15 Best Action Movies Of The Last 10 Years

The original John Wick was politely received on release, a better than average action film with an enjoyable performance from the ever-likable Keanu Reeve. That faint praise left us utterly unprepared for the wild splendour of its sequel, one of the best glow ups in recent cinema.

John Wick 2 outstrips the earlier instalment comprehensively, and purposefully. The creators knew what they wanted to add for the sequel: everything. An assault on the senses, John Wick 2 is built on a premise of revenge, but that’s hardly important.

The main thing is the action. This is one for genre purists, with director Chad Stahleski luxuriating in the violent language of cinema. Wick dispatches waves of foes with ease, his righteous anger leading him on a trigger happy rampage across the world. As played by Reeve, John Wick is like a badass video game character controlled by the world’s best player.

The third film in the series is great, too, but doesn’t quite strike the same balance as 2 – it’s over the top to an even greater degree, and while it’s tough to have too much of a good thing, the (relative) subtleties of Chapter 2 make it the more complete film.