24 - Night Watch
Timus Bekmambetov's adaptation of Sergei Lukyanenko's book of the same name may be a diluted version of Lukyanenko's epic 3 part novel however, it still stands as one of the most visually stunning and unique films of the modern era. Visually it is a stunning exercise in unconventional cinematography and music video esq special effects. The action is totally nuts, one guy pulls his spine out to use it as a sword. The mythology is confusing as hell as you are thrown in the deep end without much more than a prologue that states there is light and there is dark and you have to figure the rest out or read the book. Still, both Night Watch and the sequel Day Watch (even harder to comprehend) are utterly essential viewing as you will never see anything like them. Bekmambetov's Wanted and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter certainly share in the excessive and crazy violence but distinctly lack the finesse that comes from the superior source material. All I can say is if you like it, read the books as there is so much more to it.
Best bit: Anton vs a renegade vampire armed with a broken mirror and some vodka.
23 Hot Fuzz
The simple genius of Hot Fuzz is thus: it places high octane action inspired by the likes of Die Hard, Bad Boys and Point Break but places it in a small rural British village, much like its sicker cousin Shaun of the Dead did with Zombies. Ok so, for much of the movies run time, Pegg, as Nicholas Angel, traipses around the village looking for answers but with s**t hits the fan, the sort of action that occurs is so insane its likely to make John Tiernan feel a stirring in his trousers. Hot Fuzz is an action movie made by action movie fans for action movie fans, and yes, that IS as awesome as it sounds. Its a commentary on the genre; its a love letter to the genre; its a new entry into the genre. And finally, simply put, its f***ing awesome. In short, its about everything a modern actioner should be.
Best bit: A brutal fistfight with Timothy Dalton amidst a model village.
22 - The Fugitive
In the nineties it was almost as though Harrison Ford was THE go to guy for casting a middle aged protagonist in an action movie (these days its Liam Neeson). Perhaps one of the biggest defining factors of that accolade is The Fugitive. Lets be honest, as far as plot goes, The Fugitive is a pretty orthodox cat-and-mouse story but thanks to a fantastic set of lead and supporting performances and some truly heart-pounding action, its raised from pretty damn good to oh my god, that was AMAZING! The Fugitive has great pacing; its equally exciting when it slows down for the thriller elements as it is for its high-octane action sequences. But as a complete package, The Fugitiveamounts to one of Fords finest performances outside of the franchises that excelled him to mega-fame (you know the ones I mean) and possibly one of the slickest and most entertaining action thrillers of the nineties.
Best bit: the epic train escape and subsequent crash.
21 - Goldfinger
The best Bond movie ever? Probably but I'm not here to rank them. I chose it because of all the Bond films, Goldfinger has the most iconic moments. The ejector seat in the Aston Martin, the top hat throwing Oddjob, the laser seemingly designed for nefarious deeds and of course, Pussy. Pussy Galore! Sean Connery is at his most suave and cool, the action is at its most cheesy and fun and the bad guy is at his most dastardly and quotable. Post Bourne Bond may have forgotten much of what came before and turned bond from a sophisticated gentleman to a lecherous cauliflower but Goldfinger is what spying is all about.
Best bit: "No Mr Bond, I expect you to die." So why he leaves the room is beyond me.