20 Action Movies From The 21st Century That Didn't Actually Suck

If you like your action movies completely ridiculous, wildly over-the-top and with tongue planted firmly in cheek, then Shoot Em' Up is definitely right up your street. Now well established as a cult favourite amongst genre fans, director Michael Davis certainly lived up to his promise of delivering a movie that he described as 'John Woo's wet dream'.

Despite a main character that, amongst other things, kills people with carrots and indulges in shootouts both mid-coitus and midair, Clive Owen plays the whole thing hilariously straight, with Paul Giamatti gleefully picking up scenery-chewing duties as the villain. Quite possibly one of the least subtle action movies ever made, Shoot Em' Up is nonetheless glorious Friday night entertainment.

Plot, character and logic are the least of the movie's worries, and serve only to get in the way of wall-to-wall action scenes that seem to take up 90% of Shoot Em' Up's brief 86 minutes. That's hardly a criticism, as the set-pieces are as well-staged as they are absurd, played out with a real sense of visual style and a huge dash of jet-black humour.