We’re fans of many of those movies, obviously, but when it comes to action sequences the bulk of them rely far too heavily on CG, green screens, and other trickery to create the illusion of action resulting in uninteresting “stunts” and unimpressive “fights.” The Winter Soldier - ie the best film in the MCU - has its share of f/x but it succeeds better than the rest in delivering plenty of grounded, physical action as well. If you’ve been reading this list from the top down (instead of jumping straight to this page) then you’ve noticed a distinct lack of superhero movies from Marvel and DC. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) This is a rare example of a sequel that surpasses the greatness of the original, and that’s no easy feat considering that the first movie is pretty freaking special in its own right. Chapter 2 ups the ante in terms of story, scale, and action set-pieces (the highlights include a destructive car chase and a stylish museum massacre), and Reeves glides through every scene like a sexy angel of death. Of course, the series’ true calling card is putting Keanu Reeves through the wringer and letting him do what he does best - beat people up in majestic ways. However, the sequel dug deeper into the mythology that makes this universe so fascinating and we’ve wanted more ever since. The first movie laid the foundations, teasing a criminal underworld with more layers than Hell itself. The world can keep the increasingly goofier sequels, but I’m happy just re-watching this utter blast again and again. The safe heist is an exercise in equal parts precision and mayhem, and it remains a sight to behold. There’s CG at play here, but unlike later installments that embraced digital trickery more and more the bulk of the action and stunts here are practical and glorious. The absolute high point of the series remains the one currently at the middle of the pack chronologically - where the first four are smaller and less memorable, and parts six through nine have embraced nonsense to a ludicrous degree, Fast Five is the film that broke the gang out of the familiar and into the world of stunning action set-pieces. The Fast & Furious franchise has become a worldwide phenomenon, and not even the death of one of its leads could stop the momentum. Cruise hanging outside of a cargo plane as it takes off shows a blend of skill, dedication, and insanity that few can match, and it’s a recipe that continues to be the bread and butter of this epic and entertaining franchise. Rogue Nation marked the arrival of Christopher McQuarrie in the director’s chair, and the result is possibly the series’ best (so far) pairing a familiar story with gorgeous visuals, a stellar supporting cast, and enough highly memorable action sequences for a half dozen lesser action films. It’s twenty-three years strong now and arguably stinker-free across its six films - I’ll admit to not being the biggest fan of the first two, but from 2006’s part three on they’ve each delivered an enormity of personality, fun, and kick-ass action sequences. We don’t thank Tom Cruise nearly enough for the ongoing miracle that is the Mission: Impossible franchise. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Drop Carano or Keanu behind enemy lines during post-production and watch them “democratize” a small nation. Haywire paved the path for flicks like John Wick and Atomic Blonde, where actors are entrenched in tactical training and expected to fight America’s wars after shooting wraps. The director was enamored by her unstoppable abilities and constructed a film around her physical talent. Steven Soderbergh didn’t recruit her out of Langley but MMA. Gina Carano is a legit assassin, right? Kinda. You need to scale a building he’s your guy. You need to dangle off an aircraft he’s your guy. You need to fly a helicopter, he’s your guy. Except Cruise has made himself a professional in every field of the job. His ascent/descent/tetherball around the Burj Khalifa is an absurd act of stuntmanship that most filmmakers would make the professionals handle. Correction - it’s probably for his own entertainment, and our entertainment is merely a side effect. Ghost Protocol is the Mission: Impossible where we all noticed that Tom Cruise might kill himself for the sake of our entertainment. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
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