[Film] Action films / franchises

[The Clamp]

Top three for me;

1) The Bourne films. Not the Jeremy Renner one.

2) Die Hard 1 & 2

3) Indiana Jones trilogy.

You?

 

[Brighthelmstone]

I like the Fast Franchise, Rocky and Expendables as old fashioned action style movies

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

The first two Terminator movies, Judgement day is one of the few sequels which outdoes the original.

The Mission Impossible franchise, which, IMHO, is way better than Bond

 

[Chicken Run]

MI series
Jack Reacher
Transporter
Equaliser (can’t wait for the 3rd)
Bond

 

[Simster]

Hard to say, but what isn't hard to say is that the current Indiana Jones and the current Mission Impossible are both absolutely outstanding. In each case, they're the best that franchise has delivered to date.

Watch both!

 

[Simster]

MI series
Jack Reacher
Transporter
Equaliser (can’t wait for the 3rd)
Bond

I've read about 15 Reacher books and as such I simply can't watch any of the films. Anyone who has read the books will know how woefully miscast Tom Cruise is. I just can't take the films seriously.

 

[Chicken Run]

I've read about 15 Reacher books and as such I simply can't watch any of the films. Anyone who has read the books will know how woefully miscast Tom Cruise is. I just can't take the films seriously.

Yep I’ve read and continue to read the books and yep I no he’s too small but saw the films before I started reading so no big deal for me, love the books btw, I’ve read them in order and am about to start the one that the first film was based on!

I’ve just finished watching season 2 of Slow Horses with Gary Oldman, absolutely superb but I imagine the books are better?

 

[BBassic]

I'm a sucker for dumb popcorn action flicks.

Bad Boys (actually More or less anything Michael Bay puts out.)
Predator
Terminator
The Fast franchise
Rocky / Creed (though these aren't really dumb films)
Anything starring The Rock

 

[BBassic]

I've read about 15 Reacher books and as such I simply can't watch any of the films. Anyone who has read the books will know how woefully miscast Tom Cruise is. I just can't take the films seriously.

The Reacher series Amazon did was pretty good. They at least cast someone who can see over a bar without needing a set of steps.

 

[Stat Brother]

Bond.
Bourne.
Mission Improbable; But certainly not impossible as you've proven time and time again.

 

[Simster]

Yep I’ve read and continue to read the books and yep I no he’s too small but saw the films before I started reading so no big deal for me, love the books btw, I’ve read them in order and am about to start the one that the first film was based on!

I’ve just finished watching season 2 of Slow Horses with Gary Oldman, absolutely superb but I imagine the books are better?

"too small"? He's about 2 feet too small, and far too good looking. It's like casting Charlize Theron as a dalek.

 

[keaton]

Hard to say, but what isn't hard to say is that the current Indiana Jones and the current Mission Impossible are both absolutely outstanding. In each case, they're the best that franchise has delivered to date.

Watch both!

I wholeheartedly agree with the MI Dead Reckoning being the best on the series. I enjoyed the recent Indiana Jones but it's very much the 4th best film by a long way for me

 

[Acker79]

Tough. Especially if you overthink it, I mean the / indicates individual films are permissible which opens up thousands of films. Even limiting to franchises, how many films are needed for it to be a franchise You've limited Die Hard to the first two (I would personally put the third above the second), which opens up franchises with more bad than good to be selected if we ignore the bad. What about intersectionality? Comic Book movies are also action movies, and if we can eliminate the bad then Marvel would be there (infinity war/endgame is so good, Iron Man, Thor Ragnorak, a couple of Guardians of the Galaxy, a couple of Spider-Mans, there are plenty of very good to great movies there if we can ignore all the bad). Sci-fi Films can be action opening up the likes of Alien, Star Wars, Star Trek (particularly the kelvin timeline), Terminator, Predator (the first and prey are well regarded, even if none of the others are)

I think my instinct was to look at some that aren't necessarily high profile rather than just my favourite, just to give them their flowers rather than repeat films that get multiple mentions in here.

1) District 13 (Banlieue 13) - couple of french films that were among the first films to use free running/parkour in action movies, with Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle (the latter of who is credited with co-creating parkour).

2) The Raid - these are less obscure, indonesian martial arts films that I've seen others mention on here. Having a British writer/director probably helps (especially with him going on to make US films and gangs of london for HBO/Sky).

3) the El Mariachi trilogy (el mariachi/desperado/once upon a time in mexico).

 

[MattBackHome]

I've read about 15 Reacher books and as such I simply can't watch any of the films. Anyone who has read the books will know how woefully miscast Tom Cruise is. I just can't take the films seriously.

I'm also a fan of the books - though I've not read as many as you - and I reckon both the Film and TV versions of it are superb.

 

[Nathan]

The Dark Knight Trilogy
Bourne Trilogy
Bond

 

[Gabbafella]

Bourne
John Wick
The Raid
Die Hard
Predator
Terminator

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I would add the best sequel of any action film franchise is

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Top Gun Maverick
Terminator 2 Judgement Day
Aliens

 

[Poyningsgull]

I am a sucker for all of Clint Eastwoods spaghetti westerns.

 

[herecomesaregular]

I'll continue to watch any new Alien, Terminator or Bourne movie even while knowing the reviews are shite and it's absolutely flogging a dead horse. I guess that makes me a mug punter but it also shows the impact of those first movies in the series, that love for them stays with you.

 

[The Clamp]

I don’t really class most of the Marvel films as action.
With the odd exception, I’m not a fan.
The action in most of them is like watching someone else play a video game. And almost as boring.
Barely any stunt or action work involved. Just pixels on a screen. All acted in front of a green screen.

The Bourne films changed stunt work and screen fighting for the better. That’s why the first film still holds up over twenty years later.

They revived the car chase too. Jarring, bone crunching camera work too. really hits the spot.