# The best action movies of all time

The action classics that top the critics' all-time lists (Rolling Stone, Empire): car chases, shootouts and the best stunts ever filmed.

- 931 votes · 15 items
- Sep 12, 2024 · zoe_manc
- https://even.best/en/l/1876/the-best-action-movies-of-all-time

## Top 15

1. **Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)** (83 · ▲93 ▼10) — George Miller's two-hour chase across the desert, number one on Rolling Stone's list.
2. **Die Hard (1988)** (73 · ▲81 ▼8) — Bruce Willis against terrorists in the Nakatomi Plaza, number one for Empire.
3. **Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)** (61 · ▲62 ▼1) — Spielberg and Harrison Ford's first Indiana Jones adventure.
4. **Aliens (1986)** (60 · ▲70 ▼10) — James Cameron turns Ridley Scott's horror into a war film in space.
5. **John Wick (2014)** (57 · ▲67 ▼10) — Keanu Reeves and the stunt team that redefined modern action choreography.
6. **Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)** (52 · ▲58 ▼6) — Groundbreaking effects and Arnold Schwarzenegger switching sides.
7. **Seven Samurai (1954)** (46 · ▲54 ▼8) — Akira Kurosawa's epic, the template for countless action films.
8. **The Matrix (1999)** (39 · ▲48 ▼9) — The Wachowskis' bullet time changed action cinema forever.
9. **The Raid (2011)** (35 · ▲46 ▼11) — Gareth Evans' Indonesian martial arts film set in a single tower block.
10. **Heat (1995)** (35 · ▲42 ▼7) — Michael Mann's downtown Los Angeles shootout is still unmatched.
11. **The Dark Knight (2008)** (32 · ▲43 ▼11) — Christopher Nolan's Batman, with Heath Ledger's Joker.
12. **Predator (1987)** (23 · ▲33 ▼10) — Schwarzenegger and his commandos hunted in the jungle.
13. **Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)** (18 · ▲32 ▼14) — Tom Cruise's HALO jump and helicopter chase, peak stunt work.
14. **Hard Boiled (1992)** (15 · ▲31 ▼16) — John Woo's Hong Kong masterpiece of gunfights.
15. **Police Story (1985)** (14 · ▲27 ▼13) — Jackie Chan's stunts, including the famous pole slide in the mall.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.