No list of badass action movies could ever hope to be definitive because its such a wide-ranging genre, taking in everything from swashbucklers and Westerns to gung-ho 80s action flicks and movies backed by the WWE. And thats just the films that were made in America. Theres also the Spaghetti Westerns, the Asian martial arts films and the Philippines-shot exploitation movies, to name a few, and a list that aims at being definitive could fill a book. This is not that list, so apologies to anyone who bemoans the absence of a particular favourite. Some ground rules: in order to be considered badass, the movies cannot feature characters who possess superhuman abilities, wear a superhero costume or battle superhuman antagonists. Any bozo can interact with special effects, as youll know if youve seen John Carter. A true badass action movie focuses on individuals who find themselves trapped in a no-win situation and rise to the challenge by extricating themselves with charm, humour and an AK-47 in each fist. They can fly through the air in slow-motion, discharging both weapons simultaneously, but thats only half of it they also need a pithy zinger. Here then are the 12 coolest action films you need to see, the movies that, if they were people, would wear shades and walk in slo-mo to their very own theme song.
12. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Had The Magnificent Seven been just another Western, it wouldve still garnered attention in later years for its cast. Among the assembled badasses here are Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Yul Bryner, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn (plus Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz). Theyre helping a group of Mexican villagers fight off Eli Wallach and his group of bandits, and if at all possible, Wallach is even more of a beady-eyed loon than he was in The Good The Bad And The Ugly. Hes also one of the most hissable villains in any of the classic Westerns, and when our heroes enter the picture, you know theres going to be fireworks. To get a taste of just how simple, economical and grandly entertaining this picture is, just wait until Antoine Fuquas remake opens in late 2016. Appearing alongside Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke are Cam Gigandet and, mysteriously, Haley Bennett. The fact that an American blonde has been shoehorned into the story tells you all you need to know.