Since the early days of cinema, Action movies have been a staple of the film industry, and have been increasingly popular. The most influential action movies typically feature high-stakes scenarios, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, and larger-than-life heroes.
Typically, movies like these are often praised for their excitement and entertainment value. Infact, their storytelling, visual style, and cultural impact are mostly unique.
There might be a lot of amazing action movies to watch, but only a number of them can rank as the best and most influential action movies every action fan needs to watch.
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This blog post will detail the 10 most influential action movies list of all time. One iconic fact you should know about these movies is that they have inspired countless other action films. So, they are all excellent examples of the action genre and are sure to entertain and excite you no matter what.
The 10 Most Influential Action Movies That Every Fan Need to Watch
The Most Influential Action Movies List
1. Seven Samurai (1954)
2. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
3. Enter the Dragon (1973)
4. Die Hard (1988)
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
6. The Matrix (1999)
7. Hard Boiled (1992)8. John Wick (2014)
9. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
1. Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is one of the most influential action movies of all time, and its impact on the action genre is undeniable. It was released in Japan in 1954 and was directed by Akira Kurosawa.
In a small Japanese village, a group of farmers are terrorized by bandits who come to raid their crops once a year. The farmers decide to hire samurai to protect them, and seven warriors agree to help. The samurai train the farmers to fight, and they eventually face off against the bandits. The samurai are outnumbered, but they are victorious, and the village is saved.
The film follows the journey of the seven samurai as they come together to help the farmers. They are all from different backgrounds and have different motivations for helping, but they are united by their common goal.
2. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 war film about a group of convicted felons who are sent on a suicide mission to kill German officers during World War II. The film stars Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and John Cassavetes.
The film is set in 1944, and it’s one of the most influential action movies to watch. Major Reisman (Marvin), a hard-nosed Army officer, is tasked with training a group of 12 death row inmates for a special mission. The mission is to storm a German chateau and kill 12 high-ranking Nazi officers.
Reisman and his team of convicts are a motley crew of criminals, including murderers, rapists, and thieves. But they are also highly skilled fighters, and they quickly bond as they train for their mission.
On the night of the mission, the Dirty Dozen parachute into France and make their way to the chateau. They are met with heavy resistance, but they eventually succeed in killing their targets. However, the mission comes at a high cost, and only a few of the Dirty Dozen survive.
3. Enter the Dragon (1973)
Another one of the most influential action movies is the martial art film, Enter the Dragon where Bruce Lee stars in his final film role.
Lee a Shaolin monk named Lee Ka-Tsung is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the death of another Shaolin monk. He soon discovers that the death is linked to a drug-smuggling operation run by the Chinese Triads.
Using his martial arts skills, Lee has to defeat the Triads and avenge the death of his fellow monk. He is invited to participate in a martial arts tournament hosted by the Triads’ leader, Han (Shih Kien). Lee agrees to participate in the tournament, knowing that it will allow him to infiltrate Han’s organization and bring him down.
At the tournament, Lee faces off against some skilled fighters, including Han’s right-hand man, O’Hara (Bob Wall). Lee eventually defeats O’Hara and confronts Han. The two men engage in a final battle, which Lee ultimately wins.
It was a groundbreaking film that helped to popularize kung fu movies in the West. The action sequences are some of the most iconic in cinema history, and their influence can be seen in films like The Raid, Ip Man, and Kung Fu Hustle.
Sadly, it was Bruce Lee’s final film before his untimely death in 1973.
4. Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard is a classic action film that stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City cop who takes on a group of terrorists who have taken over a Los Angeles skyscraper.
On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective John McClane arrives in Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at a party held by her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation.
However, the party is taken hostage by a group of highly-trained terrorists led by Hans Gruber. McClane is trapped inside and must use his skills to take down the terrorists and rescue the hostages.
With his knowledge of the building and his street, he succeeds in outwitting the terrorists. He also uses a variety of improvised weapons, including a fire hose, a walkie-talkie, and a gun that he takes from one of the terrorists. In the end, McClane can defeat the terrorists and rescue the hostages, but not without suffering some injuries himself.
The film’s use of practical effects and its realistic portrayal of violence helped to make it feel more grounded and believable than other action films of the time. When you watch countless other action films, including Speed, Air Force One, and The Raid 2, you might be able to see Die Hard’s influence in it.
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The sequel to the 1984 Terminator film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a science fiction action film and also one of the most influential action movies ever made.
The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the future leader of the human resistance.
In 1995, a more advanced Terminator, the T-1000, is sent back in time to kill 10-year-old John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance against Skynet.
To protect John, the human resistance sends back a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator, the same model that failed to kill Sarah Connor in the first film. Together, John and the T-800 must stop the T-1000 before it can complete its mission and change the course of history.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day used special effects to set a new standard for action films like The Matrix, The Bourne Identity, and The Avengers.
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6. The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix is a science fiction action film that is one of the most influential action films of the 1990s. The film stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a computer hacker who learns that the world he lives in is a computer simulation.
He is led to fight an underground war against powerful computers who have constructed his entire reality with a system called the Matrix. In the real world, the machines have taken over and humans are unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality. Neo, as he is known in The Matrix, must choose to follow the rebels and fight for freedom or remain in the blissful ignorance of the simulated world.
7. Hard Boiled (1992)
Hard Boiled is a 1992 Hong Kong action film directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat. The film follows Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun-fat), a tough cop who is on the trail of a drug lord. Tequila teams up with a young cop named Alan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) to stop the drug lord, but they soon find themselves in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
The intense action sequences were choreographed by Woo himself. Hard Boiled is considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made, because of its stylish visuals, suspenseful plot, and iconic characters.
8. John Wick (2014)
No doubt one of the most influential action movies that makes our list is John Wick. This a neo-noir action film that stars Keanu Reeves as John Wick, a retired hitman who seeks revenge after his dog is killed.
John Wick’s dog was a gift from his wife, who recently died. The gangsters who killed the dog are led by Viggo Tarasov, a powerful Russian mobster.
So John is forced to go on the run from the High Table, a secret society of assassins.
However, he eventually gets his revenge on Viggo Tarasov, but he also pays a heavy price.
John Wick is a stylish and violent film with some of the most intense action sequences in recent memory. It influenced countless other action films, including Atomic Blonde, The Old Guard, and Nobody.
9. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road is an action film that is directed by George Miller. It is a chase film where the main characters, Max and Furiosa, are pursued by Joe and his men across the desert.
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is captured by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), a tyrannical warlord. Joe forces Max to drive his War Rig, a heavily armored truck, in a convoy of other vehicles.
Max eventually escapes with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), Joe’s right-hand woman, who is leading a group of women prisoners to freedom. Joe and his men pursue Max and Furiosa across the desert, and a chase ensues.
Mad Max: Fury Road’s innovative car chases helped to set a new standard for action films like Fast & Furious, The Raid 2, and Hobbs & Shaw.
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
Last but not least on the list of most influential action movies to watch is The Dark Knight, a superhero film that is directed by Christopher Nolan and produced by Warner Bros. The film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, and Heath Ledger as the Joker.
In Gotham City, Batman (Christian Bale) and Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) ally to bring down mob boss Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). However, their plans are complicated by the arrival of the Joker (Heath Ledger), a sadistic terrorist who seeks to undermine Batman’s influence and destroy the city.
The Joker orchestrates a series of high-profile crimes, including a bank robbery and a ferry bombing, in an attempt to sow chaos and fear. He also targets Dent, who is disfigured in an attack and becomes Two-Face, a ruthless vigilante.
In the end, Batman is forced to make a difficult decision that will determine the fate of Gotham City.
Conclusion
These are just 10 of the most influential action movies you should watch. Many other great action movies could have been included on this list. However, these 10 films have all had a significant impact on the genre.
