5 Forgotten Action Thrillers That Are Perfect From Start to Finish
Few thrillers are as riveting as the ones that come with a generous dose of action. Indeed, among the thriller’s numerous subgenres, many of which are fan and critical favorites, the one that concerns itself with gripping, high-stakes spectacle reigns supreme when it comes to delivering pure cinematic adrenaline. It makes sense, considering the thriller genre is already commanding itself, but when you add the exhilarating qualities of a well-crafted actioner, the results become outright explosive. In the pantheon of great action thrillers, classics like Die Hard and Heat endure as masterpieces that show what the subgenre is truly capable of.
However, many other, more undervalued examples exist, which have sadly gone unnoticed by most mainstream audiences. Perhaps it’s because of strong competition within the subgenre, or perhaps it has to do with the nature of their release or a less-than-friendly narrative. Whatever the case, the action thrillers on this list have been forgotten despite being virtually flawless. Action and thrillers lovers alike are sure to greatly enjoy these films, some of which rank among the finest either genre has offered in their respective eras. It’s important to consider that these movies are perfect as action thrillers; they might not be winning Oscars any time soon, but they are pretty faultless when it comes to delivering the electrifying thrills expected from this subgenre.
‘Assault on Precinct 13’ (1976)
One of the best John Carpenter movies, Assault on Precinct 13 greatly benefits from a terrific premise and an uncompromising approach. The movie follows Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), who must defend a defunct precinct against a gang of vicious criminals seeking revenge against the police officers who killed several of their members. Joining Bishop is Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston), a dead row convict.
Many of you might consider it sacrilegious to suggest a seminal classic like Assault on Precinct 13 to be forgotten. Yet, as it happens with many movies that are fifty years old, it has been somewhat pushed aside in the action movie conversation, especially compared to other, more famous efforts from the decade — after all, the likes of The French Connection and Dirty Harry tend to dominate. However, Assault on Precinct 13 remains crucial to the action thriller overall, a lean, mean, grim piece that benefits from Carpenter’s straightforward approach to what is already an explosive premise. It’s amazing just how well this gem has aged, thanks to its economical approach, which favors tension and atmosphere, leading to exhilarating, brutal set pieces.
‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ (1985)
Like Carpenter, William Friedkin is also behind many classics in the action thriller genre, including the aforementioned The French Connection. However, To Live and Die in L.A. is just as deserving of praise as any of Friendkin’s greatest, yet it seldom finds itself in the same conversation. Based on the eponymous 1984 novel written by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, it follows reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance, who goes to extreme lengths to catch counterfeiter Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe) after his partner is killed.
Few New Hollywood directors understood the crime genre as well as Friedkin, and his grimy approach is perfectly displayed in To Live and Die in L.A. The film is relentless to the point of exhaustion, featuring another classic car chase that might give The French Connection a run for its money. To Live and Die in L.A. also gave Willem Dafoe his breakthrough role as the kind of ruthless character that he’d perfect in the decades to come. The film understands what makes the action thriller subgenre pulsate, and it delivers it in spades. It’s kinetic and thrives in ambiguity, featuring two characters who are equally morally compromised, caught in a cat-and-mouse game where there can be no true winners. Few modern movies feel as propulsive and ruthless as this ’80s gem.
‘The Killer’ (1989)
John Woo is synonymous with the action genre. The director popularized the bullet ballet trend of the late ’80s and ’90s with his seminal efforts, often starring Chow Yun Fat, including A Better Tomorrow and Hard Boiled. 1989’s The Killer is an interesting entry into Woo’s and Chow’s filmographies during this time, featuring the same brand of stylized action but with a surprisingly tender story. It follows Ah Jong (Chow), a Triad assassin hoping to retire soon. When he accidentally harms the eyes of singer Jennie (Sally Yeh) during a shootout, Ah Jong must take one last job to help pay for her treatment.
The Killer was not an instant commercial success upon its original release, but time has been extremely kind to it. Now, it’s often considered among the director’s finest efforts, largely thanks to how purely and unabashedly Woo it feels. The action is deliciously over-the-top, truly capturing the very essence of bullet ballet with intense yet precise sequences that are as mind-blowing as they are visually pristine. Yet, there’s an unexpectedly profound story grounding the chaos, with Chow playing one of the most interesting characters in Woo’s collection. Make no mistake, though — The Killer is all about the action, and it’s such a carnival of explosive destruction that one can’t help but marvel at its sheer level of commitment to being as absurdly on-the-edge as possible.
‘La Femme Nikita’ (1990)
Luc Besson is another director who greatly influenced the action genre in the ’90s. His brand of overly stylized, almost sumptuous visuals took better shape in future efforts like Léon: The Professional and culminated in the camp classic The Fifth Element, but in 1990, he burst into the action scene with the less refined and just-as-intense La Femme Nikita. Anne Parillaud stars as Nikita, a criminal sentenced to life in prison after killing a policeman during a robbery. However, she is soon recruited by the government to be an assassin, and she struggles to balance her newfound profession with her personal life.
La Femme Nikita is the cinematic definition of “intense,” a zany action thriller that boasts a hard-hitting story of survival and adaptability. Parillaud is a revelation in the lead role, playing Nikita as a tough and resilient woman with a layer of vulnerability that’s never too far away; she despairs at her situation one second, but is taking down a small army of criminals the next. Nikita is an action heroine for the new age, capable but far from infallible, desperate but in control, and it’s that unexpected relatability that makes the film all the more absorbing. La Femme Nikita truly puts you in the situation, with the hectic camera following the trail of the bullet once fired or spinning along with Nikita as she seeks cover during a shootout. The soundtrack is also a treat, toeing the line between thriller and eroticism.
’13 Assassins’ (2010)
Takashi Miike is behind many of the most violent and celebrated movies of the last thirty-or-so years. Harrowing thrillers like Audition and hyper-violent crime sagas like Ichi the Killer are (in)famous for their uncompromising visuals and blood-stained plots of ruthlessness, both physical and psychological. His 2010 samurai film 13 Assassins is among his finest, yet there’s an argument to be made about how it has somewhat been overshadowed by his other, better-known spectacles of cornage, including but not limited to the two aforementioned movies.
A remake of Eiichi Kudo‘s eponymous 1963 movie, 13 Assassins is set at the end of the Edo period and follows the titular group (twelve assassins and one hunter) as they secretly plot to assassinate Lord Matsudaira Naritsugu (Gorō Inagaki), the murderous leader of the Akashi clan. Like other movies on this list, 13 Assassins is unflinchingly bloody and violent yet dripping with flair. There’s such an electrifying flamboyance to Miike’s sequences that ground a classic story of the ruthless pursuit of power with irresistible panache. The climactic 40+ battle sequence is the stuff of action dreams, a tremendously ambitious and epic set piece that ranks among the finest in the 21st century.
