12 Most Underrated Action Movies of the 21st Century

The 21st century certainly hasn’t been starved of new classics. Mad Mad: Fury Road, Kill Bill, and later installments within the Mission: Impossible franchise have given all-time favorites like Die Hard and Predator a run for their money. However, there’s a great number of action films that have managed to slip through the mainstream cracks.

Some modern favorites such as The Nice Guys or Miami Vice may have already built cult appreciation, but we’re looking at some adrenaline-pumping action films that haven’t quite found their audience yet. Any fan of the genre should check out these seven underappreciated action movies from the past 20 years.

12 ‘Cold Pursuit’ (2019)

Directed by Hans Petter Moland

Liam Neeson has found himself a part of a multitude of different action movies in the 21st century, ranging from massive cultural phenomena like Taken to critical misfires like Blacklight. However, Cold Pursuit is one of his most underrated ventures of recent memory and one of the most unique and one-of-a-kind action films Neeson’s ever done, with a completely different tone from his standard affair. The film follows the simple story of a snowplow driver beginning a hunt for revenge after his son was seemingly murdered by a drug lord.

While a Neeson revenge story immediately has an audience think of classic, high-stakes, and cold stories of a hardened man doing what it takes, Cold Pursuit‘s execution is much more comedic and black comedy-esque. Neeson is far from the perfect, calculating assassin in this film, but simply a quiet and unassuming father doing things on his own terms. His increased involvement and takedowns of this bumbling drug operation increasingly get more and more hilarious, with the same ensemble-based dark comedy as a Coen Brothers film.

11 ‘American Ultra’ (2015)

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh

Taking the concept of a hidden sleeper agent and fully expanding on it in terms of both action and comedic potential, American Ultra delivers a simple yet effective premise that never fails to engage the audience. The film follows the story of Mike (Jesse Eisenberg), who seemingly lives a simple and uneventful life in a small town with his live-in girlfriend, Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), spending the days slacking off and smoking weed. However, Mike’s life finds itself completely upended when he learns that he’s a highly trained lethal sleeper agent, and is now at the center of a deadly government conspiracy.

American Ultra blends classic stoner comedy with high-stakes choreographed action to create a perfect blending and combination of the two classic yet completely different archetypes. It manages to find the perfect middle ground between making the action feel impactful and dynamic, while at the same time adding a layer of absurdist comedy that works so well. When the film is willing to have its main character use a giant, oversized plush teddy bear as a silencer for their gun, it’s difficult not to fall in love with its antics and charm.

10 ‘Speed Racer’ (2008)

Directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski

While there have been many unsuccessful attempts at making a live-action anime adaptation in the West, none have had the staying power and core understanding of the original work like Speed Racer. Under the brilliant and distinct directorial vision of The Wachowskis, the film is a colorful and dynamic adventure that follows the young Speed Racer as he makes his way to the top of an international racing circuit. At the same time, however, he ends up being a key player in the capture of the deadly Racer X, a villainous racer responsible for corruption and crimes in the circuit.

While its maximalist filmmaking and overwhelming display of bright colors and flashy, CGI visuals may prove to be too much for some viewers, it’s exactly the strange, 100 miles per hour energy that fits the Speed Racer series perfectly. Even over 15 years after its original release, there are very few films that have managed to recapture the same wild, uncontrollable energy and passion that is present within the action of Speed Racer. It’s a true work of art and love for the craft of filmmaking that will only continue to amass a dedicated fanbase in the years to come.

9 ‘Mayhem’ (2017)

Directed by Joe Lynch

A wild blending of comedy, action, and horror in a singular, dynamic, and entertaining cinematic experience, Mayhem delivers a heaping dose of carnage, excitement, and bloodshed at every corner. The film follows a standard white-collar office building that finds its occupants trapped inside after the entire building has been contaminated with a dangerous virus that forces people to act upon their worst impulses and inhibitions. It doesn’t take long before the entire building becomes a cesspool of death, sex, and violence, with two disdained employees working together to get revenge on the higher-ups.

Mayhem makes the most out of its premise to exude as much rampage and exhilarating action as possible, giving the audience the same manic release of letting out primal urges and getting revenge on a terrible boss. The duo of lead performances from Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving go a long way in selling this concept, with their effective ability to balance comedy and wrath with their own takes on the simmering rage that has finally boiled over. Even those who aren’t fans of horror should certainly check it out, as there are enough action and comedy elements to make it a perfect watch for anyone.

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8 ‘Riders of Justice’ (2021)

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen

One of the best surprises of 2021, Riders of Justice is a nuanced exploration of revenge fantasy, and we can almost guarantee it doesn’t go in the direction you’d expect. Writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen explores the immediate aftermath of a tragic public transportation bombing that leads an embittered soldier (Mads Mikkelsen) to cross paths with a gang of misfits who believe they’ve uncovered a means to track down the culprits.

Riders of Justice navigates wildly between tones, often following up scenes of heartbreaking trauma with bizarre elements of fish-out-of-water comedy as the unlikely heroes work together. The drastic tonal shifts are occasionally jarring, but they’re never out of place in a film depicting the messy process of healing. When the ruthless action comes it is handled with the same darkly humorous idiosyncrasies, including the running joke that Mikkelsen’s character in Riders of Justice must disguise his new allies as trauma therapists in order to deceive his daughter.

7 ‘Upgrade’ (2018)

Directed by Leigh Whannell

Upgrade is a great throwback to action classics, and while there are hints of Paul Verhoeven’s social satire, James Cameron’s worldbuilding, and David Cronenberg’s mastery of body horror, Leigh Whannell pieces together the influences for a totally original take on the revenge thriller. Logan Marshall-Green may have been “that guy” for years, but he firmly established himself as a leading man with his performance as a tech-fearing mechanic whose body is merged with the A.I. system STEM after a vicious mugging leaves him paralyzed and kills his wife.

The cyberpunk abilities Marshall-Green’s character gains add a whole new layer to the stunt work, adding fluid robotic movements to his brawls with low-level criminals. Like Whannell’s follow-up film The Invisible Man, this is a visceral thriller with a philosophical edge, and the film’s satire of tech reliance manifests into an oddly thought-provoking ending.

6 ‘Free Fire’ (2017)

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley clearly has a mastery of finely crafted chaos, and Free Fire is a delightfully twisted good time. Set in 1978, it pits two rival gangs in a contained warehouse and lets the bullets fly. If there was ever a concern that Wheatley’s aggressively brutal treatment of his characters risked being too cruel, the acidly funny performances from Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley, Jack Reynor, and Sam Riley make it enjoyable to watch the violent pratfalls ensue.

This is essentially Mean Streets meets Assault on Precinct 13 and the soundtrack lives up to those lofty standards, particularly with a wonderful use of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” that predicates the mayhem that’s to come. A terrific score from Ex Machina composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow leans into the movie’s ‘70s pulp influences even further.

5 ‘Welcome to the Punch’ (2013)

Directed by Eran Creevy

For crime movie buffs, even a mediocre Heat knockoff is largely enjoyable, and thankfully Welcome to the Punch packs a lot more style and personality than most Michael Mann wannabes. James McAvoy is an obsessive cop with personal demons. Mark Strong is a bank robber with strict morals. That’s all you need to know.

The subgenre of London underground crime thrillers is largely dominated by the fast cutting and slow-motion of filmmakers like Guy Ritchie, so Welcome to the Punch’s precisely orchestrated heist sequences feel more novel in comparison. McAvoy and Strong chew the scenery, and the frantic motorcycle chases elevate the most derivative aspects of the story.

4 ‘Cutie Honey’ (2004)

Directed by Hideaki Anno

From the legendary creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion and adapted from the classic 70s anime of the same name, Cutie Honey manages to do the impossible in perfectly recapturing the energy of anime in live-action. The film follows the story of Honey Kisaragi, a young girl who is forced to dawn her superhero persona of Cutie Honey to save her uncle from the villainous criminal gang, Panther Claw. As the gang creates more danger and chaos around the city, Honey is forced to balance her superheroine duties with living a simple life as an office worker.

Cutie Honey not only understands and masterfully recreates the chaotic energy and style of action anime into live action, but even finds ways to build upon and comment on these tropes in a genuine and nuanced way. The film has a fundamental understanding that wild and chaotic concepts will make for more exciting and effective action, even if it isn’t tied to realism, with its flashy editing and visuals feeling exactly like 2D animation. Cutie Honey is a must-watch action experience for those who are looking for an action-comedy that completely flips what is possible in live-action on its head.

3 ‘Red’ (2010)

Directed by Robert Schwentke

Remember when Bruce Willis was actually awake for a performance? While John McClane himself has spent most of the past decade popping up in direct-to-VOD nonsense, Willis gave one of his last great performances in this DC graphic novel adaptation. Essentially “The Expendables but good,” Red brings together a terrific ensemble of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and a wildly off-the-rails John Malkovich as former assassins drawn back into the espionage world.

Willis gets to play the straight man trying to put his past behind him, and it’s hilarious to see his tired exasperation with Mirren and Malkovich (who both admit they just love killing). There’s a good deal of ridiculous stunts (a grenade launcher is hidden in a plushie stuffed animal at one point), but Red also gets more brutal when it needs to be with a bone-crunching showdown between Willis and Karl Urban’s CIA agent. It’s a fun romp.

2 ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ (2009)

Directed by Tony Scott

It may seem sacrilegious to remake the 1974 classic The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, but the uniquely frantic energy of Tony Scott makes for a totally unique reimagining. As with Scott’s next film Unstoppable, Denzel Washington slips perfectly into the role of a working-class everyman caught in over his head. In Unstoppable it’s a runaway train, and in The Taking of Pelham 123, it’s John Travolta with a baffling goatee.

Scott reimagines the original film’s realism for the 24-hour news era with frantic, fly-on-the-wall camerawork. No one does ticking time clocks like Scott, and it’s interesting to see the generally unsentimental filmmaker give an optimistic take on the New York community working together to solve a crisis (even James Gandolfini’s mayor is remarkably sincere). Come for the Travolta weirdness, stick around for the surprisingly heartfelt grace.

Rent on Apple TV

1 ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ (2007)

Directed by Michael Davis

Just as the title would suggest, Shoot ‘Em Up packs about as much gunplay, crass humor, and bizarrely overcooked performances into 86 minutes as possible. This is as close to a live-action cartoon as you can get (it’s about as violent as an adaptation of The Simpsons’ “Itchy and Scratchy” would be), following a comically grim Clive Owen as a hitman who decides to protect a newborn infant from a gang of assassins.

The title alone suggests that Shoot ‘Em Up is intended to offend, but the film packs a lot of satire within the crazed ultraviolence. While the dialed-up performances aim to be as broad as possible, there’s commentary weaved in about government inaction on gun control. It’s surprisingly insightful for a film in which Paul Giamatti gleefully tries to run over a baby with a car.

NEXT: The Best Action Movies of All Time, Ranked