Listmania!
twent-five of the best: ACTION THRILLERS
Turbulence [1997]Turbulence [1997]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.39
visceral action film, very genre-worthy and therefore an essential part of the collection. See a trolley-dolly save the day after jail-bound psycho goes psycho+ at 20,000ft
The Transporter [2002]The Transporter [2002]
Buy new: £1.00 / Used from: £0.79
almost deafening thrill-ride with almost faceless Jason Statham indulging in some excellent fight choreography. A bona-fide B-Movie, but a well made one
Hunt For Red October Special Edition [1990]Hunt For Red October Special Edition [1990]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.70
solid performances and decent suspense make this defecting supersub film well worth owning. Connery's spiky wig is only a marginal distraction
Die Hard [1989]Die Hard [1989]
Buy new: £4.16 / Used from: £1.84
the undisputed king of gun-toting sweaty vest-wearers kicks some nasty teutonic ass. Great film for punching the air to
Children of Men [2007]Children of Men [2007]
Buy new: £7.67 / Used from: £0.88
chilling depiction of the UK in decay forms the basis of an excellent chase film. Unrelentingly grim in parts, redemption comes through a (tiny) glimmer of hope right at the end
The Bourne Identity (Special Edition) [2002]The Bourne Identity (Special Edition) [2002]
Buy new: £14.29 / Used from: £0.60
fantastically edited fight scenes drive this classy thriller, but the casual misuse of an (albeit highly flexible) bic pen shocked me to the core
Bullitt (2 Disc Special Edition) [1968]Bullitt (2 Disc Special Edition) [1968]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.50
superb 60's thriller with the very definition of cool on wheels. Steve McQueen keeps it minimal, letting everyone else get hot (under the collar) or shot (under the circumstances)
Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood Collection) [1971]Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood Collection) [1971]
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £0.92
violent, gritty thriller, Clint gives as good as he gets. Wonderful atmosphere and an iconic ending mark this out as a classic
Deliverance [1972]Deliverance [1972]
Buy new: £2.48 / Used from: £1.95
the urban jungle is no match for the predatory wilderness as four city boys lose their humanity in a struggle to stay alive. Duelling banjos duke it out with big white underwear. Bloody terrifying
Under Siege [1992]Under Siege [1992]
Buy new: £3.97 / Used from: £1.15
the big fella with the wispy voice is near his wrist-snapping best here as the Navy Seal Chef(!) given permission to ass-kick the hell out of yet more terrorists. Few are left alive on this ocean wave
Heat [1995]Heat [1995]
Buy new: £4.97 / Used from: £2.23
epic heist movie with the classic pairing of two major egos. Pacino is the screwed up cop and De Niro the ice cool villain. Fantastic locations and beautifully staged shoot-em-ups by director Mann.
Insomnia [1998]Insomnia [1998]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £2.95
Stellan Skarsgard is mesmerising as the detective who mistakenly shoots a colleague then attempts a cover-up. With permanent (seasonal) daylight, it's no wonder he's haunted and can't sleep
Cape Fear [1991]Cape Fear [1991]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.40
entertaining but deliberatley OTT thriller from Martin Scorcese. Of course anger's gonna play a part if you're A: a nutter, B: wearing white and C: getting beaten up with baseball bats
Kill Bill 1 and 2 (Box Set) [2003]Kill Bill 1 and 2 (Box Set) [2003]
Buy new: £7.98 / Used from: £7.45
the visual style pays homage to Bruce Lee and the Martial Arts movie genre. The buckets of blood and severed limbs pay carnage to Tarantino's twisted mind...and our entertainment
Hostage [2005]Hostage [2005]
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £1.10
underrated thriller worth checking out
Get Carter [1971]Get Carter [1971]
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £2.30
Carter is the bad man in very good shape, avenging the death of his sister in gangland Newcastle. An iconic film with grim and nasty overtones. Britt Ekland provides the odd moment of light relief
Judgment Night [1993]Judgment Night [1993]
Buy new: £4.48 / Used from: £7.43
another underrated film worth seeing, superb atmosphere and relentlessly nasty villians
No Way Out [1987]No Way Out [1987]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £3.49
bluff and double-bluff as Costner tries to get one over on dirty Gene Hackman before being framed for murder. More (navy) whites that are going to need a damn good clean when the action stops
Cop Land [1997]Cop Land [1997]
Buy used from: £2.59
Stallone is fantastic as a washed-up, partly deaf cop, dealing with corruption from the big city precinct boys. The climax is both bloody and highly satisfying
Man On Fire [2004]Man On Fire [2004]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £1.53
Denzil's performances can be a bit hit-and-miss, but he's right on the money here as a disillusioned bodyguard/assassin. Rapid editing slightly dilutes the more violent moments
Brother [2001]Brother [2001]
Buy used from: £4.99
Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano plays a monosyllabic Japanese gangster doing his stuff in the US. Unusual and well worth checking out. Gaining eye contact is probably a bad thing in this movie
Fargo [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)Fargo [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Buy used from: £3.15
what can you say that hasn't already been said? Blood in the snow: the ultimate stained whites.
A Simple PlanA Simple Plan
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £11.00
same as the above, less well known but no less impressive
The Usual Suspects (2 Disc Special Edition) [1995]The Usual Suspects (2 Disc Special Edition) [1995]
Buy new: £2.89 / Used from: £2.49
there aren't too many usual suspects on this list, I hope, but genre classics (like this) simply have to be included
Assault On Precinct 13 [2005]Assault On Precinct 13 [2005]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.30
didn't know what to expect from this remake (which plays more to convention that Carpenter's original). Needn't have worried, it's an excellent thriller with a mean turn from Gabriel Byrne