30 - Operation Condor
Ahh Jackie, Jackie, Jackie. Do you know why I love you? Because you are a mentalist. Nazi gold hidden in the Sahara dessert, a group of middle-eastern bad guys hunting it and three inept yet beautiful side kicks. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING! And that is why we love it. Of all Jackie's films, Operation Condor is among the most diverse in terms of stunts. You get him rolling down a mountain in an inflatable ball, driving a motorcycle off a pier and catching a cargo net 20 feet in the air and fighting bad guys while saving the modest of a topless girl using his own jacket (while still wearing it). It is about as mad-cap as you can get, but there is also some seriously inventive fights here. The final conflict takes place in an aerodynamic chamber that alternates between blow and suck.
Best bit: Jackie single handedly taking down the middle eastern baddies in the Nazi bunker.
29 - Akira
Ah-ki-ra.....The seminal anime of the 80s is still one of the greatest animated features ever made. Directed by Otomo Katsuhiro (who wrote the original manga) the film is a stunning adaptation of a classic manga series. The series was modified for film and features one of the most tragic downfalls in film history. Tetsuo has always been jealous of his friend Kaneda but when he gets into a biking accident things start to change. Tetsuo starts to manifest strange powers and is haunted by a single name, Akira. As Tetsuo's powers grow he becomes more and more unstable, forcing the Japanese military to take action. What follows is one of the most awesome and horrific climaxes ever seen.
Best bit: The epic motorcycle battle against the clowns.
28 Air Force One
Whats not to love about watching Harrison Ford as the bad ass ex-military President of the United States as he turns the tables on an unsuspecting group of would-be kidnappers led by Gary Oldman? If you ask me thats a recipe for success. And, as it turned out, it totally was! Of course the plot of Air Force One is completely preposterous, but has that ever kept a good actioner down? No, of course not; we paid for carnage, not posterity. Its a visceral little flick, with twists and turns at every corner and some genuinely slick and entertaining and claustrophobic too thanks to the majority of the film taking place within a plane - action set pieces. Its not about to win awards for its originality or even believability, but hey, as a straight action thriller, it goes well above and beyond its station.
Best bit: Harrison Ford garrotting Gary Oldman with an active parachute.