With its exhilarating set pieces, pulsating stakes, unforgettable characters, and its penchant for visceral thrills, action cinema stands as perhaps the most exhilarating and intoxicating of blockbuster spectacles when it’s operating at its best. One need only look to recent triumphs like Top Gun: Maverick and Mad Max: Fury Road to recognize this. However, many of the genre’s best and most defining hits were released in the 20th century.

Despite many of these films not being blessed with all the bells and whistles and mod-cons of modern filmmaking, the spectacles they provide have endured for decades, courtesy of their artful excellence, technical expertise, and, of course, their pulsating action thrills. Ranging from defining icons of the blockbuster blitz of the ‘80s to Hong Kong cinema’s kung-fu classics, and even to the action-laced slapstick of the silent era, these titles mark action movie mayhem at its very best.

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‘Hard Boiled’ (1992)

Asian cinema has long been a stunning stalwart of action cinema, with many of the movies of Hong Kong flaunting a maniacal mind for mayhem that both enthralls and exhilarates. Hard Boiled is a brilliant example, featuring a relatively formulaic story of a vengeful cop hunting down the drug smugglers responsible for the death of his partner, but imbuing it with a stylistic flair and emotional gravitas, courtesy of John Woo’s confident direction.

The result is more than a masterpiece of blitzing bombast. It imbues every pulsating punch of its action intensity with an artful eye for cinematic expression. Rife with references aplenty to many classic films of yesteryear while still making an impact with its own inspired excellence, Hard Boiled is defined by its endearing eccentricities as much as it is by its ferocious action sequences, standing as one of the most vibrant and vivacious pictures the genre has ever seen.

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‘Police Story’ (1985)

Another defining triumph of Hong Kong action cinema, <em>Police Story </em>presents Jackie Chan’s sensational stunt work at its almighty best, striking an enrapturing balance between stunning, balletic fight sequences and uproarious physical comedy. Not dissimilar to Hard Boiled, Police Story runs with a basic and formulaic plot—an honest policeman fights to clear his name after being framed by the drug lords he is pursuing—but thrives as a perfectly executed masterpiece defined by its dash and dare.

Central to its success is Chan’s astonishing performance. The actor’s determination to pull off death-defying stunts combines with his infectious charm to deliver a truly phenomenal action hero capable of making audiences laugh out loud one moment and audibly gasp the next. Careening from one awe-inspiring action set piece to the next with a hypnotic sense of momentous delirium, Police Story is a film of frenzied magnificence that stands as one of the most astute, absorbing, and audacious action flicks of all time.

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‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Not only an enduring action masterpiece but standing as the most defining movie of its era as well, The Matrix is a dazzling mixture of mind-bending science-fiction intensity and Hong Kong cinema’s unique style of action spectacle. Its innovative narrative explores the notion that the reality we live in is a simulation, and that humanity is actually being kept in a slave-like slumber by machines using people as an energy source in a hellish dystopia. As Neo (Keanu Reeves) learns of this harsh truth, he begins to realize he may be a prophesied hero who can rescue mankind.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to describe The Matrix as a watershed moment in cinema. Its cerebral story of reality-bending intrigue not only allows for some of the most elaborate and mesmerizing action scenes of all time but has given it staying power with audiences who were ensnared by its originality. The Matrix remains one of the most iconic action pictures ever, a true testament to the pioneering brilliance of sci-fi cinema as well.

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‘Enter the Dragon’ (1973)

The annals of action movie history are home to many great names, iconic movie stars who defined the entrancing allure of the genre with their charisma and machismo. One of the first and greatest figures in this regard is international film legend Bruce Lee, with1973’s Enter the Dragon standing as his career-defining highlight. The Chinese action film sees him star as a Shaolin martial arts instructor who works with the British government to apprehend the notorious crime boss responsible for the death of his sister.