Best Action Movies of All Time

Last Updated on 12 June 2024

The following list is the Official Definitive List of the 400 best action movies of all time.

I found 31 different ranked lists online of “best action movies of all time” and pulled them all into Excel and merged them all to get this definitive compilation. See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including links to all 31 lists that were averaged. Below is a checklist you can print to track which ones you’ve seen, followed by the ranked list with links to IMDb.

Greatest-Action-Movies-Viewing-Checklist Download

Die Hard (1988)
The Matrix (1999)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Aliens (1986)
Predator (1987)
Kill Bill: Vols. 1 &2 (2003/4)
First Blood (1982)
John Wick (2014)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
RoboCop (1987)
Speed (1994)
Casino Royale (2006)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
The Terminator (1984)
Metropolis (1927)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Point Break (1991)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Tombstone (1993)
Gladiator (2000)
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Goldfinger (1964)
Face/Off (1997)
The Fugitive (1993)
Commando (1985)
Léon: The Professional (1994)
The Rock (1996)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The French Connection (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Inception (2010)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Baby Driver (2017)
The Road Warrior (1981)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Cobra (1986)
The Killer (1989)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Ran (1985)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Cold Pursuit (2019)
Logan (2017)
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Heat (1995)
Yojimbo (1961)
Skyfall (2012)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
300 (2006)
Taken (2008)
Bullitt (1968)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Con Air (1997)
Iron Man (2008)
Braveheart (1995)
Black Panther (2018)
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
True Lies (1994)
Police Story (1985)
Jaws (1975)
The Raid 2: Redemption (2014)
The Driver (1978)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Fast Five (2011)
Total Recall (1990)
The Avengers (2012)
Alien (1979)
Mission: Impossible (1996)
The Incredibles (2004)
Looper (2012)
Sicario (2015)
Drunken Master II (1994)
The General (1926)
Harakiri (1962)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
The Warriors (1979)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
The Fifth Element (1997)
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
Top Gun (1986)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Crank (2006)
Dunkirk (2017)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Ip Man (2008)
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
Minority Report (2002)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Hero (2002)
Battle Royale (2000)
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
Sanjuro (1962)
Star Trek (2009)
Escape from New York (1981)
Independence Day (1996)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
V for Vendetta (2005)
Snowpiercer (2013)
Superman (1978)
Rio Bravo (1959)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Oldboy (2003)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Blade II (2002)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Expendables (2010)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Bloodsport (1988)
Dredd (2012)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
Bad Boys (1995)
Air Force One (1997)
Safety Last! (1923)
Django Unchained (2012)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Train to Busan (2016)
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Goldeneye (1995)
District 9 (2009)
Blade Runner (1982)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
La Femme Nikita (1990)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Road House (1989)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Drive (2011)
Throne of Blood (1957)
The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
13 Assassins (2010)
Fight Club (1999)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Spider-Man (2002)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Dragon Inn (1967)
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Nobody (2021)
Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
King Kong (1933)
Scarface (1932)
Men in Black (1997)
Rocky (1976)
The Villainess (2017)
Avatar (2009)
They Live (1988)
North by Northwest (1959)
Fist of Legend (1994)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Children of Men (2006)
Captain Blood (1935)
Haywire (2011)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Rambo (2008)
Death Wish (1974)
Hell or High Water (2016)
Rocky IV (1985)
Platoon (1986)
Duel (1971)
Under Siege (1992)
A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Midnight Run (1988)
Lady Snowblood (1973)
Unleashed (2005)
The Running Man (1987)
RRR (2022)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Deadpool (2016)
Highlander (1986)
Lucy (2014)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Spartacus (1960)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Cliffhanger (1993)
Black Friday (2004)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Red Dawn (1984)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Attack the Block (2011)
Blade (1998)
Romancing the Stone (1984)
Dr. No (1962)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Die Hard 2 (1990)
The Crow (1994)
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Gravity (2013)
Furious 7 (2015)
Scarface (1983)
Armour of God (1986)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
The LEGO Movie (2014)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Out for Justice (1991)
Run Lola Run (1998)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Demolition Man (1993)
Drug War (2012)
The Mission (1999)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Supercop (1992)
Invasion USA (1985)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Hanna (2011)
Shaft (1971)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Over the Top (1987)
The Longest Day (1962)
Batman (1989)
District B13 (2004)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Transporter 2 (2005)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Full Contact (1992)
’71 (2014)
48 Hrs. (1982)
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
Hellboy (2004)
Riders of Justice (2020)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
No Retreat, No Surrender (1985)
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
Ronin (1998)
Batman Begins (2005)
White Heat (1949)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Iron Monkey (1993)
Jumanji (1995)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
The Searchers (1956)
Miss Bala (2011)
Machete (2010)
Wanted (2008)
Death Wish 3 (1985)
From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Revenge (2017)
The Mummy (1999)
Bad Boys II (2003)
Love Exposure (2008)
Mad Max (1979)
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
The 39 Steps (1935)
The Departed (2006)
The Professionals (1966)
The King of the Kickboxers (1990)
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
Inside Man (2006)
Project A (1983)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Rush Hour (1998)
The Guest (2014)
Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection (1990)
High Noon (1952)
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Hard to Kill (1990)
Sholay (1975)
Spy (2015)
American Ninja (1985)
One Piece: Stampede (2019)
Transformers (2007)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Hard Target (1993)
The Vikings (1958)
Stagecoach (1939)
True Grit (2010)
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Badlands (1973)
The Great Escape (1963)
Kickboxer (1989)
Underworld (2003)
Das Boot (1981)
Dragons Forever (1988)
Missing in Action (1984)
The Man from Nowhere (2010)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Dangal (2016)
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019)
Undefeatable (1993)
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Hell Drivers (1957)
The Transporter (2002)
Sudden Death (1995)
Grisbi (1954)
A Taxi Driver (2017)
Above the Law (1988)
Kill Zone – S.P.L. (2005)
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
Band of Brothers (2001)
Lionheart (1990)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Dead or Alive (1999)
The Blade (1995)
The Navigator (1924)
Upgrade (2018)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Godzilla (1954)
Speedy (1928)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Action Jackson (1988)
Jarhead (2005)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Double Impact (1991)
Flash Point (2007)
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Akira (1988)
One False Move (1992)
The Prodigal Son (1981)
Eastern Condors (1987)
Doctor Strange (2016)
1917 (2019)
All Is Lost (2013)
The Chinese Connection (1972)
Universal Soldier (1992)
China O’Brien (1990)
Wheels on Meals (1984)
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Serenity (2005)
Superman II (1981)
The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896)
Good Guys Wear Black (1978)
Henry V (1989)
The Hunger Games (2012)
Vanishing Point (1971)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Tango & Cash (1989)
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
There Is No Evil (2020)
Shazam! (2019)
Sin City (2005)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Stone Cold (1991)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
Pedicab Driver (1989)
Pray for Death (1985)
Captain Marvel (2019)
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Repo Man (1984)
Runaway Train (1985)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Timecop (1994)
Excessive Force (1993)
The Batman (2022)
Three Kings (1999)
Days of Glory (2006)
Surviving the Game (1994)
Police Story 2 (1988)