There's a tendency with action movies to attempt to outdo what's gone before: bigger - the theory goes - is always better, whether that means more explosions, more audacious and death-defying stunts or bigger shootouts throwing carnage left, right and centre. While there's nothing wrong with a good shoot em up movie - anyone who has seen the John Woo classic Hard Boiled will know just how much fun those kind of action movies can be - sometimes a little subtlety can go a long way. Action movies are frequently dumb, but they don't always have to be, and an action hero with plenty of smarts can be just as entertaining to watch. There are plenty of action movies out there which feature no guns at all - take, for example, the martial arts genre - so when the hero never fires a gun it's nothing to write home about. On the other hand, there are action movies where guns are featured and yet still the hero doesn't feel the need to fire one, which in the world of Hollywood is a rare thing indeed. Taking out the enemy using something other than a firearm - or outsmarting them without the need for violence - can be a far more satisfying viewing experience when it's done well, proving that the filmmakers are more interested in playing with action movie conventions than they are sticking closely to them. Here are ten action movies where the hero never fires a gun, proving that firepower isn't essential if you want to take out the bad guys.