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reddit.com › r/movies › what are, in your opinion, the top 5 most essential action movies released in the past 30 years?

r/movies on Reddit: What are, in your opinion, the top 5 most essential action movies released in the past 30 years?

August 10, 2024 -

What are the 5 action movies released since 1994 that practically revitalized the genre for you?

Here's mine:

Gladiator (2000). I chose this one because it balanced political drama and kick-ass action sequences perfectly.

The Bourne Identity (2002). I included this one because it's not an end of the world kind of high stakes action film. It's basically just this guy trying to figure out who he is. And it has some awesome action sequences (particularly the car chase and the apartment fight).

The Dark Knight (2008). I included this one because it's one of the most human superhero movies you'll ever come across. Another reason for its inclusion is that it might have some of the best-staged action scenes of all time.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). I chose this one for a different reason than the ones listed above. I included it because the plot is extremely simple, and it just leaves room for George Miller to fucking cook with those massive action sequences.

Mission: Impossible- Fallout (2018). I wanted this one on the list because of the stunt-driven, practical action. It's spectacular.

Top answer

1 of 5

Disagree with Matrix being excluded but Mad Max being allowed. Kill Bills, Dredd, Heat. Hot Fuzz for satire.

2 of 5

Matrix is 100% included. I utterly reject that restriction just for also being sci-fi. It's the most influential action film of the last 30 years and I don't think anything else is even close. EVERYONE was copying bullet time and Kung-fu fights for years. The top 3 are easy for me: Matrix Mad Max: Fury Road John Wick Probably in that order, but any of them could be number 1 for different reasons. They all are masterpieces of the specific thing they are going for. Matrix is the Matrix. I feel like I barely need to say more than that. Making bullet time a mainstay of pop-culture alone probably earns its spot. The kung-fu battles and the iconic lobby shoot-out are just icing on the cake Fury Road is practically one long action sequence and every bit of it works. It also manages to include a solid story and great characterization while it's at it. John Wick is the current gold standard for "one dude takes on an army" action. Something that's been popular at least since the 80s with movies like Commando. I think all 4 could make the list but I'll just stick with the first. 4. True Lies Probably Arnold's best non-Terminator action movie. Great classic 80s action with 90s flair and plenty of humor to flesh it all out. 5. The Rock Peak 90s action and easily Michael Bay's best movie for my money. Nick Cage and Sean Connery vs Ed Harris. What more could you ask for? Honorable Mention: Saving Private Ryan. Only reason I don't put it on the list is because it's a war movie. War movies are going to inherently have a decent amount of combat action usually, but I feel like that's a distinct genre from normal action movies. The movie in general, but especially the opening Omaha beach landing really popularized gritty realism. I think Gladiator would probably look different if not for SPR. Bourne Identity is basically the SPR version of James Bond. John Wick is the SPR version of Commando. Even if they aren't neccesarily directly citing that, Spielberg really turned Hollywood in that direction in 1999 and I think it's still being felt today.

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