10. Revenger (South Korea)
An island prison with no hope of escape is the setting for this story about an ex-cop who orchestrates his own arrival there in search of vengeance, and while that sounds succinct the plot is actually a weirdly convoluted one. Happily, the film delivers beautifully on the fighting front with lead Bruce Khan — an atypical Korean action star in that he’s built like a brick outhouse — whose muscles don’t get in the way of him giving fast and brutal beat downs. It’s a one-note affair that makes little sense, but that note is played so damn well that you’d be a fool to complain.
9. Ip Man 4 (Hong Kong)
It’s rare for any franchise to go four rounds without a single misstep, but director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen have managed just that with this very loosely biographical series of action films. Sure, they waver between really good and great, but that’s still a major achievement for a movie and its three sequels. This fourth entry arrives in US theaters Christmas Day and serves as a beautiful send off for the character. Yen still gets in some entertaining fights, and while his age requires the occasional use of doubles and wires he’s still clearly capable of kicking all of our asses. The film delivers solid action, a great villain in Scott Adkins, and some real emotion — and that’s three things more than most big studio action movies manage.
8. Why Don’t You Just Die! (Russia)
Sorry, Tarkovsky. Move over Eisenstein. There’s a new Russian classic that deserves to be taught in film school. It’s a blackly comic thriller set mostly in a single location, but it’s still among the bloodiest, most energetic, and most glee-inducing morality tales you’ll see this year. Toss in some real visual flair when it comes to the camera work and a terrific, mood-setting score/soundtrack, and the result is a terrifically fun time at the movies. The film finds and maintains a high energy despite it all unfolding in an apartment with a cast of five.
7. War (India)
My experience with Indian action movies is fairly limited, but this summer taught me how foolish I’ve apparently been all these years. This epic is filled with ridiculous action, every color under the sun, song ‘n’ dance numbers, and more twists and turns than a bowl of spaghetti. It follows a kick-ass Indian super-soldier tasked with a secret mission to track down and capture — or kill! — his mentor who’s apparently gone rogue and become a terrorist. Flashbacks, bromance, mad respect, and more lead to major revelations that turn the story on its head, but more to the point? The action is bonkers! We get fights, shoot outs, and some truly crazy stunt sequences accomplished through “stunts” and the kind of CG shenanigans that Hollywood has made the norm. It’s nonsense, but it’s glorious nonsense that occasionally breaks for a music video featuring our action stars. Follow along with the story, tap along with the music, and just have a fantastic 154 minutes experience.
6. Furie (Vietnam)
A riff on Taken that stars Veronica Ngo as a pissed off mom intent on finding the bastards who abducted her daughter? Yes, please. Director Le-Van Kiet and Ngo make for a terrific action team alongside fight choreographer Kefi Abrikh (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, 2018) and action director Yannick Ben (Ghost in the Shell, 2017). The fights and stunts are crisply shot and exciting, the mother/daughter drama hits as hard as Ngo’s kicks and punches, and the damn thing is inexplicably lit like a giallo. Seriously, I don’t know why, but it’s a blast.
Related Topics: 2019 Rewind, Action
