Grab a weapon and a ride, and get on down to 2005 for these 10 essential action movies…
The noughties were an odd time in cinema. There seemed to be a dearth in standout blockbusters and a number of lacklustre sequels. Maybe not so different from today, but we also had an array of stylistic trends that were hot at the time and have slowly but surely been consigned to history. We had the Matrix ripoffs, wire-fu, the Bourne ripoffs and the Tony Scott-styled actioners.
2005’s action landscape was also in that middle ground between the end of the conventional action heroes of the previous two decades, and just prior to the likes of Stallone briefly reinvigorating their careers. It was also before the MCU burst forth but comic book films this year would certainly stand out as one director in particular reinvented the genre and had an approach still mimicked today.
So from big, to small screen, here are 10 Essential Action Movies from 2005.
A Bittersweet Life
Dear Western audiences under the age of 30. Believe it or not, Korean cinema existed before Parasite. In fact, prior to that film breaking big across the West and resurrecting wider English-speaking territories’ interest in their cinema, there was a film in 2003 that had a similar impact. Oldboy, from Park Chan-wook, had a huge hand in a surge of interest in the extreme, weird, action-packed, or horror-filled gems which stood out from Korea. Among those exciting directors was Kim Jee-woon, who’d already had a degree of international acclaim with A Tale of Two Sisters.
2005’s A Bittersweet Life saw him throw his hat into the action ring with a brutally violent, stylish and utterly electrifying revenge movie. Lee Byung-hun, currently starring in Squid Game also had his biggest introduction across the US and Europe here, with his magnetic stoicism. A Bittersweet Life has incredible action sequences that will leave your jaw scraping along the floor.
Serenity
Believe it or not, there was a time Joss Whedon was the bestest thing since the slicing of bread. He’d been behind Buffy. He’d been behind the cult favourite and all too sadly canned early, Firefly. That much-adored show then found itself briefly resurrected with a standalone/sequel, Serenity. I’ll be honest, I never watched Firefly, but… Serenity was great (and works on its own). Coming in the aftermath of three disappointing Star Wars prequels, it had a sense of fun and rollicking entertainment that so many Star Wars fans felt was lacking in the prequels. It felt like the Star Wars my generation wanted.
Characters engage and entertain you from the off, headed by Han Solo, sorry…Mal Reynolds, played brilliantly by Nathan Fillion. The cast is then filled out by Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin and a villainous Chiwetel Ejiofor. The star here is Summer Glau who kicked serious ass and who still leaves me wondering how she didn’t hit it bigger. Sadly, Serenity was one of those culty well-kept secrets that many mainstream viewers didn’t catch. Shame, as it’s still wildly entertaining and on a fraction of the budget of George Lucas’ dour prequels.
Batman Begins
We’d seen a dark and quirkily gothic take on Batman via Tim Burton’s idiosyncratic style. We’d seen Batnips thanks to Joel Schumacher. Christopher Nolan had made a name for himself with stark and engaging mystery thrillers that weren’t exactly known for epic scale and huge set pieces. So a leap to comic book movies did raise a few eyebrows.
He took a gritty and intense approach to the Batman lore, not unlike some of the darker comic book incarnations. He also had the gal to spend nearly an hour building up Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming the caped crusader. That time devoted to back story was a blessing and a curse of course, with many subsequent comic book movies taking way too long to get the hell into it. For Nolan’s first stab at tentpole pictures, it worked. Christian Bale made a compelling Bruce Wayne and actually, the first half of the film is probably better than the final act which almost begrudgingly has to resort to the theatrics we’d seen in Raimi’s Spider-Man and Singer’s X-Men films. Nolan’s stylistic approach has been aped countless times since and even Matt Reeves’ recent, The Batman couldn’t entirely shake off the chains of the Gritty Nolan-esque comic book take.
The Mechanik
This period in straight-to-DVD action was decidedly hit-and-(mostly)miss. Budgets had rapidly fallen in the space of a decade with DVD being lucrative but not really in the same way as the peak VHS era was. You couldn’t just go off and spend 10-15 million bucks and make bank back, you were now spending 5 mill. The less said about how cheap films are in the streaming era, the better.
Still, in 2005, Dolph Lundgren delivered a doozy in his sophomore directing effort. A simple revenge story with a more considered approach than many DTV films of a similar ilk. It’s intense and impactfully violent and Lundgren pulls in a few Western movie tropes that work well, not least a nicely staged village shootout with some good sound design. Lundgren also takes time to let the film breathe and include some quieter moments of drama before the inevitable violence to come. He’s yet to top this one as a director and the excellent work of DOP Ross Clarkson was probably a significant reason, as indeed was a good 70s-inspired, occasionally noir-tinged script from Bryan Edward Hill.
V For Vendetta
With a script from the Wachowskis and a lot of aesthetics not a million miles away from The Matrix, V for Vendetta quickly drew comparisons. It’s a very different type of Dystopian action thriller, however. Based on Alan Moore’s graphic novel, this tale of a figure known as V (Hugo Weaving) who plots to overthrow a tyrannical government whilst wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, is loaded with stunning visuals and some decent action sequences.
It’s a film that wasn’t greeted with universal critical acclaim but has garnered a good cult following and has since been reappraised and appreciated even more in time. Natalie Portman is great, and Weaving who we only hear the voice of, still manages to inject plenty of character into V.
Unleashed
Jet Li’s shortlived run as a leading man in American action films was peaking by 2005. They’d been a mixed bag and rarely came close to his best Hong Kong works, whilst he also failed to hit the highs of Jackie Chan and the Rush Hour movies.
Kiss of the Dragon was kick ass though, and Unleashed may well be his standout Western film. The supporting cast of Bob Hoskins, Kerry Condon, and Morgan Freeman certainly help add gravitas and provide some range, but Lee himself finally finds an effective, sympathetic and vulnerable character capable of explosive ass whuppin. Louis Letterier stages everything nice and wide, refraining from using as much wirework as previous directors seemed to have Li unnecessarily use post-Matrix. Yuen Woo Ping’s (The Matrix) choreography is superb. Unleashed certainly hits the pinnacle of Li’s American cinema as an all round work that has it’s own distinct story.
Transporter 2
The Stath has been kicking ass for well over 20 years now, making it feel a long while since he was the new kid on the block. With the recent and surprisingly enjoyable Beekeeper to be followed by Working Man this year, he’s not lost his appeal as an on-screen brawler. It all began with the Transporter franchise and the second one arrived back in 2005.
Statham returns in this riff (okay, ripoff) of The Driver, as Frank, a getaway driver with a particular set of rules. The first was a lot of fun and the second cranks everything up further. It’s ludicrous but Statham just explodes on the screen, and Corey Yuen’s action work, combined with Letterier’s (again in this list) propulsive direction make this a rollicking good ride.
The Protector
Tony Jaa’s arrival on the action scene with Ong-Bak was a revelation. A sequel followed as did this great showcase for his flying knees and elbows and his hard-hitting impacts. It felt different to what Chan had done and to what Li had too. Jaa’s incredible movement and ability to glide through the air without wires are amazing.
The story is simple, with Jaa on the hunt for a sacred elephant stolen from his village, smashing every skull that gets in his way. The biggest highlight is a one-shot sequence where Jaa ascends a long spiralling staircase as hordes of henchmen try to stop him. It’s almost as exhausting to watch as it must have been to perform.
Mr and Mrs Smith
At this stage of their respective careers, it probably felt like Angelina Jolie was more adept as an action star than Pitt, the more likely of the two to chip a nail or something. This remake of an old TV show also carried plenty of baggage, with Pitt and Jolie falling for each other in the middle of filming this in 2004. Brad of course had been in a high-profile coupling with Jennifer Aniston at the time.
The clear chemistry was evident on screen with Pitt and Jolie playing a married couple both unaware that the other is an elite assassin. They then of course get tasked with offing each other but find they’re being played and inevitably team up to take down their employers. Doug Liman stages some good action scenes, the film is breezy, light and fun, and bolstered by its hefty charismatic star power.
Lady Vengeance
The aforementioned A Bittersweet Life wasn’t the only cracking Korean tale of vengeance. Oldboy’s Park Chan-wook completed his vengeance trilogy with Lady Vengeance. Lee Young-ae plays a woman framed for murdering a child, who gets out 13 years later hell-bent on revenge.
It’s dark, brutal and twisted as you fully expect from the bold cinema of Chan-wook. Young-ae is mesmerising as the titular lead, and the film boasts a stellar supporting cast including Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) and Kang Ho-song (Parasite). It’s hard to pick a favourite of the Vengeance trilogy, but I lean toward this one.
What’s your favourite action movie from 2005? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth or hit me up @JolliffeProductions…
Tom Jolliffe
