5 Action Movies Better Than Mad Max: Fury Road - MCE Notices | California State Portal

George Miller’s 2015 action masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road, is one of the genre’s greatest modern achievements. There’s no doubt about it. However, over the course of the action genre’s entire history, there have been a few true masterpieces that stand above the iconic post-apocalyptic action extravaganza.

Fury Road might be one of the most significant action outings of the modern age, but these five action masterworks stand out as some of the most genre-defining epics ever conceived. They pushed the action genre forward even more than Fury Road, and they still hold up as superior action masterpieces.

The Matrix Is A Game-Changing Sci-Fi Action Masterpiece

Image via Warner Bros. / Courtesy of Everett Collection

Lilly and Lana Wachowski absolutely changed the world of science fiction and action filmmaking with their seminal 1999 epic, The Matrix. A timeless masterpiece that has remained as essential today as it was 27 years ago, The Matrix features some of the most dazzling action set pieces, incredible character work, and groundbreaking special effects ever seen on the big screen.

The characters are absolutely iconic, the world-building is second-to-none, and the overall influence that The Matrix has had on practically every action movie in its wake is hard to fathom. Without The Matrix, Mad Max: Fury Road would likely look very different, if it would even exist at all. The Wachowski’s mind-blowing sci-fi spectacular must be seen to be believed, and it remains a genuine all-timer.

Hard Boiled Redefined Action Filmmaking Forever

Any fans of the action genre who have not watched director John Woo’s original Hong Kong action films are doing themselves a major disservice. Utterly genre-defining in every single way, Woo’s early action films have been the blueprint for the genre for decades, and his finest achievement is, without a doubt, 1992’s Hard Boiled.

A no-holds-barred action extravaganza, Hard Boiled tells the story of two cops who must begrudgingly team up against a nefarious gang of gun smugglers. Packed with unforgettable shootouts, sublime martial arts action, and some of the finest camera work the action world has ever seen, Hard Boiled is nothing short of perfect.

Aliens Is A Non-Stop Action Thrill Ride From A Genre Master

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) faces off with a xenomorph in Aliens

Director James Cameron is responsible for some of the greatest action movies of all time. Masterpieces like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the Avatar films, and True Lies, are hard to beat, but perhaps his most underrated action epic is 1986’s Aliens. A sequel to Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi horror opus, Alien, Cameron’s Aliens is bigger, meaner, and more action-packed than its predecessor, and one of the single greatest action movies ever made.

Like Mad Max: Fury Road, Aliens effortlessly blends over-the-top science fiction storytelling with fast-paced, character-focused action. Aliens is a non-stop bonanza that truly lives up to all of the hype, and it remains one of the best showcases of ’80s practical effects work. James Cameron simply gets how to craft a compelling action story, and Aliens might just be the finest example of that fact.

Die Hard Is The Pinnacle of ’80s Action Movies

Without John McTiernan’s 1988 opus, Die Hard, the action landscape would look wildly different today. Arguably one of the most influential films ever made, the single-location action masterpiece remains endlessly rewatchable all these years later. Featuring Bruce Willis in the career-defining role of John McClane, a New York cop caught in the midst of an L.A. hostage situation in a state-of-the-art skyscraper, Die Hard is nothing short of perfect.

An unforgettable villain, a truly perfect supporting cast, and one of the most tightly constructed scripts in action history all make Die Hard impossible to look away from. It’s the kind of action movie that fans have obsessively rewatched over and over again ever since 1988, and it is, without a doubt, the gold standard for ’80s action movies.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Is The Greatest Modern Action Movie

Kill Bill Uma Thurman — Uma Thurman as The Bride in Kill Bill.

Although director Quentin Tarantino originally theatrically released Kill Bill as two movies, he has repeatedly stated that the story was always meant to be one film. Thankfully, fans finally got the chance to see the action masterpiece how it was always intended, in the form of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.

A 254-minute saga of bloody revenge and emotionally devastating character work, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair isn’t just the best action movie of the last 50 years, but one of the single greatest action pictures ever. Boasting genre-defining showdowns, unforgettable characters, and some of the most unique technical methods in the genre’s history, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair stands above even all-time great masterpieces like Mad Max: Fury Road.