The 100 best action movies: who voted?
The world’s leading action stars, directors and critics pick the best action movies ever, including martial-arts movies, explosive stunts and the best action thrillers
How did we choose the 100 best action movies of all time? We went straight to the experts and polled people who have created some of the greatest action films ever made. People like John McTiernan (Die Hard), Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Lucy) and Danny Trejo (Machete). We spoke to actors, directors, stunt performers, film critics and other experts. That amounts to over 50 experts each sharing their top ten action movies. Then we used their choices to inform our own final countdown of the 100 best action movies. You can explore and enjoy their personal lists.
RECOMMENDED: Our list of the 100 best action movies ever made
Actors, directors and stunt performers
John McTiernan
John McTiernan is the director of Die Hard (1988), Predator (1987) and The Hunt for Red October (1990), among other films.
Zoë Bell
Zoë Bell is a New Zealand stuntwoman and actor who doubled for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and costarred in Death Proof and Raze.
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is the French action master behind such films as La Femme Nikita, Léon: The Professional and Lucy.
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo is a prolific performer best known for Machete (2010) and its sequel, Machete Kills (2013).
Film critics and experts
Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix is a writer and co-founder of the New York Asian Film Festival, which The New York Times has called “one of the city’s most valuable cultural events.”
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun is the global film editor of Time Out.
Outlaw Vern
The self-described “outlaw film critic,” Vern is a longtime and esteemed reviewer of movies, with a primary interest in “Badass Cinema.”
Joshua Rothkopf
Joshua Rothkopf is the film editor of Time Out New York.
