Average Action Movies

by JelesL1 | created - 04 May 2011 | updated - 19 Feb 2013 | Public

Not great, but not bad movies in the action genre. These movies are all in the 5/6 rating range for me. These are movies I consider worth renting, not much more.

 Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc
  • Instant Watch Options
  • Genres
  • Movies or TV
  • IMDb Rating
  • In Theaters
  • Release Year
  • Keywords



IMDb user rating (average) to
Number of votes to »




Reset
Release year or range to »




































































































1. Cloverfield (2008)

PG-13 | 85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

64 Metascore

A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.

Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller

Votes: 420,453 | Gross: $80.05M

Interesting idea, but I think the hype killed it for me. Was expecting something more.

2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

50 Metascore

A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time.

Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina

Votes: 303,783 | Gross: $90.76M

3. Terminator Salvation (2009)

PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

49 Metascore

In 2018, a mysterious new weapon in the war against the machines, half-human and half-machine, comes to John Connor on the eve of a resistance attack on Skynet. But whose side is he on, and can he be trusted?

Director: McG | Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood

Votes: 377,164 | Gross: $125.32M

This should have been so much better. But even with the lame action/story, it was still OK. No complaints.

4. Blood Diamond (2006)

R | 143 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller

64 Metascore

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Kagiso Kuypers

Votes: 585,721 | Gross: $57.37M

5. Eagle Eye (2008)

PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller

43 Metascore

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

Director: D.J. Caruso | Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis

Votes: 195,171 | Gross: $101.11M

One of the most average movies I have ever seen.

6. Minority Report (2002)

PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery

80 Metascore

John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow

Votes: 584,067 | Gross: $132.07M

Tried way too hard to be edgy, but a lot of it worked.

7. A Knight's Tale (2001)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Romance

56 Metascore

After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.

Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon

Votes: 201,570 | Gross: $56.57M

8. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

47 Metascore

Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek from Washington, D.C. to New York City to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden international storm which plunges the planet into a new Ice Age.

Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok

Votes: 475,812 | Gross: $186.74M

Meh.

9. War of the Worlds (2005)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

73 Metascore

An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto

Votes: 474,977 | Gross: $234.28M

10. Deja Vu (2006)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

59 Metascore

After a ferry is bombed in New Orleans, an A.T.F. agent joins a unique investigation using experimental surveillance technology to find the bomber, but soon finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the victims.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer

Votes: 327,457 | Gross: $64.04M

I swear, the whole time I was thinking "I've seen all this before." And, yes, that was a lame joke. But I mean that there was nothing original here.

11. S.W.A.T. (2003)

PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Crime

45 Metascore

An imprisoned drug kingpin offers a huge cash reward to anyone that can break him out of police custody, and only the L.A.P.D.'s Special Weapons and Tactics team can prevent it.

Director: Clark Johnson | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J

Votes: 153,926 | Gross: $116.93M

Such a cookie-cutter feel to the movie.

12. Vantage Point (2008)

PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama

40 Metascore

The attempted assassination of the American President is told and re-told from several different perspectives.

Director: Pete Travis | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Bruce McGill

Votes: 154,045 | Gross: $72.27M

Great Idea to have the same story from multiple angles. But the ending was weak, and parts felt boring. Nothing wrong with it, just average.

13. Speed (1994)

R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

78 Metascore

A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton

Votes: 391,636 | Gross: $121.25M

Does the rediculous bus jump scene make it better, or worse? Probably worse. I give this movie the same rating I give Sandra Bullock: A solid 6.

14. Enemy of the State (1998)

R | 132 min | Action, Thriller

67 Metascore

A lawyer becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his N.S.A. goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a politically motivated crime.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet

Votes: 258,816 | Gross: $111.55M

15. District B13 (2004)

R | 84 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

70 Metascore

In the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and an ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri

Votes: 73,853 | Gross: $1.20M

I liked this a whole lot better when it was in french with subtitles. Dubbed, it seemed like a real B movie.

16. Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

49 Metascore

A disillusioned pilot shot down over war-torn Bosnia goes on the run from the local military and an assassin, as his commanding officer risks all to save him.

Director: John Moore | Stars: Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Gabriel Macht, Charles Malik Whitfield

Votes: 112,835 | Gross: $59.07M

17. Timeline (2003)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

29 Metascore

A group of archaeologists get embroiled in an adventure where they must travel back in time to 14th Century France, to save their professor before the French battle the English at Castlegard. If they fail, they won't be able to return.

Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Paul Walker, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, Frances O'Connor

Votes: 65,872 | Gross: $19.48M

I think the book gave me rose colored glasses, because this movie is nothing special.

18. Air Force One (1997)

R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

62 Metascore

Communist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson

Votes: 210,030 | Gross: $172.96M

Get off my plane!

19. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

64 Metascore

After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world.

Director: Kerry Conran | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi

Votes: 87,441 | Gross: $37.76M

Lots of name power and effects, not a whole lot of anything else.

20. Flyboys (2006)

PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, History

47 Metascore

The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.

Director: Tony Bill | Stars: James Franco, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, Scott Hazell

Votes: 44,441 | Gross: $13.08M

If you saw this in the theater, I guarantee someone around you, after the opening previews, said: "What are we actually here to watch, again?"

21. The Saint (1997)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Romance

50 Metascore

Simon "The Saint" Templar (Val Kilmer), is a thief for hire, whose latest job to steal the secret process for cold fusion puts him at odds with a traitor bent on toppling the Russian government, as well as the woman who holds its secret.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija, Valeriy Nikolaev

Votes: 72,218 | Gross: $61.36M

Remember when Val was still a leading man? Good times.... well, OK times at least.

22. I Spy (2002)

PG-13 | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

35 Metascore

A professional athlete has to help a U.S. government agent recover a missing jet.

Director: Betty Thomas | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Famke Janssen, Malcolm McDowell

Votes: 53,424 | Gross: $33.56M

I spy with my little eye... something that is forgetable.

23. The Other Guys (2010)

PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

64 Metascore

Two mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops, whom they idolize, only things don't quite go as planned.

Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Derek Jeter, Eva Mendes

Votes: 288,207 | Gross: $119.22M

I thought this duo would have clicked better on camera, but the characters didn't mesh. Maybe they werent supposed to?

24. Shooter (I) (2007)

R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

53 Metascore

A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after hearing of a plot to kill the President. After being-double crossed for the attempt and on the run, he sets out for the real killer and the truth.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, Rhona Mitra, Danny Glover

Votes: 355,435 | Gross: $47.00M

25. King Arthur (2004)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

46 Metascore

A demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Clive Owen, Stephen Dillane, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd

Votes: 176,036 | Gross: $51.88M

26. The Punisher (2004)

R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama

33 Metascore

An undercover FBI agent becomes a vigilante and sets out to unleash his wrath upon the corrupt businessman who slaughtered his entire family at a reunion.

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh | Stars: Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Laura Harring

Votes: 170,511 | Gross: $33.81M

When the best part of the movie is a cameo by that guy from SeaQuest, the movie probably isn't that great. (to myself: yes! another plug for my favourite old show, SeaQuest!)

27. The Rundown (2003)

PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

59 Metascore

A tough aspiring chef is hired to bring home a mobster's son from the Amazon but becomes involved in the fight against an oppressive town operator and the search for a legendary treasure.

Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson

Votes: 143,001 | Gross: $47.73M

28. Paycheck (2003)

PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

43 Metascore

What seemed like a breezy idea that would net an engineer millions of dollars ends up leaving him on the run for his life and trying to piece together why he's being chased.

Director: John Woo | Stars: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Michael C. Hall

Votes: 113,249 | Gross: $53.79M

Ugh, getting to the "bottom of the barrel" here.

29. The Core (2003)

PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

48 Metascore

The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.

Director: Jon Amiel | Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Bruce Greenwood

Votes: 107,274 | Gross: $31.19M

30. Wing Commander (1999)

PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

21 Metascore

Blair, a fighter pilot, joins an interstellar war to fight the evil Kilrathi who are trying to destroy the universe.

Director: Chris Roberts | Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows, Tchéky Karyo

Votes: 17,410 | Gross: $11.58M

31. The Transporter (2002)

PG-13 | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

51 Metascore

Frank Martin, who "transports" packages for unknown clients, is asked to move a package that soon begins moving, and complications arise.

Directors: Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen | Stars: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, François Berléand

Votes: 321,016 | Gross: $25.30M

32. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

59 Metascore

IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera".

Director: John Woo | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandiwe Newton, Ving Rhames

Votes: 377,519 | Gross: $215.41M

I like to keep a copy of the first Mission Impossible in the dvd case for MI:2. That way whenever I feel like watching it, I open it up and get reminded how annoying it is to have that kind of swithceroo, like this movie did constantly with all those energy masks.

I then proceed to enjoy the original 10 times more than if I had watched this.

33. The One (2001)

PG-13 | 87 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

25 Metascore

A rogue Multiverse agent goes on a manhunt for alternate versions of himself, getting stronger with each kill. Only the last version of himself, an LASD cop, can stop his crusade before he becomes "The One".

Director: James Wong | Stars: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham

Votes: 96,057 | Gross: $43.91M

34. Sahara (2005)

PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

41 Metascore

Master explorer Dirk Pitt goes on the adventure of a lifetime of seeking out a lost Civil War battleship known as the "Ship of Death" in the deserts of West Africa while helping a WHO doctor being hounded by a ruthless dictator.

Director: Breck Eisner | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Penélope Cruz, Steve Zahn, Mark Aspinall

Votes: 103,593 | Gross: $68.67M

This ones probably not even worth renting, now that I think about it.



Recently Viewed