Hidden gems that pack a punch! Join us as we count down the action films that deserve more recognition. From high-octane heists to bone-crushing brawls, these overlooked treasures deliver thrills that rival their more famous counterparts. Which underappreciated action masterpiece will claim the top spot?
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00:00Racer X, I thought we made a good team today.
00:05Felt like we've been doing it for a long time.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the action movies that despite going generally overlooked by audiences, are richly deserving of a second chance.
00:16Watch your back too.
00:19I'm 80 years old, I got stage 4 liver cancer.
00:22The hell can they do to me?
00:24They can still shoot you.
00:26Number 20, Ambulance.
00:30Will, get the paramedic's jacket, you drive.
00:33We don't have a choice, let's go.
00:35Step back up.
00:37What do you want?
00:38I'm just going to borrow it, all right?
00:40Did you shoot him already?
00:42No, I did not shoot him.
00:44Will, bring the bags here.
00:44You might be wondering what action auteur Michael Bay is doing on an underrated action movies list, or that Bay had even made Ambulance to begin with.
00:52And that's a genuine shame, because the director's pulse-pounding heist thriller isn't only a treat for Bay fans, but for anyone who appreciates innovative action filmmaking.
01:00Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Will, a financially destitute marine veteran who gets talked into participating in a $32 million bank heist by his adoptive brother, Danny, played by Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal.
01:11Look at you.
01:12Hey, who's that?
01:13Wait, what class is that?
01:17Miss Burns.
01:21Miss Burns.
01:24Yeah, right after you stood up, embarrassed me, and told the whole class that your family took me in.
01:29It's all your family alive.
01:31It's our family.
01:31As you probably expected, things go terribly awry, and the brothers soon find themselves on the run from Los Angeles' finest.
01:38Featuring strong performances and dizzying action sequences, Ambulance finds the bad boys in Transformers Filmmaker predictably nailing the genre once again.
01:46You can see the abdominal area's really swollen. I'm thinking there's internal bleeding.
01:52Likely bleeding out from the spleen.
01:54Hey, do you have EMT experience?
01:56Combat three eyes. I can follow orders.
01:59Good. You're a soldier.
02:01Number 19. The taking of Pelham 123.
02:04Pelham 123. Terrell Control Center. Do you read me?
02:10Yes, I read you Pelham 123. This is Control Center.
02:14Who is this?
02:16It's me, man.
02:17I didn't want to call until everything was ready.
02:19While some classics are better left untouched with modern-day remakes, audiences could trust that the late Tony Scott had a vision for his reimagining of director Joseph Sargent's iconic action picture.
02:29Scott's Pelham 123 received mixed reviews and was met with a similarly muted response at the box office, but it surprisingly holds up on its own merits with the director's electric hyperkinetic fingerprints all over it.
02:40Tell them what we got here.
02:41They got hostages, lots of them, and they got machine guns.
02:46Yeah, yeah, that's right. You checked me. You understand that?
02:51I check. I understand.
02:52Film critic Ignatie Vishnevetsky even referred to it as one of Scott's two best films, alongside 2006's Deja Vu.
02:59And hey, if nothing else, the Pelham 123 remake reunites Sopranos stars James Gandolfini and Michael Rispoli, who played mobsters Tony Soprano and Jackie April, respectively.
03:09Come on, buddy. Speak up.
03:11You got to hit the blue button there, Your Honor.
03:15Yes, this is the mayor.
03:17Hey, good to meet you, man.
03:20Hey, listen. Tell me this. Is this true?
03:22I read that you make, like, $1 a year to be a mayor of New York. Is that true?
03:27Yes, but at least it's honest work.
03:30Number 18, nobody.
03:31There were two of them. A man and a woman. Late 20s, I'd say. They were scared. Desperate. She had a gun.
03:48What kind?
03:50It was an old 38 special.
03:52One of the first films to break free from under the shadow of COVID-19, Nobody was a sizable hit at the time of its March 2021 release,
03:59making $57.5 million on a reported $16 million budget.
04:03That said, it doesn't seem to have garnered the same cult appeal that writer Derek Kolstad and producer David Leach
04:08saw from their previous collaboration on the original John Wick film.
04:12Yeah.
04:14It's been a hell of a day.
04:17I can see that.
04:19Tightly but unpretentiously directed by hardcore Henry filmmaker Ilya Nyshuler,
04:24Nobody features Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk pulling a genre 180
04:29and proving himself as a surprising but highly capable action movie leading man.
04:34I speak. You listen. You know why I'm here.
04:37Because I'm a good man. I'm a family man.
04:41Most of all, I'm a man who did not deserve your gun in his face.
04:45Now, the watch.
04:47Number 17, Hannah.
04:48Did you see it? Did you hear it? It's like thunder. It was so beautiful.
04:52What is it?
05:00It tells me it's a week or where we are.
05:05If you think you're ready and you want to leave here, all you have to do is flip that switch.
05:10You often have to think outside the box when trying to keep audiences interested.
05:14Such was the case with Hannah, which didn't star a Hollywood beefcake like Bruce Willis.
05:17Rather, it starred then 16-year-old Oscar nominee, Saoirse Ronan, as the titular character.
05:22Trained by her ex-CIA father played by Eric Bana to be a ruthless killing machine in Finland's
05:49remote rural north, Hannah soon becomes involved in a sinister conspiracy that threatens both
05:54her and her father. Reuniting Ronan with her atonement director Joe Wright, Hannah was praised
05:58by Justin Chang of Variety, who said that the film was an exuberantly crafted chase thriller
06:03that pulses with energy from its adrenaline-pumping first minutes to its muted bang of a finish.
06:19Who said that theatrically released films get to have all the fun? Okay, so no one ever
06:28said that, but Israeli director Isaac Florentine successfully pushed back against the stigma
06:33that comes with making direct-to-DVD action flicks with this thrilling sequel.
06:36A sequel to Florentine's 2009 film Ninja also released direct-to-DVD, Shadow of a Tear continues
06:52the story of American-born ninja Casey Bowman, played by genre mainstay Scott Adkins. While
06:57you're not likely to see the cast and crew of the Ninja franchise on the Oscars stage anytime
07:01soon, that's far from the point. Shadow of a Tear uses practical effects and slick fight
07:06choreography to its benefit, working as a fitting love letter to the genre.
07:09Need to argue for a couple of days.
07:12Very expensive!
07:15Uh, $60 American? Very good bargain! Special price for you!
07:19How about $200?
07:23Okay!
07:25Number 15. Punisher Warzone
07:27What do you want, Mike Groh?
07:28You ever heard of jihadiblogger.com?
07:32I'm posing as a one-armed Wahhabi warrior who took a crap in a cave next to Bin Laden.
07:37I think I can score you a couple of rocket launchers.
07:39What do you want?
07:42I haven't seen you in a while.
07:47Brought you some treats!
07:48Including a superhero film on our list today may be a little bit of a cheat, but it's hard
07:52to deny that this Marvel comic book adaptation feels somewhat out of place next to The Avengers
07:57in Spider-Man.
07:59How the heck did you end up at a free clinic?
08:00Insurance said I missed a payment.
08:02Can you f***ing leave that?
08:04Okay, um...
08:04Look, before we do this, I need you to understand the severity of your injuries when you arrived
08:09here.
08:10Statistically speaking, you shouldn't have been able to survive this.
08:12Well, that's why I'm here, Doc.
08:13I have the best plastic surgeon in all of New York.
08:17Directed with aplomb by former kickboxer and martial artist Lexi Alexander, Warzone is
08:22a bloody good time, violent almost to a fault and ridiculously over the top in pretty much
08:26every other way.
08:27While Alexander's film was a significant box office bomb, it's since been re-evaluated as
08:31being true to the spirit of the original Punisher comics, and well worth the watch for
08:35not only superhero fans, but fans of action movies as a whole.
08:38Shut up!
08:40Just shut your mouth!
08:42I'm sorry.
08:44I said shut up!
08:48What's this?
08:50Something to help out.
08:52No.
08:54No, you don't get to do that.
08:56You don't get to shoot my husband in cold blood and then stop at the ATM.
09:00Number 14, The Last Boy Scout.
09:02Look, Joe.
09:03Keeping it warm for me, Mike?
09:05Easy.
09:06Don't do nothing dumb.
09:08How was she?
09:10On your finger scale, how was my wife?
09:15It just happened, Joe.
09:17Sure, sure, I know.
09:19It just happened.
09:22Could happen to anybody.
09:23Yet another vastly underappreciated Tony Scott joint.
09:26Last Boy Scout is a multi-genre mash-up that critics just didn't get at the time of its
09:311991 release.
09:32Starring the ever-reliable Bruce Willis as a down-on-his-luck private investigator and Damon
09:36Wayans as a former football player, Scott's film benefits tremendously from its snappy screenplay,
09:42courtesy of actor-turned-writer Shane Black.
09:44Yeah, that stuff Corey fed you about some weirdo hassling, that was bullshit, huh?
09:47Yeah.
09:48I don't know what she was into.
09:51That was a professional hit out there tonight.
09:53Gangland-style.
09:54The way I figure, Mike was working for her, same as me.
09:59He gets scared.
10:01Very scared.
10:02Bails out, dumps it in my lap.
10:04Guess he bailed out too late, huh?
10:06Black, who would later go on to write and direct such subversive buddy comedies as Kiss, Kiss,
10:11Bang, Bang, and The Nice Guys, imbues Boy Scout with an irreverent spark that sets it apart
10:16from other contemporaneous shoot-'em-ups.
10:18To that end, a positive retrospective review of the film by Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall
10:23noted that the film was elevated by director Tony Scott's self-awareness of how ridiculous it all is.
10:29What would happen to your face?
10:31My God, it speaks.
10:34Nothing happened to my face.
10:36It always looks like this.
10:37What's wrong with his face?
10:39His nose is too pointy.
10:40His eyes are beady.
10:41His ears are too big.
10:43He needs a shave.
10:44Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
10:46I'm peeing my pants.
10:47You're so funny out here.
10:49Number 13.
10:50Red.
10:51It's me.
10:52Frank.
10:53The avocado.
10:55Why are you here?
10:58Get out of my house!
11:00Hey!
11:01Hold me a call first!
11:02I'm not gonna hurt you!
11:03Would you just listen to me?
11:05Please!
11:06Stop that!
11:07Get back!
11:08Stay away!
11:09Is that my bag?
11:11Speaking of Bruce Willis, this lively action comedy also stars such veterans of the genre
11:16as Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren.
11:19Based on the DC Comics limited series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Red upends cliches
11:24of the genre by casting just slightly older than you might expect, which makes sense considering
11:29Red stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous.
11:31The film tracks the exploits of former CIA Black Ops agents who must reunite after Willis' character learns that someone is out to pick them off one by one.
11:46Throw Red, Red, its sequel, or even both on back-to-back if you need some sheer, unadulterated fun.
12:03Number 12.
12:16Roadhouse.
12:17Dalton, you alright?
12:19Just a scratch.
12:20By the way, Oscar, the bandstand's all yours.
12:24What's that supposed to mean?
12:26I'm out of here.
12:28Great.
12:29You know, I thought you'd be bigger.
12:37Director Rowdy Harrington's down and dirty action flick is perhaps the cult classic to end all cult classics.
12:43Blasted by critics for what they perceived as excessive violence and shoddy plotting, Roadhouse follows James Dalton, played by Patrick Swayze, in a career-defining role.
12:52A New York City bouncer who reinvents himself in rural Missouri.
12:55People who really want to have a good time won't come to a slaughterhouse.
12:59We've got entirely too many troublemakers here.
13:02Too many 40-year-old adolescents, felons, power drinkers, and trustees of modern chemistry.
13:09Despite frigid critical notices, Roadhouse became a decently-sized hit for United Artists
13:14and perfectly encapsulated the ridiculous excess of not just the era's American action cinema, but of the 1980s as a whole.
13:21If you're left wanting more, check out director Doug Liman's surprisingly entertaining Jake Gyllenhaal starring 2024 Roadhouse remake.
13:28You know I got sent here special, just for you.
13:32What, you brought all your friends with you?
13:35I told you might miss having an audience.
13:38I was trying to be so awful.
13:41Like on pay-per-view.
13:4325 quid.
13:45Watch me pull your face.
13:47Well, I guess I'm gonna lose then.
13:51Number 11, Speed Racer.
13:53Are you hurt?
13:54No.
13:57Then get up.
14:03You're saved to my life.
14:05I didn't save anything worth saving unless you get smart real fast.
14:09You thought you could take on the cartel?
14:12You can.
14:13Not without help.
14:14From its opening moments, you can almost tell that Speed Racer was a passion project for Matrix directors The Wachowskis.
14:20An adaptation of the beloved manga of the same name, Speed Racer more than satisfied fans of the source material.
14:25Well, with you so busy becoming Mr. Super Famous Race Car Driver, I'm starting to wonder if you were still interested in this.
14:37You know I am.
14:38Do I?
14:40What, like you forgot?
14:42Maybe I need a reminder.
14:43A reminder.
14:45Sometimes a girl could use a reminder.
14:47You mean like a new igniter for your helicopter?
14:50Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for those unfamiliar with Speed Racer.
14:53The film failed to recoup its $120 million budget, making it difficult for the Wachowskis to find funding for future films.
14:59Which is too bad, because watching Speed Racer gives viewers the distinct sense that they're seeing something fresh, new, and entirely unexpected.
15:06Said reactors Dexter Palmer, Speed Racer is an extreme reminder of what films, and especially fantasy and science fiction films, can place on screen.
15:15A harbinger of boom once again leaves his mark.
15:17A trail of carnage and chaos cartwheeling behind him.
15:20Oh, but the fans love it, don't they?
15:22They do, God help them.
15:23Number 10.
15:24Last Action Hero
15:30Boss?
15:33Aye.
15:35We're not sure if the world was ready for a meta self-parody of the action movie genre back in 1993, but we do know that Last Action Hero sure feels smart and vital here in the present day.
15:46Geez, how'd you know there was a guy in there?
15:51There's always a guy in there.
15:53Close to me on fortune closet doors.
15:56The film does so much right with regard to its observations on action movie cliches.
16:00Last Action Hero is also helped along by Arnold Schwarzenegger's ability to laugh at himself, as well as the tropes that tend to run through his enviable filmography of hits.
16:09Last Action Hero also never forgets to be an action movie, thanks to a smart script co-written by Lethal Weapon's Shane Black.
16:26It's the best of both worlds, and we honestly can't say enough good things about it.
16:31You think you're funny, don't you?
16:32I know I am.
16:33I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger.
16:36Schwarzenegger!
16:37Get some time.
16:38Number 9.
16:39Free Fire
16:40And you're the first one I'm going to take time if this goes south bed like?
16:43That's probably a good idea, Grandpa.
16:45I reckon.
16:46While Free Fire could have been equally captivating with its kitschy 1970s premise by expanding beyond its single location, the film still finds room to be creative.
16:55For starters, there's some incredibly witty and funny banter between these factions of characters that are all trapped in a life or death struggle within the confines of a warehouse.
17:04The gunshots and insults fly, while moments of black comedy are underscored by scenes of unflinching violence.
17:20These characters are all flawed, but the joy of watching Free Fire is seeing how things unfold and who, if anyone, will make it to the end without a bullet in their belly.
17:29Do you think she made it?
17:30Yeah, of course she did.
17:36Number 8.
17:37Demolition Man
17:38Bad A, blondie.
17:39Spartan?
17:40John Spartan?
17:41Oh shit, they didn't let anybody into this century.
17:44What the hell are you doing here?
17:45Make no mistake, 1993's Demolition Man is way more than just a movie about a dystopian Taco Bell.
17:53Nope, this 90's action flick could actually be considered to be something of a minor classic, thanks to a screenplay that plays around with satire and social commentary, while never forgetting to be an entertaining action romp.
18:05Demolition Man depicts a future where crime is essentially extinct, only for dangerous criminal Simon Phoenix, played deliciously by Wesley Snipes, to escape cryogenic stasis and wreak ultimate havoc.
18:22Only a cop from Phoenix's past is able to stop him, while at the same time adjusting to a new world of law enforcement.
18:28It's great fun.
18:41Number 7.
18:42The Rundown
18:43The writing was clearly on the wall, right from the opening scene from 2003's The Rundown.
18:47Dwayne The Rock Johnson had arrived in Hollywood, and was ready to take on the torch.
18:52Security?
18:53No, but we do have a slight problem.
18:55You're fun.
18:57Arnold Schwarzenegger's cameo is clearly clued into this sentiment, but that's not the only thing The Rundown has to offer action movie fans.
19:04The flick is a fun crowd-pleaser in the form of an Indiana Jones-sized adventure, with riveting action and prime buddy flick chemistry, between Johnson and Sean William Scott.
19:13The Rundown may have shown up early in The Rock's filmography, but we think it's held up surprisingly well decades later.
19:28Boom shakalaka to ya!
19:39Number 6.
19:40Ronin
19:50Director John Frankenheimer was no stranger to conducting orchestras of tension, drama and action within his movies.
19:56After all, the man's resume of flicks like Grand Prix, French Connection 2, and the original Manchurian Candidate speaks for itself.
20:03Still, we'd argue that Frankenheimer still had plenty of gas in the tank when he directed Ronin at the end of the 20th century.
20:09The film deserves to be mentioned alongside classics like Michael Mann's Heat in terms of dead-to-rights 90s action highlights, with Frankenheimer's film in particular boasting some of the greatest chase sequences of the decade.
20:31Ronin also benefits from an outstanding cast, headed up by Robert De Niro, that makes this heist action jam a definite must watch for anyone remotely interested in the genre.
20:41Hey!
20:42Give her the case!
20:43Give her the case!
20:44Give her the case!
20:45Number 5.
20:46Atomic Blonde
20:48We're not sure if 2017 was ordained as THE year we needed a female James Bond to give us some serious action movie thrills, but Charlize Theron showed up.
20:55We sat down, and we're all in on the ride.
21:02That said, we're glad Atomic Blonde seemed to do well enough to the point where a sequel is reportedly in development, although we'd argue that the film is still, in a sense, underrated.
21:12It's all about the action set pieces here, as Theron and crew indulge in long takes and complex choreography.
21:37The comparisons to the John Wick franchise were probably inevitable, but we'd argue that Atomic Blonde more than stands on its own two feet.
21:51Number 4.
21:52Shoot Em Up
21:53What's up, Doc?
21:54Oh, you're a wascally wabbit.
21:58But you're not wascally enough.
22:03Subtlety?
22:04Restraint?
22:05Forget about it.
22:072007's Shoot Em Up instead prefers to play in that inimitable sandbox of 1980s action, while retaining visual sensibilities that are rooted in the mid-2000s.
22:16The film largely eschews plot and character development in favor of breakneck pacing and absurdism with regards to the physics of the average set piece.
22:24Shoot Em Up isn't out to break the action movie mold, but instead simply wants to entertain and make you laugh, as Clive Owen and co-star Monica Bellucci find themselves in one ridiculous situation after another.
22:41The film may not have been a financial success, but action fans looking for a rollicking good time are well advised to give Shoot Em Up another, uh, shot.
23:00Number 3.
23:02Upgrade
23:03Stem!
23:04Help!
23:05I need your permission to operate independently.
23:07Permission granted!
23:17Logan Marshall Green had a solid resume prior to his starring in the 2018 action flick Upgrade.
23:22This was thanks to his supporting performances in films like Prometheus and Spider- Homecoming.
23:27However, Upgrade managed to surprise just about everyone with its level of intensity and action.
23:32Hi!
23:41Let me show you how it's done.
23:43Oh, I didn't forget about you.
23:45The flick was directed by Saw franchise veteran Lee Whannell and takes 1970s sci-fi tropes about body modification and upgrades them.
23:54See what we did there?
23:55To the modern day.
24:01Marshall Green is great as a victim of a violent crime who seeks revenge, while Whannell's direction balances the more comedic moments with sequences of palpable violence and tension.
24:10I'm going to end this quickly.
24:12Okay.
24:13How?
24:14This block operates under the same rules as the rest of the city.
24:26Mama is not the law.
24:30I am the law.
24:32Look, we'll always secretly love the Sylvester Stallone adaptation from the 90s.
24:36Bad Press be damned.
24:37But fans of the original Judge Dredd comic adventures were largely pleased with this 2012 reboot.
24:43This is despite the fact that Dredd didn't do well enough commercially to warrant a franchise.
24:47This isn't a negotiation.
24:49The sentence is death.
24:52The film's casting of Carl Urban fulfills its need for a believable tough guy version
24:56of the character, while the world of Mega City 1 feels lived in.
25:00On top of that, the action alone is intense enough to invite doubters to give Dredd another
25:05viewing, even if they find some of the CGI wonky and slow motion effects a tad excessive.
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25:38Number 1 – The Guest It's totally understandable to say that action
25:46movie fans have perhaps forgotten about this 2014 film from You're Next and Godzilla vs.
25:51Kong director Adam Wingard.
25:53However, The Guest almost certainly deserves re-evaluation, thanks largely to the level
25:58of talent involved.
26:07Dan Stevens is great as the stranger who ingratiates himself into a family's home, claiming to
26:11be a friend of their eldest son who was killed in Afghanistan.
26:15Meanwhile, zombie keyboardist and songwriter Steve Moore delivers a synth-soaked musical score
26:20that echoes action classics from directors like John Carpenter.
26:34The Guest takes its secret identity story and runs with it, delivering an underrated slice
26:38of genre-splicing dread.
26:48Which action movie on our list is your favorite?
26:51Are there any we missed?
26:52Be sure to let us know in the comments below.