50 Greatest Action Movies Of All Time

2. Apocalypto (2006)

Visceral, violent and brutal are just three of the words often used to describe Mel Gibson's Mesoamerican-set period flick, but Apocalypto is also one of the most visually striking and relentlessly thrilling action movies in recent memory.

The plot moves as a breakneck pace and never once pauses to catch its breath, and while some of the depictions of brutality may be a little excessive the end result is a heart-pounding and expertly directed piece of genre filmmaking.