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Which action film is right for you?

Every action title here says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight.

Not sure yet? Start with these.

  1. The Avengers 2012

    Film

    When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!

    The sides of The Avengers

    • A team that can't stand each other
    • New York under attack
    • Jokes in the middle of the fight

    Good for you if

    • you want a big final battle that goes on and on.
    • you like a crowd of heroes, each with their own moment.
    • you want to laugh between the explosions.

    Bad for you if

    • you want to follow one hero's inner journey. This one is about a team learning to fight together.
    • two hours and twenty minutes of assembling a team is too long for your evening.

    About: teamwork · ego · trust

    Explore its sides
  2. An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.

    The sides of Mad Max: Fury Road

    • One long chase across the desert
    • A warrior woman leading an escape
    • Cars, fire and a flamethrower guitar

    Good for you if

    • you want two hours that almost never stop moving.
    • you like orange deserts and blue nights that look like paintings.
    • you like a desert world with its own rules, from war boys to a warlord who rations the water.

    Bad for you if

    • brutal crashes and wounds ruin a film for you.
    • you want a story told in words. Nobody here talks much.

    About: freedom · survival · water

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  3. John Wick 2014

    Film

    Ex-hitman John Wick comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.

    The sides of John Wick

    • A retired hitman pushed too far
    • A secret world of killers with rules
    • A puppy

    Good for you if

    • you like long, clean fight scenes where you can see every move.
    • you like neon nights and stylish hotels for assassins.

    Bad for you if

    • dozens of point-blank killings ruin a film for you.
    • you want a story told in words. This one is told in fights.

    About: grief · revenge · rules

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  4. An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

    The sides of Kill Bill: Vol. 1

    • A bride out for revenge
    • A sword fight against eighty-eight men
    • Anime, westerns and kung fu mixed together

    Good for you if

    • you like long, choreographed sword fights.
    • you like a film that changes style every chapter, even into anime.
    • you like a soundtrack that makes every scene feel bigger.

    Bad for you if

    • blood spraying everywhere ruins it for you, even stylised.
    • you need things to stay believable. One woman cuts her way through the Crazy 88.

    About: revenge · motherhood · honour

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  5. Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.

    The sides of Terminator 2: Judgment Day

    • A killer robot sent to protect a boy
    • A mother preparing for the end
    • A liquid metal enemy

    Good for you if

    • you like a truck chasing a boy's dirt bike down the Los Angeles river canals.
    • you like a villain that can become anyone.
    • you like a bond growing between a boy and the machine sent to protect him.

    Bad for you if

    • you need the science to hold up. A liquid metal man pulls himself back together from puddles.
    • shootouts and a nightmare of fire are too much for you.

    About: fate · family · humanity

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  6. John Wick is forced out of retirement by a former associate looking to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to aid him, Wick travels to Rome and does battle against some of the world’s most dangerous killers.

    The sides of John Wick: Chapter 2

    • A debt that pulls him back
    • A gun shop that works like a tailor
    • A hall of mirrors

    Good for you if

    • you like long fights choreographed like dance.
    • you like Rome at night and a museum of mirrors.
    • you like the secret rules of the assassins' world.

    Bad for you if

    • endless headshots ruin a film for you.
    • you want a story told in words.

    About: debt · rules · exile

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  7. Pacific Rim 2013

    Film

    Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, Earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as Earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.

    The sides of Pacific Rim

    • Giant robots against giant monsters
    • Pilots sharing one mind
    • Hong Kong at night in the rain

    Good for you if

    • you want giant robots punching giant monsters, that's all.
    • you like neon Hong Kong at night, lit by glowing blue kaiju blood.

    Bad for you if

    • you want sharp, talky writing. Here the fights in the rain carry the film.
    • you roll your eyes at big speeches like "today we are cancelling the apocalypse".

    About: teamwork · trust · survival

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  8. Die Hard 1988

    Film

    High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.

    The sides of Die Hard

    • A cop barefoot in a skyscraper
    • Terrorists at a Christmas party
    • Yippee-ki-yay

    Good for you if

    • you like a hero fighting barefoot through air vents and elevator shafts.
    • you like one man against many in one building.
    • you like a hero who jokes when he's scared.

    Bad for you if

    • you want a Christmas film for the whole family. This one is for grown-ups.
    • gunfights and broken glass ruin it for you.

    About: marriage · survival · Christmas

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  9. The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.

    The sides of The Matrix Reloaded

    • A fight against a hundred Agents
    • A highway chase
    • A man who built the Matrix

    Good for you if

    • you like a highway chase that never seems to end.
    • you like slow-motion fights with endless copies of one man.

    Bad for you if

    • long philosophical speeches lose you.
    • you want clear answers. It ends on a cliffhanger.

    About: choice · control · faith

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  10. Super-assassin John Wick returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.

    The sides of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

    • A killer with a price on his head
    • A fight with horses in a stable
    • Dogs in the desert

    Good for you if

    • you like nonstop action, even with books and knives.
    • you like neon, glass and rain.

    Bad for you if

    • endless killing ruins a film for you.
    • you want a story told in words.

    About: loyalty · rules · survival

    Explore its sides
  11. Furious 7 2015

    Film

    Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.

    The sides of Furious 7

    • A crew hunted by a killer
    • Cars dropped from a plane
    • A goodbye to Paul Walker

    Good for you if

    • you like stunts that ignore physics and don't care.
    • you like cars jumping between skyscrapers.
    • you can be moved by a film made while its cast mourned Paul Walker.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't do more than two hours of chases and fistfights in one evening.
    • you roll your eyes at speeches about family, again and again.

    About: family · loyalty · goodbye

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  12. Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries; Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked with facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.

    The sides of Fast & Furious 6

    • A crew recruited for one more job
    • A tank on a highway
    • The longest runway in the world

    Good for you if

    • you like car chases with a tank in them.
    • you like stunts that get bigger every film.

    Bad for you if

    • you lose track of a crew of a dozen drivers, cops and rivals.
    • you roll your eyes at Dom's speeches about family.

    About: family · loyalty

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  13. Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.

    The sides of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

    • A team disowned by its own country
    • Climbing the tallest building in the world
    • A sandstorm chase

    Good for you if

    • you like real stunts, especially outside a skyscraper.
    • you like gadgets that fail at the worst moment.
    • you like a team that jokes under pressure.

    Bad for you if

    • you need spy stories to stay realistic. Four agents with no backup chase stolen nuclear launch codes.
    • you want a love story. This is a team mission, and romance stays in the background.

    About: teamwork · trust · survival

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  14. When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

    The sides of The Fate of the Furious

    • Dom turning against his family
    • Hacked cars raining from a car park
    • A submarine on the ice

    Good for you if

    • you like car chases with a submarine.
    • you like action that goes bigger every film.

    Bad for you if

    • you need physics to matter.
    • two hours and a quarter of chases is a lot for your evening.

    About: family · betrayal

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  15. Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

    The sides of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

    • A son running from his father
    • A bus fight in San Francisco
    • A hidden village with dragons

    Good for you if

    • you like martial arts fights choreographed like dance.
    • you like a story about a father and his children.
    • you like Awkwafina cracking jokes while she drives a bus through a fight in San Francisco.

    Bad for you if

    • a final act full of creatures and dragons isn't your thing.
    • you need the logic to hold up. Ten magic rings fly around like living weapons.

    About: family · legacy · grief

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  16. Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.

    The sides of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

    • A rogue spy network
    • Hanging off a plane at take-off
    • A night at the Vienna opera

    Good for you if

    • you like real stunts on a plane and a motorbike chase.
    • you like an assassination at the opera.
    • you like a mysterious agent whose side keeps changing.

    Bad for you if

    • you want a quiet spy drama about the people inside it. This one is built around its stunts.
    • you need the action to stay realistic. Ethan holds his breath for minutes underwater and wins a motorbike chase soon after.

    About: loyalty · trust

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  17. Predator 1987

    Film

    A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

    The sides of Predator

    • A rescue team in the jungle
    • Something invisible hunting them
    • Mud as camouflage

    Good for you if

    • you like 80s action with muscles and machine guns.
    • you like soldiers picked off one by one.
    • you like a hunter you can barely see.

    Bad for you if

    • films from 1987 feel dated to you.
    • skinned bodies and gore ruin it for you.

    About: survival · hunting · strength

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  18. When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.

    The sides of Mission: Impossible - Fallout

    • Plutonium gone missing
    • A HALO jump at night
    • A helicopter chase in the mountains

    Good for you if

    • you like Tom Cruise doing his own stunts, from a skydive to a helicopter.
    • you like masks and double-crosses where nobody is who they seem.
    • you like a countdown to two nuclear bombs that never lets you breathe.

    Bad for you if

    • two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
    • you need it believable. Ethan Hunt walks away from crashes no one could survive.

    About: loyalty · sacrifice · choices

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  19. Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.

    The sides of xXx: Return of Xander Cage

    • An extreme-sports spy recruited again
    • A device that drops satellites
    • Skiing through a jungle

    Good for you if

    • you like silly, over-the-top stunts.
    • you like one-liners and a film that never takes itself seriously.

    Bad for you if

    • you lose track of a dozen agents and mercenaries introduced at speed.
    • you need stunts that could really happen. Xander skis down a jungle mountain and rides a motorbike on the sea.

    About: adventure

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  20. The Autobots continue to work for NEST, now no longer in secret. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.

    The sides of Transformers: Dark of the Moon

    • A secret on the moon
    • Chicago under attack
    • Wingsuits between skyscrapers

    Good for you if

    • you want a whole city as a battlefield.
    • you like wingsuits through falling buildings.

    Bad for you if

    • you need it all to be believable. The first Moon landing was really a mission to an Autobot ship.
    • over two and a half hours of explosions is too long for you.

    About: war · courage

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