Top 100 Action Films of All Time: 2015 Edition (100-91)

It's time for a new edition of the 100 greatest action films ever made! According to me that is. It's quite interesting updating the list with new films and removing old ones. It goes to show just how varied your opinions are from one year to the next.

Just as I stated last year, there are numerous "great" or "classic" action films that did not make the list because I have not gotten around to seeing them yet. Therefore, action favorites like True Lies, Blade, Blood and Bone, Undisputed III: Redemption, Bloodsport, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Black Dynamite, The Great Escape, The Getaway, the Sonna Chiba Street Fighter Trilogy, No Retreat No Surrender 2, Lethal Weapon 1 and 2, Dr. No, Drunken Master 1 and 2, Project A, Fearless, and Once Upon a Time in China did not make the list.

Anyways, let's get to the first part of the list! That's right, I am splitting up the list into parts this time and giving my reasons for a film's inclusion as well as its theatrical poster. Enjoy!

Better Clear On Out the Back Top 100: 2nd Edition, 2015

100

The Bourne Identity (2002) is a solid PG-13 actioner that features good action scenes and one of the best characters of action cinema and literature, Jason Bourne. The film also features smooth and steady action photography that contrasts the shaky cam-ness of its sequels. I love that this is a film all about a former assassin taking on numerous assassins while on a journey to rediscover himself. It's a great and simple premise that makes for one of the best action films ever made.

99

Game of Death II (1981) technically has nothing to do with Robert Clouse's Game of Death beyond the stock footage of Bruce Lee that it uses. The film also has some of the worst acting, storytelling, and use of stock footage you will ever see. Why did I include this film you ask? For the action scenes of course! Even though this is a piece of crap, the action scenes are some of the best ever committed to cinema. I am dead serious. Every fight scene in this film blows my mind. God bless Yuen Woo Ping's eye for action choreography.

98

John Sturges The Magnificent Seven (1960) is a classic film that defines the glorious and triumphant American Western. It features one of the best ensemble casts of bad asses in cinema history too: Yul Brynner, Steven McQueen, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and several more bring their acting chops to the mix. The film is also a remake of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, a film that also lands on the list. Combine the awesome cast with exciting shootouts and an iconic score by Elmer Bernstein and you have a great Western that all action fans must see.

97

You can't talk action without bringing up James Bond! Thunderball (1965) has always been one of my favorite Bond films simply for its awesome underwater fight scenes and gadgetry. Connery is great, the girls are hot, and the villainous Emilio Largo is a great antagonist. You can never go wrong with Connery as Bond.

96

Sin City (2005) is in my opinion the last great Robert Rodriguez film. Ever since Rodriguez entered the digital age, his films have sucked hard. However, Sin City is a great example where computer graphics and green screens are essential in establishing the film's visual style. The film is bolstered by beautiful and violent imagery that makes the film both one of the best action films ever made as well as one of the best film noirs of the contemporary era. The incredible ensemble cast alone is worth checking out. 

95

The Corruptor (1999) is a film that you will never see on anyone else's top action list but mine. However, I love Chow Yun Fat with all of my heart and find it impossible not to include nearly every film he has ever made. The Corruptor is an excellent American action film that blends Hong Kong influences to great effect. The big car chase in the middle of the film stands as one of the most underrated car chases in movie history. Mark Wahlberg also gives one of his best early performances. I always recommend this film to action freaks and consider it to be one of the most underrated action films of the 1990's.

94

The Dark Knight (2008) only lands at #94?! What blasphemy is this? Well, this is my list and I say that The Dark Knight is an excellent but overrated and over exposed film. It's a fantastic superhero action film that features great characters, beautiful imagery, and a score for the ages. But a masterpiece it is not. Performances by Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman are what keep me coming back to this one, not the action. Still, it is one of the most important superhero blockbusters ever made and I don't think I can make a list without it.

93

Even though Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) is a tame sequel in comparison to its masterful predecessors, it is still an ass kicking film worthy of inclusion. The Thunderdome fight between Max and Blaster still excites me to this day. The film also features a fantastic film score by legendary composer Maurice Jarre and great songs by Tina Turner, the villain of the film. Mad Max is 80's post-aopcalyptic action at its best. 

92

I know some people don't like this film very much and consider it to be a flop in comparison to Pitch Black. But I think it's great! The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) is essentially a mix between Dune and Star Wars featuring Vin Diesel as the lead. What's better than that? The extended cut is especially fantastic. It restores essential character background and even more action. The epic battle between Riddick and the Necromongers on Crematora is the standout action scene of the film. I highly recommend this sci-fi epic and consider it to be one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the past decade.

91

Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz (2007) love letter to action cinema is also one of the funniest films ever made. It is also one of the best scripted films in cinema history. The jokes, humor, and characters are that tight. If the jokes aren't enough for you though, than the final action scene should do the trick. I wish every action comedy was as fantastic and memorable as this one. Wright, Penn, and Frost just get it.