Since the days of classics like Bullitt and Dirty Harry, the action genre has turned into a box office powerhouse, with the 2010’s boasting some big ones. The action genre has been a staple of cinema since the earlier days of film. It’s been a key to building up careers of Hollywood giants like Bruce Willis through franchises like Die Hard. Often focusing on wronged heroes embarking on a quest for vengeance against criminals and terrorists, the genre is loved for its flashy fight sequences and tough protagonists.
From the late ’60s on, each decade of film has produced its share of classics, and the 2010s were no different. Although the decade did begin with a slew of lackluster action movies, the genre soon picked up steam as an array of new franchises were kicked off or taken to new heights. From remakes of classic action movies to ground-breaking revenge thrillers, some of the greatest action movies of all time came out in this period.
You are watching: 10 Best Action Movies Of The 2010s
10
The Expendables 2 (2012)
Directed by Simon West
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7/10
8.5/10
The Expendables 2
The Expendables 2 reunites some of the most famous action stars in movie history in an explosive mission to stop Jean Claude Van Damme’s terrorist leader Jean Vilain. This time, Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross is accompanied not only by teammates such as Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren’s Gunner Jensen, and Terry Crews’ Hale Caesar, but also by old friends like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Trench Mauser, Bruce Willis’ Mr. Church, and Chuck Norris’ Booker.
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Release Date
August 12, 2012
Cast
Sylvester Stallone
, Jason Statham
, Dolph Lundgren
, Jean-Claude Van Damme
, Bruce Willis
, Jet Li
Director
Simon West
In 2010, Sylvester Stallone embarked on one of the most ambitious action projects in the genre’s history when he assembled a star-studded cast of heroes for The Expendables, but the sequel is the real highlight of the series (and the era). After their small war against a rogue CIA agent, Barney Ross’ team of elite mercenaries returned in 2012 to avenge one of their brothers against a ruthless arms dealer, Vilain. It’s a bombastic love-letter to the genre, and garnered more positive reception than the original.
The Expendables 2 simultaneously made up for and lived up to the potential of its weaker predecessor, giving the heroes a more compelling mission and playing into the franchise’s cheesy side. From the simply-named villain, Vilain, to giving co-stars Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger more screen time, the sequel fixed the mistakes of the first movie. Delivering better jokes, more explosions, and even more cameos, the film is a celebration of ’80s machismo.
9
Fast Five (2011)
Directed by Justin Lin
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9/10
Fast Five
The fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast Five continues the Fast Saga in a high-octane thrill ride. When Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner’s (Paul Walker) gang become international fugitives, they are hunted by Luke Hobbs, an agent of the DSS. They also fall foul of a Brazillian drug lord, deciding to perform a heigh-stakes heist in order to steal $100 million from him.
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Release Date
April 29, 2011
Cast
Vin Diesel
, Paul Walker
, Dwayne Johnson
, Jordana Brewster
, Tyrese Gibson
, Ludacris
, Matt Schulze
, Sung Kang
, Gal Gadot
Director
Justin Lin
The Fast and the Furious franchise has become a powerhouse at the box office over the two decades since its debut. Initially focused on car culture and street racing, the series’ direction took a sharp turn in the fifth movie, which firmly reoriented the focus towards high-octane action. With the heroes firmly removed from their comfort zone, Fast Five gave Dom Toretto and his gang their toughest heist yet.
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If the chance of location to the Favelas of Brazil and hard-hitting fight scenes didn’t signal a change in direction, the inclusion of action star Dwayne Johnson here certainly did. There’s a great back-and-forth between Johnson’s heroic antagonist and the lovable rogues at the heart of the franchise. While the subsequent entries in the franchise were great, Fast Five managed to find the perfect balance between the original’s love of cars and a new embrace of gritty action.
8
The Equalizer (2014)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
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10
9.4/10
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former intelligence operative who lives a quiet life in Boston. When he encounters a young girl named Teri, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, threatened by violent Russian gangsters, McCall comes out of retirement to use his skills to restore justice. The film reimagines the 1980s TV series of the same name.
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Release Date
September 24, 2014
Cast
Denzel Washington
, Marton Csokas
, Chloe Grace Moretz
, David Harbour
, Haley Bennett
Director
Antoine Fuqua
Once an iconic TV series, The Equalizer was rebooted for a new generation in 2014. The new film cast Denzel Washington in the role of Robert McCall, a retired government operative who assumes the role of protector for those who can’t defend themselves. This eventually lands him at odds with the mob over the fate of a young girl. While inspiring those close to him, McCall prepares for all-out war with the gangsters.
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The Equalizer finds a great balance between exploring the moral code and the positive impact McCall has on those around him. Beyond this, the film also gives audiences plenty of thrilling fight sequences. Playing on the time-honored trope of the retired hero stepping up when no one else will, it gave Washington his best action role to date, and revived interest in a classic franchise.
7
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
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8/10
6.4/10
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Based on the comic book series of the same name, Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of rebellious teen Eggsy (Taron Egerton) as he’s inducted into a top-secret spy agency by a man codenamed Galahad (Colin Firth). After learning that billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) plans to destroy the world, Eggsy and Galahad set out to avert international disaster and uncover widespread corruption that threatens to consume the Kingsman agency itself.
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Release Date
February 13, 2015
Cast
Michael Caine
, Taron Egerton
, Colin Firth
, Mark Hamill
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Mark Strong
Director
Matthew Vaughn
As big-screen adaptations of comic books soared to new heights thanks to movies like Iron Man and The Dark Knight, few creators have benefited as much as Mark Millar. One of the best-received projects of his career proved to be Kingsman: The Secret Service. Here, audiences were given a subversion of the classic spy genre through the eyes of a working-class Brit, Eggsy, as he joins a clandestine spy agency to save the world from a genocidal tech mogul.
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Both a parody and celebration of classic spy thrillers like the Bond franchise, Kingsman updates the idea of espionage for 21st century viewers. Rather than leaning too hard into the comedic parody of movies like Austin Powers, the 2014 movie instead gives audiences an explosive piece of escapism, one that gives them one of the genre’s most relatable heroes. From its unique gadgets to now-iconic fight sequences, the movie takes everything people love about Bond to the extreme.
6
Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
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8.3/10
Skyfall
The twenty-third entry in Eon’s James Bond franchise, Skyfall follows Bond (Daniel Craig) as he investigates a series of attacks on the MI6 agency. His investigation puts him in the sights of the villainous Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), an ex-MI6 operative who has since turned to a life of cyberterror. With his own personal axe to grind, Bond must stop Silva before he destroys MI6 entirely.
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Release Date
November 9, 2012
Cast
Judi Dench
, Ralph Fiennes
, Naomie Harris
, Helen McCrory
, Javier Bardem
, Daniel Craig
, Ben Whishaw
Director
Sam Mendes
To say that James Bond has been a reliable source of action since the 1960s would undersell the cultural influence of the franchise on cinema. In 2012, audiences were given one of the best films in the franchise in Skyfall, which follows a semi-retired Bond coming back to MI6 after an attempt on M’s life. After the poor reception for Quantum of Solace, the movie’s move towards more grounded action and a darker tone was a welcome one, taking Bond to the brink of defeat.
|
Daniel Craig James Bond Films |
Year of Release |
|
Casino Royale |
2006 |
|
Quantum of Solace |
2008 |
|
Skyfall |
2012 |
|
Spectre |
2015 |
|
No Time To Die |
2021 |
Since the days of Timothy Dalton, modern Bond struggled to find new and interesting villains. Reversing this unfortunate trend with Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva helped audiences fall in love with the 2012 masterpiece, which stripped away Bond’s reliance on high-tech gadgets for a return to basics. While the movie did lose some of the franchise’s roots in spycraft, exploring the hero’s backstory gave audiences something they’d been wanting for a long time.
5
Dredd (2012)
Directed by Pete Travis
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8/10
Dredd
Based on the comic character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Dredd is a sci-fi action movie that stars Karl Urban as Judge Dredd, a law enforcement officer who can commute sentences as quickly as he issues them. Set in a dystopian New York-like city called Mega-City One, Dredd is tasked with hunting down a drug lord who controls a massive 200-story apartment complex named Ma-Ma, pushing a new addictive drug called “Slo-Mo” that has become widely used in the slums.
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Release Date
September 21, 2012
Cast
Karl Urban
, Rachel Wood
, Andile Mngadi
, Porteus Xandau Steenkamp
, Jason Cope
, Emma Breschi
Director
Pete Travis
In 1977, comic book legends John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra introduced readers to what would soon become one of the most enduring British characters in print: Judge Dredd. Following a poorly received Sylvester Stallone movie of the same name, the seasoned street cop of Mega-City One was finally done justice by Karl Urban in 2012’s Dredd. Here, director Pete Travis moved away from the scale of the Stallone movie, instead opting for a grounded and simplified story.
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Taking its cues directly from the previous year’s hit movie The Raid, Dredd follows its heroes trapped inside a mega block, forced to shoot their way through an army of ruthless criminals. Not only did the movie deliver one of the best female villains of modern cinema in Ma-Ma, but its excellent use of slow motion coupled with its depiction of Mega-City One made for a captivating work of immersion. Dredd remains an underrated highlight of the sci-fi action genre.
4
Mission Impossible 6 (2018)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
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8.4/10
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
A direct sequel to Rogue Nation and the sixth installment in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is an action-thriller spy film that sees Tom Cruise return to the role of IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. To avert a worldwide disaster, the IMF agents will join up with a CIA agent to stop a new terrorist cell known as the Apostles. When three nuclear devices go missing, the agents will find themselves racing to stop them from falling into the hands of the deadly bioterror group.
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Release Date
July 25, 2018
Cast
Tom Cruise
, Rebecca Ferguson
, Henry Cavill
, Vanessa Kirby
Director
Christopher McQuarrie
Since Brian de Palma’s masterful reboot of the franchise in 1996, Mission: Impossible has earned its reputation as one of the greatest spy thriller series of all time. Despite an excellent first and third movie, that reputation wasn’t made permanent until the sixth movie, Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Focusing on Ethan Hunt and his team in a mission to recover lost plutonium, the film provided more twists and turns than prior entries, selling viewers on the idea that this was his toughest outing yet.
Mission: Impossible Fallout went to a level of depth and scale that even most James Bond movies fail to achieve, delivering a great new villain and building on the work done by the previous film. The film does all this while also delivering some of the best action scenes of the 21st century. Not only did the film build up the Syndicate to be a bigger threat than ever before, it also gave audiences some of the best stunts and action in the franchise.
3
John Wick (2014)
Directed by Chad Stahelski
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9.2/10
John Wick
John Wick is the first entry in the action-thriller franchise directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Keanu Reeves. Retired hitman John is brought back into the field when the dog his recently deceased life left him is murdered. Full of rage and equipped with unparalleled combat skills, John begins to track down the ones responsible for the act of violence and lays waste to any who dare to cross his path, sending panic throughout the criminal underworld.
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Release Date
October 24, 2014
Cast
Keanu Reeves
, Adrianne Palicki
, Willem Dafoe
, Bridget Moynahan
, Jason Isaacs
, Alfie Allen
Director
David Leitch
, Chad Stahelski
Having established himself as one of the best action stars of the 1990s thanks to movies like Speed and The Matrix, Keanu Reeves returned to what he did best in 2014’s John Wick. Focusing on the vengeance of a retired assassin against the mobster’s son who killed his dog, the movie had audiences invested from the first act onwards. The movie soon proved that a good action film doesn’t have to choose between style and substance through its unique visuals and intriguing characters.
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John Wick gave audiences a stylish approach to the action genre, leading them through one of the best neo-Noir experiences of the 21st century. From the film’s captivating use of color and neon lighting to Reeves’ performance as the grieving, vengeful assassin, Lionsgate had an instant classic on its hands. This explains why it so quickly developed into a multimedia powerhouse of a franchise. However, the first film in the series remains a highlight of the genre for its effective and straightforward execution.
2
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Directed by Gareth Evans
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10/10
7/10
The Raid: Redemption
In the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia, a squad of elite law enforcement officers are tasked with infiltrating a high-rise apartment building, to bring in the dangerous drug lord that runs the place.
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Release Date
March 23, 2012
Cast
Iko Uwais
, Joe Taslim
, Yayan Ruhian
, Pierre Gruno
, Ray Sahetapy
Director
Gareth Evans
The influence of Asian cinema on Hollywood goes back decades, to the days when Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai movies directly influenced classic Westerns. In 2011, the phenomenon was repeated in a new genre thanks to how The Raid garnered international praise for its then-unrivaled fight choreography and intensity. Following a raid on a city tower block run by a ruthless crime boss, the film is a great case of story compression, trading scale for intensity.
The success of this Indonesian shoot-em-up hit inspired a decade of movies to invest more in engaging choreography.
The Raid instantly raised the bar for action at a time when Hollywood had seen a slump in the genre, churning out low-effort sequels and generic stories. The success of this Indonesian shoot-em-up hit inspired a decade of movies to invest more in engaging choreography. Without The Raid, it’s hard to imagine films like Dredd being as good as they became.
1
Mad Max Fury Road (2015)
Directed by George Miller
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9/10
26
9.4/10
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in George Miller’s long-running sci-fi franchise, with Tom Hardy starring as Max Rockstansky, a vagabond who lives on the road in an apocalyptic wasteland. When Max comes across a cult group that keeps its people in fear and under control with a monopoly on water and other crucial supplies, he joins up with Imperator Furiosa, a warrior woman leading a rebellion against the cult’s leader, Immortan Joe.
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Release Date
May 14, 2015
Cast
Tom Hardy
, Charlize Theron
, Nicholas Hoult
, Zoë Kravitz
, Hugh Keays-Byrne
, Riley Keough
, Courtney Eaton
, Abbey Lee
, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Director
George Miller
In 1979, director George Miller single-handedly reinvented cinema’s vision of dystopia away from high-tech science fiction and toward fast-moving action in Mad Max. After three outings of Mel Gibson’s road warrior hero, Max Rockatansky was given his finest hour in 2015’s Fury Road. Essentially one feature-length chase scene, the movie follows the hero joining the escape of a group of women from the ruthless warlord Immortan Joe.
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Mad Max: Fury Road is as visually stunning as it is action-packed, crafting one of the most engaging movies of the 21st century. In Tom Hardy, audiences had a brilliant take on Max, and the movie’s world-building through characters like Immortan Joe left audiences craving more from Miller’s universe. While plenty of great movies have delved into the apocalypse, nothing has come close to the thrilling experience of Max’s battle across the wastelands of Australia, which makes it the best action movie of the 2010s.
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