My Favorite Action/Adventure Films

OK, not exactly my favorite genre but one worth of taking a look at and be forewarned, as with the television guilty pleasures, there might be some dickering as to what constitutes an action/adventure film, but we're going to give it a shot anyway...here we go:

75.
Superman: The Motion Picture (1978)



For me, this was the granddaddy that redefined the genre for a new generation of moviegoers...director Richard Donner mounted a grand scale adventure here and, after having the role turned down by dozens of actors, struck gold with an unknown actor named Christopher Reeve, who, in reality, is much more effective as the bumbling and charmingly awkward Clark Kent than he is as the quietly self-sufficient Superman. The movie is expensively mounted and the all-star supporting cast is solid, especially Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor.

74.
Galaxy Quest



This smart and surprisingly clever action comedy has something that a lot of films of this genre don't....heart. The film follows what happens when the cast of a long-ago-cancelled STAR TREK-type television show become involved in a real space adventure with real aliens. Yeah, there's a lot you have to swallow here, but the premise upon which the film is based is fun and the screenplay utilizes it to maximum effect and the cast, led by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman play their roles with just the right amount of tongue in cheek.

73.
Daylight



Please refer to my movie guilty pleasure thread for details on this film.

72.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)



This underrated classic from the 70's about a trio of bad guys keeping a subway train full of people hostage for a huge ransom is one of my favorites in this genre and WAY better than the John Travolta/Denzel Washington remake.

71.
Swordfish



A deliciously over-the-top performance by the John Travolta is at the center of this roller coaster ride involving a criminal mastermind who blackmails an ex-computer hacker (Hugh Jackman) into helping him with his latest venture. Non-stop outrageous action from beginning to end and frontal nudity with Halle Berry as a bonus.

"RAIDERS of the LOST ARK"
I would say this one defines action/adventure pretty well.
And the music of John Williams gives it that extra push.

70.
True Romance



Sorry this one had to appear so early on the list, but it's a big genre...the directorial hand of Tony Scott and the masterful writing of Quentin Tarantino were a flawless combination in bringing this sophisticated tale of criminals and low-lifes to the screen and despite everything that goes on in this movie, I think my favorite thing in the whole movie is a five minute bit by Brad Pitt as a perpetually stoned potential witness. Fans of the director and writer who haven't seen this one are in for a treat...not for the weak of stomach.

I just rewatched this again the other day absolutely love it

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69.
Air Force One



This one barely missed my guilty pleasure thread so I had to include it here...there is something about this popcorn movie about a US president and his family being held hostage on board the presidential aircraft by some very dangerous terrorists that has enormous re-watch appeal for me. I don't know if it's Harrison's sincerity as the president...you see his aides rushing him to that escape pod but you KNOW there's no way THIS president is going to leave his family on that plane. Gary Oldman is appropriately sinister as the head terrorist and just about everything he does here makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Sue me, but I love this movie.

68.
The Getaway (1972)



This 70's classic directed by the masterful Sam Peckinpah just gets better and better every time I watch it. Basically mounted as a vehicle for the king of cool, Steve McQueen and new bride Ali MacGraw, this story of a bank robbery gone terribly wrong is riveting from start to finish. Despite MacGraw's wooden acting, the chemistry between her and McQueen is still off the charts,

67.
Heat



It's a little on the long side, but the story is riveting and the cast is perfection.

66.
Enemy of the State



Intelligent scripting and the performances of Will Smith and Gene Hackman makes this superior thriller about an idealistic attorney whose life is being systematically destroyed because of something he is in unknowingly in possession of. The complex but workable story, the technical gadgetry, and the dramatic pacing here kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire running time and Will Smith has rarely been better.

66.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)



The movie that was the genesis for "Brangelina" is actually a really fun movie if you don't try to figure it out...Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play professional assassins who actually meet and marry and continue their work without the other knowing what they do but then they are assigned to take out each other and that's where the fun begins. If you'e looking for something steeped in realism and logic, this is not the movie for you. If you're looking for some mindless action and sexual chemistry that hasn't been on the screen in a while, this is the movie for you. The stars are great together, there is all kinds of awesome technical gadgetry here and the movie even has a kick-ass musical score.

Action and adventure films are amongst my very favourite so this should be nice list. Favourites so far are Galaxy Quest and Taking of Pelham 123; love both of them. True Romance I'd say is very close to being a love, might get there in the future. And Enemy of the State is an old favourite.

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GET OFF MY PLANE! Air Force One is one of those guilty pleasures I love it. I haven't seen it in a while I need to watch it again

Air Force One was on my action list as well and Enemy Of The State is one of my favourites from Tony Scott.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Love Pelham, Galaxy Quest, Air Force One (but only because of my love, Gary Oldman), and True Romance.

Great start. If I don't see Raiders of the Lost Ark in the Top 5 though I will be very disappointed.

65.
The Sugarland Express



Steven Spielberg almost immediately proved his penchant for onscreen storytelling with his first feature film. Based on a true story, this is the story of a woman (Goldie Hawn) who breaks her husband (William Atherton) out of jail so that they can get their baby back from a home where he was sent after his parents went to jail and enroute, they take a young police officer (Michael Sachs) as a hostage, initiating a state to state manhunt like you've never seen. One of Spielberg's most underrated films and a forgotten gem of this genre...strong screenplay and surprisingly effective performances, especially from Hawn.

64.
Batman (1989)



Tim Burton's dark re-thinking of the comic book level works on all levels...Michael Keaton brings a quiet intensity and brooding charm to Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jack Nicholson rules the screen in the best performance by an actor in 1989 as the Joker.