To be honest, no one can live entirely off of Martin Scorsese films or cartoons. Occasionally, we require explosions. Ones that are quite large. Catchy melodies and screeching electric guitars are preferred accompaniments. The entire genre conjures up images of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson crashing a sports vehicle off a tower while firing a rifle at a balloon, and the typical explosion-heavy film has its place. We won’t hold it against you if you return to Indiana Jones, James Bond, or any other muscled-up classic. Women-led blockbusters have also dominated the box office for years, from Wonder Woman to Birds of Prey, even taking over franchises with male leads. Whatever your choices are, below are some of the best action movies that should be in your list.
1. Face/Off (1997)
Director- John Woo
Sean Archer is the FBI’s best agent, on the hunt for Caster Troy, the world’s most brutal terrorist. Troy accidently assassinates Archer’s little kid while attempting to slay him, and Archer is hell-bent on bringing him down. When the FBI discovers Troy has planted a large bomb that will detonate in a matter of days, chaos ensues. Hence, leaving Troy in a coma. Only Troy’s younger brother, Pollux, who is in a maximum security jail, is aware of the bomb’s location.
Archer is persuaded by the FBI to undergo surgery in which he will wear Troy’s face to convince everyone that he is Troy and that Pollux will provide him with answers. Troy soon wakes up and undergoes the same facial surgery as Archer. To make Archer appear as a hero, Troy eliminates all proof of his true identity and defuses the bomb himself. Archer breaks free from prison and joins Troy’s former group, which is hell-bent on annihilating him.
2. Hot Fuzz (2007)
Director- Edgar Wright
The superiors of the exceptional officer of the London Metropolitan Police, PC Nicholas Angel, “promote” him to the tiny town of Sandford. Rather than acknowledging his extraordinary arrest record, faithful and flawless service to the country, and set of formidable skills. Angel must adjust to a completely different reality there, like a fish out of water. Also, learn to relax for the first time in a long time as the partner of the local police chief’s enthusiastic son Danny. A surprising string of ghastly accidents will shock Nick into action against the backdrop of an uneventful service. Hence, prompting him to feel that there’s more to the supposedly serene and picture-perfect village than meets the eye. Sandford’s tranquilly is now threatened by a nefarious plot.
3. Point Break (1991)
Director- Kathryn Bigelow
A series of bank robberies by a cunning band of thieves known as the Ex-Presidents has terrorised sun-drenched Southern California. As the rubber-masked crooks act quickly and without leaving a trace, right under the noses of the cops. In those conditions, Johnny Utah, a clean-cut and novice F.B.I. agent, goes undercover to enter the local surfing community. He gathers information from his surf coach, Tyler, after following up on a lead. Soon after, Johnny befriends Bodhi, the mystic and enigmatic surf leader, who teaches him not only how to catch the perfect wave. But also how to find new meaning in life. Johnny constantly treads a fine line.
4. Miami Vice (2006)
Director- Michael Mann
When an informer, his family, and two FBI agents are murdered by an international drug cartel, Detectives James ‘Sonny’ Crockett and Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs are sent to operate undercover for the FBI in a combined operation to find out which agency betrayed the information to the criminals. They devise a plan to contact José Yero’s manager, and then drug kingpin Arcángel de Jess Montoya, using their squad of operatives. Sonny meets Isabella, Montoya’s accountant, investor, and mistress, while on the mission, and they fall in love after a romantic affair, mixing his professional dedication with his personal sentiments.
5. Speed (1994)
Director- Jan de Bot
When a young Los Angeles police department Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) officer named Jack Traven enrages retired Atlanta police department bomb squad member Howard Payne by foiling his attempt to take hostages trapped in an elevator with a bomb, Payne retaliates by arming a bus with a bomb that will explode if the bus falls below 50 miles per hour. Jack and his companion Detective Harry Temple struggle to save the passengers on the bus before the bomb goes off, while simultaneously figuring out how Payne is monitoring them, with the help of lively passenger Annie.
6. Lethal Weapon (1987)
Director- Richard Donner
Roger Murtaugh is an elderly family guy and a wise veteran cop just trying to get through the day. Martin Riggs is a suicidal loose cannon cop who doesn’t give a damn if he lives or dies. The unusual combination, pushed together reluctantly to solve the strange murder of a banker’s daughter, finds a dangerous organisation of drug smugglers using ex-military mercenaries. Following a sad turn of circumstances, the job becomes personal, and the mismatched detectives must learn to trust one another as they fight a lethal criminal organisation as a two-man operation.
7. Pusher (1996)
Director- Nicolas Winding Refn
Frank isn’t the best heroin dealer in Copenhagen, but he makes decent money pushing with a pal. Frank goes to Milo, a drug kingpin, when he chooses to up the ante, but he doesn’t have the money to buy the heroin. Milo, on the other hand, gives him the products on the condition that he repays him right away. However, when Frank goes to make the trade and the cops show up, he has to abandon the drugs. If Frank is to live, he must find a means to repay Milo.
8. John Wick (2014)
Director- Chad Stahelski
John Wick, the expert former assassin, receives one final gift from his loving wife, a valuable keepsake to help John find new meaning in life now that she is gone, with the unexpected loss of his beloved wife still bitter in his mouth. When Iosef Tarasov, an arrogant Russian mob prince, and his men pay Wick an unwanted visit to rob him of his cherished 1969 Mustang and his wife’s present, Wick will be forced to reveal his meticulously hidden identity. John, blinded by vengeance, will launch a carefully choreographed cyclone of destruction against the cunning kingpin, Viggo Tarasov, and his family, who are fully aware of his murderous capacity. Only blood can fulfil the boogeyman’s appetite for vengeance at this point.
9. Baby Driver (2017)
Director- Edgar Wright
Baby, the young, brilliant, but hesitant getaway driver, has been the unstoppable force behind the kingpin’s masterfully-planned daring heists for years now, thanks to Doc, the chilly Atlanta crime lord. Baby needs just one more job to get off the hook—and maybe even go out on a genuine date with the attractive waitress, Debora. He’s always in rhythm with his carefully chosen playlists, whether he’s burning rubber or strolling down the street. Baby is desperate to get out of her whirlwind romance.
