10 Greatest Action Masterpieces of the 20th Century, Ranked
With its exhilarating set pieces, pulsating stakes, unforgettable characters, and its penchant for visceral thrills, action cinema stands as perhaps the most exhilarating and intoxicating of blockbuster spectacles when it’s operating at its best. One need only look to recent triumphs like Top Gun: Maverick and Mad Max: Fury Road to recognize this. However, many of the genre’s best and most defining hits were released in the 20th century.
Despite many of these films not being blessed with all the bells and whistles and mod-cons of modern filmmaking, the spectacles they provide have endured for decades, courtesy of their artful excellence, technical expertise, and, of course, their pulsating action thrills. Ranging from defining icons of the blockbuster blitz of the ‘80s to Hong Kong cinema’s kung-fu classics, and even to the action-laced slapstick of the silent era, these titles mark action movie mayhem at its very best.
10
‘Hard Boiled’ (1992)
Asian cinema has long been a stunning stalwart of action cinema, with many of the movies of Hong Kong flaunting a maniacal mind for mayhem that both enthralls and exhilarates. Hard Boiled is a brilliant example, featuring a relatively formulaic story of a vengeful cop hunting down the drug smugglers responsible for the death of his partner, but imbuing it with a stylistic flair and emotional gravitas, courtesy of John Woo’s confident direction.
The result is more than a masterpiece of blitzing bombast. It imbues every pulsating punch of its action intensity with an artful eye for cinematic expression. Rife with references aplenty to many classic films of yesteryear while still making an impact with its own inspired excellence, Hard Boiled is defined by its endearing eccentricities as much as it is by its ferocious action sequences, standing as one of the most vibrant and vivacious pictures the genre has ever seen.
9
‘Police Story’ (1985)
Another defining triumph of Hong Kong action cinema, Police Story presents Jackie Chan’s sensational stunt work at its almighty best, striking an enrapturing balance between stunning, balletic fight sequences and uproarious physical comedy. Not dissimilar to Hard Boiled, Police Story runs with a basic and formulaic plot—an honest policeman fights to clear his name after being framed by the drug lords he is pursuing—but thrives as a perfectly executed masterpiece defined by its dash and dare.
Central to its success is Chan’s astonishing performance. The actor’s determination to pull off death-defying stunts combines with his infectious charm to deliver a truly phenomenal action hero capable of making audiences laugh out loud one moment and audibly gasp the next. Careening from one awe-inspiring action set piece to the next with a hypnotic sense of momentous delirium, Police Story is a film of frenzied magnificence that stands as one of the most astute, absorbing, and audacious action flicks of all time.
8
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
Not only an enduring action masterpiece but standing as the most defining movie of its era as well, The Matrix is a dazzling mixture of mind-bending science-fiction intensity and Hong Kong cinema’s unique style of action spectacle. Its innovative narrative explores the notion that the reality we live in is a simulation, and that humanity is actually being kept in a slave-like slumber by machines using people as an energy source in a hellish dystopia. As Neo (Keanu Reeves) learns of this harsh truth, he begins to realize he may be a prophesied hero who can rescue mankind.
It wouldn’t be an understatement to describe The Matrix as a watershed moment in cinema. Its cerebral story of reality-bending intrigue not only allows for some of the most elaborate and mesmerizing action scenes of all time, but has given it a staying power with audiences who were ensnared by its originality. The Matrix remains one of the most iconic action pictures ever, a true testament to the pioneering brilliance of sci-fi cinema as well.
7
‘Enter the Dragon’ (1973)
The annals of action movie history are home to many great names, iconic movie stars who defined the entrancing allure of the genre with their charisma and machismo. One of the first and greatest figures in this regard is international film legend Bruce Lee, with 1973’s Enter the Dragon standing as his career-defining highlight. The Chinese action film sees him star as a Shaolin martial arts instructor who works with the British government to apprehend the notorious crime boss responsible for the death of his sister.
Clearly inspired by the rampant success of the James Bond franchise, Enter the Dragon excels as a delightful combination of spy suspense, surreal stakes, and majestic martial arts mayhem. Even more than 50 years on from its release, Enter the Dragon stands as the ultimate kung-fu movie, a terrific though tragic affair, and untimely swan song to the impressionable impact of Bruce Lee’s filmography that all but cemented his place as a cinematic icon.
6
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
It would be impossible to examine action cinema in the 20th century without turning an eye towards 1980s Hollywood. The first of several films that represent the decade of divine action excess in American cinema is Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, an astonishing action-adventure classic. Timeless and irresistible, the movie is a fluent, fluid rollercoaster of immersive excitement, following archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he races to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can utilize its power.
Every single element of the film works to entice the audience, from the spellbinding spectacle of its action set pieces to the globetrotting narrative, inflections of wry humor, and, of course, its litany of iconic performances. It embodies the excitement and exhilaration of the American blockbuster experience from its opening moments, and it remains one of the most rollicking and infectious adventure films cinema has ever seen, in addition to being a genre-defining action masterpiece.
5
‘Aliens’ (1986)
Bringing a healthy dose of action awe to the sequel of Alien—a timeless masterpiece of horror cinema—Aliens thrives with James Cameron’s trademark sense of style and spectacle to be another absorbing classic of ‘80s Hollywood. Fifty-seven years after the events of the first film, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is awoken from cryosleep and assigned to a military outfit returning to the site of exomoon LV-426 to investigate why a colony on the moon has gone unresponsive.
Substituting the grueling suspense and slithering dread of Alien’s sole xenomorph for the bombastic blast of seeing the space marines fight off a legion of alien threats, Aliens is a visceral combination of action, sci-fi, and horror that delivers pulse-raising thrills from start to finish. Regardless of whether one thinks it surpasses its predecessor or not, Aliens can only be heralded as a defining triumph of 1980s cinema. With its engrossing suspense and knack for wry fun, the film has endured exceptionally well over the decades.
4
‘The General’ (1926)
Action cinema as we know it today probably established itself around the 1960s, with the success of the James Bond films laying a definite platform for the genre. However, there are still plenty of movies from before that time that pioneered the thrills and spills of action excellence. One of the earliest and best is The General, a Civil War comedy that sees silent star Buster Keaton at his all-time best.
Following Johnny, a train operator thought to be a coward, as he embarks on a daring rescue mission to save his beloved locomotive and his beloved Annabelle (Marion Mack) from Union spies, The General is a timeless testament to Keaton’s daring stunt work and talent for physical comedy. While it is revered as one of the defining comedies of the silent era, its prowess as an early slapstick action film shouldn’t be overlooked. The litany of death-defying stunts, the story of war and pursuit, and the fact that it features the most expensive stunt cinema has ever seen conspire to make The General an unforgettably exciting experience as well as a hilarious one.
3
‘Die Hard’ (1988)
A masterpiece of technical perfection, flawless screenwriting, and high-energy bravura, Die Hard is a rollicking action picture that has become a true Christmas staple in households all over the world. Coasting on Bruce Willis’ rugged and charismatic lead performance, it sees NYPD cop John McClane’s hopes for a quiet Christmas in L.A. with his family dashed when terrorists take over his wife’s office Christmas party and take the workers hostage. Evading the armed intruders, McClane wages a one-man war against Hans Gruber’s (Alan Rickman) crew while trying to get assistance from local police at ground level.
John McTiernan’s sharp direction allows every taut and tense detail of the movie to build suspense while still giving the performances of Willis and Rickman all the levity they need to dominate the screen. Die Hard is a faultless marriage of searing action, suspense and character-driven fun. Its appeal has truly transcended generations, making it not only a defining triumph of action cinema but one of the most popular and beloved movies ever released in any genre.
2
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)
It may not have been released in the ‘80s, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day flaunts all the action excess that made the decade great. A rare feat of a sequel that surpasses its predecessor, the film sees a T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent back in time to early ‘90s L.A. to look after John Connor (Edward Furlong), a teenage boy who will one day lead humanity in a resistance movement against Skynet. As they flee from the advanced T-1000 (Robert Patrick), they also team up with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), John’s institutionalized mother, who has been preparing for Skynet’s attack.
As far as pure action spectacle goes, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is unsurpassed. Featuring everything from crunching car chases to scintillating shootouts and pulverizing punch-ups, as well as its innovative incorporation of CGI, the film is an eye-popping extravaganza of action abundance. The fact that it also sports a surprising emotional depth, thanks to the T-800’s relationship with John, only makes it more unforgettable. In the 34 years since its release, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is practically peerless in terms of its penchant for pioneering brilliance and knack for pulse-raising popcorn action.
1
‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)
The period epics of the 1950s stand as something of a forebear to the onset of action cinema in the 1960s and beyond. While many of the historical classics of the era are too slow and laborious to be regarded as action films in earnest, Akira Kurosawa’s samurai sensation fits the mold perfectly. Set in 16th-century Japan, Seven Samurai unfolds as a veteran samurai enlists the help of six willing warriors to defend a poor village from the attacks of a ruthless gang of bandits.
The action sequences are astonishing for their time, operating with a certain grandeur and detail that many contemporary Hollywood equivalents simply could not match. Further bolstered by an engaging and complex story rife with richly explored ideas of class, sacrifice, and honor, a litany of intriguing characters, and Kurosawa’s ingenious direction and shot design, Seven Samurai is an awe-inspiring masterpiece, not only of action cinema, not only of international film, but of film history.
