Action movies, and all offshoots spawning from the genre, aren't often celebrated by critics. Mostly seen as loud vehicles for typecast actors, action films are frequently based on thin scripts that don't require much engagement from viewers. They are pieces for the enjoyment of audiences seeking turn-off-your-brain entertainment. If we add the thriller element to the action formula, then you could be in for a white-knuckle journey that'll leave you shaking.
Not to say they can't also be good movies as opposed to just thrill rides. On the contrary, and as the following list will show you, action thrillers can be terrific if well-designed. You only need a good script, a director who understands the genre's visual language, and a compelling performer who'll make you believe in the story, as absurd as it may be. Who knows, perhaps the film could end up drawing a critic's attention as well.
These are the best action thrillers with a high Rotten Tomatoes score.
10 The Town (2010) Critics Score: 92% - Audience Score: 85% The Town R Where to Watch
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Release Date September 15, 2010 Director Ben Affleck Cast Ben Affleck , Rebecca Hall , Jon Hamm , Jeremy Renner , Blake Lively , Slaine Main Genre Crime
The Town follows four childhood friends from Boston's iconic neighborhood, Charleston. Doug is the leader of the gang, which also includes Jem, Gloansy, and Dez, and their current line of work unites them. They're high-profile robbers capable of stealing millions from banks.
During their latest heist, Doug becomes enthralled by one of the bank employees. He forms a relationship with Claire, breaking one of the gang's rules. At the same time, they plan the ultimate heist in Boston's iconic Fenway Park.
The 2010 film, directed and co-written by Ben Affleck, who also plays the lead, was a smashing hit with good box office results. Critics raved about it and praised Affleck's direction and performances, especially Jeremy Renner's (the MCU actor would end up being nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe) and Pete Postlethwaite's.
The high Rotten Tomatoes score follows a pattern for Ben Affleck-directed movies; it sits alongside Argo, Gone Baby Gone, and Air above the 90% line.
9 The Killer (1989) Critics Score: 95% - Audience Score: 92% Close
The Killer follows a hitman called Ah Jong, who decides his next hit will be his last. He has finally come to terms with whatever's left of his moral code and plans to retire. The problem is that during the hit, he accidentally injures an artist and leaves her partially blind. When the days go by, he begins to attend her performances and finds out she will need surgery to prevent complete blindness. Ah Jong steps up and accepts a major hit to pay for his victim's procedure.
John Woo's exceptional 1989 action thriller is one of the best movies ever produced in Hong Kong. The Killer is very violent, but it's also very well-executed by a director who understands the genre like no other.
It wasn't exactly successful in this country, but with time, its cult status grew beyond expectations, with Hollywood filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez saying it's one of the best action movies ever made. Its rating on Rotten Tomatoes was always above the usual, with film critics praising Woo's trademark of over-the-top action.
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8 Skyfall (2012) Critics Score: 92% - Audience Score: 86% Skyfall PG-13 Where to Watch
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Release Date October 25, 2012 Director Sam Mendes Cast Daniel Craig , Judi Dench , Javier Bardem , Ralph Fiennes , Naomie Harris , Berenice Marlohe Main Genre Action
Skyfall sees Agent 007, aka James Bond, forced to come back to work after he's presumed dead, an opportunity he had used to retire. In the film, MI6 and the world are being threatened by a mastermind with enough technology to attack the world through hacking and data leaks. Silva, the villain, is actually after M and is planning to kill her because of a past event in which the nefarious genius was disfigured after a botched suicide attempt.
The film was groundbreaking in the Bond series. It saw the return of characters like Q and Moneypenny, and it was the first film to be directed by Sam Mendes, who made sure to imprint the movie with his singular visual style.
The result was the franchise's most successful film; it made over $1 billion at the box office and was critically acclaimed upon release. At the Academy Awards, the title was mentioned five times in the ballots, and it took home two of the awards that night. It features a more "sober" version of the iconic spy, which is something that can't be said for many of the Bond movies.
7 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Critics Score: 97% - Audience Score: 86% Mad Max: Fury Road R Where to Watch
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Release Date May 13, 2015 Director George Miller Cast Tom Hardy , Charlize Theron , Nicholas Hoult , Hugh Keays-Byrne , Josh Helman , Nathan Jones Main Genre Action
Mad Max: Fury Road takes viewers to an undisclosed wasteland in the future. The planet is a dry desert where fuel is gold and water is still life. Max Rockatansky is a scavenger who's captured by Immortan Joe's minions, and he's eventually set to die. The problem is there's an uprising, and Max becomes part of the rebel gang that decides enough is enough and tries to fight against Joe's unconventional ways to breed and dominate whatever's left of humankind.
The no-punches-pulled action thriller that brought back the Mad Max franchise in 2015 is an exceptional film experience. The film was a production of a massive budget that didn't actually see it multiplied. But it made enough for Warner Bros. to make them follow up with a recent film.
It was acclaimed by critics who praised George Miller's signature style of action filmmaking, and it was an Academy Awards darling that got ten nominations at Hollywood's most important event. It went on to win six awards that night, a sweep that reflects the score in Rotten Tomatoes.
6 John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Critics Score: 94% - Audience Score: 93% John Wick: Chapter 4 Where to Watch
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Release Date March 24, 2023 Director Chad Stahelski Cast Keanu Reeves , Donnie Yen , Bill Skarsgard , Laurence Fishburne , Hiroyuki Sanada , Shamier Anderson , Lance Reddick , Scott Adkins , Ian McShane Main Genre Action
John Wick: Chapter 4 sees the titular assassin-for-hire once again coming back from the dead. This time, Wick sets his sights on bringing down the High Table, the organization made up of the criminal cell leaders who wish to participate in the management of their minions. With the help of his usual friends, Wick goes on a rampage, and the most violent yet, to stop the organization before they can hire every hitman in the world to get rid of the superhuman gun-wielding genius.
The fourth film in the franchise isn't that much different from the previous entries. However, John Wick: Chapter 4 ups the stakes with more elaborate set pieces and the lack of restriction that some rules of physics demand. In 2023, it quickly became the highest-grossing film in the franchise when it made $440 million at the box office. Though some critics accused it of being too ridiculous in its execution, it comfortably holds its solid score on Rotten Tomatoes, the best of all four movies.
5 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) Critics Score: 96% - Audience Score: 94% Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One 3/5
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh film in the franchise of Ethan Hunt, aka Tom Cruise at his most spectacular. In the film, the titular spy joins forces with his Impossible Mission Force crew to bring down a computer program that has gone rogue and represents the danger of AI being sentient.
In reality, the criminal organization known as the Entity has been in control of the advanced technology, and someone must stop them before they gain control of the entire planet.
The film is one of the most expensive productions in cinema; it had a budget of a little less than $300 million. However, the box office reaction was just decent, as it collided with the Barbenheimer phenomenon, and people weren't exactly paying attention to Cruise's theatrics.
However, critics were enamored with Cruise's spectacle of set pieces, visual effects, and action stunts. It received two nominations at the Academy Awards, and it paved the way for an upcoming sequel that was at first going to be a conclusion to the two-part film event, but now it remains without a title connection. We'll see how it goes next year (it's scheduled for a 2025 release). You can stream Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One on Paramount+.
4 Die Hard (1988) Critics Score: 94% - Audience Score: 94% Die Hard R Where to Watch
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Release Date July 15, 1988 Director John McTiernan Cast Bruce Willis , Bonnie Bedelia , Reginald VelJohnson , Paul Gleason , William Atherton , Hart Bochner Main Genre Action
In Die Hard, a New York City Police Detective named John McClane travels to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to see if he can rekindle his relationship with his wife. He heads over to her place, a massive building called the Nakatomi Plaza, where there's a Christmas party going on.
When McClane manages to wash up after the long flight, a terrorist named Hans Gruber takes the building and everyone inside hostage. Only McClane escapes and manages to counter the hostage crisis from inside the building.
John McTiernan's epic action thriller from 1988 was the film that put Bruce Willis in the spotlight as a performer who could do more than television. After being the most successful action film of the year, it got nominated for four Academy Awards, but it won none.
Strangely, critics at the time weren't as friendly, with many criticizing Willis' lack of comedic moments and excessive violence. However, as years passed, it saw its cult status grow, with critics calling it one of the best action films ever made, a reception well reflected in the Rotten Tomatoes score.
3 The French Connection (1971) Critics Score: 96% - Audience Score: 87% The French Connection R Where to Watch
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Release Date October 9, 1971 Director William Friedkin Cast Gene Hackman , Fernando Rey , Roy Scheider , Tony Lo Bianco , Marcel Bozzuffi , Frédéric de Pasquale Main Genre Action
Action thriller epic The French Connection follows Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, two NYPD detectives who discover a drug smuggling ring that's operating from France and which will see New York as its port of entry. When they try to catch the culprits, they realize the organization has expanded like no other, and it won't be an easy task, even as federal forces join them. The 1971 film is the only Best Picture Oscar winner on the list.
Its release was crucial to give William Friedkin the position he so deserved in the industry. It was the introduction he needed with enough grit and style to give him complete creative control over what would eventually become The Exorcist in 1973. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, it was a critics' darling back then and save for a few detractors like renowned Pauline Kael, its cult status grew and turned into the high Rotten Tomatoes score that puts it on the list.
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2 The Fugitive (1993) Critics Score: 96% - Audience Score: 89% The Fugitive PG-13 Where to Watch
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Release Date September 6, 1993 Director Andrew Davis Cast Harrison Ford , Tommy Lee Jones , Sela Ward , Julianne Moore Main Genre Thriller
The Fugitive tells the story of Dr. Richard Kimble, a renowned surgeon who finds his wife dead when he returns home one day. Unfortunately, Kimble's account is inconclusive, and the reports are inconsistent with the evidence. Eventually, he's formally accused and convicted of the murder, and his sentence is death.
Luckily, during an inmate transportation operation, some convicts attempt an escape, and Kimble is able to run. Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard goes on a hunt for the "criminal," but when Kimble spares him, he begins to have doubts about the man's role in the murder.
The film was a blockbuster in 1993 (it became the third-highest-grossing film of the year, falling behind Jurassic Park and Mrs. Doubtfire). Critics raved about it, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about films of the year, with many praising Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones' performances in the movie based on the 1960 TV show of the same name.
The Academy was also enamored with the action thriller, giving it seven nominations and Jones the prize for Best Supporting Actor.
1 Goldfinger (1964) Critics Score: 99% - Audience Score: 89% Goldfinger (1964) PG Where to Watch
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Release Date September 20, 1964 Director Guy Hamilton Cast Sean Connery , Honor Blackman , Gert Fröbe , Shirley Eaton , Tania Mallet , Harold Sakata Main Genre Action
Goldfinger is the third film in the James Bond franchise and features Sean Connery as the iconic spy investigating bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger. Eventually, the agent discovers Goldfinger has a peculiar way of killing his victims (he lethally covers their skin with gold) and has a much larger plan. He intends to hit Fort Knox, steal every bit of gold he can get his hands on, and smuggle the country's reserves to help his criminal organization.
The film was a massive success, making more than $100 million back in 1964. It was also the first Bond film to win an Oscar. The reception by critics didn't differ as they celebrated the first genuine and serious version of Bond, but they were also fond of the thrilling element of the film, which features a near-perfect villain. It was also the first time that Bond's gadgets were prominent, a recurring theme that was heavily used throughout the whole franchise.
