8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (USA)
I don’t typically include animated films on my Best Action lists, and while I could try to explain my reasoning it basically boils down to personal preference. Most animated movies with action sequences feel as if they’re simply showing it as opposed to making me feel it like the best live-action films do — see, makes no sense to anyone but me. All of that said, the two films in this franchise have avoided that issue by delivering animation that grabs you by the hand/throat and forces you along for a very visceral and exciting ride. This sequel, in particular, is a beautifully intense experience, particularly in the back half where things really take off. Smaller skirmishes early on on whet your appetite, but that second hour is something special as co-directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, and Kemp Powers create an immersive narrative where character beats and action set-pieces blend together with tremendously affecting and effective results. A big foot (and web) chase through the Spider-Verse is easily among the year’s best action sequences, and the abundance of humor and personality along the way is something of a bonus.
Available to stream and on home video.
7. Kill Boksoon (South Korea)
While some filmmakers might squander or struggle to fill a 137-minute running time, writer/director Byun Sung-hyun goes the opposite direction and packs his film until it’s nearly bursting at the seams. Jeon Do-yeon plays a professional assassin, a high-ranking member of an elite organization, but murder is only one of the things she’s juggling. She’s also mother to a teenage daughter, friend to another assassin on the rise, and ex-lover to the man who runs the whole show. All of it collides with deadly consequences forcing her to choose what — and who — she values most. We get a handful of action sequences across the two hours plus, and while there may not be enough for some viewers you really can’t argue with the quality of the execution. The fights are stylish, bloody, and both choreographed and captured with a welcome clarity. A darkly comic vein runs through it all, but emotional beats land equally well. The John Wick inspiration is clear between the world-building and production design, but Byun finds his own voice quickly and makes his mark as an action filmmaker to watch.
Available to stream on Netflix.
6. Jericho Ridge (USA)
Low budget action films, particularly American ones, too often fall into the pitfall of thinking recognizable faces will distract from unmemorable characters and bland action. Will Gilbey‘s feature debut subverts that end result despite looking, on the surface at least, every bit as familiar as the rest. Nikki Amuka-Bird — a recognizable face to be sure, but far from an action star — is a small-town cop who finds herself alone at the station and under siege. That combination of a talented actor and a riff on Rio Bravo (1959)/Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is already aces, and the execution only cements this as a terrifically tense and entertaining action-thriller. We can’t help but care about the protagonist, and Gilbey crafts the action beats with a clear eye for geography and a smart sense of pacing. It’s just clean from top to bottom with its extremely simple premise setting the stage for a suspenseful fight for survival, and while you won’t walk away feeling as if the genre’s been upended, you’ll definitely be highly satisfied watching gold spun from simple cloth and eagerly awaiting Gilbey’s next feature.
Available to stream on BET+.
5. Jawan (India)
While the nonsense in something like The Comeback (above) feels a bit sloppy, the excessively ridiculous nature of Jawan is all part of the magic. Indian cinema legend Shah Rukh Khan (aka SRK) headlines in multiple roles orchestrating what amounts to an insanely entertaining PSA reminding viewers to vote in the next election like their lives depended on it. Excessive flashbacks, wild character reveals, amazing twists, elaborate dance numbers, and SRK’s pulsating charisma all pop from the screen alongside action set-pieces blending detailed choreography and electric glitz with slow motion highlighting the gleeful artistry of it all. Overtly political without ever feeling jingoistic, the film feels like a giddy but serious mash-up of everything from Hell or High Water (2016) to the Fast & Furious franchise, and its ability to deliver both dead children and a knowing wink speaks to the combined abilities of both SRK and director Atlee. Call in sick to work some day and double feature this with SRK’s other 2023 blockbuster, Pathaan, for over five hours of beautifully over the top action-cinema bliss.
Available to stream.
4. Fight Against Evil 2 (China)
It’s rare that I’ll watch a sequel/prequel without having seen the previous film, but rules, like bad guys’ faces, are meant to be broken. A playful opening skirmish introduces us to a detective played by Xie Miao who’s looking for love in the big city. His search isn’t going all that well, but it does bring him into contact with some terribly cruel sex-traffickers and the vile prick at the top. Director Qin Pengfei takes his time setting up our distaste for the villains, and they are a foul bunch, but it all pays off once Xie’s dogged detective starts doling out justice with his hands, feet, and anything else within reach. Xie — the kid from 1995’s The Enforcer with Jet Li! — is a fantastic scrapper with MMA-style moves that would make Donnie Yen proud, and Qin lets him cut loose and shine with fights in garages, on porn sets, and in a public bathroom. That last one is an especially great bruiser, and it’s chased by a beautifully crafted fight inside a car that sees the participants utilizing everything from seat belts and head rests to phone charger cords. And finally, in a nice little nod to Jackie Chan’s heyday, the end credits even play over behind-the-scenes clips showcasing the fight prep work, practice moves, and inevitable injuries.
Available to stream on iQIYI.
3. Extraction 2 (USA)
Netflix isn’t exactly known for delivering a stellar lineup when it comes to action movies, but the duds are usually visible from a ways off thanks to the presence of big-name action stars enjoying a killer paycheck for subpar work. (Not naming any names, but look the other way if you see names that rhyme with Jwayne Dohnson and Gal Gadot.) Former stunt professional turned director Sam Hargrave isn’t about to let that get in his way, though, and in 2020 he delivered an exception to the rule with the Chris Hemsworth-starring Extraction. It’s a good one, and now three years later both talents have returned with a sequel that ups the ante in every possible way. A longer running time wisely gives that time to more action set-pieces while keeping the first film’s bland character beats to an absolute minimum. This thing cooks, and while CG assists are evident throughout, they almost never get in the way of the film’s adrenaline and energy. From an epic prison escape taking the form of a “oner” moving us from prison to train while fending off baddies both on the ground and in the air, to a high-rise assault that goes hard both on the outside streets and the various floors within, Hargrave knows how to craft clear and exciting action. Hemsworth is better known for his Marvel work, but he shines stronger here with a stoic character pushing himself for others and feels very much at home with the physical demands and carnage. A third entry was recently announced, and at this rate I fully expect it to land on that year’s list of the best action movies too.
Available to stream on Netflix.
2. 100 Yards (China)
While most year-end lists in this country stick with movies released in the US, I tend to make exceptions when celebrating genre fare (action and horror). It’s partly because I want to get the word out about these films, but there’s also the very real possibility that great movies from other countries won’t even get a US release at all — case in point, 2016’s Plan B, which still has yet to get an English-friendly release. The point being that 100 Yards is the one title on this list that isn’t actually available here yet in the US. (I’m pretty confident it’ll hit our screens in 2024 from Well Go USA.) Directors Xu Haofeng and Xu Junfeng craft something special here, an absolutely brilliant martial arts film where the integrity and details of the arts are the priorities over violent spectacle. Fights are frequent and beautifully executed with variety and an appreciation for both the form and the formal nature of it all. The film itself is equally gorgeous with color and camera movements that take hold as if we’re a part of this duel of skill, technique, and duplicity, and the sound design is no slouch either as each hit of flesh or metal sings. The setup is simple enough as a dying master declares his academy will go to either his beloved son or his best student, with the winner to be decided with a fight. That fight, though, takes on a life of its own as rules are broken and the landscape around the academy becomes a series of battlegrounds. But this is no gangland epic or clash of killers as these men are not fighting to kill or to inflict bloody injury. Instead it’s style, skill, and form that take precedence, and Jacky Heung and Andy On demonstrate an abundance of each throughout both with and without weaponry. There’s character and suspense as to the outcome, but the main draw here is the pure beauty of martial arts orchestrated and executed by masters. Don’t forget this one, action lovers.
Not currently available.
1. John Wick: Chapter 4 (USA)
Was there ever any doubt what would top our list of the best action movies of 2023? Director Chad Stahelski and lead Keanu Reeves have arguably created the defining action franchise of the past decade (with Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible films riding hot on their heels), and the latest entry is an action epic in every sense of the word. Our hero’s long journey into endless nights continues as he tries to clear his name and his debt once and for all, and this (final?) chapter intertwines the ongoing narrative with exciting new threads and immediately engaging new characters. Some action filmmakers would kill to have just one of this movie’s set-pieces to their name, but Stahelski and friends just toss them off as if magic like this is simply the air they breathe. The Osaka hotel attack? The overhead tracking shot? That knowing nod to Walter Hill’s The Warriors (1979)? The entirety of that goddamn stair sequence? This world that Wick inhabits is overflowing with immaculate style and rich in character, so much so that an action-free chapter would still enthrall the senses. Happily, that sacrifice isn’t necessary as Stahelski continues to pair divine production design and stellar cinematography with absolute showcases of fight choreography, gun battles, and more. Four chapters in, and we’re still getting new characters who pop and immediately earn demands for spinoffs — Donnie Yen has never been treated better in an American production and immediately steals every scene he’s in, Scott Adkins shines and cuts loose with personality and high-kicking skills, singer Rina Sawayama makes an immediate mark in her action debut, and the list goes on with Clancy Brown, Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zaror, and Bill Skarsgard. Some action fans found this movie to be “too much,” and that’s their prerogative (even if I don’t understand the sentiment), but for the rest of us? Perfection.
Available to stream and on home video.
Honorable mentions: AKA (France), Baby Assassins 2 (Japan), Ballerina (South Korea), The Childe (South Korea), The Covenant, The Fist of the Condor (Chile), Furies (Vietnam), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, Plane, Sakra (Hong Kong), Silent Night
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