The Best Action Movie of Every Year of the 21st Century So Far
The 20th century saw the release of some of the greatest action movies ever, and, indeed, the first action movies ever, too, considering that cinema is a relatively young art form and all. Almost 100 years ago, you can find some surprisingly great action movies, with The General demonstrating this best of all, and then later decades seeing the release of other genre-defining and endlessly influential action flicks, like Seven Samurai and Die Hard, to name just a couple.
We’d be here all day if we were to name more than a couple. Also, it would be silly to continue rambling on about 20th century action movies when what’s dealt with below is 21st century action movies. Rather than being the 20+ best of the still-ongoing decade, what’s below is the single best action movie from every year of the 21st century so far, with plenty of great movies being omitted as a result. Take the year 2000, for example. The runner-up is the excellent Gladiator, but the best action movie of that year is arguably…
25
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000)
…Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yeah, look, snubbing Gladiator hurts. If this was a more traditional ranking of 21st century action movies, there would be room for both these movies. But Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is arguably more of an action movie, in terms of really focusing on scenes of combat. And though the action in Gladiator is fantastic, it’s probably better as an epic, and the choreography found in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is just too good to overlook.
It’s one of those quintessential martial arts movies that you can even recommend to people who might not have seen any martial arts movies before, and there’s a good chance they’ll like it nonetheless. It’s also got melodrama, romance, and a sense of almost fantastical adventure to it, meaning that while the action is excellent, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does indeed offer more than just a handful of great fight scenes.
24
‘Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack’ (2001)
Some might not agree that Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is the very best Godzilla movie of all time, but it probably has the best title out of any movie in the Godzilla series. Also, it’s a contender for the top spot, given it puts a unique spin on Godzilla and some other familiar monsters, with a story that has fantastical/mythical elements over the more-expected sci-fi stuff.
Plus, the Godzilla featured here is absolutely ruthless, perhaps even more so than the version of Godzilla found in the (also acclaimed) Godzilla Minus One. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is fast-paced enough to genuinely work as an action movie, too, even if it’s primarily a kaiju film and also something of a disaster movie with a fantasy spin.
23
‘Hero’ (2002)
Up there among the best movies Jet Li has ever starred in, Hero has a lot of action, but it’s also noteworthy for how gorgeous it looks, and for the way its story is structured. There are lots of flashbacks throughout, with a warrior recounting a series of battles he had with various assassins, all leading up to an inevitably bombastic climax following the telling of his story.
The narrative itself is good, but it does feel like an excuse, for the most part, to stage some elaborate action sequences and show off some beautiful scenery… and that’s okay! It works because those qualities in Hero are so striking and undeniably breathtaking, with this being – alongside Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – a good entry point for those not too familiar with martial arts cinema who might want to hop on board.
22
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003)
With both volumes taken together, Kill Bill easily stands as one of Quentin Tarantino’s finest movies to date. And even if you separate the two parts that make up the overall revenge epic, both of those volumes on their own (and they were released apart) also rank up highly in terms of the filmmaker’s greatest efforts, though both excel for different reasons.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 will not be included in this ranking, even though it’s phenomenal and contains a little action, but not quite enough to feel like a full-on action movie. But that’s okay, because it has other things to offer, and also, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 has more than enough action to make up for it, being absolutely non-stop and so well-paced throughout, escalating things perfectly and ending with one of the best “one vs. many” action scenes in cinema history.
21
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Yes, it’s an animated movie that’s also family-friendly, but The Incredibles still holds up when judged as an action film; one that anyone of any age can enjoy, pretty much. It’s about a family of people who have superpowers, but they have to keep that side of themselves hidden, all until a certain threat emerges that necessitates the use of their effectively outlawed superpowers.
It sounds a little wild, but The Incredibles works surprisingly well, and Brad Bird seems particularly good at taking these high-concept sorts of ideas and grounding them to some extent, making them work shockingly well (see also Ratatouille). As for the sequel to The Incredibles? Eh, it’s a bit inessential. But the original still holds up amazingly well, more than two decades on from its initial release.
20
‘Sin City’ (2005)
Things are a little complicated here, because Sin City is right on the line of what can be considered an action movie. It’s certainly violent, with fighting and death and all that, but it’s probably more of a hyper-stylized neo-noir, with lots of it feeling like it fits squarely within the crime and thriller genres, as a result. And the noir stuff is obvious, considering it’s mostly shot in black and white, with brief bursts of color here and there.
But there’s enough action here to make it qualify as something belonging to that genre, and Robert Rodriguez – one of the film’s co-directors – is no stranger to the action genre, either. Maybe the important thing here is that Sin City is exciting, visually distinctive, undeniably stylish, and also quite unpredictable, dealing with violence and morally shady characters all wrapped up in several different storylines throughout.
19
‘Casino Royale’ (2006)
The James Bond series is similarly huge as the aforementioned Godzilla series, and that also means that it’s unlikely most will agree on what the best entry in the series is. What is agreeable, though, is that 2006’s Casino Royale is a contender, being the first time Daniel Craig played 007, all the while feeling like something of an origin story for his take on the beyond legendary character.
It also felt like an effective reboot for the overall series, even beyond the new actor in the lead role, seeing as Casino Royale went hard on feeling intense, gritty, and grounded, at least by James Bond standards. It’s an undeniably exciting movie that’s pretty great whether you’re a long-time James Bond fan, or someone who’s completely new to the series.
18
‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007)
The best thing about Hot Fuzz is that it’s a parody of action/cop movies while also being a great action/cop movie. This is something Edgar Wright is pretty great at doing, especially with the movies that made up the Cornetto trilogy, seeing as Shaun of the Dead was a zombie movie and a parody of zombie movies, while The World’s End was a comedic spin on sci-fi/body snatcher movies that also worked as a… well, you know. You get the idea.
So, Hot Fuzz could’ve just been a comedy, and that would’ve been enough, seeing as it’s consistently hilarious throughout, but the fact that it also has great action (especially in the final act) makes it even better. And, of course, that ultimately means that it’s also classifiable as an action movie, and so here it is. It’s great. But pretty much everyone knows that already, hopefully.
17
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Obviously, The Dark Knight is about as good as superhero movies get, but it’s more than just that, seeing as it’s just as remarkable an action/crime/thriller film as it is a superhero one. It’s got a lot going on, but it makes it all feel surprisingly seamless, with a long runtime that flies by thanks to great pacing, numerous memorable set pieces, and largely excellent performances.
It’s big, and it’s been hyped to hell and back constantly, so saying “The Dark Knight is great” for, like, the 1,000,000th time feels a bit silly, but it’s The Dark Knight, and it kind of is just that good. It’s still the high point of DC, at least on the big screen, and it still feels timelessly thrilling and exciting today as it felt back in cinemas during 2008.
16
‘Redline’ (2009)
Combining science fiction elements with racing, all the while looking absolutely astounding on a visual front, Redline is the sort of movie where a premise is enough, and the style does the rest. There’s a big racing tournament going on at an interplanetary level, with the races involved being high-risk/high-reward kind of things, with technologically advanced vehicles ensuring speed far beyond what’s currently possible.
It might sound like a bold claim, but honestly, Redline is up there among the very best anime films of the past several decades, action-focused or otherwise. It’s also exceptionally underrated, seeing as not too many people seem to know about it, or at least, it should be known by more people. Those who have seen it, though, can likely attest to how spectacular and unlike anything else it is, as far as the visuals and racing sequences are concerned.
