LoC: Top 51 Action Movies Countdown! Part 83!

[Johnny Unusual]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Sqz5dbs5zmo" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Sqz5dbs5zmo</a>

IT HAS BEGUN!  This is the knock-out, drag-out, blow-out fight to see which action movie gets your love.  I tabulated the votes and crunched the numbers... of the votes... that I tabulated and found out what we think are the action movies we love the most.  This has been a thrill to compile and it's also given me some ideas for films to check out.  Sorry for taking so long, by the way, so I hope you find it worth the wait.

In addition, each entry will come with three sub-entries.

Shit Just Got Real! – This catelogues the moment in most action movies where the stakes are kicked up in the film for dramatic effect and often providing a sense of awe and "AAAAAAAAAWWWWWW SHIT!"

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – Me, telling you how action-packed the films are.  This is NOT a judgment on the quality of the film and not entirely about how good the action is, it is just an indicator (debatable in some cases where I needed to make an educated guess about a film I haven't seen).  There are some fantastic films here that rank pretty low on this.

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
Some awesome action movie scene.  Like this.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/119rJSY5G0g" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/119rJSY5G0g</a>

So please enjoy, won't you?  Thank you.

[Johnny Unusual]

#51-49  – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

22 Points, 1 Lists, #4 Charles Hussein Castle

No growth without assistance. No action without reaction. No desire without restraint. Now give yourself up and find yourself again.

During the Qing Dynasty in China, when the legendary warrior known as Li Mu Bai decides to give up adventuring, he also decides to give up his equally legendary sword known as Green Destiny, a weapon of unparalleled craftsmanship.  However, soon after, the weapon is stolen by a masked thief causing Li and his lover Yu Shu Lien (also a skilled fighter) begin to hunt for it.  The thief is in fact a governor’s daughter, Jen Yu, who seeks a life of freedom and adventure rather than entering into an arranged marriage. She is also the protégée of Jade Fox, the woman who killed Li’s master for refusing to teach her the Wudang school of kung fu.   Soon, a battle plays out between the faction for the fate of the sword and the future of a young martial artist of great potential.

 Shit Just Got Real! – Jade Fox, the woman who has dedicated her life to having revenge on the students of Wudang for not teaching her their style discovers her student has gained access to the very style she covets/reviles, deeply changing their relationship (even if Jen has yet to realize it).

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 45%.  There are definitely some fantastic fight scenes, but the scenes themselves are more graceful poetic pieces rather than white knuckle rides.  Though if that’s what you are into, you’ll get a lot out of the fight in the restaurant and the constant weapons switching Shu does in her fight with Jen.

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/WZvzB7zG_HM" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/WZvzB7zG_HM</a>

[ScottotD]

[Johnny Unusual]

#51-49  – Ghostbusters

22 Points, 1 Lists, #4 ScottotD

Let’s show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown!

When 3 paranormal investigators are kicked out of their cozy university jobs just as one of them discovers a method for catching ghosts, the three decide to go into business for themselves as ghostbusters.  While the work is slow at first, they start investigating the strange case of Dana Barrett who claims to have a hellhound living in her refrigerator and take care of a ghost in a hotel.  Soon they find themselves up to their ears in clients, only to realize there may be a greater, more dire reason for their uptick in business related to the strange events occurring in Dana Barrett’s apartment.

 Shit Just Got Real! – Signorney Weaver and Rick Moranis are possessed by demons and if they go to bone town, they will unleash a force that will end the world.  Picture that.  Yeah.  Soak that in.

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 20%.  Personally, I think of this less as an action comedy and more of an adventure comedy.  There is action, but it is really kept to two key scenes, both of which are tremendous fun: the hotel ghost hunt and the final battle.  It’s not often that visual phantasmagoria goes hand in hand with comedy, but this does it very well.   In fact, I don’t know if there are any effects-heavy comedies as successful as this one, and not for a lack of trying (sorry, Evolution, you are terrible).

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/9ZVzT0zx_pk" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/9ZVzT0zx_pk</a>

[Johnny Unusual]

#51-49  – In Bruges

22 Points, 1 Lists, #4 Cole Stratton

You're an inanimate fucking object!

Hitmen Ray and Ken are sent to hide out in Bruges after Ken shoots a young boy.  Ken enjoys the beauty of the city, but Ray is finding it dull and is restless to leave the country and return to his hometown and get back to work.  But both are feeling guilty of their situations: Ray for having murdered a child and Ken… for having to kill Ray.  Seems that Ray has been sent to Bruges to enjoy a beautiful city before he Is executed for screwing up, and if Ken doesn’t finish the job, their ruthless but honorable boss is going to arrive to make sure it gets done.

 Shit Just Got Real! – Ray finds that he isn’t sent to lay low in Bruges, unless by that you meant 6 feet under.  Assuming it isn’t a shallow grave.

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 15%.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I remember the film being more of a dramedy with a gunplay-filled chase in the finale.  Feel free to correct me on that.  Still, definitely worth checking out and a fun role for Peter Dinklage.

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/IMITzipEmNE" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/IMITzipEmNE</a>

[CJones]

Looks like my #3 is guaranteed to make it. I just hope I'm not the only one to vote for it.

[Johnny Unusual]

#48  – Hard Boiled

22 Points, 2 Lists, # 11 Stethacantus

Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God.

When Inspector “Tequila” Yuen’s partner is killed in a raid on some gun smugglers, Tequila ends up with a new partner: an inside man.  Tony is a criminal rising quickly up the ranks but he has a secret: he’s an undercover cop who is now caught in the crossfire of two competing crime bosses.  Tequila and Tony will need to work together (and a lot of bullets) to survive two armies of killers.

Shit Just Got Real! – If Tony isn’t in a dangerous enough position as an undercover cop, he’s told to murder a police informant.  Can he use his quick thinking to get out of this one?

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 80-90%.  I’ve never seen this one, but considering it is a John Woo film, I’m pretty sure it is on the high end of the spectrum.

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/3bozxgVQ9m0" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/3bozxgVQ9m0</a>

[Johnny Unusual]

#47-46  – Breaking Away

23 Points, 1 List, #3 Stethacantus

They want a fight, we'll give 'em a fight.

   

A year after graduation, four working class friends are lost and unsure what to do with their lives.  After one of the friends, Dave, wins a Masi bicycle, he becomes wildly obsessed with the Italian cycling team and all things Italian.  After an attempt to serenade a girl, Italian-style, goes awry, Dave’s friend Cyril ends up getting beaten up for his trouble by university students.  As an apology for this, the school’s dean offers Dave and his friends entry into a local bike relay, the Little 500, where they will compete against the Italian bike team.
   
Shit Just Got Real! – Turns out the Italian bike team is all jerks!

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 20% I never saw this one, but from what little I know about it, it is more of a coming of age sports movie.  That said, there’s sure to be a training montage (maybe not, this was in the late 70’s, when montage’s weren’t completely inescapable) and a climactic race.  Also, I assume their called Cutters because they cut some people up! 

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
Sorry,  I couldn’t find a decent clip from the movie, but maybe the Breaking Away TV Pilot would help instead.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AL7kdIAHtl8" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AL7kdIAHtl8</a>

[MightyJack]

While there are several movies I like here... yeah, many of them I wouldn't consider action movies. Very underwhelming start to the LOC IMHO.

[Johnny Unusual]

Don't worry, a lot of the debatable stuff is towards the bottom of the list.  But yeah, I'm starting to question what people consider an action movie.  Besides, I ask people to follow their heart on what they consider an action movie and though I don't agree, I will regret their wishes.  Still, it is weird that Dancer in the Dark made it to number one.  Spoiler alert.

[Relaxing Dragon]

While I agree that several titles so far listed are very much straining the Action title, I think Hard Boiled more than makes up for anything. And I don't just say that because seeing it here gave me a "Why didn't I list that!?" moment. Johnny, do go see it, because it's simply incredible.

[ScottotD]

While there are several movies I like here... yeah, many of them I wouldn't consider action movies. Very underwhelming start to the LOC IMHO.

You don't consider Hard Boiled an action movie?



Ghostbusters was a line call because it's about 6 genres but I'd describe it mostly as action/comedy so it got in.

[MightyJack]

While there are several movies I like here... yeah, many of them I wouldn't consider action movies. Very underwhelming start to the LOC IMHO.

You don't consider Hard Boiled an action movie?

I consider it an egg.

Seriously though; a key word in my post was "many" - and that would be one of the few I'd consider action on this list so far.

[ScottotD]

While there are several movies I like here... yeah, many of them I wouldn't consider action movies. Very underwhelming start to the LOC IMHO.

You don't consider Hard Boiled an action movie?

I consider it an egg.

Seriously though; a key word in my post was "many" - and that would be one of the few I'd consider action on this list so far.

Ah, I misread it I think. 

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/119rJSY5G0g" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/119rJSY5G0g</a>

Hey, Ip Man! What movie is this?

[Johnny Unusual]

#47-46  – John Carpenter’s The Thing

23 Points, 1 List, #3 ScottotD

I know you gentlemen have been through a lot. But when you find the time... I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!

   

The crew of an Antarctic science base is doing their best to kill the time in complete isolation when two men from another camp enter their camp firing guns.  The crew kill them in self-defense, leaving only a dog they seemed to be chasing.  Later that even, the dog literally explodes into an entirely different creature and begins absorbing the other dogs into its very being.  The crew manage to neutralize the creature, but soon realize that the organism can spread to other people and transform them into an entirely different creature cell by cell.  Who is infected is nearly impossible to tell, and the only way to save the world is by letting everyone die.
   
Shit Just Got Real! – You know, when a dog erupts, shit gets pretty real, pretty fat.

Pure Adrenaline Percentage – 20% I’d say this one is more of a horror film than an action movie, but while the film takes advantage of paranoia with high tension, the adrenaline comes out when someone turns into a monster thing. 

AAAAAAAAND ACTION!
 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/JjIXwkX1e48" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/JjIXwkX1e48</a>