Ladies, you may wanna stay home for this one. Keanu Reeves’ gun toting hero returns where the bullets are expected to fly even higher than the surprise 2014 hit, “John Wick”. This time it looks like he’s gonna bring all-out war to a league of assassins in Rome, Italy. We have some familiar faces – Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Lance Reddick along with some new ones – Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus and Neo reunite!), Ruby Rose, Peter Stormare, Common, Bridget Moynahan, and even Franco Nero (the original Django).
Check out the action packed trailer below!
According to Collider, the films synopsis is as such:
Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome, where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.
The film has Chad Stahelski returning to the director’s chair and is written by Derek Kolstad. The film is set for release on February 10, 2017.
From AH-nold to Van Dammaging, this is the ‘definitive’ list of no holds barred, manlier than manlier, high kicking, and needless explosion-y movies (that’ll make most women roll their eyes in complete annoyance), well, until next year or something.
Now, I do not take this task (which I brought upon myself) lightly. The people must know! There is something undeniably therapeutic when watching people tear each other apart. Whether this is to avenge a death or to prevent a post-apocalyptic future from occurring, these movies more often than not require multiple viewings.
My criteria (or benchmarks) in gathering this “Ultimate List” stems from various factors: top notch action (duh!), story, style and even some one-liners. I need to also mention that a lot of these movies are in different genres as well – sci fi/action, action/drama, fantasy/action, superhero/action, etc. You get it.
Counting down…..
11. The Raid 2
You want elaborate martial arts sequences and bone crushing moves? Look no further. This is the ‘godfather’ of martial arts movies (I’m serious). The highly popular Indonesian movie has made waves internationally and even made way for its actors/martial artists (Iko Uwais,Yayan Ruhian) to appear in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, albeit briefly. I’ve included a clip from the film to entice you. I literally had to pull my jaw from the floor after witnessing these intricate, highly stylized action sequences. Get over your hesitation of subtitled movies. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on a lot of great movies, including this gem.
10. Lethal Weapon
“I’m too old for this sh*t” – Murtaugh (Danny Glover)
This is the best buddy cop movie ever (“Lethal Weapon 2” is a close follow up). This is the movie that would later help define what a buddy cop movie should entail – reluctant partners who form a meaningful relationship, one liners, chase scenes and explosions. Not only that, this is Mel Gibson in top form. Say what you will of the guy as of late, but when you can actually ‘act’ in an action movie, it makes it all the better. The story focuses on Riggs, a LA cop who just loses his wife. Riggs, who is now understandably volatile, is reassigned to a new partner – a family man that is near retirement – Murtaugh. Together they form a bond while also uncovering a huge drug trafficking ring led by Gary ‘freakin’ Busey.
9. The Dark Knight
“Where’s Rachel?!!” – Batman (Christian Bale)
Not only is this one of the best superhero films to date, it also features breathtaking set pieces in which the action takes place. In the movie (if by some weird circumstance you haven’t seen the film), Batman is challenged by a villain like never before, the Joker. He would rather watch the world burn and gets off by toying with people, especially Bats and Harvey Dent. He presents them with a moral dilemma to see if he can ‘corrupt them’. A fascinating tale and look into a conflicted Batman and his deeper, moral fiber. Also, let’s not forget the snatch and grab scene in Tokyo, Bats battling a bunch of guys using cell phone sonar signals, or the chase scene that ultimately lead to Bats using his bat bike.
8. Rambo: First Blood
“Why you gotta be pushing me?” – John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone)
When a war veteran, John Rambo (Stallone), goes looking for a friend in a small Washington town, he ends up meeting Sheriff Teasle (Brian Dennehy), who sees him as a threat to the peaceful way of life. When Teasle and his fellow officers try to take him in and clean him up, Rambo has PTSD of his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and unleashes his fury on the entire department. This sets up a man hunt throughout the mountains and, consequently, a one man war against Teasle and the entire police department. However, Rambo’s affliction runs deeper than anyone else really knows. Not only can Rambo fight but he can survive….anywhere. This makes him a total bada$$. Gosh, I wish I had his knife – it comes with a rope and a compass. There’s a reason there’s three sequels to this movie.
7. Bloodsport
“You’re Next!” – Chun Li (Bolo Yeung)
This is what made Jean Claude Van Damme, the muscles from Brussels, an international superstar. An underground fighting tournament is held in Hong Kong every year and Frank Dux (JCVD) attends to honor his shidoshi (master). Along the way, he meets a brash, goofy fellow competitor, Jackson (played by Donald Gibb) while also trying to thwart military officers (Forest Whitaker and Norman Burton) who want him for going AWOL. What makes this one of the best action movies? Van Damme. Sure, he can’t act but his athleticism and martial arts skills are of such a high caliber that he transcends as a major star. Of course, there are the varieties of different martial artists in this that include: a Thai kickboxer, a monkey style fighter, a sumo wrestler, and kung fu fighters. My favorite scene is the unorthodox training of Frank Dux (a la learning how to fight while blindfolded and that machine that enables him to do the splits) as it was integral in him defeating Chun Li (sorry, spoiler!) after a substance temporarily blinds him. Not to mention, the movie has a kick a$$ soundtrack that always gets me in the mood to work out!
6. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
“Come with me if you want to live.” – T800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Yes, I believe this is the superior film of the film series. Even the special effects of this still resonate today. Man, liquid metal never looked so cool. Arnie is a good T-800 this go around who is sent back in time and must protect John Connor to ensure there is a resistance against the machines in the future. Things get muddled when the machines send back a more advanced robot – the T1000 (Robert Patrick). Excellent action sequences are highlighted by the one on one robot smack downs and basically whenever Arnie shoots off any large gun. A huge plus goes to Arnie as his wooden acting plays well to his T800 character. Just ignore any of the ‘Terminator’ films that came after this.
5. Die Hard
“Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?” – Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman)
This is one of the all-time classics. An on vacation cop, John McClane (Bruce Willis), visits his estranged wife on Christmas Eve while at her corporate party at a Japanese owned high rise. Things are fine until terrorists crash the party and take everyone hostage. Eventually, McClane realizes he’s the only one to save them. Who can forget that fight between McClane and Karl or the mere fact that he’s running around slaying the bad guys with no shoes on? This is chalk full of suspense and, yes, many one-liners. One of the best Christmas movies out there (although my personal favorite Christmas movie remains “Bad Santa”).
4. Face/Off
“Interception. Looks like our side’s got the ball.” – Castor Troy as Sean Archer (John Travolta)
How can I not include this movie? You’ve got a whacky Nicolas Cage and a whimsical Travolta. Yes, people complain about the implausibility of the premise – switching faces and what not (hmm… isn’t “Game of Thrones” exploring that with the Faceless God?). They are sadly missing the point here. In order to have fun with this movie, you have to overlook this and play what the notion of ‘what if’. What if my worst enemy (do people have a lot of enemies?) and myself switched bodies? The ramifications would be tremendous. That’s why this movie stands on its own.
The premise centers on an FBI agent, Sean Archer (Travolta), who goes after a global terrorist, Castor Troy (Cage), who also killed his son. As the film’s tagline would suggest, ‘in order to defeat him, I must become him’. If only I used the same M.O. with my enemies!
Moreover, initial casting of this movie was going to be Sylvester Stallone and Arnie Schwarzenegger. Can you imagine? Anyways, with Travolta and Cage we at least get stronger performances that help carry the emotional turmoil these characters go through.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
“I hate snakes, Jock!” – Indiana Jones
Renowned archeologist, Dr. Jones, is hired by the US government to obtain the Ark of the Covenant, which supposedly still holds the Ten Commandments. It just so happens that Hitler’s officers are also after the same thing. Together, with the help of his ex-flame, the two go on a globetrotting adventure while also playing a cat and mouse game with the Nazis. Filled with complex action sequences (especially that chase scene), fist fights and that famous scene where Indy shoots a man with sword skills. To me, this is my favorite character that Harrison Ford plays.
2. The Matrix
“Are you telling me I can dodge bullets?” – Neo (Keanu Reeves)
Forget the sequels. When you entice your audience so much and grandstand with a plethora of ideas, any attempt at answering the questions you raise will only be met with much criticism. Look, movies should ‘entice’ us to think differently, but it is when they take a firm position on anything, they throw out anyone’s preconceived notions that they had answered in their heads. Anyways, to include this movie is a no-brainer. It has everything you want. Incredible visuals, top notch fight sequences, and an original plot line that intrigues us. Neo is a lonely computer programmer/hacker that always felt like his life was ‘amiss’. This is the case until he meets the mysterious Morpheus, who informs him that he has been living in a dream world constructed by machines. On top of that, he finds out that he is the prophesized ‘one’ who will lead to resistance against the machines. The film makes us question our reality and our purpose. Large scale ideas mixed with interesting characters and action/adventure, and you have got a hit.
1. Point Break
“Wars of religion always make me laugh because basically you’re fighting over who has the best imaginary friend.” – Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves)
The framework for this masterpiece was actually stolen by the “The Fast and Furious” movie. An undercover FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Reeves), is tasked with investigating potential bank robbers – that also wear US presidents’ masks. As his lead hints that the robbers may also be surfers, he tries to get in good with the local surfers. This puts him into contact with the ultra-cool Bodhi Satva (Patrick Swayze). The two form a highly unique friendship, one that sees Utah changing his outlook on life and becoming an adrenaline junkie to experience his spiritual side. With that, the other dimension of this movie separates it from the pack because not only do we get excellent surfing and sky diving scenes, but there is an embedded philosophical take on how being close to injury or death is what it means to feel alive.
Outside of this, we have a bunch of awesome one-liners and a zangy Gary Busey, who plays Utah’s partner, Pappas. Think, this is the same year (1991) that Keanu Reeves starred in “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey”. Right around this time, Reeves was being eyed for more serious roles that eventually paved the way for stardom with films like “Speed”, “The Matrix”, and “John Wick”.
So, there you have it. I’m positive I left a movie out that I’m sure someone will give me hell for. Oh, and yes, “Point Break” is my favorite action movie. It has everything that I love – action, bromance, spiritualism, adrenaline filled stunts, and one-liners.
Feel like I left something out? Let me know via @popculturecrunc , @nitropetersen or feel free to drop a comment below or email us at pccbits@gmail.com.
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