101 Action Movies allowed me to take another look at this fantastic Thai martial arts film, showcasing the amazing fighting style of Muay Thai. Working with the simplest of stories, it merely serves as a jumping off point for some jaw-dropping fight sequences that use absolutely no computer generated engancements. It’s all real, in fact,…
Tag: 101 action movies
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – Peter Jackson
The last installment of Peter Jackson’s gorgeous adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel, The Lord of the Rings, is very welcome indeed on the 101 Action Movies list. Lord of the Rings has always been my favorite book, since I first settled in at the age of 12 and read it. I still remember…
Kill Bill (2003/2004) – Quentin Tarantino
The 101 Action Movies brought me the fantastic 4th film of writer/director Quentin Tarantino to view again. Broken up over 2 films, released 6 months apart, this film is the ultimate homage to 70s films, be it, the revenge flick, the kung-fu flick, the exploitation flick, it pays respect to all of them, as…
The Transporter (2002) – Corey Yuen
Luc Besson co-wrote and produced this fun entry on the 101 Action Movies list which stars the very cool Jason Statham as Frank Martin, an ex-military type who hires himself as a driver to transport different materials for the right price. A deal is a deal, he never wants names, and he never looks in the…
Spider-Man (2002) – Sam Raimi
The 101 Action Movies list brings yet another comic book hero to its fold with this fun adaptation of the Marvel comic by director Sam Raimi, perhaps best known until that point for his Evil Dead films (watch for Bruce Campbell’s cameo!). The Marvel Universe is brought to wonderful life in this film, Tobey…
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) – Simon West
The 101 Action Movies brought this one to me to watch. This is yet anothere one of those could have beens. It could have been the beginning of a tent pole franchise for Paramount, with a strong female hero, derring-do, supernatural archeology and just good fun. Instead, the film flounders with an inconsistent plot,…
The Fast and The Furious (2001) – Rob Cohen
The 101 Action Movies made me sit through this one. Pretty people (with questionable acting skills) in slick cars, with a pulsing soundtrack and somehow this series is still going… In a page stolen right from Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break but not as brilliantly executed, Paul Walker is undercover officer Brian O’Conner, who is working…
X-Men (2000) – Bryan Singer
The 101 Action Movies returns to the comic book genre with this great flick by Bryan Singer. Featuring an all-star cast the legendary and iconic X-Men characters made an incredibly successful jump to the big screen. I remember when I first saw this one, my friend Dennis was very eager to see it, he’d…
Gladiator (2000) – Ridley Scott
The 101 Action Movies brings me Ridley Scott’s Best Picture winner Gladiator for me to re-watch and enjoy. Starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, a Roman general in service to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). When the emperor is murdered by his devious and power-hungry son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Maximus is ordered to be…
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) – Ang Lee
The 101 Action Movies brings me a chance to revisit the beautiful and action-filled epic from Ang Lee, which one the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars that year, as well as Art Direction, Cinematography and Score. This is a gorgeous film, with fantastic martial arts, sword and wire work all overseen by…
The Mind Reels 