green)
54. A Bullet in the Head
(1990, John Woo) (Tony Leung, Jackie Cheung)
55. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
(2018, Christopher McQuarrie) (Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames)
56. The Bourne Identity
(2002, Doug Liman) (Matt Damon, Franka Potente)
57. The Italian Job
(1969, Peter Collinson) (Michael Caine, Noel Coward)
58. The Getaway
(1972, Sam Peckinpah) (Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw)
59. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(1989, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
60. Once Upon a Time in China II
(Tsui Hark, 1992) (Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan)
61. Ronin
(1998, John Frankenheimer) (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone)
62. Patriot Games
(1992, Phillip Noyce) (Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer)
63. Salt
(2010, hillip Noyce) (Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor)
64. Assault on Precinct 13
(1976, John Carpenter) (Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston)
65. Jack Reacher
(2012, hristopher McQuarrie) (Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins)
66. Léon (The Professional)
(1994, Luc Besson) (Jean Reno, Gary Oldman)
67. Hanna
(2011, Joe Wright) (Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana)
68. Desperado
(1995, Robert Rodriguez) (Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek)
69. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
(1972, K. Misumi) (Tomisaburo Wakayama)
70. John Wick: Chapter 2
(2017, Chad Stahelski) (Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane)
71. Battle Royale
(2000, Kinji Fukasaku) (Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda)
72. Air Force One
(1997, Wolfgang Petersen) (Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman)
73. The Spy Who Loved Me
(1977, Lewis Gilbert) (Roger Moore, Barbara Bach)
74. Thunderball
(1965, Terence Young) (Sean Connery, Claudine Auger)
75. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
(2019, Chad Stahelski) (Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne)
76. Goldeneye
(1995, Martin Campbell) (Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean)
77. Lethal Weapon 2
(1989, Richard Donner) (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover)
78. The Fast and the Furious
(2001, Rob Cohen) (Paul Walker, Vin Diesel)
79. True Lies
(1994, James Cameron) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis)
80. Versus
(2000, Ryuhei Kitamura) (Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki)
81. Ip Man
(2008, Wilson Yip) (Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan)
82. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
(2003, Prachya Pinkaew) (Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao)
83. Escape from New York
(1981, John Carpenter) (Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef)
84. Mission: Impossible
(1996, Brian DePalma) (Tom Cruise, Jon Voight)
85. Under Siege
(1992, Andrew Davis) (Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones)
86. Drunken Master
(1978, Yuen Woo-ping) (Jackie Chan, Siu Tien Yuen)
87. The Protector
(2005, Prachya Pinkaew) (Tony Jaa, Nathan Jones, Petchtai Wongkamlao)
88. Rambo: First Blood Part 2
(1985, George P. Cosmatos) (Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna)
89. Top Gun
(1986, Tony Scott) (Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Tim Robbins)
90. Hero
(2002, Zhang Yimou) (Jet Li, Tony Leung)
91. Con Air
(1997, Simon West) (Nicolas Cage, John Cusack)
92. El Mariachi
(1992, Robert Rodriguez) (Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez)
93. Rambo
(2008, Sylvester Stallone) (Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden)
94. Full Contact
(1993, Ringo Lam) (Chow Yun-Fat, Simon Yam)
95. Die Hard 2: Die Harder
(1990, Renny Harlin) (Bruce Willis, William Sadler)
96. The Bourne Supremacy
(2004, Paul Greengrass) (Matt Damon, Franka Potente)
97. The Transporter
(2002, Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen) (Jason Statham, Qi Shu, Matt Schulze)
98. The Expendables 2
(2012, Simon West) (Sylvester Stallone, Liam Hemsworth)
99. Escape Plan
(2013, Mikael Håfström) (Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger)
100. Die Hard With a Vengeance
(1995, John McTiernan) (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson)
Harrison Ford from the action movie Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford
Bruce Willis from the action movie Die Hard
Bruce Willis
Sean Connery as James Bond
Sean Connery
Arnold Schwarzenegger from the action movie Terminator
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Tom Cruise from the action movie Mission Impossible
Tom Cruise
Keanu Reeves from the action movie John Wick Chapter 3
Keanu Reeves
Chow Yun-Fat from the action movie The Killer
Chow Yun-Fat
Vin Diesel from the action movie The Fast and the Furious
Vin Diesel
25 More Movies Worth Mentioning
101. Once Upon a Time in Mexico
(2003, Robert Rodriguez) (Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek)
102. No Time to Die
(2021, Cary Joji Fukunaga) (Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas)
103. Fast & Furious 6
(2013, Justin Lin) (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson)
104. Machete
(2010, Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez) (Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez)
105. Atomic Blonde
(2017, David Leitch) (Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman)
106. Death Wish
(1974, Michael Winner) (Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia)
107. Commando
(1985, Mark L. Lester) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong)
108. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
(2015, Guy Ritchie) (Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander)
109. The Long Kiss Goodnight
(1996, Renny Harlin) (Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson)
110. The Mechanic
(2011, Simon West) (Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland)
111. Diamonds Are Forever
(1971, Guy Hamilton) (Sean Connery, Jill St. John)
112. Nobody
(2021, Ilya Naishuller) (Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, Aleksey Serebryakov)
113. The Equalizer
(2014, Antoine Fuqua) (Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë)
114. Lady Snowblood
(1973, Toshiyo Fujita) (Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa)
115. House of Flying Daggers
(2004, Zhang Yimou) (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau)
116. Live and Let Die
(1973, Guy Hamilton) (Roger Moore, Jane Seymour)
117. The Sword of Doom
(1966, Kihachi Okamoto) (Tatsuya Nakadai, Yûzô Kayama)
118. Spectre
(2015, Sam Mendes) (Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux)
119. You Only Live Twice
(1967, Lewis Gilbert) (Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi)
120. Licence to Kill
(1989, John Glen) (Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell)
121. True Romance
(1993, Tony Scott) (Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette)
122. A Better Tomorrow II
(1987, John Woo) (Chow Yun-Fat, Dean Shek)
123. The Old Guard
(2020, Gina Prince-Bythewood) (Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor)
124. The Sum of All Fears
(2002, Phil Alden Robinson) (Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman)
125. Non-Stop
(2014, Jaume Collet-Serra) (Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy)

[ManPerson]

All the films on the top 500 that Letterboxd lists as action films, I put a star next to the ones that are probably not primarily action films.
1. Seven Samurai *
2. Star Wars *
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. The Empire Strikes Back *
5. The Terminator
6. Goldfinger
7. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
8. The Matrix
9. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
10. Ben-Hur *
11. The Dark Knight *
12. Die Hard
13. The General *
14. Superman *
15. The French Connection *
16. Dr. No
17. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
18. Avatar *
19. Aliens
20. Sherlock Jr *
21. Scarface *
22. Batman *
23. Enter the Dragon
24. The Adventures of Robin Hood *
25. Inception
26. Mad Max: Fury Road
27. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
28. The Avengers *
29. Dirty Harry *
30. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers *
31. Akira
32. Gladiator *
33. Ran *
34. Oldboy *
35. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
36. Heat *
37. Wings *
38. Planet of the Apes *
39. The Great Train Robbery *
40. Platoon *
41. From Russia with Love
42. The Incredibles *
43. Bullitt *
44. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse *
45. Mad Max
46. Everything Everywhere All At Once *
47. Robocop
48. Braveheart *

[ManPerson]

With that in mind...
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Terminator
3. Goldfinger
4. The Matrix
5. Die Hard
6. Dr. No
7. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
8. Aliens
9. Enter the Dragon
10. Inception
11. Mad Max: Fury Road
12. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
13. Akira
14. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
15. From Russia with Love
16. Mad Max
17. Robocop

I also think this could use a sidebar list of films that were influential on the genre, but aren't action films themselves.
1. Seven Samurai
2. Star Wars
3. Bullitt
4. Ben-Hur
5. The French Connection
6. The Adventures of Robin Hood
7. The Wild Bunch
8. Dirty Harry
9. Captain Blood
10. The Mark of Zorro
11. The General
12. Stagecoach
13. Superman
14. The Great Train Robbery
15. Yojimbo
16. The Black Pirate
17. Hell's Angels
18. The Hidden Fortress
19. Lawrence of Arabia
20. Rashomon

[Area Man]

I would support a side-list for action-adjacent films. Another movie that could make such a side-list could be Metropolis (1927), since the last third of that sci-fi epic is one action-adventure set-piece piled on, one after another.

Anyway, defining what constitutes an action movie is incredibly tricky. I mean, the Star Wars films have much more action than the first two Sean Connery James Bond flicks, but the former may not qualify for the list, while the latter might.

I have a bit of a typology system for categorizing action cinema. Not sure if it will be useful, but I'll share it because I have some pedantic tendencies.

Category A: These movies are unquestionably action films, with "action" being their primary genre or co-primary genre (if it doubles as adventure or sci-fi or whatever). It has plenty of action. If a friend walked up to you and said "Have you seen the action movie [insert movie title here]?," you wouldn't be confused as to why they used the phrase "action movie" to describe it.
Examples: Commando (1985), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981),The Killer (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), and Police Story (1985)

Category B: These movies have roughly as much action (fights, chases, battles, shootouts, etc.) as a Category A film, but "action" is, more or less, a secondary genre for the flick, with something like adventure, war, western, crime/gangster, science-fiction, horror, or thriller being the primary genre(s). Could relatively loosely be considered an action movie. If a friend walked up to you and said "Have you seen the action movie [insert movie title here]?," you might be a little confused as to why they chose the phrase "action movie" over something else, but you wouldn't be completely baffled.
Examples: Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Army of Darkness (1992), Gangster Squad (2013), and Inception (2010)

Category C: These movies have a somewhat notable amount of action, but aren't really action movies per se. If there was such a thing as a "tertiary genre," "action" would fit the bill for it. Sequences of action/choreographed violence/action-y adventure are important to the plot, but the film doesn't run on them. Could be considered an action movie under certain circumstances, but this is definitely pushing it. If a friend walked up to you and asked "Have you seen the action movie [insert movie title here]?," they'd basically be giving you a false impression of the film, but it wouldn't be an outright "lie."
Examples: High Noon (1952), 1917 (2019), Blade Runner (1982), This Gun for Hire (1942), and Jaws (1975)

Category D: These movies may contain a little bit of action, but it's very limited in quantity and not extremely important to the resolution of the plot. They can't really be considered action movies, though they still might pique the interest of those interested in action cinema. If a friend walked up to you and said "Have you seen the action movie [insert movie title here]?," you'd be confused as to why they chose the term "action movie" to describe the motion picture.
Examples: Idiocracy (2006), The Penalty (1920), Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Casablanca (1942)

Category E: These movies are not action movies under any circumstances, containing no or virtually no physical action. If a friend walked up to you and asked "Have you seen the action movie [insert movie title here]?," you'd tell them to seek help.
Examples: 12 Angry Men (1957), The Elephant Man (1980), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), and The Private Life of a Cat (1946)

It's not a perfect typology system. I mean, how does one define "action" anyway? Yes, fights, chases, battles, and shootouts count as action... but what about slapstick sequences (like in, say, Safety Last! [1923])? Is that action? How about sports action (like in, say, Rocky III [1982])? Is that action? What about sustained sequences of horror violence/terror (like in, say, Halloween [1978])? Is that action?

Also, I'm sure that you can think of many borderline cases between the categories, such as:
Category AB: Star Wars (1977), The Wind and the Lion (1975), and Dillinger (1973)
Category BC: White Heat (1949), The Great Escape (1963), and Planet of the Apes (1968)
Category CD: Road to Perdition (2002), FDR: American Badass! (2012), and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Category DE: Christopher Robin (2018), Airplane! (1980), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Just some food for thought, I guess.