Ten Ten List; Action Movies
This is the first of ten lists of ten movies (get it? “Ten Ten List”? Hat tip to Ada Palmers Terra Ignota series of books there).
These lists started as an idea for my kids (11, 14, and 15 years old), thinking that I could give them some kind of broad education in movies, picking not just popular films, but films that I think are significant in some way. Perhaps the film added something to a genre or helped define a genre. Maybe they are just great films and became a cultural touchstone. Of course, these lists will be very subjective since they will be stuffed full of movies that I like. I’m not going to try and rate any of these films. If they are on the list, it’s because I already think they are good. Maybe some people will disagree with my choices, but that’s ok. We all have different tastes and there’s no “right” or “wrong” here.
The challenge I set for myself is listing only ten movies for each of the ten chosen genres, giving me a “top 100” must see movies. This has been hard. Much harder than I thought it would be. There are so many good movies in each genre and trying to pick only ten of them has been a real challenge. Some movies sit in more than one genre, and there have been a few cases where I’ve had too many movies in a given genre and rather than leave a film out altogether, I’ve sneaked it into another genre that it also fits with.
I hope I present a selection of movies that are enjoyable, if not thought provoking.
After some debate, the ten genres I decided on are:
1. Action
2. Anime/Animated
3. Comedy
4. Crime
5. Horror
6. Martial Arts
7. Romance
8. Science Fiction
9. Vampires
10. Western
I sorted the genres in alphabetic order, so we’ll start right here with Action movies.
Action movies are a broad category covering everything from superhero movies to war movies and anything in between. Where there are multiple movies that are similar, I’ve tried to choose only one so as to allow other films into the list. But inevitably some worthy films will get left behind. I picked one movie from each of the DC and Marvel film franchises, and that was a hard choice which I’m still not sure I got right.
So here is my ten must see action movies:
(Note that the movies themselves are listed in order of release date.)
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
This film is a great fun romp across the globe, and yes, we have Nazis getting it (the face melting scene is a classic).
Harrison Ford’s performance oozes laid back cool, and the onscreen chemistry between Ford and Karen Allen really works.
Steven Spielberg’s direction is almost a master class in noir film making. The use of dramatic lighting and interesting camera angles and composition show that I lot of thought went into this film. It evokes old black and white adventure movies from the ’30s and ’40s, like the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies.
There are some iconic fights too: the fight in the market is brilliant, as is the fight at the airfield.
It’s a pity that the movies after this one never lived up to the level of the original, but that’s often the fate of sequels.
2. Rambo, First Blood (1982)
This film is a great example of the “one man army” sub-genre of action films. Sylvester Stallone does what he does best: runs, fights, and grunts his way through being hunted in the mountains by small town cops. Where many one man army movies can be full of rambling senseless violence, this film distinguishes itself by having a very low body count. In fact, when I watched this the other day, I counted only one death, and that dude was asking for it. There is violence in this movie, but Rambo makes a point of having a code of ethics and not killing any of the people pursuing him, just maiming them a bit.
Rambos PTSD backstory also helps break the mould a little by showing that even an unstoppable killing machine can have feelings.
This film also spurred the sale of replica Rambo knives to a generation of teenage boys who imagined themselves to be survivalists.
3. Highlander (1986)
There’s a kind of magic to this film that makes it a pop culture classic.
It could be the rocking soundtrack by Queen. It might be the cheesy acting. It sure isn’t the choreography (I just watched it again and boy, are some of the fight sequences bad, but I think that was the rule rather than the exception in the ‘80s), but they did like their swords.
There are, in fact, so many reasons for this movie to be bad, but instead of failing, it all seems to come together to make it endearing. Sean Connery’s unconvincing role as a 2000 year old Egyptian disgusted by the idea of haggis. Christopher Lambert mumbling his way through his lines. The completely improbable “gathering” where everyone must fight for their life.
And for all that, the film works. Classic lines like “There can be only one!” are known even by people who have never seen this movie. And who can forget Clancy Brown as the brilliant bad guy, The Kurgan?
4. Die Hard (1988)
Bruce Willis carves out a place in this list with the tenacity with which he survives this movie. While he does rack up a respectable body count in this movie, this is less a “one man army” movie, and more about a guy who just won’t quit. He takes an implausible amount of damage and just keeps ticking. Die Hard is a great action movie which spawned a successful franchise of squeals.
The film also has a clever storyline which lifts it above your average cops n robbers movie.
Bruce Willis is perfectly cast as a New York cop in the wrong place at the right time. Or is it the right place at the wrong time?
Alan Rickman is a great bad guy. He drops his accent from time to time, but he’s just got such a great voice that I forgive him.
5. Leon (The Professinal, 1994)
This is a very cool movie, with Jean Reno as Leon, the calm and collected contract killer. When his next door neighbours get killed over a drug deal gone wrong, he takes in the sole survivor, Natalie Portman. In an attempt to avenge the death of her family, she apprentices herself to Leon and learns the trade.
Gary Oldman is a brilliant bad guy in this film. Even Danny Aiello as Tony, the sleazy Italian crime boss, is great.
I love Luc Besson movies and this one is no exception.
6. Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Geena Davis does an awesome job in this movie. With no memory of her past before a few years ago, she lives a quiet domestic life until her past catches up with her and thing start to unravel. Her character is described at one point as the Energizer Bunny, and that’s an apt description of the film as well. Once the action starts, it just doesn’t let up.
My favourite line? “Chefs do that.”
7. Bourne Identity (2002)
Matt Damon kicks ass and takes names in this movie, even though he can’t remember his own name. You might have noticed that I like good choreography in my action movies, and this one delivers in spades. The fight sequences are clever and have a visceral quality to them that makes me wince in pain just watching them.
The film is based on the Robert Ludlam book of the same name and has a clever storyline due to its pedigree.
It’s a fast passed race for Jason Bourne to recover his memory and understand why he is being hunted before the people pursuing him can catch and kill him.
8. Casino Royale (2006)
I had to have a James Bond movie in this category, but which one? Sean Connery is, to me, a brilliant Bond, with just the right amount of swagger and rough edges and suave sophistication, but after rewatching some of his films, I was reminded how outdated they were. Crazy sexist, racist, and with some pretty bad choreography and effects.
Roger Moore isn’t much better, and for me, he took Bond into an even cheesier direction.
And I’m not forgetting George Lazenby, but he only had one Bond movie to his name.
The Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan period got particularly silly.
These movies were all creative and absolutely defined the suave spy/assassin genre, but they were products of their time, and it shows now.
The movies starting with Daniel Craigs Bond reset the franchise with Casino Royale. Craig (who looks suspiciously like my brother in law) is a great Bond. Rough around the edges and not afraid to get dirty, but also manages to scrub up in a dinner jacket. This movie also didn’t go too over the top with the gadgets Bond is famous for. There were some, but it didn’t get too silly.
I think this is a very solid offering.
9. The Dark Knight (2008)
This is my choice of DC superhero movie.
If you look only at Batman movies, then I can’t deny that the Tim Burton movies of the ’80s and ’90s had a serious over the top comic book aesthetic to them, that only Tim Burton could have done so well.
When Christopher Nolan took over the franchise, the films swerved into far more serious territory (but not so serious and tedious as the post Dark Knight film). I like the more realistic (and yes, I use the word “realistic” loosely here when talking about superhero movies) and introspective Batman in these films.
While Batman Begins (2005) is the first of these three movies (the last being The Dark Knight Rises (2012)), I’m nominating The Dark Knight as my must-see movie because it’s such a solid entry. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker is outstanding. In fact, I think this is my favourite version of The Joker so far.
There are other DC heroes in film, but I think Batman is the most iconic of them, and this movie is outstanding.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
How do I pick one Marvel superhero movie for this list?
Back Panther is a damn good superhero movie, but then I like The Avengers too, if for no other reason than it was directed by Joss Whedon and the perfect use of the “Hulk smash!” line.
I knew whatever I did here was going to upset somebody, so I said Frack it and went with Guardians of the Galaxy.
This film is one big, hilarious, intergalactic road trip, buddy movie. There is no shortage of well choreographed action sequences, and ladles of humour.
I love witty dialogue, and this film’s got it, even with a talking tree who says nothing more than “I am Groot.”
It’s a very clever and enjoyable film.
