For many film lovers, going to the cinema or enjoying a movie on the couch is all about enjoyment, excitement, and entertainment, with the most exhilarating and enthralling pictures making for the best viewing experiences. There are few genres that grasp this notion with the fervor and fanfare of action cinema.

Ranging from the pioneering action sensations of the 1980s to barnstorming blockbusters of the modern day, these 10 films represent the heart-pounding and heroic heights action movies can reach when they invest everything into being the ultimate exhilaration. Popcorn perfection with a prominent punch, it should come as no surprise that many of these heart-stopping highlights also stand among the greatest action movies ever made.

10 'Die Hard' (1988)

Directed by John McTiernan

It is hard to think of 80s action without thinking of Die Hard immediately after. The film that made Bruce Willis a Hollywood superstar, it follows a New York cop visiting his estranged wife and family in L.A. for the holidays who finds himself as the last line of defense when murderous thieves posing as terrorists intrude on her office’s work Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza. Despite being hopelessly outgunned, McClane (Willis) strives to kill the assailants and save his wife.

As an engrossing action-thriller, Die Hard uses the constrained confines of its setting to maximum effect, thrusting McClane into an urgent fight for survival with the tension gradually rising in sublime fashion. Sequences like Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) posing as a hostage and his climactic standoff with McClane serve as a testament to the movie’s ability to generate enrapturing tension even when the action abates.

9 'The Raid: Redemption' (2011)

Directed by Gareth Evans

While many movie lovers look to the big budgets and bombast of Hollywood for their action thrills, international cinema has no lack of pulsating masterpieces that excite and exhilarate as well. Coming from Indonesia, The Raid: Redemption is one of the most famous examples of exactly this, following a police task force as they raid an apartment block in the slums of Jakarta to take down a drug lord. When they find themselves encircled by the criminal’s goons, the squad are left with no choice but to fight through the complex.

An awe-inspiring display of elite martial arts skills and physical prowess, the combat sequences in The Raid: Redemption rank highly among the greatest that cinema has ever seen. It’s brutal and beautiful at the same time, excelling off the talents and physical feats of the incredible cast as it depicts everything from shootouts to fist fights in a relentless medley of mayhem. It is a divine action spectacle from start to finish, and is essential viewing for genre lovers who are yet to see it, regardless of their stance on foreign language films.

8 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)

Directed by Paul Greengrass

A case where the third film in a franchise was the best, The Bourne Ultimatum capitalizes on the strengths of its predecessors as it culminates Jason Bourne’s (Matt Damon) story while operating as a technically overwhelming feat of editing and tempo. The average shot length is just two seconds, imbuing the film with a frenzied momentum that only continues to escalate the closer Bourne gets to discovering the truth of his life before the accident that gave him amnesia.

Coupled with a frantic globe-trotting story, the conclusion of several character arcs, a strikingly gritty visual display, and plenty of raw fight choreography, The Bourne Ultimatum is nothing short of a masterpiece of grounded action intensity. While its use of shaky cam saw it receive some criticism, director Paul Greengrass uses the technique to the fullest potential, making it a defining and effective quality that many movies since have tried to emulate unsuccessfully.

7 'Police Story' (1985)

Directed by Jackie Chan

Action cinema can be spliced with many other storytelling genres to great effect. While marriages of action and comedy are quite common, it is rare for them to offer such exhilarating an experience as Police Story. A masterpiece from Jackie Chan, it follows a strong-willed and honorable Hong Kong police officer who, after arresting a notorious drug lord, is framed for the murder of a fellow cop and must clear his name while striving to save a key witness.

With Chan directing and co-writing the film as well as starring in it, Police Story thrives as a spellbinding spectacle of daring physical comedy that is as heart-stopping as it is hilarious. His choreography is a visual treat that knows no equal, fast and undeniably bruising, but executing with a pristine fluidity and smoothness that becomes joyously hypnotic. 1988’s Police Story 2 was similarly exceptional, while the best of Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong filmography is worth exploring for all lovers of creative fight sequences.

6 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

The truest blockbuster spectacle audiences have seen in recent years, Top Gun: Maverick combines the unrivaled glory of practical and innovative film-making with a rousing legacy sequel tale of bravado and redemption to make for a uniquely pulsating and profound viewing experience. Aging ace Maverick (Tom Cruise) must confront the demons from his past when he is recruited to prepare a crew of Top Gun graduates for a dangerous mission. Among them is the begrudging son of his former wingman.

Rife with the lost glory of 80s bombast, yet imbued with the high-octane thrills of modern camerawork, Top Gun: Maverick is not only an exhilarating action spectacle, but a surprisingly moving one as well. The opening test flight, the training sequences, Maverick’s timed run, and, of course, the mission itself, are all triumphant, heart-racing moments that help make the film one of the purist cinematic experiences of all time.

5 'Aliens' (1986)

Directed by James Cameron

As previously states, action movies are sometimes at their best and most scintillating when they incorporate tropes from other genres. Running as the sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic Alien, 1986’s Aliens stands as a genre-meshing masterpiece that presents action exhilaration at its most intense. Set decades after the events of the first film, it follows Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) as she is awoken from cryosleep and tasked with helping a squad of space marines identify why they have lost contact with a colony on LV-269.

James Cameron brings his gripping sci-fi aesthetic and his incredible sense of scale to the film, as well as his mastery of exciting yet rugged action. While offset by the urgency of the action and the comedic inflections of the characters, Aliens is wise to maintain the visceral horror of Alien at its core, bolstering the action with a genuinely thrilling and adrenaline-pumping sci-fi terror that gives it an edge over many other action movies.

4 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)

Directed by James Cameron

From one James Cameron action sci-fi masterpiece to another, Terminator 2: Judgment Day sees the blockbuster director at his absolute best. A sequel to 1984’s The Terminator, it follows a T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) that is sent back into time to early 90s L.A. to protect future resistance leader John Connor (Edward Furlong) from a more advanced killing machine. Teaming up with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the group set out to destroy Skynet before it can ever launch its apocalyptic attack on humanity.

Its visual effects were cutting edge for the time, but even more impressive is how gracefully they have aged over the decades. Likewise, the re-invention of the T-800 as the hero following The Terminator remains an inspired narrative shift, while the introduction of Robert Patrick’s advanced T-1000 makes for one of the greatest action villains of all time. Armed with beautifully metallic and visceral action sequences, Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains among the finest action movies ever made some 33 years after its initial release.

3 'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' (2018)

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Another recent action masterclass that is exemplary of why Tom Cruise is the greatest action star of the modern age, Mission: Impossible – Fallout sees the series ascend to awe-inspiring heights with its relentless appetite for outstanding action sequences. When a terrorist faction plots to detonate three plutonium cores in major cities around the world, it falls to the IMF to figure out a way to stop them. Receiving unwanted help from the CIA, they infiltrate a high-stakes weapons deal to gain information.

Its 147-minute runtime breezes by thanks to moments like the one-shot skydiving scene, the gripping chase through Paris, and the many many astonishing fight sequences, including one amid a crashing helicopter. Also imbued with a manic-paced plot, some riveting twists, and the wonderful dynamic between the IMF team, Mission: Impossible – Fallout represents high-octane action craftsmanship at its most entertaining and effortlessly rewatchable.

2 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

As much as a dark crime thriller as it is an action blockbuster, The Dark Knight effectively ushered in the dominance of superhero cinema, though no other film in the subgenre has ever come close to surpassing its propulsive narrative nor its gripping intensity. With Batman (Christian Bale) strong-arming Gotham’s crime lords into submission, a psychotic and anarchistic terrorist rises to challenge the masked hero. As Gotham City plunges into chaos, Batman must find a way to stop the Joker (Heath Ledger) without succumbing to his brand of murderous madness.

Once the film launches into its major story, with the Joker killing residents of Gotham every day, it never relents on its exhilarating story and breathtaking action sequences. The car chase scene alone is one of the grandest spectacles cinema has ever seen, while the hospital evacuation and the climactic ferry sequence are also memorably thrilling. The fact that The Dark Knight also stands as one of the most psychologically engaging superhero movies is a testament to just how much Christopher Nolan was able to pack into the movie, even with an extensive runtime of 152 minutes.

1 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)

Directed by George Miller

Captivating and exhilarating from its opening moments, Mad Max: Fury Road is widely regarded to be the single greatest action movie of all time. The story follows the titular Max (Tom Hardy) as flees the captivity of a tyrannical war lord and his army of maniacal savages. Joining forces with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a lieutenant of the war lord helping his slave wives escape to a better life, Max heads for a luscious safe haven amid the apocalyptic wasteland.

George Miller plunges audiences back into the world of Mad Max with reckless abandon, embracing the hysteria as the action extravaganza crashes from one awe-inspiring sequence to the next with relentless fervor. Max is perfectly stoic and coarse, but it's arguably the induction of Furiosa that stands as the film’s greatest asset, giving it an emotional core of survival and femininity that has come to define its brilliance. Bombastic, overwhelming, and completely engaging, Mad Max: Fury Road is action cinema at its invigorating best.

NEXT: The 55 Best Action Movies of All Time, Ranked