have you ever wondered if gunfire and
explosions can be beautiful welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 action
movies that are surprisingly artistic
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list we’re
looking at the best action films that
offer a little more depth to their story
their purpose and their visual artistry
whether they’re art house classics or
modern masterpieces
I know kung fu’ number 10 old boy
clearly time is done
becoming one of the most well known and
highly regarded films from South Korea
is no easy feat being an action thriller
that’s also an award-winning art house
favorite is near impossible under under
under able to do much about it
the story of the poor tortured otay su
who’s finally released from captivity
with no explanation may be considered a
mystery by many but the action and
thrills are what’s most memorable in
this controversial and disturbing film
as he stabs punches and bleeds his way
towards some answers getting revenge
along the way we’re treated to some
emotionally gritty violence including
the infamous and visually striking
hallway attack which took three days to
shoot the box phenomenon or describe
reason code number nine Sicario
until Sicario came along director denis
villeneuve was not known as an action
director he was a great director of
intense drama a brilliant voyeur into
deeply emotional and private spaces well
by bringing that talent to a film about
FBI agents and drug cartels fighting the
unwinnable war on drugs he gave us a
tense action film that plays out like a
stage play including the beautifully
choreographed ambush scene at the
Mexican border what did I bestow la
meanwhile the character study and
dialogue hit us as hard as any gunfight
or explosion and the perfect acting
properly portrays these characters as
weak and flawed humans not action heroes
we looking for
watch number eight Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon I think you all only is
yet another example where a great
dramatic director can shine even more
with the addition of some beautiful
action set-pieces
nobody would have expected the director
of Sense and Sensibility and the ice
storm to make a martial arts film but
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is unlike
any martial arts film you’ll ever see
you know young women in animation
Oh what the action fantasy with its near
perfect and billeted high wire flying
scenes took the world by storm becoming
the highest-grossing foreign language
film in America’s history as well as the
only martial arts film to have ever been
nominated for best picture at the
Academy Awards man oh my god
Mohammed ah so one class number seven
Leone the professional kid come now we
turn to a director who’s known for his
action films however as an artist Luc
Besson decides to choose stylistic
compositions and raw emotion instead of
over-the-top action and violence in
Basalt hands the story of a ruthless and
unstoppable hitman who has to protect
his neighbor from violent corrupt DEA
agent becomes the story of a man who’s
willing to do anything to help a
victimized little girl like always this
time just when their kid always Argos
thanks Julie on the professional genre
no became a superstar playing the
babysitting New York City hitmen and the
songs impressive brand of humanistic and
realistic action finally broke out in
Hollywood victim Ian which is not
number six inception we’re asleep our
mind can do almost anything
Christopher Nolan’s inception is what
happens when you take a mega budget
Hollywood special-effects filled heist
movie and turn it into a smart film it’s
also the outcome when you give an
already talented filmmaker the ability
to make an action film about dream
theory and philosophical investigations
into existentialism and depression Nolan
was a director of dramatic thrillers who
proved his worth as an action film maker
when he brought comic book films into
the 21st century with his Dark Knight
trilogy inception continued this upward
trajectory using inspiring sequences and
gorgeous slow motion effects to inspire
and excite audiences worldwide mustn’t
be afraid to dream a little think about
it
number five Run Lola Run the little
German film that could run Lola Run came
out of nowhere and shocked the world not
with its content but with its visual
style it used unique filmmaking
techniques and unusual storytelling
methods to tell a simple yet
white-knuckle tale of a girl running
around to save her criminal boyfriend
from trouble spawn at Todd’s market for
fraud while whole nut housing market on
Denise’s postman or do them this was I
think about us needing to come up with
the 100,000 which marks he just lost to
pay his boss Manny tells Lola he needs
to find the money in 20 minutes or he’ll
rob a grocery store the mind-bending
alternate timelines and jump cut
experimental editing allow this foreign
film to become more of an experience
than a simple action flick soon enough
Sigyn hunt number four Kill Bill Vol 1
no it’s your Quentin Tarantino’s revenge
thriller is an achievement in cinematic
artistry because of its respect and
tribute to the art of cinema at the time
his Kill Bill movies were the
culmination of Tarantino’s knowledge and
love for film every single frame and
aspect of this 2003 flick is a reference
to film genres film history and
cinematic storytelling the scattered
timeline offers a more literary
experience while the action sequences
including the gratuitous violence are
beautiful acrobatic choreographies
watching Kill Bill is like visiting a
film museums with dedications to
everything from anime to kung fu to
horror to blaxploitation to grindhouse
cinema scattered throughout so Oh Ren
any more subordinates for me to kill
number three the matrix do you believe
in fate you know there is no denying the
influence this sci-fi thriller had on
Hollywood and pop culture its enduring
legacy is due to its groundbreaking
special effects and beautiful
choreography by when whooping who also
worked on Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon as well as its dramatic
and grim story it takes the Bible like
tale about the search for a messiah
figure to help save humanity and tells
it with computers and kungfu which can
rival any classic mythology but the
Wachowski is not only used religious
allegory but we’re also inspired by
great philosophical thinkers like Plato
Bhatia and the account to tell their
artistic story
yes sir okay number two Mad Max fury
road they are looking for help
what about you
[Music]
attention why it took George Miller 30
years to make another Mad Max film let
alone any action film is a mystery
fury road blew audiences away and
received practically unanimous acclaim
making many fans wonder angrily why he’d
spent so much time on family films
Stefan hippity-hoppity full while the
previous Mad Max movies were great cult
action films
fury road elevated The Legend of Mad Max
to a visually stunning masterpiece with
landscapes and scenery akin to beautiful
paintings and breathtaking practical
stunts and effects that came straight
out of a choreographed modern dance
routine
fury road redefines what it means to be
a Hollywood action blockbuster remember
me before we reveal our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
[Applause]
number one drive I’ll sit in while you
running it down I don’t carry a gun the
style and atmosphere of drive clearly
stem from a modern pop culture aesthetic
obviously inspired by great predecessors
like thief and two-lane blacktop the
neon drenched cinematography and since
heavy soundtrack thankfully brought this
film to the attention of the masses and
gave it the success and accolades it
deserved but behind the glitz and shiny
exterior the focus is drawn to director
Nicholas Vending Ruffins postmodern take
on classic heist films and the mythology
of the hero narrative it’s storytelling
that drags ugliness out of beauty and
tragedy out of a hyper-realistic world
thanks especially to Ryan Gosling
haunting and nuanced performance almost
got us killed do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and subscribe for new
videos every day
explosions can be beautiful welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 action
movies that are surprisingly artistic
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content for this list we’re
looking at the best action films that
offer a little more depth to their story
their purpose and their visual artistry
whether they’re art house classics or
modern masterpieces
I know kung fu’ number 10 old boy
clearly time is done
becoming one of the most well known and
highly regarded films from South Korea
is no easy feat being an action thriller
that’s also an award-winning art house
favorite is near impossible under under
under able to do much about it
the story of the poor tortured otay su
who’s finally released from captivity
with no explanation may be considered a
mystery by many but the action and
thrills are what’s most memorable in
this controversial and disturbing film
as he stabs punches and bleeds his way
towards some answers getting revenge
along the way we’re treated to some
emotionally gritty violence including
the infamous and visually striking
hallway attack which took three days to
shoot the box phenomenon or describe
reason code number nine Sicario
until Sicario came along director denis
villeneuve was not known as an action
director he was a great director of
intense drama a brilliant voyeur into
deeply emotional and private spaces well
by bringing that talent to a film about
FBI agents and drug cartels fighting the
unwinnable war on drugs he gave us a
tense action film that plays out like a
stage play including the beautifully
choreographed ambush scene at the
Mexican border what did I bestow la
meanwhile the character study and
dialogue hit us as hard as any gunfight
or explosion and the perfect acting
properly portrays these characters as
weak and flawed humans not action heroes
we looking for
watch number eight Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon I think you all only is
yet another example where a great
dramatic director can shine even more
with the addition of some beautiful
action set-pieces
nobody would have expected the director
of Sense and Sensibility and the ice
storm to make a martial arts film but
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is unlike
any martial arts film you’ll ever see
you know young women in animation
Oh what the action fantasy with its near
perfect and billeted high wire flying
scenes took the world by storm becoming
the highest-grossing foreign language
film in America’s history as well as the
only martial arts film to have ever been
nominated for best picture at the
Academy Awards man oh my god
Mohammed ah so one class number seven
Leone the professional kid come now we
turn to a director who’s known for his
action films however as an artist Luc
Besson decides to choose stylistic
compositions and raw emotion instead of
over-the-top action and violence in
Basalt hands the story of a ruthless and
unstoppable hitman who has to protect
his neighbor from violent corrupt DEA
agent becomes the story of a man who’s
willing to do anything to help a
victimized little girl like always this
time just when their kid always Argos
thanks Julie on the professional genre
no became a superstar playing the
babysitting New York City hitmen and the
songs impressive brand of humanistic and
realistic action finally broke out in
Hollywood victim Ian which is not
number six inception we’re asleep our
mind can do almost anything
Christopher Nolan’s inception is what
happens when you take a mega budget
Hollywood special-effects filled heist
movie and turn it into a smart film it’s
also the outcome when you give an
already talented filmmaker the ability
to make an action film about dream
theory and philosophical investigations
into existentialism and depression Nolan
was a director of dramatic thrillers who
proved his worth as an action film maker
when he brought comic book films into
the 21st century with his Dark Knight
trilogy inception continued this upward
trajectory using inspiring sequences and
gorgeous slow motion effects to inspire
and excite audiences worldwide mustn’t
be afraid to dream a little think about
it
number five Run Lola Run the little
German film that could run Lola Run came
out of nowhere and shocked the world not
with its content but with its visual
style it used unique filmmaking
techniques and unusual storytelling
methods to tell a simple yet
white-knuckle tale of a girl running
around to save her criminal boyfriend
from trouble spawn at Todd’s market for
fraud while whole nut housing market on
Denise’s postman or do them this was I
think about us needing to come up with
the 100,000 which marks he just lost to
pay his boss Manny tells Lola he needs
to find the money in 20 minutes or he’ll
rob a grocery store the mind-bending
alternate timelines and jump cut
experimental editing allow this foreign
film to become more of an experience
than a simple action flick soon enough
Sigyn hunt number four Kill Bill Vol 1
no it’s your Quentin Tarantino’s revenge
thriller is an achievement in cinematic
artistry because of its respect and
tribute to the art of cinema at the time
his Kill Bill movies were the
culmination of Tarantino’s knowledge and
love for film every single frame and
aspect of this 2003 flick is a reference
to film genres film history and
cinematic storytelling the scattered
timeline offers a more literary
experience while the action sequences
including the gratuitous violence are
beautiful acrobatic choreographies
watching Kill Bill is like visiting a
film museums with dedications to
everything from anime to kung fu to
horror to blaxploitation to grindhouse
cinema scattered throughout so Oh Ren
any more subordinates for me to kill
number three the matrix do you believe
in fate you know there is no denying the
influence this sci-fi thriller had on
Hollywood and pop culture its enduring
legacy is due to its groundbreaking
special effects and beautiful
choreography by when whooping who also
worked on Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon as well as its dramatic
and grim story it takes the Bible like
tale about the search for a messiah
figure to help save humanity and tells
it with computers and kungfu which can
rival any classic mythology but the
Wachowski is not only used religious
allegory but we’re also inspired by
great philosophical thinkers like Plato
Bhatia and the account to tell their
artistic story
yes sir okay number two Mad Max fury
road they are looking for help
what about you
[Music]
attention why it took George Miller 30
years to make another Mad Max film let
alone any action film is a mystery
fury road blew audiences away and
received practically unanimous acclaim
making many fans wonder angrily why he’d
spent so much time on family films
Stefan hippity-hoppity full while the
previous Mad Max movies were great cult
action films
fury road elevated The Legend of Mad Max
to a visually stunning masterpiece with
landscapes and scenery akin to beautiful
paintings and breathtaking practical
stunts and effects that came straight
out of a choreographed modern dance
routine
fury road redefines what it means to be
a Hollywood action blockbuster remember
me before we reveal our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
[Applause]
number one drive I’ll sit in while you
running it down I don’t carry a gun the
style and atmosphere of drive clearly
stem from a modern pop culture aesthetic
obviously inspired by great predecessors
like thief and two-lane blacktop the
neon drenched cinematography and since
heavy soundtrack thankfully brought this
film to the attention of the masses and
gave it the success and accolades it
deserved but behind the glitz and shiny
exterior the focus is drawn to director
Nicholas Vending Ruffins postmodern take
on classic heist films and the mythology
of the hero narrative it’s storytelling
that drags ugliness out of beauty and
tragedy out of a hyper-realistic world
thanks especially to Ryan Gosling
haunting and nuanced performance almost
got us killed do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and subscribe for new
videos every day
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