Although many incredible movies spanning all different genres have become cult classics over the years, action films are a category that immediately comes to mind, mostly given the quantity of incredibly influential movies it has delivered. This often has to do with their lasting imprint on audiences, whether because of the genre boundaries they transcended, the creative risks they took, or the unique and unconventional storytelling they featured, often elevated by stylish imagery.
To celebrate the number of iconic films that have become must-sees in this niche category, we look back at some of the best cult classic action movies of all time and rank them by their cult classic status. From Mad Max to Blade Runner, these movies manage to keep audiences equal parts entertained by their incredible action sequences and immersed in their worldbuilding.
They are:
- Mad Max (1979)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Fight Club (1999)
- Oldboy (2003)
- Repo Man (1984)
- The Warriors (1979)
- Escape From New York (1981)
- Dredd (2012)
- Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
- Point Break (1991)
Fight Club and Blade Runner I wouldn’t really consider as action movies at all. You’d may as well put the Princess Bride in there if you’re playing that fast and loose with the genre.
The Raid definitely deserves a place. Id put Death Proof in there too, because I don’t think it’s all that well known.
Fight club…isn’t action in your mind? Literally half the movie is fighting.
I guess the difference for me is you don’t really watch Fight Club for the spectacle of the fight scenes, like you would in The Matrix or Die Hard. Yeah it’s got fighting in it but the action isn’t really the point of the movie, it’s about the growth of the fight club and relationship between the 3 main characters.
Agreed, as the comments talk about Fight Club, where’s the action in Blade Runner. There’s the shooting of Zhora(?) but what else?
The final rooftop encounter is a tense game of cat and mouse but I wouldn’t call it action.
The film may be generally disliked, but I think the entire freeway sequence of Matrix Reloaded is fantastic.
The raid absolutely, also Ong Bak fits into a cult classic action movie way better than most of these.
Gods. The Ong Bak and them flaming knees. The bloody tree in the opening. I don’t know how well it holds up, but when it came out I remember my jaw just hanging for basically the entire duration.
I’d never seen anything like it.
100%. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but the tree scene in the beginning shouted “Buckle the fuck up” and it delivered.
It’s quintessential cult classic. Came out of nowhere (I was not aware of a booming Thai film industry), and had a huge impact.
Buckle the fuck up 🤣 These dudes are stuntmen and, yes, this is a movie. But ALSO these dudes are falling two straight storeys out of a goddamn tree and landing on their own bones… while punching each other on the way down