Quality Action Films of the Year (1980-2010)
by gjrb01 | created - 06 Sep 2011 | updated - 06 Sep 2011 | PublicNot just guns and bullets but with full of sense and story... Best action film of the past 3 decades
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1. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,549,713 | Gross: $292.58M
Runner Ups : Kick Ass, The Expendables, 13 Assassins, Salt
2. Avatar (2009)
PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Votes: 1,386,045 | Gross: $760.51M
Runner Ups : Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator Salvation, G.I Joe Rise of the Cobra, Inglorious Basterds
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,869,553 | Gross: $534.86M
The Best of 2000s
Runner Ups : Taken, Quantum of Solace, IP Man, Tropic Thunder
4. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Thriller
John McClane and a young hacker join forces to take down master cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel in Washington D.C.
Director: Len Wiseman | Stars: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q
Votes: 420,585 | Gross: $134.53M
Runner Ups : Transformers, Shooter, Bourne Ultimatum, Elite squad
5. 300 (2006)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama
In the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. They face insurmountable odds when they are betrayed by a Spartan reject.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West
Votes: 863,966 | Gross: $210.61M
Runner Ups : Apocalypto, Casino Royale, MI III, Fearless
6. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A bored married couple is surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Vince Vaughn
Votes: 541,242 | Gross: $186.34M
Runner Ups : Batman Begins, Sin City, A history of violence, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
7. New Police Story (2004)
R | 123 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A hero cop accidentally leads his team into a trap from which he is the only survivor. Drowning his guilt in booze, he is eventually assigned a new younger partner who turns out to have his own secrets.
Director: Benny Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Daniel Wu
Votes: 28,986
Runner Ups : Bourne Supremacy, Man on fire, Kill Bill Vol. 2, I robot
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,193,248 | Gross: $70.10M
Runner Ups: Bad boys II, Return of the King, The Last Samurai, Once upon a time in Mexico, Pirates of the Caribbean : Curse of the Black Pearl , X2
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
PG-13 | 179 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,783,109 | Gross: $342.55M
Runner Ups : Bourne Identity, Hero, Equilibrium, Minority report, Spider Man, Gangs Of New York
10. Training Day (2001)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger
Votes: 472,678 | Gross: $76.63M
Runner Ups : Black Hawk Down, LOTR : Fellowship of the Ring, The Mummy Returns, Rush Hour 2
11. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,619,384 | Gross: $187.71M
Runner Ups : Coruching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Perfect Storm, Proof of life, Shanghai noon, X-Men
12. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,052,202 | Gross: $171.48M
Runner Ups : Three Kings, The Corruptor, Fight Club, Boondock Saints
13. Ronin (1998)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A freelancing former U.S. Intelligence Agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by the Irish and the Russians.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 195,074 | Gross: $41.62M
Runner Ups : Blade, US Marshalls, Rush Hour, Saving Private Ryan
14. Face/Off (1997)
R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 400,771 | Gross: $112.23M
Runner Ups : Fifth Element, Jackal, Con Air, LA Confedential
15. The Rock (1996)
R | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A mild-mannered chemist and an ex-con must lead the counterstrike when a rogue group of military men, led by a renegade general, threaten a nerve gas attack from Alcatraz against San Francisco.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, John Spencer
Votes: 358,039 | Gross: $134.07M
Runner Ups : Mission Impossibe, Last Man Standing, The Bandit, From Dusk till Dawn
16. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,051 | Gross: $67.44M
Runner Ups : Assasins, Desperado, Brave Heart, Bad boys
17. Léon: The Professional (1994)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Votes: 1,245,230 | Gross: $19.50M
Runner Ups : Pulp Fiction, Speed, The Crow, First Legend
18. The Fugitive (1993)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.
Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore
Votes: 318,543 | Gross: $183.88M
Runner Ups : Demolition Man, Hard Target, Blood in, Blood out
19. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 436,027 | Gross: $101.16M
Runner Ups : Universal Soldier, Patriot Games, Reservoir dogs, El Maraichi
20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,173,576 | Gross: $204.84M
Best of the 1990s Decade Runner Ups : Golden Eye, Point break
21. Die Hard 2 (1990)
R | 124 min | Action, Thriller
John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 382,986 | Gross: $117.54M
Runner Ups : The God Father III, GoodFellas, Kings of New York,Total Recall
22. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,067
Runner Ups : Lethal Weapon 2, Indiana Jones the last Crusade, Glory, Road House
23. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,281 | Gross: $83.01M
Runner Ups :Midnight Run, Blood Sport, Above the Law
24. Lethal Weapon (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 276,283 | Gross: $65.21M
Runner Ups : Predator, Full Metal Jacket, The Untouchables , RoboCop
25. Platoon (1986)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David
Votes: 439,346 | Gross: $138.53M
Runner Ups : Aliens, Highlander, A Better Tomorrow
26. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,128 | Gross: $4.14M
Runner Ups : Runaway Train, Police Story, Commando
27. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 923,840 | Gross: $38.40M
Runner Ups : Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom, The Killing Fields
28. Scarface (1983)
R | 170 min | Crime, Drama
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Votes: 916,072 | Gross: $45.60M
Runner Up : Star Wars Episode VI : Return of the Jedi
29. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,814 | Gross: $32.87M
Runner Ups : First Blood, Conan the Barbarian
30. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,036,626 | Gross: $248.16M
Best of the 80s decade
Runner Ups : Mad Max 2, Death Hunt, For Your Eyes Only
31. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,379,247 | Gross: $290.48M
Runner Ups : Shogun Assasins, The Blues Brother
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