A few days after the release of Gareth Evans's Ravage on Netflix, a terribly brutal and bloody (and beautifully orchestrated) action film, we wanted to offer you ten other films that will make your jaw drop. There's a bit of everything! From Indonesian martial arts to Hong Kong gunfights, from cyberpunk action to explosive car chases in post-apocalyptic Australia, put on your mouthguards and let's get punching!
#1 The Killer, by John Woo (1989)
Released in 1989, The Killer is perhaps Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo's greatest masterpiece. Telling the story of a guilt-ridden killer who embarks on one last bloody crusade, the feature film transcends the thriller genre with operatic staging. At once stylized and edgy, innovative and spectacular, the film delivers a series of virtuoso settling of scores. It's a gigantic film, blending redemption and a sense of sacrifice, whose influence is still felt today. Recently, John Woo directed a remake of his own masterpiece, but it doesn't quite live up to this first stroke of genius.
#2 Face/Off, by John Woo (1997)
Released in 1997, Face/Off is a monument of 1990s action cinema and one of John Woo's most important films. Acclaimed for his baroque sense of spectacle, the filmmaker recounts the inevitably explosive confrontation between Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. From stylized slow motion that would make Zack Snyder look like an amateur to gunfights filmed like ballets, Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo deploys all the visual grammar that made his fame to the benefit of a bold and intense film. Of all his American films, Face/Off is perhaps his greatest achievement; which is saying something considering the man's career. The only regret is that John Woo can no longer make action films of this intensity...
#3 The Wachowskis' Matrix (1999)
A monument of American science fiction, the Matrix trilogy has had a profound impact on audiences and critics alike, as much for its highly polished cyberpunk aesthetic as for its ability to blend influences as diverse as the philosophy of Jean Baudrillard, Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Alice in Wonderland and Hong Kong action cinema. The Wachowskis also called on the great Hong Kong actor and director Yuen Woo-ping for the fight choreography. Add to that the cinematic techniques that the film popularized, including the famous Bullet Time, and we have all the elements to make The Matrix one of the most important action films in English-speaking cinema. Note that certain fights from Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions would have justified their inclusion in this selection.
#4 Time and Tide, by Tsui Hark (2000)
Another big name in Hong Kong cinema, Tsui Hark is the director of some of the best Asian action films. In Time and Tide, he follows the adventures of Tyler, who becomes a bodyguard for a triad leader after getting a policewoman pregnant. He meets Jack, a former mercenary. But when his former mercenary colleagues try to get their hands on him in order to recover the stolen loot, everything goes wrong. An action film of rare intensity, Time and Tide shines with its ingenious direction. In addition to mixing thriller, gunfights and martial arts, the feature film hits us with both the ferocity of its perfectly choreographed fights and the virtuosity of its twirling camera. A masterpiece!
#5 Oldboy, by Park Chan-wook (2003)
A leader of the New Wave of South Korean cinema, Park Chan-wook is of course known for his twisty and aesthetically stunning thrillers. The filmmaker was triumphantly received in the West thanks to the Revenge Trilogy, and more particularly thanks to its second installment, Oldboy. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival (presented by Quentin Tarantino, you couldn't make it up!), the feature-length film tells the savage revenge of a father (a royally played by Choi Min-sik), locked up for fifteen years without explanation. Renowned for its devastating cliffhanger and meticulous direction, Oldboy is also a great action film, as evidenced by the famous corridor scene filmed in a BTA-style sequence. A monument of Asian cinema, and a superb entry into the exciting cinema of Park Chan-wook!
#6 A Bittersweet Life, by Kim Jee-woon (2005)
Alongside Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho among the biggest names in South Korean cinema, Kim Jee-woon is known in particular for Two Sisters and I Saw the Devil. While we hesitated for a long time to include the delirious The Good, the Bad and the Weird (2008), which uses the ferocity and humor of the spaghetti western as a pretext to evoke the traumatic past of Manchuria, the film A Bittersweet Life seemed more interesting to us. By recounting the tragic descent of a loyal henchman who, after disobeying his boss out of compassion, is caught in a spiral of betrayal and implacable fury, Kim Jee-woon does not aim to produce a tribute to Hong Kong cinema - as has often been said -, but rather to French film noir, and in particular the cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville. In the end, A Bittersweet Life is a peak in Kim Jee-woon's career, a great crime drama with intense gunfights. A masterpiece, recently remastered in 4K and redistributed in France thanks to the consistently high-quality work of The Jokers Films.
#7 The Raid, by Gareth Evans (2011)
Ultra-talented Welsh director Gareth Evans made his debut as a filmmaker with Merantau, a film that showcases Pencak-Silat, an Indonesian martial art. In 2011, he reunited with actor Iko Uwais - the star of his feature film debut - for The Raid, a brutal, savage, and bloody Indonesian action film. The premise is simple: elite police officers storm the impregnable building that houses the headquarters of the most powerful leader of Jakarta's main criminal syndicate. The moment the task force enters the building, the doors close and highly trained fighters arrive to fight. To survive, the officers are forced to climb each floor of this stifling closed-door environment. Breathless and furious, the film delivers a huge uppercut to the audience's face. It wasn't until the sequel, The Raid 2: The Revenge, released in 2014 (also directed by Gareth Evans), that we saw such a visceral action film. A shock!
#8 Mad Max: Fury Road, by George Miller (2015)
A true masterpiece of post-apocalyptic science fiction, Mad Max: Fury Road by legendary Australian director George Miller continues to amaze us ten years after its release. Despite its storyline that fits on a post-it note, the fourth installment of the Mad Max saga is a true movie fan's fantasy: mind-blowing car chases, machines that explode in the viewer's face, stunts worthy of a motorized ballet; In short, Mad Max: Fury Road has everything of the ultimate blockbuster of the 2010s. In addition to being a great craftsman, George Miller knows how to fully utilize the charisma of his two lead actors, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Although its spin-off Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was a resounding box office failure in 2024, we also recommend that you see it; it is a great film, of a generosity rarely matched and which has nothing to envy of its illustrious predecessor.
#9 RRR, by S.S. Rajamouli (2022)
Too often reduced to Bollywood productions alone, Indian cinema is full of intense action films. This is what S.S. Rajamouli brilliantly reminded us with RRR. Telling the story of two Indian heroes who join forces to overthrow the British Empire, the feature film was received with rave reviews from critics, who praised the generosity of its spectacular and explosive action scenes where the laws of physics no longer seem to matter. Each of the film's action scenes demonstrates perfect technical mastery from the Telugu director, who made his name with the diptych The Legend of Baahubali. Celebrating the resistance of a people against their oppressors, this alternate history is also a great film about friendship. RRR has recently been released on Netflix. Don't miss it!
#10 City of Darkness, by Soi Cheang (2024)
From John Woo to Tsui Hark, including Johnnie To and Jackie Chan, Hong Kong cinema is full of talented directors who have revolutionized action cinema. While they have become global references, most of these directors have nevertheless left Hong Kong, either to go to the United States or to China. For his part, Soi Cheang is considered the Last of the Mohicans of HK cinema. After resurrecting the sticky thriller with the excellent Limbo, the filmmaker launched into martial arts films with City of Darkness. A Chinese refugee escapes the Triads by entering the Kowloon Walled City, a lawless zone dismantled in the early 1990s. He becomes one of the henchmen of Cyclone, a martial arts master who ensures the walled city's security and stability. A true swan song for Hong Kong cinema, City of Darkness impresses with its spectacular action scenes. Beneath its vigilante-film-like storyline, it's a veritable manifesto for the resurrection of a cinema we thought had disappeared. And what a pleasure to see two legends of Hong Kong cinema back in top form: Louis Koo and Sammo Hung. Feel free to tell us in the comments section which action movies made your jaw drop the most. And if you're interested, we'll suggest a second installment. In the meantime,
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