Top 10 Best Action Movies of All Time

“Die Hard” changed the genre forever in 1988. The formula of “terrorists take over a building and a lone hero has to solve it” has been copied countless times afterwards, but never done as well as here. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a believable “badass motherf*cker” from start to finish. In addition, villain Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) is just as legendary. Yippee-ki-yay!

There's plenty of "old school" action in "Terminator 2," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and action heroine Linda Hamilton. But what really made the film legendary was the revolutionary CGI at the time. Never before had we seen such smooth “morphing” effects as with the villain T-1000. It is one of the few sequels that manages to surpass the original on almost every level.

The first film in the “Indiana Jones” franchise is still the best. The film starts immediately with one of the most iconic scenes in film history: Indy maneuvering through a temple full of booby traps to obtain a golden idol. The action doesn't stop after that until the villains are literally burned and Indiana Jones, of course, saves the girl. Pure adventure action of the highest level.

“The Matrix” put the action genre back on the map in 1999. The '90s were a bit thin on action films up until then; the icons from the heyday either became a caricature of themselves, or suddenly took themselves too seriously. Then suddenly there was “The Matrix”: a perfect combination of groundbreaking CGI and a philosophically strong story. Not only did “bullet time” become legendary overnight, but there has rarely been so much discussion about the deeper meaning of an action film.

“I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.” In 2008 we were finally treated to a real, raw badass in the form of Liam Neeson. The film is a tight, ruthless chase through Paris that shook up the genre again.

“Lethal Weapon” is the mother of all “Buddy Cop” movies. Maybe we shouldn't be so happy about that afterwards, because after this film almost all genre members became too "cheesy" to watch. However, with the original everything was still correct. Mel Gibson plays the suicidal, deranged cop Martin Riggs who has to work with veteran Roger Murtaugh (“I'm getting too old for this shit!”). The chemistry between the two is fantastic and the action is still old-fashioned hard.

This is without a doubt the most epic battle ever between humanity and aliens. And by “people” we especially mean the ultimate badass action heroine Ellen Ripley, unforgettably portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. While the first part was an oppressive horror film, James Cameron went for large-scale action in this sequel. Never before has such an exciting and intense alien film been made.

“RoboCop”, directed by Dutch pride Paul Verhoeven, is one of the most violent and satirical action films ever made. Verhoeven sketches a pitch-black vision of the future of Detroit. In this world, everyone is corrupt — even the police — and criminals stop at nothing. The film is not only hard action, but also contains a sharp layer of social criticism that is still relevant today.

“Predator” is also one of the absolute hits from the 80s. During a rescue mission in the jungle, a group of tough commandos are hunted by a mysterious alien warrior: The Predator. It's a perfect mix of military action, suspense and science fiction, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in top form.

The 1980s were the heyday for musclemen such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude van Damme. Testosterone and explosions abounded in virtually every production. Two of the best films from this era are at numbers ten and nine on the list. “First Blood” was the first in the “Rambo” series. Stallone plays a mentally broken Vietnam veteran who single-handedly imitates the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Cong in the forests of America. He takes on an entire army alone.