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The Playlist: The Best 50 Action Movies of the 21st Century
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Discotheque
Banned
Mission misses the 21st century cutoff and the election movies aren't remotely action movies (but neither is all is lost lmao or gravity and that didn't stop these guys for some reason)
HarryKS
Member
That's exactly what it is. Nothing more.
It's not in the same category as the action movies of the 80s. It's just some people like it a lot and they are very vocal.
fushi
Member
It's not exactly "some".
Decent top 10, save for TDK. I also found The Raid 2 to be better.
Edit: The list has Non-Stop but no Taken? Come on...
Permanently A
Junior Member
Dark knight? Action? Alongside the Raid and Fury Road?
The fuck?
The fuck?
fushi
Member
Yeah, 30. Great film.
GungriffonEX
Member
Fury Road #1. All is right with the world.
Guess is need to see Exiled and John Wick.
Guess is need to see Exiled and John Wick.
vinnygambini
Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Star Wars: The Force Awakens at 13? Rly....
I'm surprised Troy is not on the list though (lots of action set-pieces) or even Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The Man from Nowhere is criminally too low on the list
I'm surprised Troy is not on the list though (lots of action set-pieces) or even Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The Man from Nowhere is criminally too low on the list
Monocle
Member
That flawless top 3.
Haven't seen Exiled but John Wick absolutely earns its place on that list.
Yep.
Haven't seen Exiled but John Wick absolutely earns its place on that list.
To be fair, TFA has the some of the best saber action in the series. You can see the characters' backgrounds and personalities in their fighting styles. Great visual storytelling.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
Dredd is there, number 4.
Forerunner
Member
The Raid and Edge of Tomorrow.
Fuck all that other shit.
John Wick is cool too.
Fuck all that other shit.
John Wick is cool too.
unpopularblargh
Member
They explain why films like Dark Knight and Sicario are on their list as follows from the article itself (though hidden inside the blurb for Sicario):
Also Shoot Em Up and Man From Nowhere are on the list? I'm happy.
Also Shoot Em Up and Man From Nowhere are on the list? I'm happy.
Monocle
Member
Yeah no, it's actually insanely well made. Everything thought through and tuned to perfection, from the structure of each act down to the vehicles and props that originate in a detailed historical backdrop that was worked out in advance. All that good stuff doesn't just disappear because some viewers don't see it. Fury Road's a masterclass in effective filmmaking.
Forerunner
Member
LiveFromKyoto
Member
Get that Tom Cruise bullshit out of here.
And I do not get the over the top love for Mad Max. It was fine. Better than The Raid, Kill Bill or Dark Knight? Come on. No.
And I do not get the over the top love for Mad Max. It was fine. Better than The Raid, Kill Bill or Dark Knight? Come on. No.
Yeah those movies are nowhere close to Mad Max, good point.
Also as some others have said the Man from Nowhere should be in the top ten. That movie isn't a huge action set piece film but the finale is fucking INCREDIBLE. Seriously go watch the entire movie as its building to that final scene and man it is AWESOME.
Personally I'd strike Kill Bill from the Top Ten as its actually pretty light on action except for one segment. I'd also drop The Dark Knight from the list entirely. It has terrible action scenes, yes even the Tumbler car chase scene. Its such a poorly filmed action scene on almost every level its embarrassing Nolan thought to leave it in the movie as is.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
Action is in a bad place overall if TDK is top 10.
LiveFromKyoto
Member
It was like every other Mad Max movie but with the plot excised and the franchise's third best villain.
The plot? There's a reason Road Warrior is so loved and Beyond Thunderdome is so derided.
Personally, I'd put Joe ahead of Toe Cutter. But even if that's conceded, it's not exactly an indictment to be behind Cutter and Humongous.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
- Never saw exiled
1,2,4 & 6 were good
3,7,8,9 & 10 weren't that great.
Overall it shows action films in a terrible place if that is the top ten, but it does seem largely a matter of taste, as they class 13 Assassins as an action film, and that's better then any of the above films save perhaps fury road.
I do miss the big bombastic action films of the eighties and nineties like True Lies or Lethal Weapon.
NealMcCauley
Member
Interesting list to say the least. Don't necessarily agree with how it was compiled or some of the choices.
This is a legitimately funny insult.
This is a legitimately funny insult.
Oldboy isn't really an action movie despite that one scene though that one scene puts most other fight scenes to shame. Yeah I could see including it.
Wrong, 7 and 10 are fantastic action movies.
Evil's Bane
Member
I love The Dark Knight but I'm going to aggresively disagree with it's placement on this list. The action in that movie blows.
Discotheque
Banned
Action in it isn't great but it's still one of the better action films in the 21st century if that makes any sense. Looking at it as a whole. Definitely the best of the comic book action movies aside from spiderman 2 imo. No contest from the other ones (despite civil war having some much better choreography than the Nolan flicks)
Anyways my top 10 would have had world's end and the good the bad and the weird in there. Drop ultimatum for supremacy. Miami Vice in there too since this list is counting some strange examples lol. It had a couple shooting scenes so I guess it's fair game now?
entremet
Member
The vehicular stuff was pretty fun.
digita1alchemy
Member
Not a very good list but let's be real, there hasn't even been 50 great action movies in the 21st century.
Glaring omissions for me are Blade 2, Rambo, the first 2 Expendables films and Undisputed 3. Probably Death Proof as well simply for the chase scene.
Glaring omissions for me are Blade 2, Rambo, the first 2 Expendables films and Undisputed 3. Probably Death Proof as well simply for the chase scene.
LiveFromKyoto
Member
He's a goofy cartoon. The Raid has like 3 villains who are more interesting than pouty skulldad. Like, that movie has maybe the greatest martial arts scene ever filmed, the two brothers' fight against Mad Dog is better than any part of Fury Road. The way it inverts the usual hero-villain paradigm by having the villain be both outmatched and physically inferior, and yet you still believe he's going to win because you can feel he's just that fucking crazy.
There absolutely have been 50 great action movies since 2000. List just needed more direct to video like Isaac Florentine's movies and the two Hyams directed Universal Soldier movies. Some really good international representation in the list but it values some of these Hollywood movies waaaay too much.
A goofy cartoon? You need to rewatch those Mad Max movies. He's well in line with that standard.
As for the Raid's action vs Fury Road's? That's as apples to oranges of a comparison as it gets.
Eh to the Dark Knight being one of the better action films of the 21st century. Not even close, it shouldn't even be on the list at all, let alone in the top ten.
The Good, the Bad and the Weird should be in the top ten though. That movie puts most of the films on there to shame and I'll say it, its as good as Fury Road in terms of action scenes.
I thought it was a complete mess myself, it was incredibly poorly filmed.
digita1alchemy
Member
You're probably right. I want Florentine and Adkins to get a shot at a low-to-mid budget Hollywood action movie so bad. I feel like it could be another John Wick scenario. People are hungry for this stuff.
Dragon1893
Member
Man, I might be alone in this but I feel Fury Road is a bit overrated.
Edit: I guess some people feel the same.
Edit: I guess some people feel the same.
Yup.
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