When talk over the greatest action pic , iconic films likeDie Hard and Terminatoroften come to mind , but what about the little guys ? You jazz , those lesser - known action flick that can be watched over - and - over , no matter of their popularity . That ’s what we ’re peach about today : the underappreciated , but highly advocate action movies that may have fly under your radar . From the cliché and parody filledLast Action Heroto Karl Urban’sDredd , join us as we highlight a few underrated but unforgettable action movies of the retiring 30 years .
Here are 20 of our favorite underrated action movie . Enjoy !
20. Tears of the Sun (2003)
Helmed byTrainingDaydirector Antoine Fuqua and starring Bruce Willis , Monica Bellucci , and Cole Hauser , bust of the Sunfollows Lieutenant Walters ( Willis ) as he and his squad of Navy seal attempt to pull a doctor ( Bellucci ) from the war - torn country of Nigeria . Released to mixed revue , we ’re here to say thatTears of the Sunis an underrated action moving picture . While the film ’s admittedly subpar screenplay prohibits it from being the film it aspires to be , tear of the Sunseparates itself from the other natural process moving picture chaff with absolutely stunning filming and some really awe - inspiring go down firearm ( there ’s a marvellous action sequence where Willis and his cronies work their way through a burning village , it ’s gorgeous to ascertain ) . Filled with calibre action and drama that does n’t cut too far into cheese , tear of the Sunis a quality sentinel that most unquestionably merit the positive running game its received on late - night cable .
Source : Screenshot via Columbia Pictures
19. The Punisher (2004)
Based on the popular Marvel comic book series , Jonathan Hensleigh’sThe Punisher(2004 ) might not be everyone ’s favorite loop of the grapheme ( specially since Jon Bernthal hit the picture ) , but given the state of comic leger movies at the meter , Thomas Jane ’s take on the hazardously disturbed Frank Castle was post on . The film did a wonderful caper of honoring the source material by pack in as many explosions and gunfights as they could .
Oh , and have ’s not bury about John Travolta . He encounter the world responsible for the demise of Castle ’s family and while it ’s still jarring to see him wreak the antagonist , he pulls it off .
Source : Screenshot via Lionsgate Films
18. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
let go in the other ninety , The Last male child Scoutfeatures the unbelievable but excellent duo of Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans . When a private detective ’s protect witness is murdered , he and the victim ’s boyfriend ( Wayans ) squad up to inquire her death , lead them down a path of subversion by politicians and one very round-shouldered football team proprietor .
Considering how democratic Willis was as an activity wizard at the time following the wildly successfulDieHardand its subsequence , it ’s astonishing thatThe Last Boy Scoutonly gross a mere $ 59.5 M at the box office . Despite Wayans being relatively new to the scene , the film featured an entertaining and equally ridiculous story full of jape and excitement that will keep you hook from start to finish .
generator : Screenshot via Warner Bros.
17. Demolition Man (1993)
Set in 2032,Demolition Manfollows an LAPD officer ( Sylvester Stallone ) who is blamed for the Death of civilians taken hostage by a crazed sociopath ( Wesley Snipes ) . After sentencing , both men are cryogenically rooted but after a series of strange events far in the future , the two are thaw , hale to do battle one last time .
While the legal age of people reading this have more than likely heard ofDemolition Man , give its humiliated 6.6 lots on IMDB and 6.1 on Rotten Tomatoes , it ’s clear-cut that some still do n’t quite read how entertainingly hilarious this Zea mays everta - pleasing action flick was . You might have to twist your genius off for a few hours , but you ’ll be glad you did .
16. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Starring Thomas Jane , Saffron Burrows , and Samuel L. Jackson , DeepBlueSeais the everlasting compounding of suspense , action , and cheese . get ’s call it what it is : a group B - movie about scientist trapped in an submersed installation who are being hunted by top-notch - intelligent sharkstheycreated – need I say more ?
for certain , the tale is a fiddling far - fetched , but the acting is first-class ( other than LL Cool J , but he also contributes one heck of a cheesy outro song , so all is forgiven ) and the action scene are as entertaining as they are frightening . It ’s not sodding , but much better than the 5.8 score it has on IMDB .
15. Wanted (2008)
release in 2008 , Timur Bekmambetov’sWantedfollows the boring quotidian life of office prole Wesley Gibson ( James McAvoy ) . After learning of his father ’s death , Gibson is approached by the mysterious Fox ( Angelina Jolie ) , who informs him that his Father of the Church was once a member of a hole-and-corner high society of assassins and it ’s now his destiny to track - down the rogue assassin responsible for for his father ’s last .
Underrated or not , Wantedis a must - keep an eye on for action pic fans . It ’s a shudder - ride featuring some unbelievable activeness sequences , stylish furiousness , and a sizzling Angelia Jolie . Need I go on ?
Source : Screenshot via Universal Pictures
14. The Guest (2014)
WhileThe Guestdid receive a comparatively fair score on Rotten Tomatoes , I ’m sure if you require your friends , they ’ve in all likelihood never heard of it . Why you demand ? Well , given how irregular and fresh the film feels , I think it ’s fair to say that Stevens does n’t quite generate the same variety of buzz as fellow action stars . Which is too unfit , because this is a infract - out performance for the up - and - comingLegionstar .
After an unknown soldier show up on their doorstep , claiming to be the supporter of their fallen boy , the Peterson kinsperson welcome him into their home with unfastened arms . Unfortunately , his arrival coincides with a cosmic string of unusual deaths in Ithiel Town , actuate the Peterson ’s youngest daughter Anna to suspect and oppugn the soldier ’s yesteryear . Is he really who he take to be ?
Source : Screenshot via Picturehouse
13. Cliffhanger (1993)
Coming off the success ofDie Hard II , film director Renny Harlin’sCliffhangerwas both original and entertaining , featuring some fantabulous performances by Sylvester Stallone , John Lithgow , and a young Mary Poppins , a.k.a . Michael Rooker .
After a mid - air stickup go wrong , a former mountain savior ( Stallone ) encounters a group of criminals attend to find the $ 100 plus million dollars hidden among the mountains following the crash . Once cognizant of who the men are and what they ’re after , Stallone must find a fashion to foreclose the men from receive the money and stay alive in the appendage .
Source : Screenshot via TriStar Pictures
12. Last Action Hero (1993)
While it ’s noKindergarten CoporPredator , Last Action Herois still an above - fair action pic take with garish puns and over - the - top action sequences . The film centers a young kid ( Austin O’Brien ) who gets sucked into the world of his favorite flick because of a orphic wizard slate . On the interior , he befriends megastar Jack Slater ( Arnold Swartednagger ) , a stereotypic ninety legal action Italian sandwich that must assist the kid find his way household
Last activeness Heropokes fun at everything that makes action moving-picture show so predictable and unashamedly entertaining . It borrowed familiar figure from uncounted movies and when you consider that Arnold was basically playing a spoof of himself , it made it that much substantially .
11. 16 Blocks (2006)
When it comes to action moving-picture show , nobody quite does like Bruce Willis . Directed byLethal Weapon’sRichard Donner,16 Blocksis about the feverish journey an aging alcoholic cop takes to safely hand over a key - witness ( Mos Def ) to the courthouse . Unfortunately , as most pic starring Willis tend to go , a workaday task quickly becomes a aliveness - or - death billet for the moustache toting detective and his witness .
While this is by no means Willis ’ good military action flick , the story is unattackable enough to keep you hooked , the alchemy between Willis and Mos Def works , and above all else,16 Blocksis wedge full of exciting and over - the - top action sequences .
seed : Screenshot via Warner Bros. Pictures
10. Escape Plan (2013)
star legal action - caption Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger , Escape Planexemplifies why one should never adjudicate a Christian Bible by its cover . Nowadays , great action picture can be hard to come by , which is why films likeEscape Planshouldn’t be overlooked .
take care Arnold and Stallone work side - by - side to break out of one of the most heavily guarded and technology advanced prisons in the human beings is remarkably entertaining . The story is a little ridiculous , but it crop . I ’m not sure how much longer these two can keep it up , but few great lined up to interchange them , Stallone and Arnie can stay around for as long as they ’d like .
generator : Screenshot via Summit Entertainment
9. The Losers (2010)
Adapted from the Vertigo Comic series of the same name , 2010’sThe Losershas a quite a little to like , despite the fact that it received decidedly mixed review upon its release . It ’s got the always underrated Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the starring character of Lieutenant Franklin Clay , whose limited force unit is framed for genocide in Bolivia . It ’s also acquire a slew of underrated and extremely gifted performing artist round off out the ensemble cast of characters , including Zoe Saldana , Idris Elba , Captain America himself Chris Evans , and Jason Patric as the delicious antagonist Max . On top of all that , it ’s got a script that combines firm action round with the sort of humor we ’ve come to expect from your touchstone , run - of - the - mill shoot ’em up . So why is it underrated ? Well , in light of all the decidedly bad cinema made nowadays , perhaps it ’s time we believe about praising the monetary standard and campaign of the mill .
8. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
channelise , write , produced by and starring Stephen Chow ( we ’re assuming he also did the ignition ) , 2004’sKung Fu Hustleis one of the more obscure film on this listing , despite the fact that it is one of the highest - grossing strange - language films in history . The story of two troublemakers who vow to defend against the leader of an tyrannous Deadly Axe Gang , Kung Fu Hustleis an action spectacle that you just get ta see to believe . sport some ludicrous and , yes , fantastical kung fu sequence ( we thought this ’d go without saying),Kung Fu Hustlealso features a remarkable amount of humor that plays despite the linguistic barriers the film has to overcome for a westerly audience . Critically acclaimed upon its release , Kung Fu Hustleis a gem of a movie that ’s bound to entertain .
7. The Rundown (2003)
This little known 2003 chum clowning , directed by Peter Berg ( Hancock ) and star Dwayne “ The Rock ” Johnson and Sean “ That Guy Who play Stiffler ” William Scott , is an absolute hoot to ascertain . One of our personal favorites , The Rundownisn’t a great movie by any stretch ; it features a somewhat predictable plot and some pretty corny second , but damn if it is n’t just a whole lot of playfulness to see . Great cast chemistry can often get up an intermediate film , and that ’s most by all odds the case here , as Johnson and Scott play well with each other , while Christopher Walken ’s fiber is also a remarkably constitutional contribution to the film . Is it going to win any Academy Award ? Not , but it ’s the sort of movie we ’ll never turn over off if we slip up upon it when we ’re scroll through the duct late at night . Also starring Rosario Dawson , it ’s a dandy small motion picture with some really great fight vista .
informant ; Screenshot via Universal Pictures
6. Dredd (2012)
Dreddhas been floating around as an underrated action movie since it garnered overwhelmingly overconfident revue upon release . It ’s still astonishing to us , however , how few people have in reality realise this film . It ’s awesome . It ’s crashing , mean - spirited , and grungy to the essence , but all of that works so well with the tone of the film . Starring Karl Urban as the titular Judge Dredd , who get hold of a greenhorn ( Olivia Thirlby ) for a ride - a - long that ends in both of them ( and many , many big cat ) give birth a very unfit , very bullet - filled day . A pie-eyed script that does n’t meander and firm world - building do wonders for this low - budget ( yet highly in effect ) action mechanism thriller that has the grit to give the belovedDreddcomics the R - rated adjustment it so rightly merit . Also boast a heavy adversary turn byGame of Thronesalum Lena Headey , Dreddis one of the most underrated film to come out in the past few years . talk of those …
author : Screenshot via Lionsgate
5. Jack Reacher (2012)
The long - awaited feature film version of writer Lee Child ’s celebrated military investigator , 2012’sJack Reachersaw Tom Cruise dally the nominal character as he attempts to solve the closed book behind a brutal mass putting to death at the deal of a sniper . The film , which had a average run at the domestic box office despite overconfident review and Word of God of mouth ( it scored a weak $ 80 million domestic gross ) , did much better overseas , where it grossed over $ 135 million , leading to a sequel green light somewhere down the road . maneuver by the uber - talented Christopher McQuarrie ( more on him later),Jack Reacherhad the misfortune of being marketed as aMission : Impossiblespinoff without the name recognition , when in fact the moving picture plays more like a thriller than an action piece when all is say and done . Despite that , it still has some annihilative action at law sequences , a few cool fight scenes , and one really angry phone conversation , so it ’s deserving retard out for any and all of those things .
generator : Screenshot via Paramount Pictures
4. The Way of the Gun (2000)
germ : Screenshot via Artisan Entertainment
3. RocknRolla (2008)
While it does n’t transmit the esteemed repute of its two quondam cinematic siblings , Lock Stock & Two smoke Barrels(1998 ) andSnatch(2000 ) , Guy Ritchie ’s 2008 filmRocknRollais every bit as stylish , magic and rough around the border as its predecessors . It may not revel in originality like its forefather ( it is Ritchie ’s third go - around of the “ suave British guys steal thing from other suave British guys , ” after all),RocknRollamakes up for any deficiency in its plot ( which is powered primarily by a MacGuffin , a never - seen painting of incomputable time value ) with oodles of appeal , wittiness and a rocking and rolling soundtrack . While some critics quetch Ritchie ’s visual kit had gotten a bit stale by this point , he still manages to rupture out enough Modern whoremonger to keep the military action piquant . Starring Gerard Butler , Tom Hardy , Idris Elba and Tom Wilkinson , RocknRollais a desirable end to Ritchie ’s unofficial British gangster trilogy .
2. John Wick (2014)
The uncommon picture that is adore by both critics and audiences alike , 2014’sJohn Wickwas a return to form for somewhat disgraced action star Keanu Reeves . The adult male who starred in seminal action films such asPoint Break(1993 ) andThe Matrix(1999 ) , Reeves had n’t done some veridical lineament body of work in quite some meter before bringing us one of the most awing legal action flicks of the past decade ostensibly out of the blue . John Wick , which also star Willem Dafoe , Michael Nyqvist , Alfie Allen , Ian McShane , and Adrianne Palicki , sees Reeves encounter the titulary assassinator who goes on a crushing revenge spree after his dog is stamp out in a home invasion ( it was a parting giving from his dead married woman , dammit ! ) . feature impressive universe - building that sop up you in and some of the most incredible legal action stage dancing in late memory , John Wickis the variety of plastic film action buffs love to gas about having seen . Although many will argue the film does not belong on our leaning , many fans had no estimate who or whatJohn Wickwas until the 2d film was free . For that reason , we make up tribute toJohn Wickbecause it introduce us to an amazing new action movie franchise .
1. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
We recently had the pleasure of slip up upon this 1997 film starring John Cusack , Joan Cusack , Minnie Driver and Dan Aykroyd , and Isle of Man were we beaming we did . Funny , heartfelt and have some great conflict choreography , Grosse Pointe Blanksees depressed professional contract bridge killer Martin Blank ( Cusack ) fall to his hometown of Grosse Point , Michigan , to go to his high school reunification ( and wallop a target area , of path ) . While there , he runs into his honest-to-god gamy schooling flame ( Driver ) and goes to war with fellow assassin Grocer ( Akroyd ) . With great dialogue and a strong carrying out from Cusack , and featuring a sexual conquest pen by the fabled frontman of the Clash , Joe Strummer ( fun fact!),Grosse Pointe Blankis the late night action classic we ’ve long search for and are very happy to have discover .
generator : Screenshot via Buena Vista Pictures
- If you enjoyed this and are also a rooter of the sci - fi genre , you ’ll desire to check out our list of the20 most underrated science fiction movies of all prison term . * *
