10 Action Movie Scenes So Unbelievable They're Actually Awesome

Rolling ones eyes at the latest Hollywood inanity is par for the course these days. In an attempt to wow an audience that has seen everything, filmmakers keep pushing the envelope further and further past the realms of believability.

This has led to some wild stunts and out-of-this-world escapes to the delight of action junkies. The problem is that when it goes too far, suspension of disbelief itself is blown away and audiences get taken right out of the film.

Yet sometimes a movie scene is so outrageous that it goes beyond eye rolling disbelief and into this-is-so-ridiculous-I-will-accept-whatever-this-movie-throws-at-me nirvana - being so far-fetched becomes the main reason for the thrill.

Achieving this level of craft can be tricky but when successful produces an unmatched adrenaline rush. Beneath the incredulity arises a sense of admiration for the guts to attempt something so out there. This feeling eventually transforms into bliss at being made to see the impossible as reality.

No court of law would dare declare any of the following moments believable, and yet pinch people’s arms just a bit and many will admit that they found these ten over the top action scenes wildly entertaining.

Late in Rambo 3, John Rambo has successfully executed a one-man rescue operation to save his friend Colonel Samuel Trautman from a Soviet base in Afghanistan. Before they can cross the Pakistani border however they are met by commanding officer Zaysen, who is accompanied by an entire army. So with some timely help from the Mujahideen rebel forces, Rambo and Trautman take on mother Russia.

It’s 80’s action at its best, culminating in a wild tank vs helicopter face off. Rambo drives, shoots, and reloads the tank like a one man triple tag team while Zaysen's chopper strafes parallel to the ground thinking it's in a joust.

Yet for all the improbability it's shot with great clarity. The editing is quick but not chaotic while the cinematography provides a clear sense of geography. Real vehicles were also used giving the sequence a realistic look while the booming sound effects help drown out questions of logic. Finally, the tank and helicopter pilots deserve medals for the extreme manoeuvres they achieved.

Of course by this point Rambo has already been established as a one man super soldier so truthfully we were ready for the over the top tone. All they had to do was make it awesome to which we say mission accomplished.