If you go back through my “Best Action Films of the Year”
lists for the last few years, you will see that I do have a slight bias towards
Asian cinema in the genre. While many people have voiced their disagreements
with me on including too many films from those countries, I truly believe that
their industry has a better understanding of the art form of an action film.
This year, however, those people that let me know I cater too much to that
style are going to pissed. Simply put, the Asian countries dominated the genre
this year. Europe and Hollywood most certainly dropped the ball when it comes
to the better action films of the year – particularly when it comes to being
the best of the best. So take that into considering when going into this list.
Outside of that note, 2016 had some great action films
although none of them quite stood out against the pack like Mad Max: Fury Road or John Wick did in the last couple of
years. There are plenty of mainstream goodies to be had here, but as always I
love to throw in a few ‘black sheep’ entries that will surely get me some hate
mail and snide comments from all over the interwebz. As that goes, here is my
disclaimer that this list is purely based on my opinion of the best action
films that came out this year and we are open to hear about what you guys think
we missed or gave too high of a ranking for. This is 2016, I hold no delusions
that the internet will voice its opinion over a list like this one. So feel
free to shed some blood in the comments section, send us an email, post on our
Facebook wall, or Tweet us.
*Note: some releases may have come out in years previous,
but this list is crafted based on films that received their official North
American debut in 2016 via theatrical screening, VOD, or home video. Thanks.*
30. Captain America: Civil War
The third Captain
America film and umpteenth Marvel Cinematic Universe flick had the issue of
running up against some very serious hype and being based on one of the
greatest story arcs in comic book history. While the film itself is flawed in
its writing, featuring another half dashed throw away villain like Marvel seems
to enjoy crafting, it is pretty damn entertaining and runs on just being a
charming film overall. It can’t touch the heights reached by the political thriller
tones of the last Cap film, but it
attempts to do so in an admirable manner. It also earns some bonus points for
fantastic introductions for both Spider-Man and Black Panther. Not an easy task
considering this film is not about either of them.
29. The Purge: Election Year
Most end of the year lists are jamming this one into the
horror film category and while the third Purge
film certainly uses horror elements to its benefit – particularly in the third
act – the use of rebel fighters, sieges, and badass Grillo kick it further into
the action category for me. So here it is and while the film isn’t quite as
awesome as the last one, it’s still light years ahead of the first one in
quality and features a ton of memorable sequences worthy of mention. Plus, in a
year like 2016, this film feels hopeful when it comes to its political
commentary and satire.
28. Sword Master
The more I watch Sword
Master the more I love it. It’s definitely a move that isn’t perfect, but
it’s throwback intent to recreating the Shaw Brothers tone is something that
hits me right in the feels and the combination of Tsui Hark’s production values
with Derek Yee’s direction is worth noting for any fans of Hong Kong cinema.
It’s well grounded into the wuxia genre with its high-flying action and over
the top characters (and designs) so take it with a grain of salt going in and
it should definitely be one that Shaw fans will appreciate on some level if
only for its spin on being a remake of the classic wuxia Death Duel.
27. Eliminators
Eliminators was a
wild card film going into the year. The director showed some talent with Green Street Hooligans 3 (ugh, three of
those?) and it does star Scott Adkins (always a win in my book) so I was hoping
the combination would be pretty awesome. It is. It’s not a complex movie,
focusing down on its stripped thriller plotting, but it’s loaded with old
school style and it lays the groundwork for an interesting lead character. It
seems to be riding on the wake of John
Wick’s success in its style heavy, bare script approach, but when it works
it does work. Eliminators makes it
work pretty well.
26. Hard Target 2
A double dose of Scott Adkins is just what this list needed
and after the surprise quality of Eliminators,
let’s talk about the surprise quality of Hard
Target 2. It’s a sequel that no one really asked for, but the combination
of Adkins and director Reine makes it one of those straight to home video
releases that action fans are going to love. The use of its Thailand setting is
smart and it gives its heroes and villains plenty of cheesy material to play
with just like a film called Hard Target
2 needs. The throwbacks to John Woo’s style from the original are also a
nice touch and it kicks it onto the list for the end of the year.
25. Marauders
This was a film that, even as I started watching it, I would have never guessed would have made this
list by the end of the year. Marauders
has a strong cast, although Willis is not much more than a namesake anymore in
these kinds of films, but for an action thriller this hits a remarkable amount
of gritty and effective beats to raise it above the normal crop of crap that
drops during the year. At times it does feel a bit like a TV series concept
that was made as a movie instead, but its clever writing and great characters
make it one that eases by on the talents of its team instead of its worn
concept. More of a thriller than straight up action, it is one of those gems
that is going to be more than overlooked in the coming years.
24. The Accountant
Ben Affleck is an autistic accountant who moonlights as an
international book keeper and vigilante justice provider. Yet, with a concept
like that, The Accountant still made
it into a wide theatrical release. Still, considering the low expectations I
had for it, it carries a remarkable amount of charm with it, powering itself on
the chemistry of its cast and some shockingly funny moments. It’s also quite
the action film when it wants to go there and I guess Affleck wanted to show
people he can kick ass without a Batsuit and shitty film to go with it. I’ll
run with that. Here’s to hoping this gets franchised because there are so many
fun things you can do with the foundations that this film lays out. I hope it
goes there.
23. Blood Father
Crazy Mel Gibson is the best Mel Gibson. While he is earning
a bit of praise for his latest directorial effort garnering some awards season
praise, Blood Father will remain on
my list for best action films. It’s gritty and dark with just enough social
commentary to give it a depth that these kinds of action thrillers normally
don’t receive. Gibson remains one of the main reasons to see the film and his
dark humor and off kilter performance energizes its 70s style plotting.
Definitely worth seeing.
22. Standoff
Tom Jane and Laurence Fishburne are both men with nothing to
lose and their stand off against one another in a small rural farm house over a
little girl who has seen a murder might be one of the cleverer ideas that has
come out of the straight to home video market in recent years. This film is
less about the action and more about the tension, but when it’s driven by some
great direction and two screen cult giants doing their thing…it remains one of
the best gems of the year.
21. Operation Mekong
Many of the early trailers for Operation Mekong made the film look something like a military
action thriller, powered by a dramatic ‘based on true events’ plot, and packed
with big name stars throwing their best performances to earn awards. In many
ways, yes, this is the film you are going to see with Operation Mekong. It’s certainly all of those things to an extent.
However, that’s not all it is either. There was a certain expectation that went
with the tone of the trailers that seemed to mix Platoon with a more modern day Lone
Survivor spin and Operation Mekong
is a bit more than that…and a bit less. Dante Lam’s latest action extravaganza
is more John Woo and less Oliver Stone in its approach to the story, blending
in high octane block buster action sequences with military dramatic touches. So
it is less, in the idea of an impactful and emotional punch categories, but it
is certainly more in the insane cheesy action categories. Operation Mekong ultimately comes off as a slightly mixed effort in
its writing and characters, but it makes up for a lot of its larger flaws by
being skull shatteringly action packed and tense. When it’s boiled down, this
is really the film I should have expected and I still enjoyed the hell out of
it, even if it doesn’t quite match the dramatic heights that Dante Lam has
reached in previous films.
20. Call of Heroes
Initially, I didn't love Call
of Heroes. It's a film that leaps from over the top outrageous antics to
dark and often shockingly violent moments that I wasn't sure that worked. So I
sat with it for a day or so and reflected about it. The more I thought about it
though, the more it seemed to be the intent of the film. Yes, it's occasionally
cheesy with some of its melodrama and almost cartoonish like characters, but as
the film moves it starts to break those down. It goes as far as to fight
against its own style at times to break those patterns and give abrasive
texture to the normally bright colors and bigger than life moments of the film.
The more I think about it, the more it works. The more I think about, the more
those leaps between its tone and shifts are purposefully abrupt and disruptive.
Call of Heroes is both a film that
celebrates its heritage as a wuxia and a western and challenges it with modern
style and spectacle.
19. Reign of Assassins
Over half of a decade. HALF A DECADE. That's how long it
took Reign of Assassins to finally
get a US release, despite the fact that it's co-directed by John Woo and stars
Michelle Yeoh. Luckily, the wait is worth it because Reign of Assassins is one of those modern wuxia films that really
works and it works in a lot of ways. It's effective in its character builds,
gimmicky in its style, and impactful in its themes. It's one of those martial
arts films that hits the viewer on a multitude of levels and despite some weird
and occasionally predictable twists later on, it rarely misses a moment to run
with what it is given. Sure, I waited for this film a long time, but the wait
was worth it.
18. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno
The first sequel to the live action version of Rurouni Kenshin (and the first of a two
part story), Kyoto Inferno takes what
the first film established and runs a theme more epic and more over the top.
This is both a blessing and a curse, as viewers get to explore the universe
that Kenshin exists in with more back
story and deeper layers, but it's also a lot to consume at times. This film
adds a lot of new characters, still as spunky and energetic as the ones in the
first, and it really builds a kind of visual feast. It's epic. The action isn't
nearly as memorable although, until the final act that is, and it takes a lot
of time establishing the chess pieces for a much more robust concept to play
out in the third film. It's still a massively impressive film, although I do
like it a tad less than the original one.
17. Judge Archer
Xu Haofeng may have made a name for himself internationally
by writing the acclaimed The Grandmaster
for Wong Kar Wai, but his career as a writer is only one part of it. His career
as a director, in my opinion, is even better than his ability to write dramatic
martial arts films and his second film, Judge
Archer, is further proof of this. While Judge
Archer may not be the kind of film that appeals to martial arts fans who
only like cheesy, over the top stuff, it is a martial arts film that bridges
the gap between the classic kung fu foundations and an artful representation of
them. It's dramatic and artfully vague, but it still rests its style and focus
on classic martial arts ideas and it's masterfully crafted in its visuals and
performances. It's not quite as efficient as Xu Haofeng's latest film The Final Master, but it certainly is a
brilliant gem of the genre.
16. Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends
While the film lacks the feeling of a full structure (it is
the second half of one long film, essentially) and adds even more characters
into the mix of an already very packed narrative, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends is still bombastic and effective.
The story arc for our titular hero is strong and it wraps up some fun secondary
plots in some unique ways - even going so far as to add in the classic martial
arts "go-back-to-your-roots-and-retrain-for-the-final-battle"
sequence in there. The final 25 minutes are an action fan's wet dream of
expertly choreographed fight sequences, blistering execution of those, and
dynamic shifts to the tone and atmosphere. It may not be perfect as a
standalone film, but the final act alone might be one of the greatest action
set pieces put to celluloid...ever. Truly an epic way to finish out an epic two-part film.
15. Saving Mr. Wu
Ding Sheng does it again with his latest thriller, Saving Mr. Wu. While based on real
events, this film uses the director's grounded style and intense emotional bits
to really drive home a unique and pounding thriller. It's a fairly straight
forward film, but it's saved by an artistic and often complex narrative that
wraps smaller character details into a leaping time structure that builds
tension and the sense of urgency to sell the entire thing. The film is hinged
on a series of very impressive performances (including the never-aging Andy
Lau) and some charismatic dialogue that keeps things feeling human within its
high speed style. Color me impressed once again with what Ding Sheng has to
offer here. I was excited for his take on the A Better Tomorrow franchise that is in production, but now I'm
positively stoked.
14. Hardcore Henry
Watching Hardcore
Henry felt like it took 15 minutes. This is because the movie is
outrageously entertaining and frantically paced. The gimmick of a "first
person shooter film" can wear thin on occasion, but the script it’s built
on is so loose and fun that it's remarkably easy to run with as our hero Henry
goes through a variety of horrifically violent and continually more
unbelievably "levels" to get to his destination. In a lot of ways the
film is built like a video game, all the way down to flash backs and exposition
that resemble cut scenes and even problem solving to defeat a telekinetic boss
(who is also viciously awesome). If you're not willing to buy into the gimmick,
this movie will not interest you in any way. For clever conceptional action and
its shockingly efficient way of telling its bare bones story though, I have to
give it a huge recommendation as one of the most entertaining films of
the year.
13. The Nice Guys
12. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars has
always been a series I enjoy, but not necessarily love. Even Rogue One, the first anthology film for
the expanding universe, is flawed in a few ways, but director Gareth Edwards
and his merry bands of film makers simply nail the tone and pacing of this
film. The characters are all fun and effective for their limited screen time
and the final act is simply stunning in its scope and execution. This is a film
that really does ride the line between Star
Wars family friendly blockbuster and one that pushes the boundaries just a
little bit further into darker and grittier territory. Not to mention, it’s the
first of many Donnie Yen films to make this list.
11.The Lost Bladesman
10. Three
Johnnie To remains one of my favorite directors and one that
always takes his thriller, gang, and action films into slightly new and
effectively executed arenas. Three is
another round of that concept where To crafts a film that's tensely minimalist
for the first two acts and then shockingly overzealous in the final twenty
minutes. It takes a lot of chances, some that work and some that don't, so
there is mad respect for that. This is one of those action films that more
thriller and even then it’s more atmospheric thriller than pure action film,
but when To is at the helm and it has such a smartly written script then the
film comes highly recommended.
09. Veteran
Owing its fair share of influence from the likes of 80s HK
action comedies from Golden Harvest, Veteran
is a full gear fun film that showcases some great talent. The stunts and action
are fabulous, the lead character is delightfully rough around the edges, and
the villain is shockingly evil. The film misses a few opportunities to lift
itself above being a good action comedy in themes and threaded ideas, but it's
hard to say that it was a huge deterrent to the entertainment I had with the
film. It’s also a film that has grown with me more and more as the year has
gone on and continually shifted upwards on this list to land in the top 10.
It’s quirky and very charming.
08. Kung Fu Panda 3
While Kung Fu Panda 3
does not top my list for best animated films for the year, that award goes to Kubo and the Two Strings, it does still
make the list for top ten action films of the year for a variety of reasons.
Like the previous two entries, this third one is an awesome balance between the
simplicity of kid’s filmmaking and some heavier concepts and it pushes it even
further by going well into some non-western concepts like chi and the
afterlife. It does it by littering the film with some great characters, funny
situations, and plenty of action, but it’s still something of a chancy intent.
To add gravy to this dinner though, the animation is simply stunning and makes
it all blend together impressively well.
07. Deadpool
One of the biggest surprises of the year was Deadpool, a film that took years to make
and only days to dominate the international box office. Truthfully, it might be
how surprisingly fun and solid it was as a film that rocketed this superhero
film into the top ten on this list. By all means, Deadpool can be an irritating character and his die hard fanbase
can be just as bad. Yet this film has a surprising amount of heart to go with its
fast and randomized humor and it uses its limited budget and characters in a
wise manner. The balance between comedy and action is striking and the casting
is spot on for all of the characters. It’s not nearly the best comic book
superhero adaption ever made, but in a year where most of them were either
underwhelming (X-Men, Doctor Strange)
or outright terrible (Batman V Superman,
Suicide Squad) Deadpool came out
like a breath of fresh air.
06. Star Trek Beyond
Considering some of the luke warm love that this film
received when it came out, the fact that it made it all the way to #6 on this
list is going to be decently controversial and I’m sure I’ll hear all about it.
However, when it comes to theatrical films that I saw this year Star Trek Beyond must be one of the
movies I had the most fun at. This is, inherently, because it is the anti-Star Trek Into Darkness film. Instead of
massive amounts of forced plot and haphazardly thrown together references to
the original series, Beyond flows in
a very natural way embracing the adventure and fun of the original series while
still maintaining the modern aspects of this latest franchise. Justin Lin adds
his own spin to things in the second half mostly, but the director knows
entertaining and he fully embraces it here. It’s not a life changing entry into
the series, but I can easily see it being one that I revisit the most for how enjoyable
it is.
05. Cold War II
The first Cold War
film was one that I enjoyed quite a bit as a political and police thriller, but
Cold War II ups the ante on damn near
every level. This one might be a stretch to call an action film as it really
does focus down on suspense, tension, and thrills with a couple of action set
pieces thrown in for good measure, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire
film and it’s relentless pacing and high octane performances made it feel like
an action film. The addition of Chow Yun Fat to the roster only made things
more awesome this time around and for that it easily makes my top five of the
year.
04. Ip Man 3
Donnie Yen owned 2016. Not only is he on this list multiple
times already, but his return to the Ip
Man franchise is a key reason to his international success and this third
entry is a worthy addition. While the Mike Tyson plot does seem to be a tad
unnecessary in the grand aspect of the film, Ip Man 3 balances it out with some phenomenal casting choices
including Max Zhang and Beardy to the roster whom make the most of their time
in the film. Again, this series is easily one of the best martial arts series
of all time so far and with the announcement of a fourth one coming, it’s not a
hard decision to add Ip Man 3 to your
list to watch. If only for the stunning finale.
03. Rurouni Kenshin: Origins
That’s right, all three Rurouni
Kensin movies made the list this year. Despite the epic tone of the final
two, the first one remains the best. The action is swift and relentless, the heart
and humor work to make the characters stick, and it’s period piece plotting
ably gives the film a great twist of blending traditional samurai cinema
moments with modern appeal. The casting is spot on and the emotional resonance
is effective. It’s not often that adaptions for anime make our lists, let alone
this high, but Rurouni Kenshin
deserves to be recognized – even if the US release came four years too late to
really be able to jump on the bandwagon.
02. Killzone 2 (SPL 2)
The original Killzone
(SPL) was released to acclaim, but over the years has taken an ambitious
life of its own as a modern action classic that blended classic Hong Kong cops
n’ robbers motifs with a modern sensibility. It’s sequel may not feature any of
the same characters, but it ably recaptures that same tone and concept. It
features some jaw breaking action set pieces and uses its A-list casting to
maximum benefit. Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, and Max Zhang? Not to mention Simon Yam and
Louis Koo? This is a modern Hong Kong cinema fans dream cast and it uses them
to near perfection. This film also features TWO of the best fight sequences in
2016 with a prison riot and a 2 on 1 brawl between Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, and Max
Zhang. It might have tightened up its symbolic moments a bit, but when it’s
this entertaining and contains this much heart that’s a minor annoyance.
01. The Final Master
There are a lot of left field choices on my list this year,
controversial or not, but perhaps the biggest one takes the #1 spot for the
year. I say its controversial because it was a film that only received a very
limited theatrical run in the US earlier this year and then seemingly
disappeared. No home video release has been announced. It’s a shame really. The Final Master (also known as The Master) is everything that I wanted The Grandmaster to be as an artistic
martial arts film. It’s dense, uses space in brilliant ways, and features some
phenomenal performances from actors and in the action set pieces. It’s perhaps
more arthouse than most action fans would care to see in their action movies,
but it blends the two so perfectly that I couldn’t help but be completely at
the film’s beck and call.
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