1. "Die Hard"
   "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
2. "The Bourne Identity"
   "Aliens"

The debate as to whether "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie or not is still going strong and lights up the internet every year around the holidays. If everyone could just agree that it's an excellent movie, no one would have to wonder if it is specifically for the holidays.

1. "Terminator 2"
   "The Matrix"
2. "Mad Max: Fury Road"
   "The Raid: Redemption"

One thing that made "The Matrix" a fan favorite was the stunning visual effects that had not been seen up to that time. It was one of the first movies made specifically for digital viewing, showing the power of imagery on DVD.

1. "Looper"
   "Mission: Impossible"
2. "The Transporter"
   "Top Gun"

The Mission: Impossible movies might be difficult to follow if you're not paying attention. However, after you watch the first one, you realize that as long as you don't trust anyone who talks to Tom Cruise, you can pretty much figure out the mystery.

1. "Guardians of the Galaxy"
   "Justice League"
2. "The Avengers"
   "Suicide Squad"

It's only fair to put movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on this list. After all, these movies were some of the biggest action films of the last 15 years, and they're still incredibly popular today.

1. "Mars Attacks"
   "Independence Day"
2. "Rush Hour"
   "Ronin"

The hype that built up "Independence Day" really made the movie a blockbuster success. The special effects allowed some of the most famous monuments in the world to be completely destroyed, and this was one of the first movies that did so.

1. "Tango and Cash"
   "Missing in Action"
2. "48 Hrs."
   "Top Gun"

Those who grew up in the '80s can probably recite "Top Gun" by heart. If you are one of those people, you'll be excited to know that a sequel will make its way to the big screen in 2020, with your favorite "Maverick" and all.

1. "Olympus Has Fallen"
   "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
2. "Gladiator"
   "The Bourne Identity"

Every movie about Jason Bourne shows us two things: Matt Damon kicks butt and takes names, and everybody loves super awesome fight and chase scenes. Some of the best action of the early 2000s was seen throughout these films, and we loved watching every second.

1. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
   "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
2. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"
   "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

Although archaeology is a focused, time-intensive science, there are ways of making it interesting and action-packed. The Indiana Jones movies did this with ease ... and added a little comedy as well.

1. "Last Action Hero"
   "True Lies"
2. "Inception"
   "Spies Like Us"

"True Lies" is one of those movies that you watch when you want action but you also want a good laugh. In the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife learns that he's a spy in the worst way possible, and hilarity ensues.

1. "Lethal Weapon"
   "Beverly Hills Cop"
2. "Terminator"
   "Escape From New York"

The Lethal Weapon films focus on two odd-couple cops: Riggs and Murtaugh. Although the two don't really like each other in the first film, they learn how to work together to get the job done, and Riggs finds a new reason to live.

1. "Casino Royale"
   "Avatar"
2. "Gladiator"
   "Taken"

Although it delivers a meme that just won't quit, "Taken" is an intense thriller with quite a bit of action. In the end, we learn that you don't mess with a former government operative.

1. "Commando"
   "Speed"
2. "John Wick"
   "Point Break"

If you're going to kill someone's dog, make sure that person isn't one of the best assassins in the entire world. He will most likely come out of retirement just to kill you, and he will use every resource he has to do so.

1. "Commando"
   "Predator"
2. "Alien"
   "First Blood"

Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed at odds with one another in the 1980s and '90s. The actors released films close in plot and a little similar, but each of their action films was great in its own way. "First Blood" was one of the most intense and action-packed movies that Stallone was in.

1. "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
   "Deadpool"
2. 'The Dark Knight Rises"
   "John Wick"

When filmmakers started writing "Deadpool," they realized one thing was essential: the movie would have to be rated R. It didn't follow the tone of other Marvel movies, but it did follow the tone of the Deadpool comic books.

1. "John Wick"
   "The Dark Knight Rises"
2. "Looper"
   "The Fast and the Furious"

"The Fast and the Furious" franchise made muscle cars cool again. Everyone wanted to be a stunt driver, and everyone wanted to get behind a powerful machine. With a whopping nine movies and more in the works, it is one of the most successful action franchises to date.

1. "First Blood"
   "Predator"
2. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
   "Cobra"

Jesse Ventura and Carl Weathers star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in this film about hired soldiers who have no idea what they're up against. The film can be brutal at times, but that adds to the thrill of watching Arnold take on the unknown.

1. "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"
   "Return of the Jedi"
2. "The Empire Strikes Back"
   "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

If you had to face Darth Vader, you'd probably want all the help you could get. In this installment of the Star Wars franchise, we see Luke Skywalker faced with the decision to join the dark side or not.

1. "From Dusk Till Dawn"
   "True Romance"
2. "Kill Bill: Volume 1"
   "Minority Report"

Quentin Tarantino is the kind of director who wants to pull out all the stops in his films, and the Kill Bill movies were no different. You can see his love for the classics in some of the imagery and the storyline in this first film of the series.

1. "The Warriors"
   "The Spy Who Loved Me"
2. "Drunken Master"
   "Dirty Harry"

In the 1970s and beyond, Clint Eastwood was known as the toughest actor to ever grace the big screen. In "Dirty Harry," he plays a no-nonsense cop who is on a mission to find a kidnapped girl before she is murdered.

1. "The Avengers: Infinity Wars"
   "Snowpiercer"
2. "Black Panther"
   "Thor: Ragnarok"

Of all of the superheroes in the MCU, it is clear that Black Panther is one of the most important. He is the king of Wakanda, an African nation that is advanced in technology, warfare and intelligence.

1. "Enter the Dragon"
   "The Big Boss"
2. "Marlowe"
   "The Kid"

The Bruce Lee movies of the 1970s were classics. Most of them were filmed in Mandarin and Cantonese and dubbed over, leaving them to be both intense and a little cheesy at the same time.

1. "Five Deadly Venoms"
   "Coffy"
2. "Smokey and the Bandit"
   "Gator"

Not all action movies require a lot of fight scenes — some just need awesome car chases. "Smokey and the Bandit" is one of those movies that you love to watch over and over again, as a regular guy gets put into extraordinary circumstances.

1. "Super Woman"
   "Super Girl"
2. "She's All That"
   "Wonder Woman"

The princess of the Amazons is no one to mess with, especially because she has some magical items to help her along the way. DC Comics created this movie as another installment of the Justice League franchise.

1. "Point Break"
   "The Fugitive"
2. "Seven Samurai"
   "Skyfall"

Movies of the early '90s loved shining a spotlight on California culture of the time, so it only made sense to create a few action movies that highlighted surfing and beach life. "Point Break" starred Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.

1. "Road House"
   "Above the Law"
2. "The Delta Force"
   "The Living Daylights"

There was a call to make action movie characters a little more interesting in the late '80s. In "Road House," the main character isn't just one of the best bouncers in the world, but he also has a Ph.D., and he uses his intelligence to take down the crime and corruption in a small town in Missouri.

1. "Rush Hour"
   "Time Cop"
2. "The Long Kiss Goodnight"
   "Starship Troopers"

Most action fans like a little bit of comedy in their action movies, and "Rush Hour" delivers this in the form of two not-so-likely partners trying to solve a kidnapping case. Once they get over the language barrier, they begin to work together.

1. "Star Wars"
   "Mission: Impossible"
2. "Star Trek"
   "Starship Troopers"

In 2009, the new "Star Trek" movie came out, and audiences were skeptical at first ... after all, they were going to get someone who wasn't Leonard Nimoy to play Spock. Overall, the film received better reviews than expected from such intense fans.

1. "Passenger 57"
   "Sudden Death"
2. "Marked for Death"
   "The Fifth Element"

Bruce Willis stars in "The Fifth Element," a film about powers in the future that are supposed to come together to prevent a darkness, or Great Evil, from annihilating the world. The Great Evil is a sentient creature approximately the size of the moon.

1. "Looper"
   "Mission: Impossible"
2. "Taken"
   "Inception"

It can be difficult for an action movie to have such an intense plot without including a few plot holes, but "Looper" does a great job of explaining how time travel works. The movie also shows what happens when you mess with the wrong people and break the rules.

1. "300"
   "The Transporter"
2. "Quantum of Solace"
   "District 9"

The Spartans were no joke as warriors, and this film proves it. When the Persian army makes its way to Greece, the Spartans' only hope is 300 men who are in top fighting condition. It's one of the most intense battle movies of all time.

1. "Blade Runner"
   "Desperado"
2. "From Dusk Till Dawn"
   "Blade"

Wesley Snipes plays Blade, a Dhampir — half human, half vampire. After his mother is killed, he vows to avenge her death ... leading him to learn about a brutal plot to kill off the entire human race.

1. "The Dark Knight Rises"
   "The Dark Knight"
2. "Batman Begins"
   "Batman v Superman"

The "Dark Knight" trilogy was much different from any other Batman series we had seen in the past. It was incredibly dark and had some of the most terrifying villains in superhero movie history up to that point.

1. "Lone Wolf McQuade"
   "The Delta Force"
2. "An Eye for an Eye"
   "Code of Silence"

Everyone knows that Chuck Norris is one of the toughest guys in action history ... especially when it comes to martial arts. "The Delta Force" is one of his most popular movies, and it put him in the ranks with Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

1. "A Better Tomorrow"
   "Invasion U.S.A."
2. "Kickboxer"
   "Above the Law"

In the late 1980s and early '90s, everyone loved to see Jean-Claude Van Damme on the big screen — his intense martial arts skills were like no other. In "Kickboxer" he showed his flexibility as well as his chest in several scenes.

1. "Last Action Hero"
   "Hard Target"
2. "Die Hard 2"
   "Universal Soldier"

It's always refreshing to see action movies that are a little self-aware. "Last Action Hero" plays off of many action movie cliches, and it doesn't mind making fun of itself a little bit.

1. "The Bourne Supremacy"
   "Sudden Death"
2. "Enemy of the State"
   "The Net"

In "Enemy of the State," Will Smith is just a regular guy who accidentally gets slipped some top secret information. He then goes on the run while he tries to solve the mystery of what exactly is happening.

1. "Mission: Impossible III"
   "District 9"
2. "Bad Boys II"
   "The Matrix Reloaded"

Once you find out that Neo is really "the One," you can't wait to see just exactly what he can do with his powers. In the second installment of the Matrix films, we get to see even more intense action scenes and physics-defying fighting.

1. "Captain America: Civil War"
   "Batman v Superman"
2. "Logan"
   "Black Panther"

Throughout the Avengers movies, we see Captain America and Iron Man argue quite a bit, but it all comes to a head in "Civil War." In this movie, audiences get a taste of what happens when superpowers collide.

1. "White Lightning"
   "Death Wish"
2. "Breaker! Breaker!"
   "The Street Fighter"

There are many action movies about vigilantes that audiences can stand behind. In the case of "Death Wish," we see a vigilante ready to avenge his wife's murder and his daughter's assault.

1. "Fanboys"
   "Solo: A Star Wars Story"
2. "Willow"
   "Mad Max: Fury Road"

"Willow" combines fantasy and adventure to create an action movie that people still love today. When a man from a small village finds a child, he vows to protect her but has to leave his village to do so.