Das Boot (1981)
A superlative example of the submarine sub-genre of war movies, it’s all here—the suffocating claustrophobia, the radar pings, the expressions of growing dread on the actors’ faces as the depth-charges drop. Wolfgang Peterson’s gripping tale of German submariners launched his Hollywood career (leading to the knockout action of Air Force One) and brought Jürgen Prochnow instant fame as a U-Boat commander facing insurmountable odds, in a brilliant, unrelentingly tense tale of underwater combat.
Django Unchained (2012)
A western packed with action worthy of Hollywood and Spaghetti Western greats, from Sam Peckinpah to Sergio Leone. Tarantino’s crack at the genre stars Jamie Foxx, accompanied by Christoph Waltz as his mentor and Leonardo DiCaprio having a ball as the bad guy. With plenty of nods to Sergio Corbucci’s original (including a cameo by Franco Nero), the tension builds to an action-packed, bloody climax.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Edgar Wright’s riotous adventure teams Simon Pegg’s wannabe Dirty Harry with Nick Frost’s wanna-cup-of-tea-and-a-cake lazy English bobby. There’s a funny clash of values as Pegg is uprooted from London to rural England. But it’s the nitro-charged direction and editing that make this British Bad Boys counterpart gloriously action-packed fun.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Tom’s third impossible mission is by far my favourite. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the secret sauce is the villain, chillingly portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (one of the best bad guys since Goldfinger). The action never lets up and Abrams helms his directorial movie debut with remarkable assurance. It’s a rollicking adventure, full of twists, turns, teamwork, masks, and impossible missions.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Spielberg’s WWII epic offers one of the most visceral recreations of combat in its stunning opening scene, in which Tom Hanks’ Captain Miller and the US Army land on Omaha Beach. Whilst it never tops that opener, it has many eye-widening moments, stunning set-pieces, and an emotional punch that makes it one of the most successful war movies ever made.
Scarface (1983)
Written by Oliver Stone, Brian De Palma’s gangster epic is an operatic behemoth. Al Pacino erupts as the volcanic Tony Montana, the Cuban refugee rising to become Miami’s drug kingpin. Bravura camera moves and Giorgio Moroder’s pulsating score match Pacino’s explosive portrayal, the film hurtling from one memorable scene to the next. Audacious, over the top, and now part of pop (and hip-hop) culture, press play and “say hello to my little friend.”
Sin City (2005)
Robert Rodriguez takes Frank Miller’s graphic novel to the screen, replicating the comic in colour, tone, and style. This gritty blood-splashed neo-noir is a captivating adventure set in a nightmarish hellscape. Complete with a scene helmed by Rodriguez’s pal Quentin Tarantino, and a cast including Clive Owen, Brittany Murphy, Benicio del Toro, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen, and comeback-kid Mickey Rourke.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is pumped full of outlandish action, kooky characters, and a top-tier cast. This is a bold and bloody entertaining flick, complete with a shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone, John Cena’s hilarious turn as Peacemaker, Taika Waititi’s touching Ratcatcher cameo, and a bright pink CGI cosmic starfish eliciting more empathy than most flesh-and-blood actors achieve in modern superhero fare.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Tom Cruise takes a new team of navy pilots under his wing, whilst Joseph Kosinski hangs cameras all over the cockpits of real jets, combining eye-popping visuals with ear-blasting sound design. Whether you think Cruise singlehandedly saved post-pandemic cinema with this sequel to 1986s Top Gun or not, it really is a remarkable feat of popcorn-crunching movie magic.
Transformers (2007)
From stunning special effects, to the kind of whizz-bang camera moves and manic Bayhem we expect from the director of Armageddon, this is a robot-toy-car movie that knows its demographic. Full of cool cars going vrrrrrroom, massive robots stomping, and slow-mo explosions, this one has enough plot and self-awareness to carry the audience through wave after wave of destruction.
