Action cinema provides a uniquely engaging way to watch movies. They offer explosive thrills, adrenaline-fueled setpieces, and death-defying stunts, all from the comfort of a living room or theater, getting hearts pounding and pulses pumping in ways that most other genres can't. The best action movies provide what many would argue is the very essence of cinema: escapism.
Not all action movies are the same, however. While some opt for large-scale battles or fantastical and often incredibly unrealistic sequences, some action movies provide tough and uncompromising excitement that indulge themselves in violence and street-level conflicts. For those who enjoy their action movies a little more tough and steely, these are the grittiest action movies of the 2010s. They will be ranked by how hardcore they get and how willing they are to indulge in the grit that so many other movies these days lack.
10 'Drive' (2011)
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Mechanic and Hollywood stunt driver by day and criminal getaway artist by night, the unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a man balancing a fine line between two very different worlds. He spends his life trying to drive away from a dark past, and an opportunity for redemption presents itself in the form of his single-mother neighbor (Carey Mulligan). When his ties to the mob turn against him, the Driver is forced to correct his crooked mistakes and protect the few things he truly cares for.
The gritty Drive is arthouse action at its most tantalizing. While somewhat lighter on visceral thrills than most other movies of the genre, Drive still offers spectacularly exciting car chases and healthy doses of visceral violence. It's slick, tough, and offers style in spades. Drive's central narrative is minimal but undeniably effective, bolstered by strong performances and a laser-focused screenplay.
Drive
9 'Killing Them Softly' (2012)
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Set in the underworld of Boston amid the 2008 financial crisis, Killing Them Softly follows mob enforcer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt). After three amateur robbers stick up a criminally protected, high-stakes poker game, Cogan is hired to track them down so the thieves can reclaim what was stolen. Cogan's methodology is unorthodox but effective, and he never lets up until the job is finished.
Killing Them Softly is a tactfully executed crime drama/action movie that subverts genre expectations by presenting its ideas in uniquely intelligent and distinctive ways. The street-level crime portrayed is particularly gritty; grimy, back-room poker games, garbage-laden underpasses, and rain-soaked suburbs all make for compelling and authentic backdrops. A sharp socio-political commentary seals the deal on this enthralling, rich and vastly underrated action thriller.
Killing Them Softly
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8 'Snowpiercer' (2013)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Set in a dystopian future where the world has succumbed to extreme climate change and has frozen almost completely over, the dwindling population of Earth has found refuge on a high-speed train that continuously circles the globe. Fed up with the constant classism injustices, Curtis (Chris Evans) rallies the lower-class citizens of the train in a fight against oppression. A revolution is underway, train car by train car.
A fantastic premise bolstered by inventive sequences of action, Snowpiercer is wholly unique (as one should expect from visionary Bong Joon-ho). Snowpiercer is everything fans of gritty action flicks could ask for: it's bleak, intense and, at times, stomach-churning. A moving train provides the perfect setting for brutal, close-quarters action, and Evans is quite convincing as the gruff mutineer. There's not a dull moment in Snowpiercer; it provides just about everything genre enthusiasts could ask for.
Snowpiercer
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Release DateJuly 11, 2014CastChris Evans , Jamie Bell , Tilda Swinton , Ed HarrisRuntime126 MinutesWritersBong Joon Ho , Jacques Lob , Benjamin Legrand , Jean-Marc Rochette
7 'Revenge' (2017)
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
A wealthy and equally sleazy French businessman brings his mistress, Jen (Matilda Lutz), to his secluded desert villa. Joined by a pair of his unsavory CEO buddies, the group indulged themselves in psychotropics, alcohol and firearms. This combination does not bode well for the in over her head Jen, as she soon finds herself abused and abandoned. Armed with little more than a big gun and an unquenchable thirst for revenge, Jen embarks on a rage-fueled odyssey across the desert.
Lean, mean, and relentlessly violent, Revenge is throwback grindhouse cinema that wears its heart on its blood-soaked sleeve. Sometimes, action movies can get bogged down in the complexities of their narratives and settings; Revenge is no such movie. This is genre filmmaking at its most raw, leaving absolutely no holds barred. Coarse and abrasive in the best ways possible, Revenge demonstrates pure, stylish and unadulterated grit.
Revenge (2018)
Release DateMay 11, 2018CastMatilda Anna Ingrid Lutz , Kevin Janssens , Vincent Colombe , Guillaume Bouchède , Jean-Louis Tribes , Barbara GateauRuntime109 MinutesWritersCoralie Fargeat
6 'Atomic Blonde' (2017)
Directed by David Leitch
Berlin, 1989, mere days prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall during the final stages of the Cold War. Undercover MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent to the German capital to recover documents stolen following the murder of a fellow service member. Being hunted by the KGB and stuck in a city nearing its tipping point, Lorraine must navigate a minefield of mistrust and sabotage.
Proving himself to be a more than capable stunt coordinator on numerous Hollywood productions in recent years, David Leitch's directorial strengths are on full display in Atomic Blonde. The grounded yet thrilling setpieces are as cool and crisply captured; a single-take, bare-knuckle skirmish in a stairwell stands out in particular. Atomic Blonde soars upon these sequences, as well as the commanding screen presence of Theron, making it solid and thoroughly enjoyable action-fare.
Atomic Blonde
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Release DateJuly 26, 2017CastCharlize Theron , Eddie Marsan , John Goodman , James Faulkner , Toby Jones , James McAvoy , Daniel Bernhardt , Sofia BoutellaRuntime115 minutesWritersKurt Johnstad , Antony Johnston , Sam Hart
5 'Den of Thieves' (2018)
Directed by Christian Gudegast
After an armored truck hijacking leads to the death of a security officer, LA County Sheriff Nick O'Brien (Gerard Butler) is tasked with hunting down the culprits. O'Brien ties the violent attack to a notorious bank robbery crew led by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), a gang of ruthlessly effective criminals who have consistently evaded capture. The group's next target is the seemingly impenetrable Federal Reserve Bank located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, Den of Thieves is essentially a heist action epic. While the similarities with Michael Mann's masterpiece Heat are abundant, Den of Thieves still makes an impression as a rock-solid, viscerally enjoyable heist movie that doubles down on the machismo. Butler, as proven many times before, is a more than capable leading man, especially when it comes to gritty, street-level action flicks. In Den of Thieves, the action is appropriately punchy and intense, a sure shot for those with a hankering for some no-nonsense thrills.
Den of Thieves
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Release DateJanuary 18, 2018CastEvan Jones , Pablo Schreiber , Brian Van Holt , Jordan Bridges , Eric Braeden , Gerard Butler , Sonya Balmores , Oleg Taktarov , Meadow Williams , Maurice CompteRuntime140minutesWritersChristian Gudegast , Paul Scheuring
4 'Dredd' (2012)
Directed by Pete Travis
Grossly overpopulated and teeming with violence, Mega-City One is an East Coast population center and criminal playground where savagery is a common occurrence. Left to clean up the mess are elite law enforcement officers known as Judges. When veteran Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) aims his sights on the notoriously ruthless drug kingpin Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), she traps both Dredd and his recruit Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) in a 200-floor highrise overrun with armed offenders.
Dredd is one of action cinema's most disheartening flops in recent history; the universally agreed-upon consensus among action buffs is that it deserved so much more than it received. Dredd is an uncompromised blending of cyberpunk esthetics and fierce violence that skimps on the fat and serves grit in bulk. It's truly a shame that Dredd's considerable legacy lives in the shadow of its financial failure, but for action buffs, this is one of last decade's must-watch efforts.
Dredd
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Release DateSeptember 21, 2012CastKarl Urban , Rachel Wood , Andile Mngadi , Porteus Xandau Steenkamp , Jason Cope , Emma BreschiRuntime95 minutesWritersAlex Garland
3 'Dragged Across Concrete' (2018)
Directed by S. Craig Zahler
Weathered police officer Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and his turbulent partner Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) are suspended from service when their rough treatment of a suspect finds its way out into the public. Low on funds after losing their source of income, the pair makes the desperate plunge into the criminal underworld. Catching wind of a soon-to-happen bank heist, the officers hatch a scheme to rid the thieves of their payout and take it for themselves.
Dragged Across Concrete is a dense and uniquely rugged police procedural that's darkly funny as often as it is shockingly violent. While it does take its time to reach a boiling point, Dragged Across Concrete rewards viewers' patience with devilish thrills and some satisfying, street-level action. It may not be tuned for every action fan's enjoyment but Dragged Across Concrete is still a hard-boiled and handsomely constructed vehicle for tension and brutality.
Dragged Across Concrete
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Release DateMarch 22, 2019CastMel Gibson , Trezzo Mahoro , Tory Kittles , Thomas Kretschmann , Fred Melamed , Udo Kier , Vince Vaughn , Don Johnson , Liannet Borrego , Michael Jai White , Andrew Dunbar , Jennifer Carpenter , Justine WarringtonRuntime159 minutesWritersS. Craig Zahler
2 'The Raid: Redemption' (2011)
Directed by Gareth Evans
Set in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia, a towering and derelict apartment building serves as the safe house of a powerful drug lord and his army of thugs. While previously left untouched by the local authorities, an Indonesian SWAT team is finally sent on a mission to remove and eliminate the syndicate. Unfortunately for the officers, their cover quickly becomes blown, and the team finds themselves vastly outnumbered and outgunned.
The Raid: Redemption is a breathless example of non-stop action filmmaking. It's a landmark effort in stunt coordination, fight choreography and high-intensity direction that is the very essence of what good action movies should provide for their audience. The Raid: Redemption gets down to business early and does not let up until the credits roll. It's like a marathon of violence and gritty action that fully earns its reputation as one of the greatest action movies of all time.
The Raid: Redemption
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Release DateMarch 23, 2012CastIko Uwais , Joe Taslim , Yayan Ruhian , Pierre Gruno , Ray SahetapyRuntime101 minutesWritersGareth Evans
1 'John Wick' (2014)
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Retired assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is grieving the tragic loss of his wife. Just when he thought he had lost everything he cared about, Russian goons break into his house, steal his prized Mustang, and kill the puppy left by Wick's wife as a dying gift. Unbeknownst to the mob-affiliated miscreants, Wick is a force of nature not so easily stopped when he has absolutely nothing to lose.
More than just a gritty action flick, John Wick is a cultural phenomenon with an influence so far-reaching that it's difficult to fully comprehend. John Wick changed the way action movies are made; its exceedingly impressive blending of gun-fu and slickly modern action sensibilities elevated a rather simple narrative into the stratosphere. Reeves embodies the titular assassin with the sort of charm that only he could. John Wick is a quintessential modern action movie that has fully earned its cementation into pop culture history.
John Wick
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