What is YOUR favorite action movie?

[Jallorn]

I'd have to say that mine is Vantage Point. I saw it in theaters and only just now saw it for a second time. I personally feel it is one of the best movies ever.

So how about the rest of the playground?

[Dr.Epic]

Are you ready to kick some...

http://www.onlygoodmovies.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/kick-ass.jpg

[Brewdude]

No question

Die Hard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxBXm7ZUTM)

It was the first action movie were even the bad guys needed their nerd. Also many many moments of pure awesome.

[Lord Loss]

The Matrix and Underworld are very close. The moments of sheer awesome in these movies are rare. The Matrix probably takes the cake, however.

Also, did you mean Die Hard, or Live Free or Die Hard?

[Brewdude]

I linked to the trailer for the one I meant!

Why best? It has all the explosions of a Summer blockbuster, but none of them feel gratuitous. The bad guys are very intelligent, with backup plans for their backup plans. Alan Rickman is full of win with his distinct elocution. It's got the bazillion one liners (a few are in the trailer), and the story doesn't seem as contrived as most normal action flicks. The acting is pretty top notch, even for the mooks.

[Yora]

I'm not really that much of a pure action movie fan. But Die Hard is a great movie. :smallbiggrin:

[Lord Loss]

The original was really good :smallbiggrin:. Sorry about that, I'm really tired today...

[Eldan]

Probably the Matrix. I wasn't old enough to see it in the cinema, but somehow (I had no plan, I was just lucky I wasn't checked for some reason) got in anyway.

It was awesome.

[Athaniar]

My favorite pure action movie, hm? Well, Die Hard 3 (with a Vengeance) comes to mind, and also the Iron Man movies. And Blade I and 2. And... aah, there are just too many!

[comicshorse]

Hardboiled John Woo is the greatest

[Optimystik]

I'm a big fan of Equilibrium. Very underrated gem.

It also had an in-universe explanation for Christian Bale's wooden acting :smallbiggrin:

[MoelVermillion]

Die Hard. Easily.

There's a reason so many people have already picked it as their favourite in this thread and that's because its so damn good. Also it doubles up as my favourite Christmas movie which is pretty convenient.

[The Big Dice]

Where do you start with favourite action movies? There's so many good ones, even if they might seem a little old now.

Die Hard is up there, but so are Predator 1 & 2, RoboCop, Commando, First Blood, Total Recal and many other great movies from the 80s. More recently, Shoot 'Em Up is about the best action flick I've seen in a while.

[pita]

I'm a big fan of Equilibrium. Very underrated gem.

It also had an in-universe explanation for Christian Bale's wooden acting :smallbiggrin:
Film Brain persuaded me that Equilibrium is bad. I freely admit to having no independent thought.
And I actually like Bale's acting. I just think that he's only truly suitable for roles where he's someone deeply damaged, like in American Psycho or when he's Bruce Wayne in Batman. Not so much as Batman, though.

Are you ready to kick some...

http://www.onlygoodmovies.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/kick-ass.jpg

Pretty much this. Some of the best action scenes I've seen. Alternately, X-Men 2.
I'll admit to not having seen Die Hard. Sorry. My ex almost broke up with me for that alone.
Although, I'm just choosing movies for great action scenes, not for the movie itself.

[Brewdude]

I'll admit to not having seen Die Hard.

Rent this movie. Put it on your netflix list. Watch it in parts from youtube. Alan Rickman's performance alone makes it worth it.

[Hawriel]

Where do you start with favourite action movies? There's so many good ones, even if they might seem a little old now.

Die Hard is up there, but so are Predator 1 & 2, RoboCop, Commando, First Blood, Total Recal and many other great movies from the 80s. More recently, Shoot 'Em Up is about the best action flick I've seen in a while.

I totaly agree with this list. Exept, yeah there always is one, Shoot 'Em Up.

The way I see it the reason why the 80s had great action movies is because they still had a plot. First Blood wile a good action movie had a real drama going on with John Rambo. He was a vet whos demons where haunting him in addition to american sociaties indiference to the Veitnam veteran.

Now the other movies have a smaller dramatic or story behind them. Commando is save the girl avenge kidnaping of girl. Predator is a monster movie with badassess.

Shoot Em Up had great cheesy action. But I didnt car about any one in it. I guess thats part of my problem with action movies sence the 90s. They mostly suck. I dont care about the characters, the plots are short bus deliverd stupid, and they are made with the idea that CGI and gasoline explosions are good writing techniques.

There are exeptions. The Transporter is an action movie I really enjoyed.

[SDF]

Terminator 2 by a wide margin.

Thematically and stylistically perfect.

[Neon Knight]

Equilibrium, Die Hard, Predator, Heat, Aliens, Terminator 2, Escape from New York, First Blood, Hardboiled, Hero, Enter the Dragon...

And that's just the beginning, really. There are a lot of good action movies out there. Really a lot of them. It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite, and this list only brushes the surface, really.

[Optimystik]

I love kung-fu movies too, like Fearless and Hero. Even the more comedic ones like Kung-Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer have plenty of action.

[Zen Monkey]

Die Hard. Easily.

There's a reason so many people have already picked it as their favourite in this thread and that's because its so damn good. Also it doubles up as my favourite Christmas movie which is pretty convenient.

In that same vein, you could also put Lethal Weapon (the original) as a good action film with some comedy and Christmas. The later films got worse and worse adding more comic roles, but the first is good.

[Mordar]

As a child of the 80s I was privileged to see the vast majority of theatrical action movie releases, and I loved SO many of them...from the cheese to the crap, the "Oscar moment action-movie scene" to the "how did they time those explosions so well...and should a hand grenade really blow up an entire building like that?"*

Die Hard owns...Lethal Weapon (particularly II) is great...Commando has fantastic moments (circular saw blade death attack!)...Aliens mixes great action with sci-fi and horror elements...Enter the Dragon and Fists of Fury are amazing and set the stage for the American kung fu movie explosion...but my pick is never in question on this topic:

Big Trouble in Little China

Fun, funny, fast, furious...the fight in the alleyway...the 3 furies...great pacing...and the best BBEG ever on film.

- M

* Fine, even the grenades Chuck Norris throws are badder than normal grenades...

[Yulian]

I ain't got time to bleed.

But I'll always try to make time to watch Predator.

Great shorthand characterization, memorable characters, more action than you can believe, and a villain that, even in the context of the film, is just so much more than a killing machine.

- Yulian

[The Big Dice]

I ain't got time to bleed.

But I'll always try to make time to watch Predator.

Great shorthand characterization, memorable characters, more action than you can believe, and a villain that, even in the context of the film, is just so much more than a killing machine.

- Yulian

+1

Then again, I'm a huge fan of most of Ahnuld's movies of the 80s.

Except Conan the Destroyer, of course. Which really annoys me, especially as Conan the Barbarian was such a masterpiece.

But for ultimate reviews of all your favourite movies from when men were musclebound and women had huge hair, check out this site (http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/the-ruthless-guide-to-80s-action/). Definetly NSFW language, but it hits the mark more often than not.

[Avilan the Grey]

Not a fan of the pure action movies.

My favorites are:

Aliens
Predator
Die Hard
Last Man Standing
Desperado

Now, my favorite movie with action in it is: Serenity. But I don't think it focuses enough on the action to be qualified as an action movie?

[Starfols]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the Bourne Trilogy. Those are three great movies, even more so all together.

[Athaniar]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the Bourne Trilogy. Those are three great movies, even more so all together.
I am now disappointed in myself for not mentioning them. Shame on me!

[Optimystik]

Inception is my new favorite :smallsmile:

[SpiderMew]

Like acton acton?
I want to say dark city but its more of a sci-fi/noir movie with one awsome battle at the end.
I really like Equilibrium

[VanBuren]

The African Queen (1952) starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. Or were you looking for something more modern?

[Surrealistik]

Terminator 2, hands down, no contest.

[SpiderMew]

Terminator 2, hands down, no contest.

Indeed its a great film. Best one of the searies. It should have ended there.

[The Big Dice]

Indeed its a great film. Best one of the searies. It should have ended there.

Other than The Terminator, obviously. That movie is relentless and utterly lacking in Ahnuld's attempts at humour.

Sure, the effects show it's age and budget. But if you can't suspend your disbelief long enough to be awed at this thing that removes it's own eye with an exacto knife to reveal the robot within, only to take a moment to sort it's hair out, then why are you watching a scifi / seminal Cyberpunk movie?

[Surrealistik]

Other than The Terminator, obviously. That movie is relentless and utterly lacking in Ahnuld's attempts at humour.


Completely disagree with this. T1 was great, but T2 was better.

[SpiderMew]

Other than The Terminator, obviously. That movie is relentless and utterly lacking in Ahnuld's attempts at humour.

Sure, the effects show it's age and budget. But if you can't suspend your disbelief long enough to be awed at this thing that removes it's own eye with an exacto knife to reveal the robot within, only to take a moment to sort it's hair out, then why are you watching a scifi / seminal Cyberpunk movie?

Who are you trying to argue with. I like the movie. T2 is my favorate of the termantor movies.
It wasnt just about the action or the timetraveling robots, it had charcters who felt real and you got to see them grow as individuals.

edit:

Completely disagree with this. T1 was great, but T2 was better.

Oh i see, i misread his message, he was saying that the first one was better. I like the second one better also.

[SDF]

The first Terminator was good enough, but it is essentially a slasher movie. T2 deals with human nature, family, love, and fate.

Which is why T3 is so offensive to me. I wouldn't mind if it was just a bad movie, but when the entire point of the first two movies is, "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make," and the third movie comes in and is like, "LOL, just kidding guys!" The fourth movie is what the original was envisioned as to a point. I was completely okay with The Sarah Connor Chronicles retoconing the third movie on, though.

[Zocelot]

I like Ultraviolet at least as much as Equilibrium.

I've seen most movies in this thread, but I'll definitely try to watch the ones I haven't seen.

[VanBuren]

The first Terminator was good enough, but it is essentially a slasher movie. T2 deals with human nature, family, love, and fate.

Which is why T3 is so offensive to me. I wouldn't mind if it was just a bad movie, but when the entire point of the first two movies is, "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make," and the third movie comes in and is like, "LOL, just kidding guys!" The fourth movie is what the original was envisioned as to a point. I was completely okay with The Sarah Connor Chronicles retoconing the third movie on, though.

To be fair, the first movie sort of did imply a set future.

[The Big Dice]

The first Terminator was good enough, but it is essentially a slasher movie. T2 deals with human nature, family, love, and fate.
T2 is essentially a slasher movie, with a slasher on each side and fancy new special effects developments incorporated into it. It doesn't really develop the story of the first movie, and the kind, innocent girl of the first film has at some point turned into a rabid psychotic.

The problm with T2 is simply that it's a much more accompliched movie than the original, with a star that's seen some huge box office success in the interim. Other than the budget, it's pretty much the same film as The Terminator, but with an annoying teenager.

[Avilan the Grey]

The African Queen (1952) starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. Or were you looking for something more modern?

+1

Love this one.

[SDF]

I agree children often mess up an otherwise good story, (I'm looking at you 28 Weeks Later, but I still love you) but Edward Furlong did not. It is a coming of age story with a ton of character development. The cinematography is also beautiful. Watch it again and notice the constant blue hues that paint a constant feeling of inevitability, contrasted by the red hue of change at the end. If the future was inevitable the Terminators would be pointless to send back, but they change all the characters they touch. I think that is why I like T2 so much. Because on the surface it seems like a generic action flick, but there is just so much going on in that film.

[SpiderMew]

T2 is essentially a slasher movie, with a slasher on each side and fancy new special effects developments incorporated into it. It doesn't really develop the story of the first movie, and the kind, innocent girl of the first film has at some point turned into a rabid psychotic.

The problm with T2 is simply that it's a much more accompliched movie than the original, with a star that's seen some huge box office success in the interim. Other than the budget, it's pretty much the same film as The Terminator, but with an annoying teenager.

You are so wrong. T2 was more then just a slasher like the first one. It actualy had character development! It got you to care about a freaking robot from the future!
If you were hunted down by a robot from the future and knew what was going to happen, you would probably seem like a crazy psycho too.

[hamishspence]

In some of the sequel novels- it makes references back to the original T2 movie. Suggesting that Sarah Conner had received massive doses of anti-psychotic drugs, and this was a big part of her unusual behaviour through most of the movie.

I find the S.M. Stirling books (Infiltrator, The Rising Storm, The Future War) rather better than T3, even if the basic concept is the same- female super-terminator goes back in time to eliminate John Connor.

Partly because this is only a secondary mission- the primary one is to ensure Skynet will be built.

[The Big Dice]

I agree children often mess up an otherwise good story, (I'm looking at you 28 Weeks Later, but I still love you) but Edward Furlong did not. It is a coming of age story with a ton of character development. The cinematography is also beautiful. Watch it again and notice the constant blue hues that paint a constant feeling of inevitability, contrasted by the red hue of change at the end. If the future was inevitable the Terminators would be pointless to send back, but they change all the characters they touch. I think that is why I like T2 so much. Because on the surface it seems like a generic action flick, but there is just so much going on in that film.
James Cameron and his blue light was a running joke between me and my friends in the 80s and early 90s. Watch Aliens, T2, True Lies and The Abyss. All of them feature blue lighting very heavily. And now Avatar has taken that to the max, with an entirely blue planet, with a moon where everything glows blue at night and that is inhabited by blue people!

The thing is, Cameron is a master of cynical movie manipulation. The subtext of T2 is pretty much "All a wild teenager needs is a father figure" seasoned with a little bit of Westworld and rehashing the beats from his previous movie. The character development is pretty shallow and the character beats are few and far between. Even in the Director's Cut version, there's only as much character growth as Ahnuld's head chip will allow.


You are so wrong. T2 was more then just a slasher like the first one. It actualy had character development! It got you to care about a freaking robot from the future!
If you were hunted down by a robot from the future and knew what was going to happen, you would probably seem like a crazy psycho too.
Seriously guys, T2 was a vehicle for a former Mr Universe. Nothing more, nothing less. I know the first Terminator was also a vehicle, but T2 is cringeworthy in a lot of places. A shotgun in a box of roses, in a movie that featured heavily in a Guns 'n' Roses video? "I'll be back." Which Schwarztenegger said in every movie he made between Terminator and Twins. Bad to the Bone?

The only reason there was a second Terminator in the movie was because by this time, Ahnuld could refuse to play the villain, and in fact didn't want to be the bad guy.

Terminator was a coming of age movie, where a girl discovers she's far more important than she ever knew. T2 was a whiny brat getting saved by a robot.

In Terminator, you really get a sense of "what the hell is this thing and how are they going to stop it?" But in T2, you get the sense that the big Austrian can't lose.

T2 isn't a bad movie. It deserves a place in the annals of action flicks for sure. But it doesn't deserve the kudos it's been getting in this thread. Especially when it's held up for comparison against things like Die Hard, First Blood, Big Trouble in Little China and Predator.

[Mr. Scaly]

Let's see...either Terminator 2, Predator or Predator 2, Independence Day or Lethal Weapon 4 would have to be my favourite action movie

[Surrealistik]

Seriously guys, T2 was a vehicle for a former Mr Universe. Nothing more, nothing less. I know the first Terminator was also a vehicle, but T2 is cringeworthy in a lot of places. A shotgun in a box of roses, in a movie that featured heavily in a Guns 'n' Roses video? "I'll be back." Which Schwarztenegger said in every movie he made between Terminator and Twins. Bad to the Bone?

Seriously? These are cringeworthy points that actually sully the movie to you?


The only reason there was a second Terminator in the movie was because by this time, Ahnuld could refuse to play the villain, and in fact didn't want to be the bad guy.

Even if this is true, which I doubt (that there was a second Terminator purely due to Arnold's refusal), it does nothing to offset the quality of the movie.


Terminator was a coming of age movie, where a girl discovers she's far more important than she ever knew. T2 was a whiny brat getting saved by a robot.

Sure, if you want to oversimplify to the point you gloss over everything good about the movie, just as I could say T1 is about a man and woman running scared.


In Terminator, you really get a sense of "what the hell is this thing and how are they going to stop it?" But in T2, you get the sense that the big Austrian can't lose.

Not at all. Sure the Arnie's calm demeanour and guidance could be argued to offset some of the apprehension, but at the same time the T-1000 was a villain of greater calibre and menace than the T-800 model, with many more tricks from shapeshifting to regeneration that made him nigh indestructible. The sense of the Terminator's invulnerability in T2 was, at least for me, substantially greater than that in T1.


T2 isn't a bad movie. It deserves a place in the annals of action flicks for sure. But it doesn't deserve the kudos it's been getting in this thread. Especially when it's held up for comparison against things like Die Hard, First Blood, Big Trouble in Little China and Predator.

Couldn't disagree more.

[Mordar]

After reading the T1 vs. T2 portion of the thread, I wanted to chime in with my thoughts...'cause I know you're all on pins and needles, right? :smallwink:

I think T1 is a significantly better movie than T2, with enormous impact on movie-making (particularly popcorn-movie-making).

I think T2 is a significantly better action movie than T1, likely due in no small part to the enhanced budget, better effects, estalished backstory (allowing more time for onscreen action), and more evenly-matched adversaries (transitioning the film from slasher/scary drama action to massive buttkickery).

So, in the context of this thread, I vote T2. Now can't we all just get along? :smallsmile:

- M

PS: Note that this does not change my stance on Big Trouble in Little China...I only mean that T2 > T1 in the context of this thread

[Brewdude]

Aliens>T2.

Die Hard, though, I'll still maintain is the best action movie ever made.

[Krüsher]

Die Hard and Hardboiled are both really good but my favorite is definitely The Rundown

[SDF]

Haters gonna hate.

[NeoRetribution]

Since the purpose of this thread is about personal favorite action movies, and not debate, I can think of a few that I like.

Demolition Man.
Hard Target.
Paycheck.
The 13th Warrior.
Transporter.

The Bourne series has action, but it is a bit heavy in the think department. Of course, I do not mean to debate with this comment.

Saving Private Ryan classifies as war to my opinion, rather than action...and is not quite a favorite, but some might think otherwise. Rambo...has some kind of place, but there are a number of things that I still view against the rest of that series.

[FoeHammer]

Fifth Element. No contest.

[Southern Cross]

Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon & The Incredibles. Or don't they count as action movies as they're animated, not live-action?

[Athaniar]

Fifth Element. No contest.
Of course! Re-watched it the day before yesterday, and it truly is a great film.

[Platinum_Mongoose]

The Rundown, as it's basically a modern-day Western with liberal use of slow-motion and a good sense of humor. And Chris Walken.

I'll also give props to Fifth Element and The Bourne Identity. I love that car chase through Paris.

[Southern Cross]

I'd also include the Russian films Night Watch and Day Watch on that list. Not a patch on the original novels (or at least their English translations) but they had cool action scenes. My favorite's the car through the building scene.

[Quick_Lime]

Jurassic Park, all the way.

Reason 1: Dinosaurs

Reason 2: Science!

Reason 3: DINOSAURS!

[pita]

Now that Inception is out, I'm changing my vote to Inception. I loves it. It is awesome.

[Coplantor]

Considering that every time Die Hard (the first one) is on TV, my brother and I stop doing whatever we are doing and go watch it....

I would have to say Die Hard

[Platinum_Mongoose]

Jurassic Park, all the way.

Reason 1: Dinosaurs

Reason 2: Science!

Reason 3: DINOSAURS!

I think you meant to say:
1. Dinosaurs
2. "Science!" or something
3. DINOSAURS!
4. Did I mention the effing dinosaurs?
5. It's got dinosaurs! Grawr! :smallbiggrin:

But okay, here's a question for the forum at large: where do you draw the line between action and adventure? Is there a line? Is one a subgenre of the other? Discuss. Or don't. (Or do.)

[TheBST]

Completely disagree with this. T1 was great, but T2 was better.

Nah, original had more suspense and horror. T2 is far too cheesy. 'I know now why you cry'. Please.


Die Hard and Raiders of the Lost Ark tie for me.

[Closak]

John Mclane (Or however you spell it)

In other words, DIE TERRORISTS!

Need i spell it out for you?

[DomaDoma]

...does The Dark Knight count? Because that is the only movie that actually kept me engaged during the long action sequences. (Animated series have it better - FMA and Avatar both did very well at that - but movies it is.)

[The Big Dice]

But okay, here's a question for the forum at large: where do you draw the line between action and adventure? Is there a line? Is one a subgenre of the other? Discuss. Or don't. (Or do.)
I'd say the difference is explosions and locations. Action movies have more explosions and less exotic locations (in general, there are exceptions), where adventure movies are often set in places you can only get to by helicopter.

The Indiana Jones movies straddle the line there, but that's why Action/Adventure is a genre!

[VanBuren]

I feel like the line is blurred on that distinction so much. Most movies in the genre kinda fit both. That's why you see "Action/Adventure" paired so much.

[Avilan the Grey]

Nah, original had more suspense and horror

I have to disagree because of that very reason.

[Saph]

Most of my favourites have been listed, but I have to give special props to Demolition Man, just because Wesley Snipes as Simon Phoenix is my favourite Chaotic Evil villain ever. :smallbiggrin:

[Joran]

Nobody mentioned my favorite action movie: Hot Fuzz.

Actually, I'd classify it more as a comedy/parody movie, but it has enough action in it for me to classify it as an action movie.

Favorite pure martial arts movie is Hero.

Favorite pure gun play movie is probably... Hmm... I don't actually know.

P.S. I also really enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Again, for the premise and humor and not the action.

[Coplantor]

Nobody mentioned my favorite action movie: Hot Fuzz.


Yeah, Hot Fuzz is awesome :smallbiggrin:, but it's also my favourite action movie in the same way that Shaun fo the Dead is my favourite zombie movie.

Regarding gunplay, have you seen Equilibrium? Pretty awesome for rule of cool.

[Joran]

Yeah, Hot Fuzz is awesome :smallbiggrin:, but it's also my favourite action movie in the same way that Shaun fo the Dead is my favourite zombie movie.

Regarding gunplay, have you seen Equilibrium? Pretty awesome for rule of cool.

I've seen Equilibrium and enjoyed the shooty bits of it. Hmm... Now that I think about it, how about GoldenEye. I'm sure the video game really influenced my opinion on the movie, but I enjoyed the part where 007 drives a tank through traffic packed streets.

[Kiero]

Drive. Dacascos at his best with bonus comic buddy movie thrown in for good measure.

For more realistic action, the Bourne movies.

For gunplay alone, Shoot Em Up.

For more traditional martial arts, Fist of Legend.

For more action of every type than you can shake a stick at, Matrix Reloaded.

[The Big Dice]

Nobody mentioned my favorite action movie: Hot Fuzz.

Actually, I'd classify it more as a comedy/parody movie, but it has enough action in it for me to classify it as an action movie.

Favorite pure martial arts movie is Hero.

Favorite pure gun play movie is probably... Hmm... I don't actually know.

P.S. I also really enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Again, for the premise and humor and not the action.

Hot Fuzz is fun, but I wouldn't call it an action movie. But it is well worth watching.

For a pure martial arts movie, Hero is ok. But it's no Legend of Fong Sai Yuk or Prodigal Son.

For pure gun play, forget Equilibrium, it's cringeworthy garbage. Shoot 'Em Up is a great post-80s example of the genre, but the heavyweight champion of the shooty movie is John Woo's Hard Boiled.

Or Commando. Which may be the most awesome and definitive movie of the entire 80s.

[Dmatix]

I'd say the first Diehard and the first Dirty Harry. You can't beat the classics.

[Axolotl]

Kill Bill without a doubt.

Followed by most John Carpenter films I've seen.

[Avilan the Grey]

I'd say the first Diehard and the first Dirty Harry. You can't beat the classics.

Personally I'm not sure if I would classify Dirty Harry as an action movie.

[bloodlover]

Matrix 1 and Cidade de Deus

[Setra]

The first matrix movie, of course whenever I rewatch it I tend to skip halfway through the movie to get to the good parts :smallbiggrin:

[hamishspence]

Personally I'm not sure if I would classify Dirty Harry as an action movie.

Why not? There is a lot of action in it.

And if not an action movie- what other kind of movie would it be?

[Cespenar]

By the way, I've just seen Hard Boiled as per this thread's suggestion, and it was really great. The fact that every bullet exploded made me laugh each time a shotgun was fired. Good stuff indeed.

[pita]

Why not? There is a lot of action in it.

And if not an action movie- what other kind of movie would it be?

Western?

And I have to lengthen my message to at least 10 characters, proving that the forum does not believe that brevity is the essence of wit.

[hamishspence]

it could be called "Modern City Western" compared to "19th century Western" for classic Westerns.

which would make Firefly (as a series) "Future Western".

[Omergideon]

I would say my favourite overall action movie is Drunken Master with Jakie Chan. It's funny, inventive, has good action and the like. However my favourite action scene ever has to be the Temple fight in Warrior King starring Tony Jaa (the ong-bak guy). Brilliant progression, good martial arts, a great in fight story. It is the best on screen fight I have ever seen.

[Form]

I'm a big fan of Equilibrium. Very underrated gem.

It also had an in-universe explanation for Christian Bale's wooden acting :smallbiggrin:

I agree. I just love that gun kata. :smallbiggrin:

[Avilan the Grey]

...Come to think of it, I think the genre of the pure western action movie (not Western as in guns and dust, but the hemisphere) is a thing of the past. It exploded on the screen with the second Rambo movie, then T2 and Aliens, and then found it's purest form in the original two Die-hard movies. Since then it has basically only lived on mixed up with other genres (Action / adventure and Action / comedy most frequently).

[Axolotl]

...Come to think of it, I think the genre of the pure western action movie (not Western as in guns and dust, but the hemisphere) is a thing of the past. It exploded on the screen with the second Rambo movie, then T2 and Aliens, and then found it's purest form in the original two Die-hard movies. Since then it has basically only lived on mixed up with other genres (Action / adventure and Action / comedy most frequently).You say this less than a week before the Expendables hits theaters.

As long as Hollywood continues it's love affair with the eighties the pure action movie will survive.

[The Yeti]

How in all the great blue blazes can Kill Bill not be on top of all the lists? It's got kick-ass action, brilliant acting, crazy style and lovely dialogue. What's not to like?

[Temotei]

Commando. That movie makes me giggle constantly every time I see it. :smallbiggrin:

[Fri]

It's weird, because I realized that my favourite action movie is actually a korean movie. You'd think that when someone mention action movies it'll be hollywood movies or hongkong movies.

it's The Good, The Bad, The Weird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzNnCK5cd8Q&feature=fvw)

It got all of my favourite things. Western, Roaring Twenties, Awesome Soundtrack, Stylish Action....

I watched it a year ago or so, but it seems that it's getting a release in the west or something? It's good.

[Platinum_Mongoose]

...Come to think of it, I think the genre of the pure western action movie (not Western as in guns and dust, but the hemisphere) is a thing of the past. It exploded on the screen with the second Rambo movie, then T2 and Aliens, and then found it's purest form in the original two Die-hard movies. Since then it has basically only lived on mixed up with other genres (Action / adventure and Action / comedy most frequently).

T2 and Aliens aren't mixed up in some other genre? Personally, I don't see the problem with cross-genre splicing. Without robots, T2 would've just been a movie about a really creepy murderer impersonating a cop and stalking a kid.

[Jack Squat]

As of now, my favorite over the top action movie is The Expendables. It's one of the few movies I've seen that I'd pay full price to watch again in theaters.

Beyond that, I'd say the Bourne Identity, if I can't say the entire series.

[Zen Monkey]

As of now, my favorite over the top action movie is The Expendables.

I can now put The Expendables up against Predator for the title of manliest movie ever made. What I keep asking myself about The Expendables is "did it have a story?" While watching it, I didn't particularly care whether it was there and didn't even pay attention to the character names. Did all of the characters even get names, aside from in the credits? Terry Crews apparently played 'Hale Caesar' but all we ever heard was about three lines and a memorable gun. Arnold was apparently 'Trench' but I prefer to think that he was actually playing Dutch again, but this time not taking the job after his last jungle adventure didn't go so well. Looking back, I tend to think that the story was pretty flimsy and while not a significant problem for an action movie, it's might be a tie-breaker.

[Lord Loss]

Just got back from Expendables. it's my new fave!

[pita]

Expendables was so manly I killed a bear with my hands, now that I've seen it. But I still think Inception is the best action movie.

[Cespenar]

I can only say 'meh' to Expendables. I'd put any 80s action movie above it in a heartbeat.

[Don Julio Anejo]

A toss up between: Terminator II, True Lies, Bourne Supremacy and The Matrix (the first one, obviously).

Yes, I actually like True Lies - it's a parody that avoids going over the top (see Austin Powers), it's an action movie that (for the most part) avoids going over the top (see Commando or any of the Rambo movies), it actually has a pretty interesting plot (rare for an action movie that relies on star power and special effects) and it's pretty funny to boot.

A few more that just barely didn't make the list: Die Hard 2 - 2 hours of awesome but it's simply not something I like watching too often (the four above I can watch all day if need be and still enjoy them). Bourne Identity - great movie but doesn't have that much action. Still a great movie, just not that much of an action movie. The Fifth Element - slightly corny and flamboyant to be among my favourites.