The Greatest Action Movie of Every Year in the 2000s
Following the sheer blockbuster excess of the 1980s and the experimental punch of the 1990s, action cinema in the 2000s underwent an interesting evolution, both in terms of technical capabilities and audience taste. The early years are defined by a rich sense of style, a fantastical frenzy of imaginative awe that, as the decade progressed, gave way to a grittier and more grounded sense of realism imbued with greater suspense and drama.
Key trends of 2000s action include martial arts mayhem, the emergence of CGI as a substitute for practical set pieces, and, most notably, the rise to prominence of superhero cinema. This list will declare the best action movie of every year throughout the 2000s, illustrating the impact each of these trends had, as well as the seismic shift in audience interests across the decade.
10
2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The marriage of martial arts mania and elements of high-concept fantasy and stylistic expressionism was in vogue in 2000, a byproduct of the immense success of The Matrix the year before. Bolstered by Ang Lee’s ability to marry Western storytelling sensitivities with the impressionable style of Hong Kong’s wuxia cinema, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was able to strike the perfect balance between capitalizing on this trend while incorporating plenty of original ideas into the fold, capturing audience interest while still feeling fresh and original.
The story of forbidden love, desire vs. duty, and conflicting philosophies on honor is fiercely compelling, with its commitment to surrealist action coming to fruition with astonishing craftsmanship and a rich sense of visual grandeur. It went on to win four Academy Awards, becoming an icon of international cinema in the process, and enshrining itself in the annals of action cinema as one of the most impressionable and impressive pictures the genre has ever seen.
9
2001: ‘A Knight’s Tale’
The irony of doing best-by-year evaluations is that some years are so stacked with great films that selecting just one title is a difficult task, whereas other years are so sparse that finding even one candidate can be a chore. 2001 is the latter. However, the search for appropriate titles does bring about some intriguing movies, hidden treats that offer something completely different. As a fun-filled action-comedy adventure, A Knight’s Tale is a perfect example.
It stars Heath Ledger as a peasant squire whose opportunistic ploy to compete in a jousting tournament presents an unlikely avenue to wealth, fame, and nobility. The film is a rollicking action-adventure that runs a bit like a medieval Rocky armed with a vibrant sense of humor, a joyously ridiculous jukebox soundtrack, and plenty of hard-hitting jousting excitement. Its flaws are plentiful, but its eccentricities conjure a wonderfully unique viewing experience laced with terrific characters and a delightfully offbeat tone. It won’t feature on lists of the best 10 or 20 or even 100 action movies ever made, but 2001 could have done a hell of a lot worse than A Knight’s Tale.
8
2002: ‘The Bourne Identity’
.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2)
Marking something of a turning point for the tone of action cinema, The Bourne Identity popularized the gritty, shaky-cam aesthetic that would be adopted by many more grounded action movies going forward. It also revolutionized the mood of the spy genre, exuding a gritty intensity that is viscerally pulsating more so than exuberantly spectacular. The story follows the amnesiac Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) as he frantically searches for answers regarding his true identity while relentlessly pursued by a shady CIA operative.
The shift was perfectly timed from a societal standpoint, with post 9/11 America leaning into the film’s anti-government undertones and its air of plausible realism as audiences themselves grappled with lingering trauma, insecurity, and a sense of faith lost in institutions. The Bourne Identity’s cynical aura was a new dawn for the action genre, one that abandoned jingoism and over-the-top bombast for concentrated thrills and sharp and concise combat sequences. Looking back on the 2000s now, The Bourne Identity stands as one of its most iconic titles, even becoming a classic in its own right.
7
2003: ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’
2003 was a big year for big action titles, be it international classics like Oldboy or Hollywood hits like The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, one blitzing bonanza rose above its contemporaries to take the mantle as not only the most bloodthirsty and brilliant action film of its year, but as a stylistically inspired icon of the genre at large. That was, of course, Kill Bill Vol. 1, with Quentin Tarantino’s eye-popping revenge flick paying tribute to everything from the blaxploitation movement to samurai cinema, spaghetti Westerns, martial arts movies, and even anime.
That isn’t to say that it is unoriginal. Kill Bill Vol. 1 weaves all these ingredients together—along with Tarantino’s penchant for sensationalized ultra-violence and magnificent character work—to make for something that feels fresh even today, some 22 years after its initial release. Powered by Uma Thurman’s phenomenal performance as a retired assassin with a vendetta against her former colleagues, Kill Bill Vol. 1 makes for one of the most attention-grabbing and awe-inspiring spectacles in action movie history.
6
2004: ‘Spider-Man 2’
Oddly, 2004 wasn’t just a great year for action movies, but was a great year for action sequels as well. Kill Bill Vol. 2 was a rewarding conclusion to the story, while The Bourne Supremacy was another spellbinding plunge into the turmoil of spy intrigue. However, the year is also a landmark moment for the onset of superhero movies as well, with the groundwork and universal appeal of past releases framed by the endearing brilliance of Spider-Man 2.
Striking a sense of optimistic effervescence while still flaunting an air of grounded drama, the sequel sees Sam Raimi use gripping emotional investment, superhero narrative beats, and even the growing asset of CGI to perfection. It all makes Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) struggle against Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and his battles in his personal life incredibly compelling. Spider-Man 2 remains one of the most resonant and powerful superhero movies ever released, imbuing the thrilling carnage of superhero action with a beating heart that has aged magnificently through nuance, depth, and conviction.
5
2005: ‘Batman Begins’
Careening from one influential superhero classic to another, Batman Begins can be viewed as the perfect marriage of two major components that defined action cinema in the first half of the decade. It took the growing phenomenon of superhero cinema and fused it with the grounded and gritty intensity that was steadily becoming more prominent. The result is the darkest and most imposing vision of Batman that audiences have ever seen on screen.
The more mature tone works a charm, allowing the action to be more impactful and visceral. The approach also enables Sir Christopher Nolan to imbue Batman’s (Christian Bale) struggle against Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) with more drama and intrigue while exploring what the hero stands for as a symbol in enthralling detail. It set a compelling foundation for what would become one of the greatest trilogies in cinematic history, established Nolan as one of Hollywood’s best and most important directors of the modern day, and, most importantly, stands as a glorious triumph of action cinema in its own right.
4
2006: ‘Casino Royale’
While The Bourne Identity saw spy cinema soar in 2002, the James Bond franchise capitulated, with Die Another Day ending Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as 007 in unedifying fashion. In order to keep up with modern audiences, the saga had to deliver something innovative, fresh, and grounded to launch the new era. It passed with flying colors, with Casino Royale seeing Daniel Craig make his Bond debut in not only the franchise’s best movie, but in one of the greatest action-thrillers of all time.
Following Bond as he is tasked with besting terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in a high-stakes poker game to pressure the criminal banker into co-operating with MI6, Casino Royale is a ravishing spectacle of enormous action set pieces, pulsating plot progression, and 007’s trademark sophisticated charm. Doing all this while taking huge steps to make Bond a hero for the 21st century without diminishing the essence of the character, Casino Royale is a true masterpiece of blockbuster filmmaking that completely revolutionized the Bond brand, restoring it to its brilliant best.
3
2007: ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’
The best and most frenetic entry in the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Ultimatum brings Jason Bourne’s journey to a captivating close with a passion for rapid-fire editing and an appetite for bruising action. Following Bourne as he draws ever nearer to uncovering the truth behind his dark past—and fights off the orchestrated attacks of key CIA figures desperate to keep their dirty pasts from being exposed—the snappy spy thriller offers 115 minutes of adrenaline-pumping, action-packed extravagance.
Perhaps the most extraordinary feat of the film is how director Paul Greengrass maintains a sense of cohesion and comprehensive storytelling amid such frenzied chaos. It ensures that The Bourne Ultimatum completely indulges in its rough-and-tumble action intensity with meticulous and sharply choreographed sequences while still having a certain sophistication with regard to how it explores Bourne’s unraveling backstory and the corruption of the CIA. While more Bourne movies were made later, The Bourne Ultimatum is the perfect conclusion to the saga, a rewarding and appropriately gritty resolution to Bourne’s overarching journey that stands as a defining highlight of 2007 cinema.
2
2008: ‘The Dark Knight’
Through his utilization of time-bending narratives, an enormous sense of scale bolstered by his use of practical effects, and the sheer brilliance of his imagination, Sir Christopher Nolan has established himself as the master of action cinema in the early part of the 21st century. Therefore, it speaks volumes that The Dark Knight is still the director’s best and most defining movie. As grueling as it is gripping, the sequel to Batman Begins sees Batman pushed to his mental limits as an anarchistic terrorist known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) torments Gotham City.
With astonishing action sequences, a story of relentless momentum, and potentially the greatest villain performance of all time, The Dark Knight thrives as both a triumph of blockbuster spectacle and a thematically loaded observation on ideas of symbolism and morality and how they can be exploited. Even with 2008 presenting great action movies like Iron Man, Taken, and Ip Man, The Dark Knight prevails, standing as the defining movie of the year and one of the most iconic and impressive movies of the century thus far.
1
2009: ‘The Hurt Locker’
Not only a brilliant piece of cinema, but one of the most astute uses of action to illustrate a theme in recent decades, The Hurt Locker remains unsurpassed as the best depiction of the war in Iraq and an incredible examination of the psyche of a soldier by Kathryn Bigelow. It follows bomb diffusion expert Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), whose reckless, impulsive, and hands-on approach to work creates conflict with other members of his unit.
Meshing war drama and action spectacle can often be treacherous and, at worst, even disrespectful. However, Bigelow fuses the genres together with impeccable skill, using the innate excitement of action cinema to highlight James’ carelessness in the field and immerse viewers in the addiction he develops to the adrenaline rush his job presents. Complemented by a visceral and realistic sense of suspense, introspective character work, and brilliant observations on the psychological impact war has on soldiers, The Hurt Locker is a masterful illustration of action cinema at its most profound and challenging. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and stands as one of the greatest war-action movies ever made.
