Genre has been alive this year both in the theater and on streaming. From practical action effects in a film with little to no dialogue to video-game, mechanics made real, historical fictions that go larger than you could have imagined, and a one-word titled wonder, we rounded up the Top Action Movies of 2023.
Now, here are a few ground rules for our Top Action Movies of 2023 list. First, the film had to have been released to audiences in the United States via theater, VOD, or streaming subscription within the 2022 calendar year – festival-only screenings don’t count here, sorry. Next, the Top Action Films of 2022 have to be considered action in some way – but of course, genre blends, and we gladly include the action-hyphenates as well (hello, action-sci-fi). And that’s it.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
By only focussing on action movies with official releases in 2023, I’ve had to omit three of the best action features I saw all year at festivals. The first is the Bollywood film Kill. Brutal, campy, and extravagant in its compact style, Kill’s release outside of festivals can’t come soon enough. Then there are two WellGoUSA titles. The Japanese film One Percenter (1%er) is a bare-bones, non-stop action film about a stunt actor searching for his love of acting again. And finally, China’s 100 Yards. This one is a masterpiece in simple premise with exquisite execution. Martial arts academy politics end with a 45-minute action sequence, and 100 Yards does it all with an unrelenting style.
So, without further ado, here are our top action movies of 2023.
15. PLANE
“Ultimately, PLANE delivers exactly what you would want from a movie with, well, that title. If you go in expecting a film that embodies bombastic action and concepts about surviving by any absurd means necessary? Well, you’ll have a great time.
PLANE embraces the things about 90s action movies that made them as entertaining as absurd. If you have money to head to the theater and a deep love of action movies, this is one great way to kick off the year. A showing that would make Bruce Willis proud; I promise you’ll have a blast as big as a 50 cal being shot through a car door.” —Kate Sánchez
14. The Killer (2023)
“In addition to its dark and dreary existentialism, The Killer is a sonic-visual feast that enamours the senses. The droning, crackling score creates a wall of sound that renders each creative kill that much more guttural and bracing in their execution. Fincher dreams up an assassin that is the epitome of a lethal weapon, equipped with zero hesitation and doling out mercy in the form of a quick death, one that hopefully allows loved ones to find whatever is left of them. Though Fincher’s killer is undeniably chatty, he’s rarely speaking with others, silently listening, unphased by their pleas for life. That steely blankness is what gives this character his power, allowing us to project our own insecurities and connotations onto him—and in that way, he’s more human than we’d care to admit.” —Prabhjot Bains
13. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a good heist film. It’s a good fantasy film. A good action adventure. And above all else, it’s a good D&D film. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a phenomenal adaptation of fantasy that never prioritizes one audience (those who are TTRPG players and the ones who aren’t) over the other…” —Kate Sánchez
12. Believer 2
“Believer 2 spares no expense with its grimy settings and explicit violence. The action choreography is slick and top-notch. With so many seasoned criminal characters, the efficiency and proficiency displayed in the shootouts and action sequences are impressive and paint a further image of the depravity of Mr. Lee’s indirect influence.
The violence, while some may argue is gratuitous, is anything but. From beheadings to shootouts to torturous moments, these scenes are no different from recent films in the Korean action movie market. They illustrate to the viewer the lengths these characters will go to, and we see this contrast highlighted in Won-ho’s usage of violence compared to characters like Big Knife, Young-rak, and Brian Lee…” —Sarah Musnicky
11. Ballerina
“The action sequences when they arrive don’t drag too long. They are full of frenetic energy. Ok-ju may be a skilled fighter, but she isn’t infallible. She makes mistakes. Led by impulse and emotion, she can get lost in the moment, and it shows in Jeon Jong-seo’s face as the emotion takes hold. The combination of choreography and camerawork helps throw us in there in action with her, and having Ok-ju have moments of vulnerability in the later fight scenes reminds us how incredibly mortal she is.” —Sarah Musnicky
10. Furies
“Furies has a message and a cast of stellar female characters. Above all else, it shows how well women can pull off brutal fight choreography when given the material to execute. While brutality gives this film an edge, Ngô ability to work in camp and humor simultaneously makes the film dynamic. A bloody blending of Charlie’s Angels and The Raid, Furies doesn’t pull its punches. It’s brutal when it comes to the portrayal of violence, and the action sequences deliver the bone-crunching sound design that makes action films so satisfying to hear in theater surround sound.” —Kate Sánchez
9. Extraction 2
“You may knock it for its narrative, but the use of one-shots and action direction is the strongest element of Extraction 2 and a solid reason to watch. One particular shot is a chase. The camera moves along with the cars, keeping pace and turning its gaze to new elements of the spectacle in one solidly and unbroken tracked shot. The amount of coordination involved in executing a chase sequence is great, and to do it uninterrupted by jump cuts is another that deserves praise.
In fact, throughout the film, the action is allowed to breathe, due surely to Hargrave’s background as a stunt coordinator. Whether it’s in wide open spaces or cramped quarters, performed by Hemsworth or Farahani, the action is captured without the use of jump cuts. Instead, the fight choreographer and director work together to make sure that enough space between the camera and subject is in place to show every punch, stab, and shot. This makes for exciting action that isn’t trying to hide its faults but rather is trusting its actors to do the work on-screen wholeheartedly.” —Kate Sánchez
8. Project Wolf Hunting
“Project Wolf Hunting is absolutely bonkers. The story pivots at least three times and the violence has faces being smashed with hammers, necks being stabbed to walls, and heads being bludgeoned with body parts that were just ripped off. An absurd level of violence, fake blood, and absolutely zero care about who matters to building a plot. And you know what? Sign me up to watch it again. Hands down, Project Wolf Hunting is the most fun I’ve had in a theater… Go into Project Wolf Hunting with your head empty, no thoughts, just let the blood bath wash over you.” —Kate Sánchez
7. Shin Kamen Rider
“The action is epic and spectacular, but not because it’s choreographed to the action gods or even edited well. With jump cuts galore and some rudimentary special effects, and awkward blocking, the film is grounded in the era and style that we know and love as fans. By keeping large elements of Kamen Rider rough around the edges, Shin Kamen Rider is as much a love letter to the legendary tokusatsu franchise of the past as it is a reset and Anno Hideaki’s ode to the future. The past informs the present, and for existing fans of the franchise, this is gold. For newcomers, maybe not so much.” —Kate Sánchez
6. Kill Boksoon
“Actress Jeon [Do-yeon] captures the complexity of motherhood against violence in a way that showcases her range. Her action sequences match her ability to capture emotion, and that balance is what helps set the film apart from others in the genre. That said, I don’t want to sell Kill Boksoon’s action sequences short.
Often stretched into absurdity and using the body as humor, Kill Boksoon delivers a variety of action scenes that embrace our lead character’s weaknesses. Gunfights, sword fights, hand-to-hand, and of course, a one-vs-many fight for survival fill the film to the brim. With blood and a chaotic edge, the fights in Kill Boksoon have a life of their own. That said, no matter how much the bend to spectacle, each act has a pivotal fight that showcases what I love about the action genre: storytelling through violence, not words.” —Kate Sánchez
5. The Childe
“The Childe is a tense action thriller whose driving force is Kim Seon-Ho. Infinitely terrifying and intimidating in his ability to switch between apathy and excited mania while terrorizing Kang Tae-Ju‘s Marco, as the Nobleman, actor Kim is an unstoppable force. Accentuated by his attractiveness and three-piece suit, the Nobleman is a psychotic agent of chaos that allows the film’s pacing to remain high octane. In fact, actor Kim’s performance is one of the best examples of a villain in recent action films. Cold, calm, yet manic, he’s everything packaged in charisma and humor at the same time. His ability to be both humorous and intimidating is a hard task and is one that sells this film… The Childe is easily one of the best action films of 2023, and it’s thanks to Kim Seon-ho and his dynamic performance.” —Kate Sánchez
The Childe has a limited release in 2023 and is coming to VOD in 2024.
4. SISU
“Violence is a storytelling tool and, when it’s done with an understanding of the body and ways to break it, it can truly sing. SISU’s action sequences use guns, explosives, a knife in the water, planes, lighting yourself on fire to avoid a dog attack, tanks, cars, a pickaxe; they use everything creatively and, even in their absurdity, have enough grit and blood to pack a punch. While the film’s protagonist is silent, the action is anything but…
SISU captures the brutality of action cinema, the pay-off of a slowed Western pacing, and wraps it all in a story we can all get behind. Excellently shot, scripted, and acted, this film is one that warrants a watch with friends to enjoy the violence to the fullest. While some think horror films have a corner on creative kills, SISU has their number.” —Kate Sánchez
3. Concrete Utopia
“South Korea’s entry into the 2024 Oscars, Concrete Utopia is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle of CGI it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise. That intimacy helps make the film’s action deliver great impact. Whether its the physical fight scenes or how characters interact with their environment, all of the action in the film serves to build up each character’s emotional core.
Director Um Tae-hwa hones in on the people and highlights the ways in which humanity is deeply flawed and how those flaws shine brightly when there are decided hierarchies even in a world where you’ve lost everything. And even then, while Um Tae-hwa’s narrative is based on us versus them, he never loses sight of investigating who gets to choose which side of the apartment door you fall on.” —Kate Sánchez
Concrete Utopia has a limited release in December of 2023, with no VOD release plans available.
2. Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1
“Still, I find myself enamored with the size and scale, and absolute beauty that has been brought to the screen. The action scenes aren’t just loud and brash but seamlessly crafted to land shock, awe, and impact for more than just an audible “damn” from the audience. I believe wholeheartedly that film can be enjoyed no matter the size of the screen it’s watched on. However, like Top Gun: Maverick before it, Cruise reminds you of the glory of theater sound shaking your seat and the scale of seeing some of the most insanely constructed practical stunt moments ever put on screen. While the film fails Ilsa, it doesn’t fail its action.
To make an action sequence is hard by any measure, but to do so with the kind of camerawork and planning that is done in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is miraculous. The film manages to give spectacle and substance while still holding onto the absurdity of the spy genre that was long set by the original television series, which this franchise was an extension of. You will find nothing bigger on the screen or more reverence for practical effects in the film than in Mission Impossible; that was true across the franchise and remains the calling card for an action franchise that makes a theater screen feel like a necessity.” —Kate Sánchez
1. John Wick Chapter 4
“I can keep writing about the beauty of John Wick Chapter 4, and I want to. It’s a masterpiece of the action genre that doesn’t shy away from any trope or any humor while still packing solid emotional punches throughout. It’s about creating a grand event. It’s loud and brash and yet pulled in tightly on why we, the audience, have fallen so deeply in love with the titular character. There are many action films in this world, but none like this…
With John Wick 4, Chad Stahelski has once again defined the action genre for Hollywood. John Wick 4 isn’t just the best of the franchise but the best that American action cinema has put forward. It’s one of the best new additions to the genre in recent memory. Action is an art, and this film showcases the storytelling and grandeur an action-first script can bring to cinema, and I hope this train never stops.” —Kate Sánchez
With everything available to watch, open your new year with the top action movies of 2023 and get excited. With films across the world, there was a lot to love. Did your favorite make our Top Action Movies of 2023 list? Let us know on social media: @butwhythopc on all platforms.
Synopses for the Top Action Movies 2023 list were taken from our previous reviews.
