Summary

• The biggest action movies of 2024 featured returning franchises and new stars, showcasing the genre’s variety.
• Directors like Guy Ritchie and David Leitch delivered fun ensemble casts and stylized action in their films.
• A mix of sequels and original stories made 2024 a strong year for action movies, despite varied box office results.

2024’s best action movies range from big-budget sci-fi epics to martial arts thrillers. There has been a lot of variety in the biggest action movies of the year. Some big franchises returned for highly-anticipated sequels, but there has also been enough room for original stories, some of which could yet act as the launchpad for emerging new talents in the genre. Overall, 2024 has been a strong year for action movies, even though the box office hasn’t always reflected this.

Some true greats of the action genre returned to cinemas in 2024. George Miller, David Leitch and Guy Ritchie all released new movies, but there were plenty of surprises too. Dev Patel’s Monkey Man showcased his talents as a martial arts star and a director, while Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake massively surpassed expectations. 2024 has shown that the action genre is alive and well.

10 The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Guy Ritchie’s latest movie bears many of the director’s hallmarks, including a fun ensemble cast and a hearty helping of stylized action. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on the true story of a group of spies sent on a dangerous mission during World War II, but Ritchie puts his own spin on the narrative, and there’s an air of mischief reminiscent of his great gangster movie.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
is based on the true story of a group of spies sent on a dangerous mission during World War II, but Ritchie puts his own spin on the narrative.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare revels in its Nazi-bashing violence. This is the type of movie designed to be cheered and hooted at, so it doesn’t worry too much about character depth or nuance. The most important things to know about each member of Gus March-Phillips’ ragtag Special Forces team is spelled out in bold letters, and this leaves plenty of room for Ritchie to get to work on the action sequences and the pithy dialogue which clearly interest him the most.

9 Bad Boys: Ride Or Die

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team up once again for more fast-paced thrills

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys movies were always popular with audiences, even if critics panned Michael Bay’s first two movies. With Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah taking over directing duties for the reboot, Bad Boys for Life, critics have finally started to come around to the franchise’s explosive delights. Bad Boys: Ride or Die continues this trend, and the box office numbers speak for themselves.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die
is a mindless, fun movie without much to say, and this makes it perfect popcorn entertainment.

Over 20 years since their first movie together, Smith and Lawrence are still a tough team to beat. Their delightful comedic dynamic is as fresh as ever, but Ride or Die delivers hair-raising action when it matters. Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a mindless, fun movie without much to say, and this makes it perfect popcorn entertainment. Fans of the franchise who know what they’re in for will not be disappointed.

8 Badland Hunters

A zombie thriller with plenty of creative action set pieces

Ma Dong-seok will be most familiar to American audiences for his role in Marvel’s Eternals, but he also starred in the brilliant Korean zombie horror film Train to Busan. Badland Hunters sees him fighting zombies once more, this time as a wasteland scavenger who tries to rescue one of his kidnapped villagers from a mad scientist. Badland Hunters is a sequel to Concrete Utopia, but it features a new cast and it works as a standalone movie.

Badland Hunters
delivers enough thrilling action to make up for its derivative narrative. It uses the familiar framework of the genre to have fun with inventive, punchy action sequences.

Badland Hunters is equal parts horror and action. Although it doesn’t exactly seek to reinvent the zombie genre, recycling many of the same tropes and plot points which have been reliably trotted out countless times before, Badland Hunters delivers enough thrilling action to make up for its derivative narrative. It uses the familiar framework of the genre to have fun with inventive, punchy action sequences.

7 The Beekeeper

Jason Statham plays to his strengths in this confident revenge thriller

Jason Statham has been a consistent box office draw throughout his career, but The Beekeeper still outperformed its expectations. Although Statham is allowed to strut around in tailored suits and make snide quips like most of his other blockbusters, The Beekeeper succeeds by reminding everyone that he’s also one of the biggest martial arts stars working in Hollywood. Many of Statham’s more prominent roles are too restrictive, but The Beekeeper showcases his talents.

The Beekeeper
‘s box office success suggests that there is still an appetite for these types of pared-back action thrillers.

The Beekeeper is a throwback to a different style of action movies. It could easily have been made in the 1980s with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role, blasting bad guys away and looking generally grumpy while he tries to keep his righteous rampage going for as long as possible. The box office success suggests that there is still an appetite for these types of pared-back action thrillers.

6 Monkey Man

Dev Patel reintroduces himself as an action hero

Dev Patel’s directorial debut shows that he has been keeping his skills as a martial artist quiet. The Slumdog Millionaire actor makes a convincing action hero in Monkey Man, suggesting that he may be gearing up for the next phase of his career. Monkey Man has drawn comparisons to John Wick for its punchy action sequences, but Patel’s revenge thriller is far more than just another imitator.

Monkey Man
is an urgent story about standing up to corrupt authorities and rejecting totalitarian politics. Hopefully, it will just be the start of Dev Patel’s action career.

Monkey Man boasts a revolutionary message of acceptance and community power to go with its exciting fight scenes. There is a lot of joy to be had in watching Patel wade through crowds of enemies using whatever improvised weapons become available to him, but Monkey Man is an urgent story about standing up to corrupt authorities and rejecting totalitarian politics. Hopefully, it will just be the start of Dev Patel’s action career.

5 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

George Miller returns for more fast-paced apocalyptic mayhem

George Miller already directed one of the best action movies of the 21st century with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and his apocalyptic prequel carries on his impressive streak. Max Rockatansky is sidelined in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which focuses on the origin story of the character first played by Charlize Theron. Anya Taylor-Joy steps in as a younger version, and she takes to the action genre surprisingly well.

Like
Fury Road, Furiosa
showcases explosive practical effects which manage to bridge the gap between the real world and the harsh desert landscapes of the movie.

Furiosa reveals some more information about the world of Mad Max, but it’s designed to be just as enjoyable for newcomers to the franchise as it is for hardcore fans. Like Fury Road, Furiosa showcases explosive practical effects which manage to bridge the gap between the real world and the harsh desert landscapes of the movie. Chris Hemsworth’s performance as the eccentric villain Dementus accentuates the franchise’s melodramatic quirks, but he injects a lot of humor.

4 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The prequel series continues its fine form

After the outstanding War for the Planet of the Apes capped a trilogy in 2017, the future of the Planet of the Apes franchise looked a little uncertain. Seven years later, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes proved that there can still be life after the story of Caesar, as the story jumps forward a few hundred years to examine how ape culture has evolved amid the crumbling ruins of human civilization.

The visual effects are as polished as ever, and this lends the action sequences a sense of real jeopardy.

The world seen in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is filled with new factions tussling for control. Thankfully, the visual effects are as polished as ever, and this lends the action sequences a sense of real jeopardy. The villain, Proximus Caesar, is also a welcome addition to the franchise, and his presence raises all sorts of questions about the world beyond his coastal kingdom. The future of the Planet of the Apes franchise looks bright.

3 Road House

Jake Gyllenhaal steps into Patrick Swayze’s shoes for an adrenaline-fueled remake

Road House director Doug Liman was desperate to secure his movie a theatrical release, and its popularity on Amazon Prime Video suggests that he anticipated its impact. Jake Gyllenhaal takes on the role of Dalton, a stoic bouncer with the fighting skills to drop almost any opponent in mere seconds, as he goes to clean up a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys and finds much more than he bargained for.

UFC legend Conor McGregor makes his film debut in
Road House.
Frankly, he’s no actor, but he brings a manic, volatile energy to the action that is hard to resist.

While the original movie is a cult classic, the Road House remake makes a few improvements. With a much bigger budget and a script that tries to dig a little deeper into Dalton’s character, this Road House is bigger and louder than its predecessor, but the simple joy of watching Dalton toss troublemakers around the bar is evergreen. UFC legend Conor McGregor makes his film debut in Road House. Frankly, he’s no actor, but he brings a manic, volatile energy to the action that is hard to resist.

2 The Fall Guy

David Leitch’s tribute to stunt performers uses plenty of practical effects

David Leitch was a stunt performer before he became a director. He doubled for stars like Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, and The Fall Guy is his love letter to the global community of stunt people who hurl themselves into danger to get the perfect shot. Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a stuntman who accepts a job on a sci-fi blockbuster in Australia before stumbling onto a murder plot.

The production even broke the world record for the most cannon rolls in a car, with stuntman Logan Holladay flipping over eight and a half times.

In typical David Leitch fashion, The Fall Guy prefers practical effects over CGI, and this means that a lot of stunt people get lit on fire, slammed into cars and dropped from helicopters. The production even broke the world record for the most cannon rolls in a car, with stuntman Logan Holladay flipping over eight and a half times. This is all riotously entertaining to watch, and the credits roll over behind-the-scenes footage which is just as captivating.

1 Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel conquers the so-called “unfilmable” novel

Despite its seminal impact on the sci-fi genre, Frank Herbert’s novel Dune has gone decades without a suitable film adaptation. It had been widely tagged as “unfilmable,” but Denis Villeneuve disproved this axiom with his two-part approach. 2021’s Dune introduced the world of Arrakis and the feeble hold that House Atreides has on it, and the sequel dives deeper into the rich mythos of the saga.

Villeneuve’s two
Dune
movies are a cinematic alley-oop, with the first movie setting everything in motion, and the sequel bringing them home in spectacular fashion.

Villeneuve’s two Dune movies are a cinematic alley-oop, with the first movie setting everything in motion, and the sequel bringing them home in spectacular fashion. It helps that the sequel also improves on most of the things that the original already does very well. The action scenes are more engaging and the ensemble cast is teeming with strong performances. Austin Butler is one particular standout as Feyd-Rautha, a villain who provides more focus to the saga. Dune: Part Three has already been confirmed.