Posted on Jun 10, 2022

19 Stunt-Studded Action Movies You Need To See

These action extravaganzas will have you going head over heels with their awesome practical stunt work.

by Ken W. Hanley

BuzzFeed Contributor

Before his tragic passing on the set of The Crow, Brandon Lee was quickly and fiercely cementing himself as the next major action star in Hollywood thanks to his physically intensive work on such set-wrecking action pictures as Rapid Fire. — 20th Century Studios / Via youtube.com

Before his tragic passing on the set of The Crow, Brandon Lee was quickly and fiercely cementing himself as the next major action star in Hollywood thanks to his physically intensive work on such set-wrecking action pictures as Rapid Fire.

20th Century Studios / Via youtube.com

Before his tragic passing on the set of The Crow, Brandon Lee was quickly and fiercely cementing himself as the next major action star in Hollywood thanks to his physically intensive work on such set-wrecking action pictures as Rapid Fire.

Tom Cruise has maintained his borderline mythical status as "the last movie star" thanks to his death-defying work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, which included hanging off of mountains, extended underwater sequences, and, as the clip above shows, strapping himself to a friggin' airplane. — Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

Tom Cruise has maintained his borderline mythical status as "the last movie star" thanks to his death-defying work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, which included hanging off of mountains, extended underwater sequences, and, as the clip above shows, strapping himself to a friggin' airplane.

Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

Tom Cruise has maintained his borderline mythical status as "the last movie star" thanks to his death-defying work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, which included hanging off of mountains, extended underwater sequences, and, as the clip above shows, strapping himself to a friggin' airplane.

For those finally entering the world of Bollywood thanks to the fun and extravagant RRR, may I direct your attention to the thrilling and over-the-top Dhoom franchise, especially the second entry in the series that includes some especially bonkers set pieces such as the one above. — Yash Raj Films / Via youtube.com

For those finally entering the world of Bollywood thanks to the fun and extravagant RRR, may I direct your attention to the thrilling and over-the-top Dhoom franchise, especially the second entry in the series that includes some especially bonkers set pieces such as the one above.

Yash Raj Films / Via youtube.com

For those finally entering the world of Bollywood thanks to the fun and extravagant RRR, may I direct your attention to the thrilling and over-the-top Dhoom franchise, especially the second entry in the series that includes some especially bonkers set pieces such as the one above.

George Miller proved that Mad Max can still dish out shock and awe in the 21st century with Fury Road, an eye-opening and exhilarating experience that beautifully utilized a metric ton of incredible practical driving stunts to fortune and notoriety. — Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

George Miller proved that Mad Max can still dish out shock and awe in the 21st century with Fury Road, an eye-opening and exhilarating experience that beautifully utilized a metric ton of incredible practical driving stunts to fortune and notoriety.

Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

George Miller proved that Mad Max can still dish out shock and awe in the 21st century with Fury Road, an eye-opening and exhilarating experience that beautifully utilized a metric ton of incredible practical driving stunts to fortune and notoriety.

Say what you want about the xXx franchise as a whole, but there's no denying that the first film brought some wonderful practical stunts to the table in a time when CGI stunts were the exception in a Vin Diesel movie and not the norm. — Columbia Pictures / Via youtube.com

Say what you want about the xXx franchise as a whole, but there's no denying that the first film brought some wonderful practical stunts to the table in a time when CGI stunts were the exception in a Vin Diesel movie and not the norm.

Columbia Pictures / Via youtube.com

Say what you want about the xXx franchise as a whole, but there's no denying that the first film brought some wonderful practical stunts to the table in a time when CGI stunts were the exception in a Vin Diesel movie and not the norm.

Tony Jaa may have made his name with American audiences with a film a little further down this list, but he became a bona fide action movie legend with The Protector, which included him cutting through bad guys in some truly wild fight scenes to retrieve illegally stolen elephants from the Thai mafia. — Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

Tony Jaa may have made his name with American audiences with a film a little further down this list, but he became a bona fide action movie legend with The Protector, which included him cutting through bad guys in some truly wild fight scenes to retrieve illegally stolen elephants from the Thai mafia.

Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

Tony Jaa may have made his name with American audiences with a film a little further down this list, but he became a bona fide action movie legend with The Protector, which included him cutting through bad guys in some truly wild fight scenes to retrieve illegally stolen elephants from the Thai mafia.

A recent addition to the long-lost "so-bad-it's-good" film canon, Action U.S.A. delivers on its namesake by balancing out its cornier elements with some OMG stunt exhibitions, including people dangling out of helicopters, jumping off of buildings, and a bevy of impressive car stunts. — Vinegar Syndrome / Via youtube.com

A recent addition to the long-lost "so-bad-it's-good" film canon, Action U.S.A. delivers on its namesake by balancing out its cornier elements with some OMG stunt exhibitions, including people dangling out of helicopters, jumping off of buildings, and a bevy of impressive car stunts.

Vinegar Syndrome / Via youtube.com

A recent addition to the long-lost "so-bad-it's-good" film canon, Action U.S.A. delivers on its namesake by balancing out its cornier elements with some OMG stunt exhibitions, including people dangling out of helicopters, jumping off of buildings, and a bevy of impressive car stunts.

While the John Wick franchise has put its practical stuntwork and action choreography front and center, the third chapter in this expansive assassin story takes the cake thanks to a number of genuinely breathtaking action sequences, including the above scene in which modern stunt master Chad Stahelski blended gun stunts, fight stunts, and even dog stunts. — Lionsgate / Via youtube.com

While the John Wick franchise has put its practical stuntwork and action choreography front and center, the third chapter in this expansive assassin story takes the cake thanks to a number of genuinely breathtaking action sequences, including the above scene in which modern stunt master Chad Stahelski blended gun stunts, fight stunts, and even dog stunts.

Lionsgate / Via youtube.com

While the John Wick franchise has put its practical stuntwork and action choreography front and center, the third chapter in this expansive assassin story takes the cake thanks to a number of genuinely breathtaking action sequences, including the above scene in which modern stunt master Chad Stahelski blended gun stunts, fight stunts, and even dog stunts.

Miramax / Via youtube.com

Supercop helped to bring Jackie Chan's brand of extraordinary action-comedy that puts the "slap" in "slapstick" to US shores, but the secret weapon of this film is the equally game Michelle Yeoh, whose dedication to the practical stunts famously made Chan elevate his game and even add more dangerous stunts to his own repertoire during the production.

A somewhat controversial title among die-hard action fans, Chocolate cannot be denied in terms of its top tier fight choreography as well as an impressive debut outing for Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda, who put her body on the line to showcase an incredible new female force in the burgeoning Thai action movie marketplace, as seen in the (somewhat spoilerific) clip above. — Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

A somewhat controversial title among die-hard action fans, Chocolate cannot be denied in terms of its top tier fight choreography as well as an impressive debut outing for Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda, who put her body on the line to showcase an incredible new female force in the burgeoning Thai action movie marketplace, as seen in the (somewhat spoilerific) clip above.

Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

A somewhat controversial title among die-hard action fans, Chocolate cannot be denied in terms of its top tier fight choreography as well as an impressive debut outing for Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda, who put her body on the line to showcase an incredible new female force in the burgeoning Thai action movie marketplace, as seen in the (somewhat spoilerific) clip above.

Nobody does it quite like John Woo, who stole Hollywood's attention from the lumbering action epics of Schwarzenegger and Stallone in order to usher in an age of frenetic, high-octane action films where style collided with substance in the most explosive fashion possible in such films as The Killer. — Media Asia Entertainment Group / Via youtube.com

Nobody does it quite like John Woo, who stole Hollywood's attention from the lumbering action epics of Schwarzenegger and Stallone in order to usher in an age of frenetic, high-octane action films where style collided with substance in the most explosive fashion possible in such films as The Killer.

Media Asia Entertainment Group / Via youtube.com

Nobody does it quite like John Woo, who stole Hollywood's attention from the lumbering action epics of Schwarzenegger and Stallone in order to usher in an age of frenetic, high-octane action films where style collided with substance in the most explosive fashion possible in such films as The Killer.

A cinematic launching pad for parkour pioneer David Belle, District 13 may not be the most compelling action film ever produced, but there's no way you won't be left stunned by the fast-paced action scenes on display, including chase sequences like the above that have to be seen to be believed. — EuropaCorp / Via youtube.com

A cinematic launching pad for parkour pioneer David Belle, District 13 may not be the most compelling action film ever produced, but there's no way you won't be left stunned by the fast-paced action scenes on display, including chase sequences like the above that have to be seen to be believed.

EuropaCorp / Via youtube.com

A cinematic launching pad for parkour pioneer David Belle, District 13 may not be the most compelling action film ever produced, but there's no way you won't be left stunned by the fast-paced action scenes on display, including chase sequences like the above that have to be seen to be believed.

John Woo and Chow Yun Fat were simply undeniable by the time Hard-Boiled blasted through cinemas around the globe, redefining the term "show-stopping" with stunts that still put most mainstream action cinema to shame. — Miramax / Via youtube.com

John Woo and Chow Yun Fat were simply undeniable by the time Hard-Boiled blasted through cinemas around the globe, redefining the term "show-stopping" with stunts that still put most mainstream action cinema to shame.

Miramax / Via youtube.com

John Woo and Chow Yun Fat were simply undeniable by the time Hard-Boiled blasted through cinemas around the globe, redefining the term "show-stopping" with stunts that still put most mainstream action cinema to shame.

An underrated title in the grand scheme of Hong Kong action cinema, this action-comedy contains some of the best (and honestly, most ridiculous) stuntwork of all time, with the centerpiece of the kick-ass flick being the edge-of-your-seat chainsaw battle featured above. — Cinema City Enterprises / Via youtube.com

An underrated title in the grand scheme of Hong Kong action cinema, this action-comedy contains some of the best (and honestly, most ridiculous) stuntwork of all time, with the centerpiece of the kick-ass flick being the edge-of-your-seat chainsaw battle featured above.

Cinema City Enterprises / Via youtube.com

An underrated title in the grand scheme of Hong Kong action cinema, this action-comedy contains some of the best (and honestly, most ridiculous) stuntwork of all time, with the centerpiece of the kick-ass flick being the edge-of-your-seat chainsaw battle featured above.

Action directing icon, Craig R. Baxley, went above and beyond the call of duty with this Brian Bosworth-starring one-of-a-kind stunt show, with mind-blowing gunfights, explosions that pop off the screen, and even a sequence in which an actual motorcycle flies out of a building and collides with a military helicopter. — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Via youtube.com

Action directing icon, Craig R. Baxley, went above and beyond the call of duty with this Brian Bosworth-starring one-of-a-kind stunt show, with mind-blowing gunfights, explosions that pop off the screen, and even a sequence in which an actual motorcycle flies out of a building and collides with a military helicopter.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Via youtube.com

Action directing icon, Craig R. Baxley, went above and beyond the call of duty with this Brian Bosworth-starring one-of-a-kind stunt show, with mind-blowing gunfights, explosions that pop off the screen, and even a sequence in which an actual motorcycle flies out of a building and collides with a military helicopter.

Tony Jaa turned heads in his breakout performance in Ong Bak, which features the Muay Thai badass jumping through razor wire, kicking dudes while on fire and taking down scores of equally agile villains in short order. — Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

Tony Jaa turned heads in his breakout performance in Ong Bak, which features the Muay Thai badass jumping through razor wire, kicking dudes while on fire and taking down scores of equally agile villains in short order.

Sahamongkol Film International / Via youtube.com

Tony Jaa turned heads in his breakout performance in Ong Bak, which features the Muay Thai badass jumping through razor wire, kicking dudes while on fire and taking down scores of equally agile villains in short order.

Whether or not you're familiar with this inimitable action masterpiece, the reason you know the name Jackie Chan is likely because of Police Story, a film that proved to the rest of the world that the Hong Kong superstar was a king of comedy and death-courting stunts, such as those featured in the pulse-pounding scene above. — Media Asia Entertainment Group / Via youtube.com

Whether or not you're familiar with this inimitable action masterpiece, the reason you know the name Jackie Chan is likely because of Police Story, a film that proved to the rest of the world that the Hong Kong superstar was a king of comedy and death-courting stunts, such as those featured in the pulse-pounding scene above.

Media Asia Entertainment Group / Via youtube.com

Whether or not you're familiar with this inimitable action masterpiece, the reason you know the name Jackie Chan is likely because of Police Story, a film that proved to the rest of the world that the Hong Kong superstar was a king of comedy and death-courting stunts, such as those featured in the pulse-pounding scene above.

A newer entry into the canon of action classics, Gareth Evans brought the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat to the forefront of action cinema while helping usher forth a new wave of dynamic, stunt-adept stars, including Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim. — Sony Pictures Classics / Via youtube.com

A newer entry into the canon of action classics, Gareth Evans brought the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat to the forefront of action cinema while helping usher forth a new wave of dynamic, stunt-adept stars, including Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim.

Sony Pictures Classics / Via youtube.com

A newer entry into the canon of action classics, Gareth Evans brought the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat to the forefront of action cinema while helping usher forth a new wave of dynamic, stunt-adept stars, including Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim.

What would a stunt-filled film list be without the inclusion of Hal Needham, the stuntman-turned-director who defined a generation of "holy $#!*" films that helped send Burt Reynolds into the stratosphere and set the bar for action films forthwith. — Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

What would a stunt-filled film list be without the inclusion of Hal Needham, the stuntman-turned-director who defined a generation of "holy $#!*" films that helped send Burt Reynolds into the stratosphere and set the bar for action films forthwith.

Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

What would a stunt-filled film list be without the inclusion of Hal Needham, the stuntman-turned-director who defined a generation of "holy $#!*" films that helped send Burt Reynolds into the stratosphere and set the bar for action films forthwith.

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