The best action movies consist of more than just films in the action genre. While there are so many incredible action movies in cinema history, there are also unbelievable action-packed films in the sci-fi, superhero, and even spy genres. All it takes is great action beats and a non-stop story flying to the end.

It takes more than just a lot of action to be listed among the best in the genre, too. Countless B-grade movies have non-stop action. However, when a movie combines incredible acting, perfectly shot action scenes, and heart-pulsing beats that never let up, it transcends from good to a masterpiece level.

Casino Royale (2006)

It seems almost incredible that a movie that centers on a poker game could end up as one of the best action movies of all time. Not only that, but Casino Royale also ended up as one of the best James Bond movies ever made, and it is miles better than anything that the franchise released in the decade leading up to it.

Casino Royale had a lot to do when it was released in 2006. James Bond was almost considered an old-time idea, especially with new spy movies like the Bourne films offering dark storylines and intense action. With Daniel Craig as the new Bond, the film took the themes in a direction more like Bourne than past Bond movies.

The poker game was the central aspect of the plot, but the action beats were just as incredible. The scene where Bond was drugged and had to inject a cure was as intense as anything in any Bond movie, and the fight scenes proved that Martin Campbell learned a lot from watching The Bourne Identity and its sequels.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Raid: Redemption deserves a much bigger reputation than it currently has among casual movie lovers. This is a film that action aficionados agree is one of the best in the genre in the 21st century. This is a movie that could have started a massive franchise, but ended with just two films.

The 2011 Gareth Evans action flick stars Iko Uwais as Rama, a rookie member of the Mobile Brigade Corps who is tasked with infiltrating a building to bring down a gangster on the top floor. This sets up a perfect film since each floor of the building almost becomes like a new level in a video game.

Every floor to the top becomes a new challenge for the officers, and the enclosed halls and apartments offer a terrific chance to stage inventive fight choreography. The action is non-stop, and movies like Dredd and Attack the Block delivered similar action beats, albeit to a lesser effect.

Escape From New York (1981)

While John Carpenter is best known for his horror films, such as Halloween and The Thing, he also directed one of the greatest action movies ever made. In 1981, Carpenter directed Escape from New York and helped turn Kurt Russell into an iconic action movie star.

Russell is Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces officer who was arrested on charges of robbing the Federal Reserve. When the U.S. President is shot down in the blocked off Manhattan, which now serves as a maximum security prison, he is offered a pardon if he saves the president.

Carpenter presents a Manhattan that is a hellscape, throwing Snake into the action headfirst. He must fight all sorts of post-apocalyptic villains and figure out how to get out of this alive, knowing he can’t trust the government. Russell’s Snake Plissken also influenced the video game Metal Gear Solid.

Kill Bill (2003-2004)

Technically, there are two movies, but Quentin Tarantino released them as part one and part two. Together, they might not be anything more action-packed than the Kill Bill experience. Tarantino calls the Kill Bill movies the ones he was born to make, even if he doesn’t consider them his masterpiece.

The story follows a woman called The Bride and her road to vengeance against the man who killed everyone at her wedding and left her for dead. She survived and began to kill everyone involved, one by one, as she worked her way to the man responsible, Bill (David Carradine).

Taken as one movie, this has everything an action fan could want. It has influences of old-school kung fu and exploitation movies, and boasts some of the best fight scenes and choreography imaginable. Add in the brilliant dialogue of Quentin Tarantino, and the film is elevated one step above the rest.

First Blood (1982)

Sylvester Stallone had already delivered a knockout to the sports genre with Rocky, but it was 1982’s First Blood that cemented him as a true action star. John Rambo may be known for overblown theatrics and endless violence now, but that reputation arose largely thanks to the sequels, which became progressively more generic with each entry.

By contrast, First Blood mixes heart-pounding action with a genuinely compelling protagonist. More of a war thriller than an out-and-out action spectacle, First Blood weaves meaningful political undertones into its gritty and intense battles, giving just as much substance as style – something that cannot be said about the franchise that followed in its wake.

Many of Hollywood’s greatest action flicks borrow the “David Vs. Goliath” format, but few execute it with quite as much punch – emotional and physical – as First Blood. The audience feels for John Rambo first and foremost, then come the thrills, excitement, danger, and jeopardy. First Blood isn’t just a cinematic splurge of fire and bombast. It’s startlingly and impressively real.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Before the MCU changed how people looked at superhero movies, The Dark Knight proved that they could be much more than just comic book films. This was as much a crime thriller as it was a film about men in tights, and the movie stands the test of time as one of the best ever made based on a comic book character.

Heath Ledger was also spectacular as Joker, earning a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, something that was almost unheard of for comic book movies. The fact that director Christopher Nolan has gone on to become one of the most successful modern-day filmmakers is no surprise.

There were three movies in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, and the second remains the best, boasting a tightly woven storyline, fantastic action scenes, and incredible acting performances from the entire cast, top to bottom.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2014)

The first John Wick movie might be the best of the franchise when it comes to a tightly-knit story and solid action, but the third movie is one of the best action movies ever made, thanks to its non-stop action scenes. The first film had a touch more drama, which makes it a better film, but it falls short in terms of the action beats.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum has John on the run from all the assassins in the city, as they are sent to kill him for breaking the rules of the High Table. The action picks up where the second movie left off, and the fight scenes are more inventive and creative, an improvement in every way.

The fourth film takes things even further over the line, but the third release is the one that seemed to hit its stride and deliver great action without overstaying its welcome.

Enter The Dragon (1973)

The best kung fu movies of all time have some great fight scenes in them, but if anyone wants to see the best of the best in their greatest action movies, look no further than Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. Lee is a martial arts instructor for a Shaolin temple in Hong Kong who assists a British intelligence agent in a mission.

Bruce Lee delivered a performance that many rank as the best ever in kung fu film history. Enter the Dragon was considered the most successful martial arts movie of all time, both commercially and critically. It was also added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2004.

Thanks to its mainstream success, Enter the Dragon remains one of the most influential kung fu movies ever, with appearances and mentions in other movies, television shows, video games, comics, manga, and anime.

Aliens (1986)

While Aliens is a sci-fi movie, it is just as much an action film as anything. The first entry in the franchise was a straight sci-fi horror film that was more akin to a haunted house fright fest than anything else. However, James Cameron turned the sequel into an all-out sci-fi action film.

Instead of terrified astronauts on a spacecraft, Aliens featured the Colonial Marines sent in with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), all of whom were equipped with big guns and explosives. Instead of the Xenomorphs hunting down the victims, this saw the soldiers fighting fire with fire, albeit on a losing cause.

The franchise slowly began to diminish after this second film, but it was hard for anything to match the level of excitement in this action movie, sci-fi or not.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Much like Aliens transformed the Alien franchise from sci-fi horror to action, Terminator 2: Judgment Day did the same for that franchise. The first Terminator was almost a slasher movie with a robot killer, while T2 was a straight-up action sci-fi thriller with an unstoppable killer on a frantic chase across the city.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the top of his game as the former killer turned protector, Terminator. Linda Hamilton became the strong, butt-kicking, protective mother that the franchise came to know over the years. Add in Robert Patrick as the villain and Edward Furlong in the best role of his career, and there was a lot to love.

The movie ultimately revolutionized what a sci-fi action flick looked like. Every action film in the genre that came out after this owes its existence to what James Cameron accomplished with what remains the best film in the entire franchise.