The action genre has continually expanded in the modern era of film with new visions stepping in to create visual spectacles that transcend the awesomeness of the action and showcase new fighting techniques that wow viewers with every movement. Keanu Reeves continues to hold dominance in the genre with his beloved performances as the deadliest assassin in cinema, John Wick. The roster of female action heroes is also rapidly growing unlike ever before. Action movies are no longer the Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger show and there is a wealth of great action flicks that go heavily underrated and deserve a wider audience.Maybe the genre gets overshadowed by bigger releases? Maybe it doesn't get the marketing push it deserves? Or maybe the movies just don’t resonate with audiences at the time? Regardless, the action genre is full of hidden gems that are worth the watch.
Birds of Prey
Although Birds of Prey didn’t exactly light the box office on fire, it was a chaotic blast that gave Harley Quinn her own live action, R-rated adventure and brought along a badass trio of heroines.
Cathy Yan’s incredibly energetic, ambitious action direction is heavily underrated with the level of fun brutality and wild chaos she brought to life on-screen. Harley’s chaotic imagination was brought out in full force and each member of the Birds of Prey was given their own unique style of action that made them further stand out and created a more dynamic viewing experience.
Cold Pursuit
Liam Neeson continues to prove that age is just a number with each new action film he leads, such as his movie Blacklight, to the point where it’s almost its own sub-genre, but none of them compared to Cold Pursuit.
Cold Pursuit might be disguised as just another Neeson action flick as he plays a snow plow driver seeking revenge for his son’s murder, but it’s so much more. It’s an excellent thematically driven story of revenge full of great performances, amazing cinematography, hilarious dark comedy, and yes, some great action.
Atomic Blonde
After an uncredited director role on the first John Wick, director David Leitch brought that action DNA into another excellent original film full of franchise potential, Atomic Blonde.
Within a world of double agents and secrecy, Atomic Blonde delivers the kind of stylish action and engaging story that action fans love and has a top-tier Charlize Theron performance to boot. Hopefully those rumors of Netflix trying to take on an Atomic Blonde 2 become reality and perhaps the original dropping on the platform could give it the wider audience it deserves.
Crank 2: High Voltage
Jason Statham is easily one of the biggest action stars of the modern era and of all his action flicks, the Crank series deserves more love, especially its sequel High Voltage.
It’s legitimately the wildest Statham action movie you’ll ever see as it follows him as ex-hitman Chev Chelios, who is forced to constantly electrify his body to keep his artificial heart alive, so he can retrieve his real one. It’s an action film that never takes itself seriously and delivers fast-paced action that’s equal parts daring and hilarious giving it the vibes of a great video game movie.
Copshop
It’s a shame that Joe Carnahan’s Copshop ended up being one of the most underrated movies of 2021 because it’s a total blast from start to finish.
It pits two modern action titans, Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo, against one another, features a strong breakout performance from Alexis Louder, and showcases Toby Huss having a chaotic blast on-screen. More importantly, it has the kind of rough and tough atmosphere mixed with intense bloody action you just don’t see anymore.
Wrath of Man
Director Guy Ritchie has done plenty of films with Jason Statham, including the upcoming Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, but his latest with the action star, Wrath of Man, is likely their best team-up.
From its excellently told story to the amazing screen presence that Statham has as security guard with an elaborate revenge scheme, Wrath of Man is one of Ritchie’s most engaging stories that blends epic action with Ritchie’s comedic style excellently.
Upgrade
Before creating one of the best modern horror films with The Invisible Man, most probably don’t remember that writer/director Leigh Whannell directed one of the best modern action films with Upgrade.
Lead by an incredible performance from Logan Marshall-Green, Upgrade is visual perfection with Whannel’s masterful direction and its ambitious action. It’s R-rating means that it pulls no punches and its mix of its sci-fi premise and wildly fun action comes together beautifully to create a truly original action film.
21 Bridges
Audiences have seen the late Chadwick Boseman do just about everything on the big screen, but some might have missed him star in his own original action movie, produced by the Russo Brothers, 21 Bridges.
As a determined NYPD detective hunting down two suspects throughout the city, Boseman excels in leading 21 Bridges’ fast-paced action and is easily one of its greatest strengths. He’s truly the heart of the film and for anyone looking to sift through Boseman’s excellent career, you can’t miss out on 21 Bridges.
Alita: Battle Angel
Most live action anime adaptations tend not to be good, just look at Dragon Ball: Evolution and Ghost in the Shell, but Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel broke that trend with its eye-dazzling action.
From simple bar brawls to the entire Motorball sequence, Alita: Battle Angel has a wide range of action sequences that contain stunning visual effects and exciting action. It brings the anime to life with a real vision and is undoubtedly the best live action anime adaptation of all time.
Never Back Down
A strong mix of sport movie storytelling and the bloody intensity of MMA fighting, Never Back Down is one of those cult action movies that deserves to be talked about more.
It has an amazing cast, some of the most memorable sports-action moments, and a fighting intensity that most action movies wish they had. Believe it or not, Never Back Down has gained such a cult following that it’s actually spawned three sequels, yet the original still deserves a wider audience.