A thread about the awesomest action movie in the universe.

[Indon]

Shoot Em Up.

Best action sequences I'd ever seen. Ever.

The movie was so awesome, it broke physics.


And the midair gunfight? So ridiculous it... just uncomprehendably awesome.

[Jerthanis]

Haven't seen Shoot Em Up yet, but my vote for awesomest action movie in the universe is going to have to go to Hard Boiled, for being the movie that every other jumping, rolling, gun movie is trying to be.

That or Legend of Drunken Master 2, which is the best pure kung-fu movie ever.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Or Die Hard, the best one-man-army film ever.

[Kaelaroth]

No! Legally Blonde is the greatest action movie ever. That bunny-suit was lethal!

[Otto-Sieve]

300 has to be the best, by far.

[Moff Chumley]

Sue me, but The Princess Bride is made of pure awsome. Just try arguing.

I'm not left-handed either. Hehehehehe...

[Pun Pun]

Gladiators is my favorite action movie personally.

It has some of my favorite action sequences ever, along with the ancient roman flair which is about the coolest thing since pirates.

Not to mention the incredible plot the movie sports.

[SurlySeraph]

No! Legally Blonde is the greatest action movie ever. That bunny-suit was lethal!

...
...
I am going to eat your mind, you heretic.

Oh, and Die Hard wins. Yippie ki yay!

[Daze]

I'll second Hard Boiled... and actually most Hong Kong Cinema while I'm at it. The Killer, Once upon a time in China 1-4, the ORIGINAL Drunken Master...

And how about Terminator 1 & 2 or Aliens.. .gotta give Cameron his props. Although, thats sci-fi i guess...

EDIT: And Jon Connor as an adult could soooo take John McClaine

[Wonderboy]

And how about Terminator 1 & 2 or Aliens.. .gotta give Cameron his props. Although, thats sci-fi i guess...

Sci-fi is merely a setting, not a genre. Don't try to tell me that Aliens is the same genre as Star Wars.

I haven't seen Shoot 'Em Up yet, but my top action movies would be 300, Die Hard, Hero and Kill Bill.

But I haven't seen Hard Boiled either. .

[Tweekinator]

EDIT: And Jon Connor as an adult could soooo take John McClaine

Young adult in T3 or grizzled resistance fighter in the future?

[LCR]

Shouldn't this thread be about Hot Fuzz?

[bosssmiley]

Shoot Em Up.

Best action sequences I'd ever seen. Ever.

The movie was so awesome, it broke physics.


And the midair gunfight? So ridiculous it... just uncomprehendably awesome.

Counter-argument: Clive Owen. He makes everything he's in worse. :smallannoyed:

Also "Hard Boiled" (back when John Woo actually could make films) did it all first and better.

[ElfLad]

Shouldn't this thread be about Hot Fuzz?

Yes. Yes, it should.

[Kaelaroth]

...
...
I am going to eat your mind, you heretic.

Oh, and Die Hard wins. Yippie ki yay!

*feels around a bit*

Nope. Intact! :smallsmile:

Hot Fuzz, though a very good film, is not the optimum action film. I'm a V for Vendetta fan. I know it differed from the comics, but it was still an incredible film. I love Serenity too.

[Bayar]

Raw deal is the best in my view....just look at these 2 fight scenes:

WARNING !!! Spoiler alert!!! Oh, and...maybe you should be at least 14...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTHN3_iCt_E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5P9VSKuD6o

[CrazedGoblin]

Hot Fuzz rules end of story :smallwink:

[Bryn]

it broke physics.

So do most (http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/) :smalltongue:

Most don't do it by being awesome, however.

I haven't seen enough action movies to give my vote, but one of the most recent I watched was Hot Fuzz, and it was good (and seems to be popular so I won't get lynched), so that will be mine :smallwink:

[Nerd-o-rama]

EDIT: And Jon Connor as an adult could soooo take John McClaine
"Now I have a grenade launcher. Ho ho ho."

I'm actually curious how this fight would pan out. Personally, I think McClane would win hands down, because a) we've never seen John do anything useful on camera ever and b) even through description he seems more like a motivational leader and maybe a great strategic mind than a superior fighter. We've all seen what happens to brilliant leaders when they go up against McClane...they die, period. But I'm not going to come to a certain conclusion until the other side provides their reasoning.

Now, McClane vs. a T-800...oh wait, the first film had that, or almost.

[Alyorbase]

As much as I love most of these movies mentioned...I gotta go with Smokin' Aces. I mean c'mon...they even had the courtesy of killing off Ben Affleck at almost the BEGINNING of the movie! :smalltongue: And it's story line is GREAT. But that's imho.

[Jerthanis]

I'll second Hard Boiled... and actually most Hong Kong Cinema while I'm at it. The Killer, Once upon a time in China 1-4, the ORIGINAL Drunken Master...


You see... the reason I don't give the original Drunken Master my #1 Kung Fu slot is that it's really got no qualities distinct from all the other "wacky training montage" movies he made in the same era except that it was modestly better than all the rest. Really, watching Drunken Master #1 was like watching Master with Cracked Fists or Young Tiger or... that one where he was framed for something, and at one point dueled a guy who fought using a chair, To Kill with Intrigue? Was that the one I'm thinking of? ANYWAY! My point is, is that it's a movie about Jackie Chan doing silly things to learn Kung Fu, then using his Kung Fu against a vague badguy at the end, which usually was just a gimmicky fight, and then the movie ends with no resolution.

Drunken Master 2 however, was a narrative about an immature son desperate to please a father who wanted perfection, about the dangers of being immodest, and of acting without thinking. It was about knowing where and when to take a stand, and knowing when enough was enough, and about how families will sacrifice anything for each other. The fact that every five minutes contained kung fu choreography the like of which I've rarely seen matched and never seen outright beaten... It's far and away my favorite of Jackie's movies. Even the legendary fight from Wheels on Meals against Benny "The Jet" Urgidez wasn't up to the final fight between Jackie and kicking-guy at the end of DM2 in my opinion. (Worth noting, Jackie also fought Benny "The Jet" in the movie "Dragons Forever", and that was ALSO an amazing fight)

Hot Fuzz was awesome, and I enjoyed it even more than Shaun of the Dead, which was also amazing... still, I wouldn't rate it as a top 5 action movie because #1, the action scenes took forever to get to, and up to that point it was a mystery/comedy more than anything, #2, The action scenes themselves were relatively devoid of weight, as everyone sort of stood there firing endlessly and hitting nothing (until Simon Pegg shot a convenient light fixture that would fall on their head) and #3 for some bizarre reason, the movie was mostly a parody not of the very best of action movies, but of Bad Boys 2 and some unremarkable Keanu Reeves movie? I mean, seriously?

Die Hard is also a good choice though... I personally prefer John Woo's style to the American action movie style, but that's just me. Another great John Woo style movie that isn't by Woo himself is the movie Full Time Killers. It's got style, AND Contra/Metal Slug references.

[Daze]

"Now I have a grenade launcher. Ho ho ho."

I'm actually curious how this fight would pan out. Personally, I think McClane would win hands down, because a) we've never seen John do anything useful on camera ever and b) even through description he seems more like a motivational leader and maybe a great strategic mind than a superior fighter. We've all seen what happens to brilliant leaders when they go up against McClane...they die, period. But I'm not going to come to a certain conclusion until the other side provides their reasoning.

Now, McClane vs. a T-800...oh wait, the first film had that, or almost.

To answer Tweekinator from earlier.. of course Future Connor. Young Edward Furlong John or no-name T3 John would get his hat handed to him. (assuming of course they didnt have their machinated austrian protection..heh)

But Nerd-O-Rama, you make a valid point. McClaine does seem to deal with brilliant strategists quite effectively. All things being equal, say in a pre-apocalypse 20th century, it'd be a very even fight (assuming Connor was a hardened veteran)... there'd be a few Yippe-kayaa's... a few classic GnR songs... explosions, excessive scarring. Par for the course really. They'd prolly end up getting a beer afterwards and McClaine would reveal that HE and not Reece was John's father... heh

But a future fight? Die hard is laser toast....

[Daze]

You see... the reason I don't give the original Drunken Master my #1 Kung Fu slot is that it's really got no qualities distinct from all the other "wacky training montage" movies he made in the same era except that it was modestly better than all the rest. Really, watching Drunken Master #1 was like watching Master with Cracked Fists or Young Tiger or... that one where he was framed for something, and at one point dueled a guy who fought using a chair, To Kill with Intrigue? Was that the one I'm thinking of? ANYWAY! My point is, is that it's a movie about Jackie Chan doing silly things to learn Kung Fu, then using his Kung Fu against a vague badguy at the end, which usually was just a gimmicky fight, and then the movie ends with no resolution.

Drunken Master 2 however, was a narrative about an immature son desperate to please a father who wanted perfection, about the dangers of being immodest, and of acting without thinking. It was about knowing where and when to take a stand, and knowing when enough was enough, and about how families will sacrifice anything for each other. The fact that every five minutes contained kung fu choreography the like of which I've rarely seen matched and never seen outright beaten... It's far and away my favorite of Jackie's movies. Even the legendary fight from Wheels on Meals against Benny "The Jet" Urgidez wasn't up to the final fight between Jackie and kicking-guy at the end of DM2 in my opinion. (Worth noting, Jackie also fought Benny "The Jet" in the movie "Dragons Forever", and that was ALSO an amazing fight)

Awesome you know who Benny the Jet is... A hong-kong staple really, not really known over here in the states too well. And dont forget Jackies best friend Sammo Hung... I like finding him in his little cameos from film to film. He moves pretty good for a big man.

I understand you reasoning behind prefering the DM remake. It definitely consisted of a much thicker plot, but I found a bit too westernized for my taste. But that's based strictly on a nostalgia for the training montage, plotless fighting, and humorous antics of Su Hua Chi as the abusive master Sam Seed. I can acknowledge the remake being better I suppose, but I missed many of those old school elements.

Wong Fei Hung is really the most amazing character though. He must be involved in half of the chinese/hong kong based cinema in the 70's & 80's (exaggerating of course). Personally, I thought Jet Li did the best job portraying him. The "Once Upon A Time" series was great, but the true materpiece was "Last Hero in China". Ever see that? The one where he fights the lion dance as a blade-clawed rooster against the fire-breathing scorpion? The last fight scene in that movie where the now "wisened" Fei Hung takes out the enemy general by reverting back to his youth and chugging on some jugs of sake. Hilarious and amazing action scene. Jet's wu-shu skills are really peerless on film, even Jackie stands below him. (not in sheer nuttiness however)

Speaking of Jackie... how about Cop Story(SuperCop)? I think that has to rank with some of his finest stunt work. Particulary considering the helicoptor he was dangling from slammed him into a piece of the train they were flying over, nearly killed him. A good movie storywise too, right up their with his best.
Man, I used to be in love with Micheel Yeoh back then... heh, still kinda am actually ;)

[Jerthanis]

Awesome you know who Benny the Jet is... A hong-kong staple really, not really known over here in the states too well. And dont forget Jackies best friend Sammo Hung... I like finding him in his little cameos from film to film. He moves pretty good for a big man.

Oh yeah, Yuen Biao (sp?/pronounciation... the skinny guy in their trio)/Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan movies are some of the best. Dragons Forever is the one that immediately springs to mind, but there are plenty other gems with the three of them. It's a huge shame Martial Law got cancelled, it was actually really good.



Personally, I thought Jet Li did the best job portraying him. The "Once Upon A Time" series was great, but the true materpiece was "Last Hero in China". Ever see that? The one where he fights the lion dance as a blade-clawed rooster against the fire-breathing scorpion? The last fight scene in that movie where the now "wisened" Fei Hung takes out the enemy general by reverting back to his youth and chugging on some jugs of sake. Hilarious and amazing action scene. Jet's wu-shu skills are really peerless on film, even Jackie stands below him. (not in sheer nuttiness however)

You're right that Jet Li has more sheerly impressive apparent martial prowess onscreen, but I have to respect Jackie for not using wires through the majority of his film career, though he's started using them now that he's like, 50 something. I have not seen "Last Hero in China", though his "Once upon a time in China" series was amazing, and his "Fist of Legend" was easily in my top 5 favorite kung fu movies when I first saw it. It was the best retelling of the story about the prodigal student, come back to avenge his poisoned master and protect his Martial Arts dojo. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and I think a few others all did versions of it, but I liked Jet Li's the best.



Speaking of Jackie... how about Cop Story(SuperCop)? I think that has to rank with some of his finest stunt work. Particulary considering the helicoptor he was dangling from slammed him into a piece of the train they were flying over, nearly killed him. A good movie storywise too, right up their with his best.
Man, I used to be in love with Micheel Yeoh back then... heh, still kinda am actually ;)

It's been forever since I've seen that one, and I never saw Cop Story 2-4, though I did see the recent "The New Police Story" which had some of Jackie's best dramatic acting. Was Cop Story 1 the one where Jackie used a string of Christmas lights to rappel down to a lower floor of a mall? With them popping and sparking the whole way down? I barely remember that, unfortunately. I also don't recognize the name Michael/Michelle Yeoh, I feel like my Kung Fu is weak.

[Daze]

Oh yeah, Yuen Biao (sp?/pronounciation... the skinny guy in their trio)/Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan movies are some of the best. Dragons Forever is the one that immediately springs to mind, but there are plenty other gems with the three of them.

Yeah, together they bring a great comedic sense and blazingly fast action to the screen. Sammo is actually quite a choreographer too, Jackie gives him a lot of credit for the success of their movies together.



You're right that Jet Li has more sheerly impressive apparent martial prowess onscreen, but I have to respect Jackie for not using wires through the majority of his film career, though he's started using them now that he's like, 50 something. I have not seen "Last Hero in China", though his "Once upon a time in China" series was amazing, and his "Fist of Legend" was easily in my top 5 favorite kung fu movies when I first saw it. It was the best retelling of the story about the prodigal student, come back to avenge his poisoned master and protect his Martial Arts dojo. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and I think a few others all did versions of it, but I liked Jet Li's the best.

Fist of Legend would rank right up there for me too. Everyone knows Bruce's version of course (which is still excellent), but Jet Li's interpretation is pretty darn good. The recent Jet Li remake of the actual poisoned master... what was it called... Fearless? That wasnt too bad either, I especially liked they got a fight scene in with the european giant "hercules"... loosely based on actual events. Looked excellent.
You definitely have to see Last hero in China. It really should have been part of the once 'upon a time in china series', but it was made by different producers, but Jet still plays the same character... so it blends seemlessly. Kick without shadow! oh yeah... ;)


It's been forever since I've seen that one, and I never saw Cop Story 2-4, though I did see the recent "The New Police Story" which had some of Jackie's best dramatic acting. Was Cop Story 1 the one where Jackie used a string of Christmas lights to rappel down to a lower floor of a mall? With them popping and sparking the whole way down? I barely remember that, unfortunately. I also don't recognize the name Michael/Michelle Yeoh, I feel like my Kung Fu is weak.

No, the christmas light rappeling was Operation: Condor I think... the one where he was in Australia, think that was the mall scene after he was doing a cooking show or some such thing... that was an underrated flick too I thought. That was also when he slid down the side of that pyramid-lookin building, way cool.

Supercop was the one where he infiltrated the crime syndicate of the thai heroin kingpin... hmmm... there was the helicoptor stunt... some motorbike stuff. Should check that out too, one of jackie's better ones.

And Michelle Yeoh? You know her... the older lady from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (not the jade fox, but liu bai's love interest). She's been around in Kung Fu flicks forever.. pretty accomplished. In fact, in Supercop they show an outtake where she falls out of a moving car (pretty badly too). Very pretty, even though she's a bit older now.

I mentioned Thai before... I thought Ong Bak was freakin great. That kid is a helluva talent, and most of that was shot real speed. He's fast as sin.

And I know crouching tiger was a commercial success and all, and people tend to rag on it a bit, but it still was a beautifully shot movie. Heh, even got my mom into Kung Fu... at least for a little bit.

I'd like to try your Wu-tang Stlye.. let's begin! Heh, and those are so corny... but fun movies.

Oh... and Master of the Flying Guillotine. Old school style, but they have this one tournament scene where masters of all different styles face off. Even one guy who fights like Dhalsim from Street Fighter... stretchy limbs and all. heh, cool stuff.

[Flawless]

The most awesome action movie? How 'bout StarWars: The Empire Strikes Back? It won't get any better than this.

[Jack Squat]

The most awesome action movie? How 'bout StarWars: The Empire Strikes Back? It won't get any better than this.

nah...it's got too much plot (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/action_movies.png)

[Jerthanis]

nah...it's got too much plot (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/action_movies.png)

I think the only movie that comes close to that comic's ideal is Crank.

[Jack Squat]

I think the only movie that comes close to that comic's ideal is Crank.

Actually, he comments on that. He says that Crank needs a bigger budget and more Summer Glau.

[Daze]

Did anyone see Smokin Aces? It should be out on DVD by now... wanna see if its worth the rental, or should I wait for premium cable?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Supporting argument for Die Hard:

Best music video ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTyw6cq86kY)

Yippie ki yay, language content warning.

[blademaster42]

No. 300. do you know why? this is where 300 wins. This! Is! Sparta!

[Daze]

I saw 300 in the theatres... and it was decent, dont get me wrong. But as far as epic battle movies go, I'd rank it below Braveheart... and probably Last Samurai too.

Too much CGI really, blood packs and prosthetics take way more skill and provide a much more viceral experience in my opinion.