Action movies are great. Thrilling, exhilarating, and often filled to the brim with punches, blood, and more than a few mind-blowing sequences, action movies are the epitome of escapist cinema. Who doesn’t love to sit back and watch someone go absolutely feral against someone or a group of someones who wronged them? Over the years, many action classics, from Die Hard to John Wick, have electrified the silver screen, earning acclaim from critics and fans alike.

Alas, not every movie can be a certified banger, try as they might. In fact, many movies must settle for being run-of-the-mill efforts that still entertain despite never climbing to the heights of the genre’s greatest triumphs. This list will celebrate those action movies that are still great despite not being masterpieces — not even close, actually. However, that doesn’t make them any less worthwhile. They might never be among the all-time greats, but these movies certainly won’t disappoint you.

‘Rapid Fire’ (1992)

The ’90s saw a bunch of action movies with titles that made them sound like parodies: I Come in Peace! The Hard Way! Stone Cold! Rapid Fire also qualifies as a silly title, but at least the actual film is far superior. The late Brandon Lee stars as art student Jake Lo, who witnesses a gang murder and becomes a target for two factions. Teaming up with a cop, Jake agrees to help bring both gangs down.

Time has been quite kind to Rapid Fire. Although generally discarded upon release, the film was at least a wonderful showcase for Brandon Lee; from the moment he steps into the spotlight, it’s clear that this young man was a Star with a capital S. The plot around him is quite basic, but the fight sequences, particularly the mano-a-mano between Lee and iconic martial artist Al Leong, are the true standouts. If anything, watching Rapid Fire is a painful reminder of just what a raw talent Lee was. Bittersweet but satisfying.

‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ (1998)

Oscar winners Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson teamed up for the underrated 1996 action thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight, directed by Davis’ then-husband Renny Harlin. The actress stars as Samantha Caine, an amnesiac school teacher who discovers she has strange physical abilities. She hires P.I. Mitch Hennessey (Jackson) to help uncover her past, and the two soon stumble upon a dark conspiracy.

An action thriller with noir sensibilities, The Long Kiss Goodnight is over-the-top in the best possible way. Davis is an inspired lead, while Jackson is perfect as her foil in the investigation. The script could be better, but Davis and Jackson are such a surefire combination that they make up for any flaws, and then some. However, as a whole, The Long Kiss Goodnight is quite good; in fact, it might be the best movie on this list. Both Davis and Jackson have spoken highly of the film, and it’s easy to see why: it’s fun, sharp, action-packed, and memorable — in short, it’s everything a good action movie should be.

‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ (2007)

Image via New Line Cinema

Shoot ‘Em Up has a sequence where Clive Owen‘s Smith delivers a baby mid-shoot-out, then shoots the umbilical cord off, which should give you a hint of the type of movie we’re dealing with. The film sees Smith protecting the newborn from the deranged criminal Hertz (Paul Giamatti) with the help of prostitute Donna Quintano (Monica Bellucci). As of 2025, Shoot ‘Em Up is the last feature film of B-movie favorite Michael Davis.

“Unhinged” doesn’t begin to cover Shoot ‘Em Up. It’s bombastic and exhilarating to the point of fatigue, with one absurd sequence after another. In the acting department, Owen is having the time of his life in the role, while a deranged but extremely entertaining Paul Giamatti swallows scenery left and right. Shoot ‘Em Up is unrestrained, shameless, occasionally offensive, and entirely original. Action movies don’t get any more lunatic than this triumph of questionable taste, and it’s a true shame.

‘Merentau’ (2009)

Image via PT Merantau Films

Two years before he directed the seminal The Raid, Gareth Edwards directed the Indonesian martial arts action film Merantau. Regular Evans collaborator Iko Uwais stars as Yuda, a young man who leaves his village hoping to find success in Jakarta as a Silat instructor. However, his fate changes when he attempts to save a girl from being kidnapped, becoming embroiled in the dangers of slave trade.

Merantau was Uwais’ acting debut, and there’s a certain uneasiness to his performance. However, that only helps the movie and his character arc, selling Yuda’s fish-out-of-water quality. Merantau basically acts like a precursor for The Raid; the action sequences are spectacular, even if Evans’ confidence is not exactly there yet. Alas, watching this movie, it’s more than clear that Evans had the sauce. As a first collaboration between Uwais and Evans, Merantau is better than anyone could’ve imagined.

‘Free Fire’ (2016)

Image via StudioCanal

Ben Wheatley‘s Free Fire is a severely underseen period action thriller with quite the impressive cast. Oscar winner Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley, Jack Reynor, Sam Reiley, and Oscar winner Cillian Murphy star in this thriller, set in 1970s Boston, about a black-market arms deal gone wrong. Two gangs find themselves in an intense shoot-out, with an intermediary caught in the crossfire.

There’s a somewhat amateur quality to Free Fire that makes it quaint but no less effective as an action thriller. The film’s greatest strength is how willing it is to indulge in its darkly humorous, B-movie sensibilities, and a more-than-game cast is happy to oblige. Murphy is always great, and Larson is expectedly reliable, but Copley might be the standout. Free Fire is self-aware and pulpy, qualities that will make it a favorite of audiences willing to connect with its distinct approach to action. Sure, it’s not exactly skillful, but Free Fire makes up for that through sheer, wicked glee at every round fired.

‘Boy Kills World’ (2023)

Image via Lionsgate

The talented Bill Skarsgård stars in Moritz Mohr‘s feature directorial debut, Boy Kills World. The film follows Boy, a young, deaf, and mute man who has spent most of his life training under a ruthless martial arts expert to seek revenge against the powerful family who killed his mother and sister. Jessica Rother, Michelle Dockery, and Skarsgård’s Hemlock Grove co-star Famke Janssen also star, with H. John Benjamin as the inner voice of Boy.

Boy Kills World is unpolished and far more enthusiastic than compelling, but the action is so stylized and Mohr’s approach behind the camera so committed that the whole thing ultimately proves irresistible. Ever reliable, Skarsgård goes all in on his performance, selling the elaborate carnage with impressive agility and a hint of screwball in his physicality. Indonesian martial artist Yayan Ruhian lends considerable credibility to the film, resulting in an entertaining and blood-soaked revenge story that makes up for its shortcomings through sheer eagerness.

‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ (2024)

Image via Lionsgate

One can always count on Guy Ritchie to deliver a highly watchable, if highly uneven, action effort, and his 2024 historical war comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is no exception. Henry Cavill leads a large ensemble, including Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, and Henry Golding, in a fictionalized version of Operation Postmaster, where a group of rogues goes on a mission to sabotage Hitler’s fleet of U-boats.

If there’s a quick way to summarize Ungentlemanly Warfare, it would be “himbos at sea.” Cavill is having the time of his life as a silly version of the spy prototype and leading man persona most people relate him to, and the supporting cast, particularly González and Rithcson, are equally engaging. Here, Ritchie is letting loose and just telling a high-octane tale where the stakes are high, even if the tension is low. Ungentlemanly Warfare isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it’s not trying to be; it’s entertaining, fun, funny, and rock solid, much like the biceps on Cavill and his crew.

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