My Top 10 Favorite Action Movies

Let’s get one thing straight—this is not a list of the top 10 action flicks I think are the best, it’s a list of my top 10 favorite action flicks. And yes, there is a difference. I freely admit that action classics like Lethal Weapon, Terminator 2, and Raiders of the Lost Ark are technically superior to many of the movies on this list, but I’m just compiling a rundown of my personal faves, the action bonanzas I come back to again and again, the ones that put a big ol’ grin on my ugly mug each and every time. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here they are:


John Wick (2014)—this slick action flick exploded from out of nowhere and wowed pretty much everyone I talk to … which, admittedly, is only 3 or 4 people. With a bare bones “you killed my dog, prepare to die” plot, a cool-ass trigger-puller for a protagonist, and smoothly choreographed “gun-fu,” this film delivers everything action junkies crave.

Die Hard (1988)—really, is there anything else that can be written about this classic? Until the day I die, I will probably never bear witness to a better action film. The movie by which all other action movies are judged. Yippee-ki-ay, indeed.

The Killer (1989)—back in the day, nobody merged melodrama with poetically-stylish violence better than director John Woo. Chow Yun Fat was the epitome of Hong Kong cool and the two-fisted, slow-motion gun-play delivered the bloody goods. The climactic shootout in the church is killer in every way.

Bad Boys II (2003)—most action cinema junkies will think I’m smoking crack including this bad boy (uh, pun intended) on this list, but it just pushes all the right buttons (or rather, pulls all the right triggers) for me. The perfect switch-off-your-brain-and-and-enjoy-the-insanity popcorn flick. Yep, it’s loud and dumb and non-PC and slathered in that Michael Bay aesthetic and I love every second of it. (OK, maybe not the stupid rat sex scene.)

The Crow (1994)—true love never dies, but sometimes, just sometimes, it comes back from the dead to kick some evildoer ass. With a breakout performance by the late Brandon Lee and the Gothic direction of Alex Proyas, this midnight-black revenge actioner deserves its cult classic status.

Rambo (2008)—John Rambo returns to the silver screen and kicks bad guy butt in gloriously bloody fashion. ‘Nuff said.

Hard Target (1993)—Hong Kong action maestro John Woo brought all this trademarks—copious slo-mo, double-fisted guns, white doves, etc.—for his first foray into Hollywood and applied them to a Van Damme film. The result? Awesomeness. And the best mullet to ever grace the action genre.

Taken (2008)—some fathers buy their daughters a pony to show their affection. Other fathers use their particular set of skills to rescue them from sex slave traffickers. Liam Neeson is a badass daddy in this surprise action hit. Forget the neutered PG-13 version and go straight for the uncut edition. You’ll thank me later.

Robocop (1987)—I still remember all the hubbub about how violent this movie was when it came out. But the theatrical version ain’t got nothing on the X-rated (it would be NC-17 nowadays) brutality of the uncut edition. “Guns, guns, guns!” And plenty of guts.

Road House (1989)—Patrick Swayze was never cooler than his starring role in this underrated fisticuffs flick. “Pain don’t hurt,” he says at one point, and you know what else don’t hurt? Watching this movie—or any of the movies on this list—over and over again.