15 best action movies of 2024

The best action movies of 2024 range from big-budget sci-fi epics to martial arts thrillers. There was a lot of variety in the year's biggest action films. Some big franchises returned for highly anticipated sequels, but there was also enough room for original stories, some of which could still serve as launching pads for new talent emerging in the genre. Overall, 2024 was a strong year for action films, although the box office didn't always reflect that.

Some true big names in the action genre returned to theaters in 2024. Directors like Guy Ritchie, George Miller and David Leitch released new films, but there were also plenty of surprises. Dev Patel Monkey Man showcased his talents as a martial arts star and director, while Jake Gyllenhaal Road house the remake greatly exceeded expectations. 2024 showed that the action genre is alive and well, and as the year comes to a close, some entries in the genre rank as the best films of the year.

15

The Ungentlemanly Ministry of War

Guy Ritchie's latest film features many of the director's hallmarks, including a fun cast and a heavy dose of stylized action. The Ungentlemanly Ministry of War is based on the true story of a group of spies sent on a dangerous mission during World War II, but Ritchie puts his own spin on the narrative and there's an air of mischief reminiscent of his great gangster film.

The Ungentlemanly Ministry of War revels in its violent attack on Nazism. This is the kind of film designed to be applauded and booedso it doesn't worry too much about the depth or nuances of the characters. The most important things to know about each member of Gus March-Phillips' ragtag Special Forces team are spelled out in bold, and this leaves plenty of room for Ritchie to get to work on the action sequences and punchy dialogue that clearly interests him. the most.

14

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team up once again for faster-paced emotions

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Bad Boys the films have always been popular with audiences, even if critics panned Michael Bay's first two films. With Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah taking on directing duties for the reboot, Bad Boys for Life, critics have finally begun to understand the franchise's explosive delights. Bad Boys: Ride or Die This trend continues, and the box office numbers speak for themselves.

More than 20 years since their first film together, Smith and Lawrence are still a tough team to beat. Their delightful comedic dynamic is fresher than ever, but Ride or die Delivers hair-raising action when it counts. Bad Boys: Ride or Die It's a stupid, fun movie without much to say, and that makes it perfect popcorn entertainment. Fans of the franchise who know what's in store won't be disappointed.

13

Badland Hunters

A zombie thriller with lots of creative action set pieces

Ma Dong-seok will be most familiar to American audiences for his role in the Marvel film Eternalsbut he also starred in the brilliant Korean zombie horror film Train to Busan. Badland Hunters sees him fighting zombies once again, this time as a scavenger trying to rescue one of his kidnapped villagers from a mad scientist. Badland Hunters is a continuation of Concrete Utopia, but it features a new cast and works as a standalone film.

Badland Hunters It's equal parts horror and action. While it doesn't exactly seek to reinvent the zombie genre, recycling many of the same tropes and plot points that have been reliably presented countless times before, Badland Hunters offers enough thrilling action to make up for its derivative narrative. It uses the familiar structure of the genre to have fun with inventive and hard-hitting action sequences.

12

The beekeeper

Jason Statham plays to his strengths in this confident revenge thriller

Jason Statham has been a consistent box office draw throughout his career, but The beekeeper It still exceeded your expectations. Although Statham may wear tailored suits and make sarcastic jokes like most of his other blockbusters, The beekeeper manages to remind everyone that he is also one of the biggest martial arts stars working in Hollywood. Many of Statham's most prominent roles are too restrictive, but The beekeeper Show your talents.

The beekeeper is a throwback to a different style of action films. It could easily have been made in the 1980s, with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role, chasing away the bad guys and looking generally grumpy as he tries to keep his violence righteous for as long as possible. The box office success suggests there's still an appetite for these types of scaled-down action thrillers.

11

To kill

A brutal fight for survival aboard a speeding train

Another international film that impressed global audiences, To kill is an Indian film that provides chilling emotions from beginning to end. The film follows a former commando who boards a train with the mission of stopping the love of her life from marrying a man she doesn't love. While this setup seems like a love story, things change when armed bandits board the train and begin threatening everyone on board, sending the would-be romantic on a mission to save the day.

There have been many excellent action films set on trains since Runaway Train to Unstoppableand To kill is a worthy entry into this subgenre. The fight scenes are brutal and visceral, providing the kind of action fans typically don't get in Hollywood films.. To kill provides a valid reminder that sometimes finding the best action films requires audiences to broaden their horizons.

10

Twisted

A high-octane disaster movie

2024 saw several long-awaited sequels finally arriving, with Twisted being one of the most crowd-pleasing event films of the year. Twisted stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as a storm chaser who is called back into the dangerous field after the loss of her team, when she has the opportunity to make a real difference in stopping these devastating storms. While in the middle of storm season, she crosses paths with a charismatic and savage “tornado fighter,” played by Glen Powell.

Although none of the original cast members of 199 Twisted return, the cast of Twisted helps make it a truly entertaining blockbuster. Their entertaining performances are also combined with the grand spectacle of disaster sequences that capture the thrills of the original film. Special effects are key to selling these big disaster sequences that make for perfect popcorn entertainment.

9

Monkey Man

Dev Patel reintroduces himself as an action hero

Dev Patel's directorial debut shows he's been keeping his skills as a martial artist a secret. THE Slumdog Millionaire actor plays a convincing action hero in Monkey Man, suggesting he may be preparing for the next phase of his career. Monkey Man has drawn comparisons to John Wick for its hard-hitting action sequences, but Patel's revenge thriller is much more than just another copycat.

Monkey Man boasts a revolutionary message of acceptance and community power to accompany its gripping fight scenes. There's a lot of joy in watching Patel cut through crowds of enemies using whatever makeshift weapons are available to him, but Monkey Man is an urgent story about standing up to corrupt authorities and rejecting totalitarian politics. Hopefully, it will be just the beginning of Dev Patel's action career.

8

Deadpool and Wolverine

Deadpool Brings R-Rated Violence to the MCU

Deadpool returns for his third film, made all the more exciting by the fact that it's his first entry into the MCU. The vulgar mutant hero doesn't slow down his style for Disney, delivering the first R-rated MCU film that embraces both the blood and the profanity and crude jokes. The story also has another returning icon like Deadpool and Wolverine sees Hugh Jackman reprise his role as Wolverine from the Fox X-Men films as the two heroes team up to save the multiverse.

Not surprisingly, Deadpool and Wolverine It's a hilarious comedy, but it doesn't forget to deliver on the action. There are a few standout sequences that revel in the pure violence that the R rating allows. This includes the cameo-filled fight in the Void, the two heroes facing off against an army of Deadpools, and a hilariously brutal fight between Deadpool and Wolverine inside a Honda Civic.

7

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The Prequel series remains in good shape

After the excellent War for the Planet of the Apes concluded a trilogy in 2017, the future of Planet of the Apes franchise seemed a little uncertain. Seven years later, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes proved that there may still be life after Caesar's story, as the story jumps forward a few hundred years to examine how ape culture evolved amid the ruins of human civilization.

The world seen in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is full of new factions fighting for control. Fortunately, the visual effects are as polished as ever, and this gives the action sequences a sense of real danger. The villain, Proximus Caesar, is also a welcome addition to the franchiseand their presence raises all sorts of questions about the world beyond their coastal kingdom. The future of Planet of the Apes franchise looks brilliant.

6

Road house

Jake Gyllenhaal takes over from Patrick Swayze for an adrenaline-pumping remake

Road house Director Doug Liman was desperate to secure his film's theatrical release, and its popularity on Amazon Prime Video suggests he anticipated its impact. Jake Gyllenhaal takes on the role of Dalton, a stoic bouncer with the fighting skills to take down almost any opponent in mere seconds, as he goes to clean up a noisy bar in the Florida Keys and finds much more than he bargained for.

Although the original film is a cult classic, the Road house the remake makes some improvements. With a much bigger budget and a script that tries to delve a little deeper into Dalton's character, that Road house It's bigger and louder than its predecessorbut the simple joy of seeing Dalton throwing troublemakers across the bar is everlasting. UFC legend Conor McGregor makes his film debut in Road house. Frankly, he's no actor, but he brings a manic, volatile energy to the action that's hard to resist.

5

Rebel Ridge

Aaron Pierre is a force of nature as he brings justice to some corrupt cops

One of the best Netflix original films in a long time, Rebel Ridge became a surprise hit for the streamer and one of the most unexpected thrill rides of the year. From writer and director Jeremy Saulnier, Rebel Ridge stars up-and-coming actor Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond, a former soldier who travels through a small community in hopes of helping his incarcerated cousin. However, when he comes across the small town's corrupt police, he is forced to find justice by his own means.

Rebel Ridge and a fantastic example of the action movie trend where bad guys discover they've picked the wrong man to mess with. Pierre is excellent as the grounded action hero. His methodical and calculating takedown of his enemies shows that he is not only stronger than them, but also smarter. Saulnier continues to prove himself as an excellent director of gritty thrillers, but the restraint the film displays makes it an even more captivating entry into the action genre.

4

Gladiator II

Ridley Scott triumphantly returns to the arena with an epic action ride

Director Ridley Scott's return to one of his most beloved films helped make Gladiator II one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Taking place more than 20 years after Maximus' death, Paul Mescal stars as a soldier who lives a peaceful life until his land is invaded by the Roman army. Losing everything and being sold into slavery, he becomes a gladiator to take revenge on the Roman general (Pedro Pascal) who took everything from him.

Without Russell Crowe returning as Maximus, Mescal and Pascal are joined by an exciting new cast of characters, including Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Denzel Washington in a scene-stealing villainous role. However, the highlight of the film is seeing the legendary Scott take on grandiose action sequences. From the opening invasion to the chaotic gladiator sequences and the climactic one-on-one fight, Scott proves he's still one of the best filmmakers in the genre..

3

The fallen guy

David Leitch's Tribute to Stunt Artists Uses Lots of Practical Effects

David Leitch was a stuntman before becoming a director. He doubled for stars like Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, and The fallen guy is his love letter to the global community of stuntmen who risk danger to get the perfect shot. Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a stuntman who takes a job on a sci-fi blockbuster in Australia before stumbling upon a murder plot.

In typical David Leitch fashion, The fallen guy prefers practical effects over CGI, and that means many stuntmen catch fire, crash into cars and fall out of helicopters. The production also broke the world record for the most cannon shots in a car, with stuntman Logan Holladay rolling over eight and a half times. All of this is extremely fun to watch, and the credits play behind-the-scenes footage that is equally captivating.

2

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

George Miller returns for more fast-paced apocalyptic mayhem

George Miller has already directed one of the best action films of the 21st century with 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road, and its apocalyptic prequel continues its impressive trajectory. Max Rockatansky is sidelined Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which focuses on the origin story of the character first played by Charlize Theron. Anya Taylor-Joy comes in as a younger version and adapts to the action genre surprisingly well.

Furious reveals some more information about the world of MadMax, but it's designed to be as fun for newcomers to the franchise as it is for dedicated fans. As Fury Road, Furious features explosive practical effects that manage to bridge the gap between the real world and the film's harsh desert landscapes. Chris Hemsworth's performance as the eccentric villain Dementus accentuates the franchise's melodramatic peculiaritiesbut he injects a lot of humor.

1

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi sequel earns so-called “unfilmable” novel

Despite its seminal impact on the science fiction genre, Frank Herbert's novel Dune went decades without a proper film adaptation. It was widely labeled as “unfilmable,” but Denis Villeneuve refuted this axiom with his two-part approach. 2021 Dune introduced the world of Arrakis and the weak control that House Atreides has over it, and the sequel delves deeper into the saga's rich mythos.

Villeneuve's two Dune the films are a cinematic dead end, with the first film setting everything in motion and the sequel bringing it home in spectacular fashion. It helps that the sequel also improves on most of the things the original already does very well. The action scenes are more involving and the cast is full of strong performances. Austin Butler is a particular standout as Feyd-Rauthaa villain who gives more focus to the saga. Dune: Part Three has already been confirmed.