DIE HARD VOTED THE GREATEST ACTION FILM OF ALL TIME
Time Out New York reveals the 100 best action movies, as decided by leading film industry figures.
A poll of action cinema’s leading directors, performers, stunt people and film experts have revealed John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988) as the best action film ever. Time Out New York surveyed over 50 experts to determine the definitive list of the 100 best action movies of all time.
The list, featuring films ranging from the 1890s to present day, reflects a remarkable diversity, with supercharged Hollywood classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Wild Bunch sitting alongside a global bounty of martial-arts masterpieces, including Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon and Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master II. While action cinema is beloved by millions worldwide and enormously successful, the experts also praised lesser-known titles that have gained cult traction, such as Richard C. Sarafian’s 1971 road movie Vanishing Point and William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, which made the cut along with his Oscar-winning The French Connection.
“Returning to these action classics was incredibly fun,” said Joshua Rothkopf, Film editor of Time Out New York. “Those boldface names—Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, Eastwood, McQueen—are permanent ones. But doing this project also gave us a tour of the world, particularly the Far East: Hong Kong’s exhilarating gun fu, the dazzling stunt work of Thailand and Indonesia, and Japan’s classic samurai tradition. Our intent was to create the most authoritative ranking of action movies worldwide, and our participants, many of them prime movers in the field, all but guaranteed that.”
To compile the results, Time Out New York polled over 50 industry leaders to rank the top ten action films of all time. From those submissions, Time Out editors tabulated rankings and released the list of the top 100 picks.
More of the survey’s findings:
· The top 10 alone includes three films from Hong Kong (Hard Boiled, Enter the Dragon and Police Story), one from Australia (The Road Warrior) and one from Japan (Seven Samurai).
· Director James Cameron has three films in the top 20 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens and The Terminator); director John Woo has two (Hard Boiled and Face/Off).
· While the list is full of classics, 2011’s The Raid: Redemption (No. 22) and 2012’s The Avengers (No. 83) are also included.
· The list’s oldest film is the groundbreaking silent short “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” (1896), ranking at an impressive No. 51.
The panel of action experts surveyed included:
· John McTiernan, director of Die Hard, Predator and The Hunt for Red October
· Zoë Bell, stuntwoman who doubled for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill
· Luc Besson, the French action master behind La Femme Nikita and this summer’s Lucy
· Danny Trejo, star of Machete and Machete Kills
· Martin Campbell, director of 2006’s Casino Royale, which lent new life to the Bond franchise
· Neil Marshall, prolific director of The Descent, Doomsday and action-packed episodes of Game of Thrones
· Colin Geddes, longtime programmer of the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival
· Grady Hendrix, writer and cofounder of the New York Asian Film Festival
· Leading critics, including Time Out‘s own Dave Calhoun, Cath Clarke, Tom Huddleston and Joshua Rothkopf
· Over 40 other directors, writers and industry experts worldwide
The 100 best action movies:
1. Die Hard (1988)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
4. Hard Boiled (1992)
5. The Road Warrior (1981)
6. Enter the Dragon (1973)
7. Police Story (1985)
8. The Wild Bunch (1969)
9. Seven Samurai (1954)
10. Aliens (1986)
11. The Matrix (1999)
12. RoboCop (1987)
13. First Blood (1982)
14. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
15. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
16. Predator (1987)
17. Ong-bak (2003)
18. The Terminator (1984)
19. Face/Off (1997)
20. Kill Bill (2003/2004)
21. The General (1926)
22. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
23. Bullitt (1968)
24. The Killer (1989)
25. Lethal Weapon (1987)
26. Project A (1983)
27. Drunken Master II (1994)
28. Heat (1995)
29. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
30. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
31. Point Break (1991)
32. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
33. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
34. Oldboy (2003)
35. Dragons Forever (1988)
36. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
37. Commando (1985)
38. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
39. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
40. The French Connection (1971)
41. The Bourne Identity (2002)
42. Leon: The Professional (1994)
43. The Blade (1995)
44. True Lies (1994)
45. Ben-Hur (1959)
46. Kill Zone—S.P.L. (2005)
47. The Professionals (1966)
48. Ip Man (2008)
49. Mission: Impossible (1996)
50. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
51. “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” (1896)
52. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
53. Wheels on Meals (1984)
54. Spartacus (1960)
55. Rambo (2008)
56. Eastern Condors (1987)
57. The Prodigal Son (1981)
58. 300 (2006)
59. Flash Point (2007)
60. The Wages of Fear (1953)
61. Police Story 2 (1988)
62. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
63. North by Northwest (1959)
64. Runaway Train (1985)
65. Zatoichi (2003)
66. Pedicab Driver (1989)
67. Star Wars (1977)
68. Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog) (2005)
69. From Russia with Love (1963)
70. Vanishing Point (1971)
71. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
72. Ronin (1998)
73. Thunderball (1965)
74. The Rock (1996)
75. Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
76. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
77. Hero (2002)
78. Dirty Harry (1971)
79. Raging Bull (1980)
80. The Dark Knight (2008)
81. Armour of God (1986)
82. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
83. The Avengers (2012)
84. The Legend (1993)
85. Machete (2010)
86. The Mission (1999)
87. Scarface (1983)
88. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
89. Full Contact (1992)
90. Breakdown (1997)
91. Sorcerer (1977)
92. Duel to the Death (1983)
93. Bullet in the Head (1990)
94. 13 Assassins (2010)
95. Miami Vice (2006)
96. Shiri (1999)
97. Romancing the Stone (1984)
98. Lone Wolf & Cub 2: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
99. War (2007)
100. Gladiator (2000)
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