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- Let's be honest: the best action movies are often better - or at least more entertaining - than the best movies from any other genre. Good action movies are worth celebrating, and that's what the following list of titles aims to do: show the action genre at its very best. Adrenaline junkies and action fans should make it a priority to check out all the following, as they comprise what can be definitively declared the best action movies of all time.
Few genres benefit from the art form of film as much as the action genre does. More grounded, less explosive genres (like crime, mystery, or drama stories) sometimes work just as well in novel form or as stage plays, for example, as they would in the form of a movie. Yet while there might be some good action-heavy books out there, there's an argument to be made that action just hits harder when it's visual, audible, and presented on the big screen.
In celebration of what could be the most cinematic genre out there, here's an overview of the action genre throughout the decades, and the movies that represent it best. With a mix of classics and newer films, the following is an attempt to rank some of the greatest action-packed movies of all time, with all being essential viewing for fans of the action genre.
Updated July 17, 2023, by Jeremy Urquhart
Let's be honest: the best action movies are often better - or at least more entertaining - than the best movies from any other genre. Good action movies are worth celebrating, and that's what the following list of titles aims to do: show the action genre at its very best. Adrenaline junkies and action fans should make it a priority to check out all the following, as they comprise what can be definitively declared the best action movies of all time.
30 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
The original Top Gun is a solid enough movie, but not one that holds up particularly well. It's probably liked for nostalgic reasons, rather than for being a genuinely great movie, but thankfully, Top Gun: Maverick was able to build upon it and spin the familiar into something great.
It was far better as a movie than just about anyone was expecting, and arguably stands as one of the greatest sequels of all time, given how much of an improvement it is on the first. Tom Cruise's dedication to the role makes it shine, and all the scenes of aerial training and combat are genuinely thrilling to watch.
29 'Predator' (1987)
Even if Predator isn't the very best Arnold Schwarzenegger movie out there, it has to be a contender. It's a fantastic blend of action, sci-fi, and even a little horror, given it pits a fearsome team of commandos up against a rarely-seen alien enemy who hunts them for sport, and with ruthless efficiency, deep in a Central American jungle.
It's at its best in the final act, when Schwarzenegger's character is essentially alone against the titular monster/alien, with the extended one-on-one battle of wits playing out with minimal dialogue, and plenty of suspense. It's a well-polished movie that's far less schlocky than its reputation might have one believe, and deservedly stands as a 1980s action classic.
28 'The Killer' (1989)
A John Woo movie that was clearly influential on the action movies that followed in its wake, The Killer is an overall excellent and action-packed film. It follows a remorseful assassin who wants to atone for a hit that went wrong with unintended consequences, only for his personal quest to land him in even deeper trouble.
It's both a tragedy and an explosive, gunfight-heavy spectacle, and the way it balances its somber story with very over-the-top action is something of a filmmaking miracle. Later John Woo movies might deliver even more wild action set pieces, but few action movies hit as hard as The Killer does when it comes to the emotional content of the stories they tell.
27 'Heat' (1995)
Heat might not have as frequent action scenes as most action movies, but here, it's all about the quality, rather than the quantity. Its legacy as a great piece of action cinema is cemented by its bank robbery/shootout sequence alone, which is a perfectly executed - and ferociously intense - scene that's lost none of its power in the years since Heat was first released.
Also helping Heat is the fact that it has a fantastic cast led by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and a solidly told story that unfolds steadily over an almost three-hour-long runtime. It earns that's length and feels suitably epic, making it among the best action movies of its decade.
26 'Speed' (1994)
There's a wonderful simplicity and silliness to Speed's premise that makes it instantly hook the viewer in. The characters are stuck on a bus that is set to explode if the bus drops below a certain speed, and so things are always moving forward and feeling tense, given that the danger inherent from such a premise; danger that never fully goes away.
It helps make Speed one of the best movies of a great year for cinema, with its cast - including Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper - enhancing things further. It's a constantly thrilling action movie, and it delivers something that's consistently fast-paced and never boring, making it easy to recommend for fans of cinematic excitement.
25 'Fast Five' (2011)
The Fast and Furious series has turned into a behemoth franchise at this point in time. It began in 2001 and had a 10th entry released in May 2023, with the series focusing on illegal street races near the beginning, and then transitioning to more spy/espionage-focused stories in later entries.
Fast Five was the point where the series made that dramatic transition, with far more explosive and over-the-top action, and less street racing than had been seen before. It was instrumental in transforming the series into one of the 21st century's biggest action-heavy movie franchises so far, and holds up as a series high point, ultimately being worthy of squeezing into a list of the top 25 best action movies of all time.
24 'RRR' (2022)
In a year when some people began to express a certain amount of superhero fatigue, RRR stepped up to the plate and showed the world how modern action blockbusters should work. It fictionalizes the exploits of two Indian revolutionaries (who never actually met in real life), essentially turning the pair into superheroes while showing them teaming up to take on the Crown rule in India during the early 1900s.
It has a lengthy three-hour runtime that nevertheless flies by thanks to good pacing, fantastic action, and a straightforward yet emotionally satisfying story filled with likable heroes and immensely hateable villains. It's explosive and over-the-top in the best way possible, and was a deserving worldwide success in 2022.
23 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
The impact of Avengers: Endgame is only truly felt when one's seen the majority of the MCU movies that came before it. It was technically the second-last Phase 3 film, but still served as a climax for the first three phases of the MCU as a whole, given it centered on fighting back against Thanos and reversing the damage he caused to the universe at the end of 2018's Infinity War.
Through a time-travel narrative, it manages to revisit previous films in the series and view them from different perspectives, all before things culminate in the largest superhero battle depicted in the MCU so far. It's a great finale, earning its huge runtime and setting a high bar that subsequent MCU movies have (so far) failed to match.
22 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)
Beginning with The Bourne Identity in 2002, the series about Jason Bourne - a CIA assassin struggling to recollect his past - proved hugely influential for the action genre. The first three movies were particularly great, and helped usher in a fresh style of action movies, focusing on grittier, more realistic fights, fast-paced editing, and often shaky camerawork.
It's a style that certainly doesn't always get imitated well, but the first three Bourne movies pulled it off. The best of them is likely 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, which wraps up many of the trilogy's mysteries satisfyingly and makes for a great ending (especially considering 2012's The Bourne Legacy and 2016's Jason Bourne weren't so good).
21 'Casino Royale' (2006)
The James Bond series is one of the longest-running in cinema history, and it's a vitally important one within the action genre as a whole. For as great as the campier, escapism-heavy entries could be, however, there's a case to be made that 2006's Casino Royale is the best of the lot.
It took some inspiration from the aforementioned Bourne movies, with a darker tone and slightly more grounded action. It's a tough, lean, brutally effective take on James Bond, and ushered Daniel Craig into the titular role in immense style, cementing him as a star and one of the best on-screen Bonds so far.
20 'Face/Off' (1997)
Face/Off is a gloriously wild movie, and easily one of the best action films of the 1990s. Who could resist a movie that sees John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as adversaries who end up swapping faces and getting wrapped up in the other's life, all the while continuing their violent rivalry that only one can emerge from alive?
It's also easily the best movie John Woo's made while directing in Hollywood, with its ridiculous plot that never lets up, entertaining and funny lead performances, and action that's as silly as it is spectacular. It takes a crazy premise and actually makes it work, becoming a classic of the action genre in the process.
19 'Police Story' (1985)
Truth be told, many Jackie Chan movies could be considered among the best in the action genre. Few martial arts stars have committed themselves with such dedication to their craft and the stunts they do on-screen, with Chan's earlier movies, in particular, having awe-inspiring (and painful-looking) stunts and fight scenes constantly.
Few offer quite as much as the original Police Story, though. It's less comedic than most of Chan's other Hong Kong action movies, but makes up for it with incredible action sequences, with the climactic fight in a shopping mall being a particularly staggering scene that needs to be seen to be believed.
18 'Bullitt' (1968)
Few action scenes are as consistently reliable as the good old-fashioned car chase, and few action movies deliver car chases like Bullitt does. It's one of the best-known Steve McQueen movies, and focuses on his character - a San Francisco cop - trying to find the person who killed a witness who was in his protection.
Truth be told, it's relatively light on action until its climax, but the way it ends is more than enough to make it an all-timer within the genre. Its lengthy car chase in the final act is legendary for how well edited, paced, and shot it is, memorably using the unique layout of San Francisco to its advantage, and is a go-to example of how to make a chase scene exciting.
17 'Gladiator' (2000)
Winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Gladiator was a huge commercial and critical success, and a high point in the careers of its star, Russell Crowe, and its director, Ridley Scott. Its revenge-focused story is a tale as old as time, but it's the execution and visceral gladiator sequences that make it shine.
It's all incredibly well-made and easy to get invested in, and also helped kick off a short-lived trend of big-budget historical action epics (like Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, and arguably even 300). Few were anywhere near as good as Gladiator, though, and as a throwback to the Hollywood epics of old, it works amazingly well.
16 'The Raid 2' (2014)
Make no mistake: The Raid (2011) was a fantastic and brutal martial arts movie. It largely took place inside a single apartment complex, following a SWAT team getting trapped inside and forced to fight their way out or risk certain death. Its 2014 sequel, however, escalated things to a whole other level, and was somehow even better.
It had a larger scale and a more complex story revolving around a gang war, but made sure to keep the action frequent and consistently exciting. Like the first, sequences in it prove absolutely brutal to watch, meaning it's likely not an action movie for all... but those who can handle some fairly grisly on-screen violence should make checking out both films a priority.
15 'Hard Boiled' (1992)
While Face/Off might well be John Woo's best American film, he also made numerous films in Hong Kong that are just as good, or arguably even better as action movies. The Killer (1989) might have the best and most emotional story of all his Hong Kong movies, but it's 1992's Hard Boiled that delivers the best and most explosive action.
Its simple plot about two cops taking on a large criminal gang gives plenty of excuses for huge action sequences to occur, with the largest of all taking up much of the final act. Plenty of slow motion, thousands of bullets fired, and a body count in the hundreds all make Hard Boiled one of the biggest and most exciting shoot-em-up action movies of all time.
14 'Enter the Dragon' (1973)
Bruce Lee's tragically early death meant that he only got to be the lead in a handful of films in his brief yet impactful career as a martial arts actor. Those films still manage to deliver plenty of action paired with Lee's natural charisma, with the best of all his movies being his final completed film: Enter the Dragon.
It was released one month after he passed away, and though scenes he shot for Game of Death ended up in that 1978 film, it didn't feel complete or as satisfying overall as Enter the Dragon. Martial arts movies don't get much better than this, with a plot about a martial arts tournament that expands into something more, with the film serving as a perfect showcase for what made the late Bruce Lee so great.
13 'John Wick: Chapter 4' (2023)
As far as modern-day action franchises go, few do it better than the John Wick series does. The films may have some flaws, but they shine brighter than the vast majority of modern-day action movies, with increasingly creative fight and chase sequences throughout, and excellent stunt work that's often presented with minimal editing or close-up shots designed to hide imperfections.
And it's hard not to admire a series that continually gets better and more exciting with its action set pieces, culminating with the remarkable (and epic-length) John Wick: Chapter 4. If it's the last viewers see of Wick and his adventures, it's a great note to end on, with the final hour of the movie, in particular, delivering one thrilling and off-the-wall action sequence after another.
12 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (2018)
Alongside the John Wick series, the Mission: Impossible franchise has also done a great job at continuing to get better with pretty much every new release. Anticipation is high for what comes next, but the high point of the series at this stage is arguably the sixth film in the Tom Cruise-led franchise: 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
It doesn't offer much new narratively, with the kind of twisty spy story fans of the series are likely familiar with, but benefits from having great action and awe-inspiring stunts. And it's hard not to be impressed by how Cruise does increasingly crazy things in each new movie - he may be getting older, but you sure can't tell from watching him in something like Fallout.
11 'The Dark Knight' (2008)
The Dark Knight is the middle chapter in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. It's easily the best of the three, delivering the most consistently thrilling action and the best story of the lot, with a tense crime/thriller narrative pairing perfectly well with the grand-scale superhero action.
And it does all this while having the main villain be one of Batman's least physically imposing villains: The Joker, here played by the late and legendary Heath Ledger. The psychological torment and chaos he causes keep things moving at a non-stop pace, with unpredictable turns in the narrative making this both a great crime saga and a fantastic action/thriller.