       
Top Ten Action Films of the Decade All right cats and kittens, it’s time for list number two. Action movies are a strange bunch already, but to pair drama down, I had to poach a good amount of action-y dramas into the “Action” category as well. This makes the whole genre feel like a mash-up. But never fear, I believe this list is one of the best, if not the best. I fully stand behind each choice, and all ten films together feel, to me, like a cohesive unit. Let’s do it.
The Almost Made-Its: "X-Men
2", "Spiderman 2", "Crank"
"Punisher: War Zone", 2008
Dir: Lexi Alexander
It’s nice to have a film to
kick off the list that truly embodies the genre. Lexi Alexander’s "Punisher: War Zone" is everything the body needs and
nothing it doesn’t. What the film doesn’t have? Acting, a
cohesive storyline, character motivation, and convincing Italian accents…
What it does have? Explosions, gore, and a hell of a lot of it.
I don’t think I’d seen a film in which the hero eviscerates someone’s
skull while holding a small child before; I can’t say that anymore.
This movie is exactly what the Punisher film franchise should have been
from the get-go – revenge, revenge and more revenge. Both other
Punisher films began the movie introducing Frank Castle’s family,
before they’re all killed by the mob. It says a lot about
War Zone’s departure from the canon when it instead starts out
with Castle completely massacring a mafia stronghold – his family
already a distant memory. Only one of those Punisher film has
its priorities straight; I’ll allow you to guess which one.
"Mou Gaan Dou" (aka "Infernal Affairs"), 2002 Dir: Wai-keung Lau and Siu Fai/Alan Mak and "The Departed", 2006 Dir: Martin Scorsese
Many, many decade lists have Scorsese’s "The Departed" on there somewhere. And every
time I see it without "Infernal Affairs", I get a little
pissed off. Scorsese’s remake (or translation, or re-imagining,
or whatever) obviously has some great things going for it. A name
cast (in which the worst
"The Bourne Ultimatum ", 2007
Dir: Paul Greengrass Let it be known that I didn’t like "the Bourne Identity", nor his "Supremacy". I mean, they were OK – stock standard action films with a charismatic, yet thoroughly unbelievable lead. But with the final effort, something clicked that just hadn’t before. Maybe it was Greengrass. When he came to helm the first sequel, perhaps the producers had more say and he couldn’t do everything he wanted. Maybe the weight of killing off Franka Potente was too much to handle. Maybe Matt Damon learned to fight. Look, I don’t know. All I know is everyone shows up to play, and as a result, we’re treated to this espionage gold. A film in which the dude you want to win is totally going to win the whole time, and you just watch him do it. SPOILER ALERT: He does it. Hard.
"Ying Zhong" (aka "Hero"), 2002
Dir: Yimou Zhang For all those interested, yes, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is also considered an action film, but no, it doesn’t deserve to be on this list. Yimou Zhang’s "Hero", however, does. Borrowing equally from Akira Kurosawa’s "Ran" and "Rashamon" with just a bit of "Hard Boiled" tossed in for fun, this film makes me want to be a warrior in feudal China. Zhang’s fable is about storytelling, and the fighting that comes from not fighting. And his powerful themes are matched only by his powerful lead, Jet Li. "Hero" is meticulous in its art direction, cinematography and most importantly – its martial arts. Using mostly long takes in wide shots, Zhang showcases the capabilities of his actors and the utter gorgeousness of his sets and costumes. And his compact storytelling – unlike the sprawling source material for the Ang Lee film – allows the audience to keep focus on what’s important in a martial arts film – lots of beautiful fists, moving really fast, into beautiful faces.
"United 93", 2006
Dir: Paul Greengrass Perhaps "United 93" isn’t a traditional action film, but this movie had my fingernails gripping the arm rests every second. And with a futile need to bite something, I had to chew on my toes. Paul Greengrass’s second entry on this list is even more tense and taught than "the Bourne Ultimatum", itself a tense and taught action storm. I was very skeptical going into the film, being from the Northeast and all, and having a parent working in Manhattan. But any shred of doubt I had quickly dissolved as I became entrenched with the characters desperately trying to figure out what the hell is going on for 111 minutes. Following many different lives, spanning most of the country, Greengrass successfully navigates treacherous waters and makes not only a believable reenactment of the day, but also a fitting, surprisingly respectful tribute to the decade’s defining event. Though “Let’s Roll” has become the worst faux-patriotic sayings of my lifetime (yes, even worse than “Love it or Leave it”), in this film, it somehow had me cheering.
"Kill Bill" Parts I and II, 2003 & 2004
Dir: Quentin Tarantino Number five seems like an appropriate spot for Tarantino’s "Kill Bill". With endless references and homages to just about every film from the seventies, it’s hard to think of what Quentin makes as movies sometimes. During certain sequences, his work feels more like a big collage of cool stuff than a narrative with actual characters and motives (I’m looking at you, Game-of-Death jumpsuit with Green Hornet theme music). But when this coke-addled, foot-fetishist is on the top of his game, there’s nothing to stop him – just like nothing can stop Uma Thurman’s Blood-Splattered-Bride. The two journeys BSB goes through in the film (physical in Part 1, emotional in Part 2) are so watchable, enviable and awesome, I never want it to stop. Though, I guess when you only have a list of five people to kill, four hours is more than enough time to dispose of them all. And complete with extended weapon battles, eye gouging, animated child murderers, David Carradine, and a full-on eighty-eight-person butchery, it’s safe to say that for just about all of the 240 minutes, Tarantino is indeed on the top of his game.
"Batoru Rowaiaru" (aka "Battle Royale"), 2000
Dir: Kinji Fukasaku A bunch of middle-schoolers, on an island, killing each other. What else do you want me to explain? <i>Battle Royale</i> is one of those movies that makes you remember the first time. Whether it was late-night with friends, by yourself, or even on in the background of a party, Fukasaku has created a unique, brilliant satire whose imagery just sticks with you, and who never pulls its punches. Based on a manga by the same name, the film relentlessly kills forty school children in various, excruciating ways. That may sound terrible, but the genius is found in <i>Battle Royale</i>’s consistent, playful tone. Not a full-on comedy, Fukasaku plays a balancing act and somehow manages to make it funny when a young boy’s decapitated head is stuffed with a grenade and launched into a building. And the Battle Royale introductory video – complete with a bubbly, bouncy, anime-like narrator describing horrific ways to die – is the funniest few minutes of cinema I’ve seen in a long time.
"a History of Violence", 2005
Dir: David Cronenberg Here’s the other action-drama that snuck its way onto this list. I know it’s light on the “action” part, but I can justify rating any Cronenberg somewhere on an action or horror list because he’s just so carnal; he’s just so visceral. Whenever I watch a film of his, I begin to actually feel my body and acknowledge its physicality, its immediacy and its very obvious vulnerability. And though "a History of Violence" is probably Cronenberg’s film least obsessed with the human being, it’s very easy to embody each member of Viggo Mortensen’s family – his son, his wife and Mortensen himself – as they struggle through the unraveling of a particularly violent family secret. The Viggo of the last ten years (you know, as opposed to the Viggo of the made-for-TV remake of "Vanishing Point") has always shown a phenomenal display of range and heart, and both of those attributes are on display here in full force. Its gut-wrenching to see his transformation in this film, and how he and his family are affected by it.
Cronenberg asks very simple questions
with this film – What defines who you are? Can you change it
if you want? – But he gets very complex answers.
"the Dark Knight", 2008
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Anyone who doesn’t put this
on their own action list for the year is a reactionist, revisionist
ass. Yes, I said it – an ass. This movie is just as good
as it was hyped to be, and will be remembered as such. Even if
you thought Alan Moore’s "The Killing Joke" marked
when comics died, it’s very easy to see that "the Dark Knight"
marks when comic movies lived. The film is unrelentingly long
and dismal, and instead of comic relief as a breather, you get action.
Christopher Nolan’s film is tailored perfectly for that, but when
your “relief” is an eighteen-wheeler flipping over with people inside,
and a bomb sown into a convict’s stomach, you’re going to feel suffocated.
And at many points in the film, that’s what you get: suffocation,
claustrophobia, and an overwhelming sense of dread. If only we
could have actors matching this chaotic sense of despair – oh wait,
is there a best supporting actor in the house? Yes, yes, Heath
Ledger, blah blah blah. Hey remember when the truck flipped over?
Dir: Prachya Pinkaew
I began this list with a true
action film, and I’m going to end accordingly. With no more
than twenty minutes of exposition in all of "Ong-Bak",
Prachya Pinkaew had to rely on the expertise of his lead to carry the
virtually plot-less film. It paid off. To say that Tony
Jaa has done a lot for Thai cinema is the understatement of the decade.
This man, and this film, have together revitalized an international
market for Asian martial arts films outside of Tokyo, Hong Kong and
Seoul. The Muay Thai fighting style of knees and elbows is now
the gold-standard when someone needs to be rendered unconscious.
Don’t believe me? Just look at Christian Bale’s Batman in
the number-two film on this list. I truly love martial arts films,
but only when its made obvious that the lead is not just an actor, but
an artist capable of exactly what he’s portraying on screen.
The film’s long takes and now-trademark slow-motion replays, I’m
given exactly what I want again and again. Oh, and there’s one
other thing I want. Someone kneeing a motorcyclist in the face
and breaking his helmet in two. That’s what I want.
Coming Soon: Top Ten Comedies Top Ten Documentaries Top Ten Horror Films Top Ten Dramas |
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