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Best Action Movies of All Time, Ranked by IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDB
1547 action films are in our catalog; the 100 best are ranked below. Top of the list is The Dark Knight ('2008), at 9.1 on IMDb. The average IMDb score across this list is 8.1. Biggest split between audiences and critics: Predator, 7.8 on IMDb against 47 on Metacritic.
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| # | Movie | Genre | IMDb | Tomato | Meta | TMDB | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dark Knight '2008 | Action / Thriller / Crime | 9.1 | 94% | 85 | 8.5 | Christopher Nolan |
| 2 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King '2003 | Fantasy / Action | 9.0 | 94% | 94 | 8.5 | Peter Jackson |
| 3 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring '2001 | Fantasy / Action | 8.9 | 91% | 92 | 8.4 | Peter Jackson |
| 4 | The Empire Strikes Back '1980 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.7 | 93% | 82 | 8.4 | Irvin Kershner |
| 5 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers '2002 | Fantasy / Action | 8.8 | 95% | 87 | 8.4 | Peter Jackson |
| 6 | Inception '2010 | Action / Sci-Fi / Crime | 8.8 | 86% | 74 | 8.4 | Christopher Nolan |
| 7 | The Matrix '1999 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.7 | 83% | 73 | 8.3 | Lana Wachowski |
| 8 | Star Wars '1977 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.6 | 93% | 90 | 8.2 | George Lucas |
| 9 | Seven Samurai '1954 | Action / Drama | 8.6 | 100% | 98 | 8.5 | Akira Kurosawa |
| 10 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day '1991 | Action / Thriller / Sci-Fi | 8.6 | 90% | 75 | 8.2 | James Cameron |
| 11 | Harakiri '1962 | Action / Drama | 8.6 | 100% | 85 | 8.5 | Masaki Kobayashi |
| 12 | Léon: The Professional '1994 | Crime / Drama / Action | 8.5 | 76% | 64 | 8.3 | Luc Besson |
| 13 | Raiders of the Lost Ark '1981 | Action | 8.4 | 94% | 86 | 7.9 | Steven Spielberg |
| 14 | Gladiator '2000 | Action / Drama | 8.5 | 80% | 67 | 8.2 | Ridley Scott |
| 15 | Aliens '1986 | Action / Thriller / Sci-Fi | 8.4 | 93% | 84 | 8.0 | James Cameron |
| 16 | Return of the Jedi '1983 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.3 | 83% | 58 | 7.9 | Richard Marquand |
| 17 | Scarface '1983 | Action / Crime / Drama | 8.3 | 77% | 65 | 8.2 | Brian De Palma |
| 18 | The Dark Knight Rises '2012 | Action / Crime / Thriller | 8.4 | 87% | 78 | 7.8 | Christopher Nolan |
| 19 | Avengers: Infinity War '2018 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.4 | 85% | 68 | 8.2 | Anthony Russo |
| 20 | Avengers: Endgame '2019 | Sci-Fi / Action | 8.4 | 94% | 78 | 8.2 | Anthony Russo |
| 21 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse '2023 | Animation / Action / Sci-Fi | 8.5 | 95% | 86 | 8.3 | Kemp Powers |
| 22 | Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender '2026 | Animation / Fantasy / Action | - | 90% | - | 9.1 | Lauren Montgomery |
| 23 | Die Hard '1988 | Action / Thriller | 8.2 | 94% | 72 | 7.8 | John McTiernan |
| 24 | Heat '1995 | Crime / Drama / Action | 8.3 | 84% | 76 | 7.9 | Michael Mann |
| 25 | The Odyssey '2026 | Action / Fantasy | 8.4 | 94% | 88 | 8.0 | Christopher Nolan |
| 26 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade '1989 | Action | 8.2 | 84% | 65 | 7.9 | Steven Spielberg |
| 27 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse '2018 | Animation / Action / Sci-Fi | 8.4 | 97% | 87 | 8.4 | Bob Persichetti |
| 28 | Sherlock Jr. '1924 | Action / Comedy / Mystery | 8.1 | 87% | - | 8.0 | Buster Keaton |
| 29 | The Terminator '1984 | Action / Thriller / Sci-Fi | 8.1 | 90% | 84 | 7.7 | James Cameron |
| 30 | Top Gun: Maverick '2022 | Action / Drama | 8.2 | 96% | 78 | 8.2 | Joseph Kosinski |
| 31 | Batman Begins '2005 | Drama / Crime / Action | 8.2 | 85% | 70 | 7.7 | Christopher Nolan |
| 32 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 '2003 | Action / Crime | 8.2 | 85% | 69 | 8.0 | Quentin Tarantino |
| 33 | Spider-Man: No Way Home '2021 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.1 | 93% | 71 | 7.9 | Jon Watts |
| 34 | Planet of the Apes '1968 | Sci-Fi / Drama / Action | 8.0 | 86% | 79 | 7.7 | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| 35 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl '2003 | Fantasy / Action | 8.1 | 79% | 63 | 7.8 | Gore Verbinski |
| 36 | Sholay '1975 | Action | 8.1 | 95% | - | 7.1 | Ramesh Sippy |
| 37 | The Punisher: One Last Kill '2026 | Action / Drama / Crime | - | 73% | - | 8.3 | Reinaldo Marcus Green |
| 38 | V for Vendetta '2006 | Action / Thriller / Sci-Fi | 8.1 | 73% | 62 | 7.9 | James McTeigue |
| 39 | Platoon '1986 | Drama / War / Action | 8.0 | 89% | 92 | 7.7 | Oliver Stone |
| 40 | Ran '1985 | Action / Drama | 8.2 | 96% | 97 | 8.0 | Akira Kurosawa |
| 41 | The Hidden Fortress '1958 | Drama / Action | 8.0 | 96% | 89 | 8.0 | Akira Kurosawa |
| 42 | Mad Max: Fury Road '2015 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.1 | 97% | 90 | 7.6 | George Miller |
| 43 | Sanjuro '1962 | Drama / Action / Comedy | 8.0 | 100% | 83 | 7.9 | Akira Kurosawa |
| 44 | The Message '1976 | Drama / Action | 8.1 | - | - | 7.1 | Moustapha Akkad |
| 45 | The Adventures of Robin Hood '1938 | Romance / Action | 7.9 | 100% | 97 | 7.5 | Michael Curtiz |
| 46 | Logan '2017 | Action / Drama / Sci-Fi | 8.1 | 93% | 77 | 7.8 | James Mangold |
| 47 | Akira '1988 | Animation / Sci-Fi / Action | 8.0 | 88% | 68 | 7.9 | Katsuhiro Otomo |
| 48 | Deadpool '2016 | Action / Comedy | 8.0 | 85% | 65 | 7.6 | Tim Miller |
| 49 | Guardians of the Galaxy '2014 | Action / Sci-Fi | 8.0 | 91% | 76 | 7.9 | James Gunn |
| 50 | The Avengers '2012 | Sci-Fi / Action | 8.0 | 91% | 69 | 8.1 | Joss Whedon |
| 51 | Castle in the Sky '1986 | Fantasy / Animation / Action | 8.0 | 97% | 78 | 8.0 | Hayao Miyazaki |
| 52 | Avatar '2009 | Sci-Fi / Action | 7.9 | 81% | 83 | 7.6 | James Cameron |
| 53 | The Incredibles '2004 | Action / Animation | 8.0 | - | 90 | 7.7 | Brad Bird |
| 54 | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 '2004 | Action / Crime / Thriller | 8.0 | 84% | 83 | 7.9 | Quentin Tarantino |
| 55 | Ford v Ferrari '2019 | Drama / Action | 8.1 | 92% | 81 | 8.0 | James Mangold |
| 56 | Casino Royale '2006 | Action / Thriller | 8.0 | 94% | 80 | 7.6 | Martin Campbell |
| 57 | Iron Man '2008 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.9 | 94% | 79 | 7.7 | Jon Favreau |
| 58 | Predator '1987 | Sci-Fi / Action / Thriller | 7.8 | 65% | 47 | 7.6 | John McTiernan |
| 59 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day '2026 | Sci-Fi / Action | 8.0 | 90% | 66 | 8.5 | Destin Daniel Cretton |
| 60 | The Bourne Ultimatum '2007 | Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller | 8.0 | 92% | 85 | 7.4 | Paul Greengrass |
| 61 | Rush '2013 | Drama / Action | 8.1 | 88% | 74 | 7.7 | Ron Howard |
| 62 | True Romance '1993 | Action / Crime / Romance | 7.9 | 93% | 59 | 7.5 | Tony Scott |
| 63 | Blood Diamond '2006 | Drama / Thriller / Action | 8.0 | 64% | 64 | 7.6 | Edward Zwick |
| 64 | Zack Snyder's Justice League '2021 | Action / Fantasy | 7.9 | 71% | 54 | 8.1 | Zack Snyder |
| 65 | Thor: Ragnarok '2017 | Action / Comedy / Sci-Fi | 7.9 | 93% | 74 | 7.6 | Taika Waititi |
| 66 | A Night to Remember '1958 | Drama / Action | 7.9 | 100% | - | 7.7 | Roy Ward Baker |
| 67 | Goldfinger '1964 | Action / Thriller | 7.7 | 99% | 87 | 7.4 | Guy Hamilton |
| 68 | Edge of Tomorrow '2014 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.9 | 91% | 71 | 7.6 | Doug Liman |
| 69 | Dirty Harry '1971 | Action / Crime / Thriller | 7.7 | 89% | 87 | 7.5 | Don Siegel |
| 70 | X-Men: Days of Future Past '2014 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.9 | 90% | 75 | 7.5 | Bryan Singer |
| 71 | The Fugitive '1993 | Action / Thriller / Drama | 7.8 | 96% | 87 | 7.5 | Andrew Davis |
| 72 | Warrior '2011 | Drama / Action | 8.1 | 84% | 71 | 7.8 | Gavin O'Connor |
| 73 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 '2023 | Sci-Fi / Action | 7.9 | 82% | 64 | 7.9 | James Gunn |
| 74 | The Gentlemen '2020 | Action / Comedy / Crime | 7.8 | 75% | 51 | 7.7 | Guy Ritchie |
| 75 | Scarface '1932 | Crime / Action / Drama / Thriller | 7.7 | 98% | 90 | 7.4 | Howard Hawks |
| 76 | The Day of the Jackal '1973 | Action / Thriller | 7.8 | 91% | 80 | 7.5 | Fred Zinnemann |
| 77 | The Dirty Dozen '1967 | Action / War | 7.7 | 82% | 73 | 7.6 | Robert Aldrich |
| 78 | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ '1925 | Drama / Romance / Action | 7.8 | 96% | - | 7.3 | Fred Niblo |
| 79 | First Blood '1982 | Action / Thriller / Drama | 7.7 | 86% | 61 | 7.5 | Ted Kotcheff |
| 80 | Captain America: Civil War '2016 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.8 | 90% | 75 | 7.5 | Joe Russo |
| 81 | Star Trek '2009 | Sci-Fi / Action | 7.9 | 94% | 82 | 7.4 | J.J. Abrams |
| 82 | Children of Men '2006 | Sci-Fi / Thriller / Action | 7.9 | 92% | 84 | 7.6 | Alfonso Cuarón |
| 83 | Twelve O'Clock High '1949 | War / Action / Drama | 7.7 | 96% | - | 7.2 | Henry King |
| 84 | Dunkirk '2017 | War / Action / Drama | 7.8 | 92% | 94 | 7.4 | Christopher Nolan |
| 85 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story '2016 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.8 | 84% | 65 | 7.5 | Gareth Edwards |
| 86 | The Bourne Identity '2002 | Action / Mystery / Thriller | 7.8 | 84% | 68 | 7.5 | Doug Liman |
| 87 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey '2012 | Fantasy / Action | 7.8 | 64% | 58 | 7.4 | Peter Jackson |
| 88 | Tombstone '1993 | Western / Action | 7.8 | 76% | 50 | 7.6 | George P. Cosmatos |
| 89 | Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train '2020 | Animation / Action / Fantasy | 8.2 | - | 72 | 8.2 | Haruo Sotozaki |
| 90 | Everything Everywhere All at Once '2022 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.7 | 93% | 81 | 7.7 | Daniel Scheinert |
| 91 | The French Connection '1971 | Action / Crime / Thriller | 7.6 | 97% | 94 | 7.5 | William Friedkin |
| 92 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan '1982 | Action / Sci-Fi / Thriller | 7.7 | 87% | 68 | 7.4 | Nicholas Meyer |
| 93 | Skyfall '2012 | Action / Thriller | 7.8 | 92% | 81 | 7.3 | Sam Mendes |
| 94 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug '2013 | Fantasy / Action | 7.8 | 74% | 66 | 7.6 | Peter Jackson |
| 95 | Enter the Dragon '1973 | Action | 7.6 | 88% | 83 | 7.4 | Robert Clouse |
| 96 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier '2014 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.7 | 90% | 70 | 7.7 | Joe Russo |
| 97 | Hot Fuzz '2007 | Crime / Action / Comedy | 7.8 | 91% | 81 | 7.6 | Edgar Wright |
| 98 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens '2015 | Action / Sci-Fi | 7.7 | 93% | 80 | 7.2 | J.J. Abrams |
| 99 | Duel '1971 | Action / Thriller | 7.6 | 90% | 81 | 7.4 | Steven Spielberg |
| 100 | Ghost in the Shell '1995 | Action / Animation / Sci-Fi | 7.9 | 95% | 76 | 7.9 | Mamoru Oshii |
Our catalog covers roughly the 8,800 most-rated films on TMDB, so lesser-known titles may be missing. Order uses a confidence-weighted IMDb score so a perfect score from a handful of votes does not beat a well-established classic; the scores shown are the raw ones.
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