Top 9 Classic Action Movies To Get You Through The Work Week

While we at Movies Talk love ALL types of movies, there’s no arguing we are especially fond of action-packed power-houses that end up becoming cult classics.

As your work week is just starting out, we decided to combine a list of top 5 classic action movies that every movie buff must watch at least once.

Buckle up, Jimbo!

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9. “Rambo: First Blood”

First Blood is the first installment of the Rambo series that was co-written by and starred Sylvester Stallone. John Rambo is a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam veteran who resorts to his proficient combat and survival senses to survive against the abusive law enforcement of a small town.

It is based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel of the same name.

8. “Lethal Weapon”

Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action movie that focuses on a pair of mismatched LAPD detectives: Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) a former Green Beret who has become suicidal after his wife dies, and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a 50-year-old veteran of the force. The unlikely partners work together to bring down the bad boys.

A true action cop classic.

7. “300”

This 2006 epic war film is based on the awesome 1998 comic series 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley.

“300” sees King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) who must lead 300 Spartans into this epic battle against the Persian “god-King” Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his invading army comprised of over 300,000 soldiers.

The movie was shot mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique so the imagery of the original comic book is replicated and preserved.

6. “The Dark Knight”

You can’t get through the work week without at least one Christopher Nolan movie. The Dark Knight is the second part of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins.

The movie has an amazingly intricate and twisted plot, the one only Nolan can come up with, while the star-studded cast reads: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman.

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5. “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior”

If you are looking for a non-stop action-fest from the very first minute to the last, Mad Max 2 is definitely a slam-dunk.

Mel Gibson reprises one of his most famous roles here (before he got a little bit nuts in real life, ironically), while this movie also has amazingly climactic car chase scenes that feature some of the most remarkable driving and stunt work ever captured on film.

4. “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas joined forces on this one to create what would eventually become one of his most successful adventure/action movies and franchises that appeared on big screen.

The famous Indiana Jones trilogy was launched in 1981, and it all started with this unforgettable action classic.

3. “The Matrix”

What if I told you that you won’t be able to partake in a single conversation about modern cinematography if you haven’t watched this masterpiece?

The Wachowski brothers in their gem explore the concept of all of life being an illusion and merely a dream that is fed into our conscious mind by machines that are using our fragile human body as batteries.

Truly a terrifying notion that raised more questions than it provided answers ever since this movie was released. Objective reality has never been questioned in a more frightening way.

2. “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”

Few are the cases in which a sequel is SO much better that the first movie in a franchise. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as a Terminator, but this time around he is the hero who is sent back in time to save the world from a new, shape-shifting T-1000 model.

Much like The Matrix, this action-packed sci-fi classic provides a dim glimpse into a (today) not so far-fetched dystopia.

1. “Die Hard”

Finally, we yet again meet with our favorite movie cop of all time. Die Hard is known for its unique mix of action, brutality and humor, but it is its perfect balance of protagonist and antagonist that makes Die Hard everything one action movie should be (even though this franchise died pretty hard with its latest installments).

It is truly an ultimate action movie of modern cinema!

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