8 Underrated Action Movies You Need to Watch This Week

Big scores, smaller crowds. Skip the usual franchise rerun this week and watch these instead. One stars an ape. One is from 1954.

Number one is a Hitchcock movie, and yes, it counts as action.

1. 8
   Total Recall (1990)7.2

   Arnold on Mars is exactly as fun as it sounds.

   Paul Verhoeven sends Arnold Schwarzenegger to Mars with a memory problem and a lot of rubber masks. $261.3 million worldwide on a reported $48 to $80 million budget.
2. 7
   Nobody (2021)7.5

   Bob Odenkirk as an action hero sounds fake. It rules.

   A quiet suburban dad gets pushed too far, and the bus fight alone is worth the 92 minutes. Made for a reported $16 million, only 407,073 IMDb votes.
3. 6
   3:10 to Yuma (2007)7.6

   Russell Crowe as a charming outlaw is the whole sales pitch.

   Christian Bale's broke rancher has to get him on a train, and Ben Foster is unhinged in the best way. $70 million worldwide on a reported $48 to $55 million.
4. 5
   War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)8.5

   Steve Zahn's Bad Ape is the best sidekick of 2017.

   Andy Serkis leads, and the apes look more alive than most blockbuster humans. Critics rank it above 92% of notable movies, and only 331,081 IMDb votes.
5. 4
   Creed (2015)9.0

   The best Rocky movie doesn't have Rocky in the ring.

   Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan rebuild a franchise from the corner, and one fight plays out in a single unbroken take. 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Stallone has never been better.
6. 3
   The Fugitive (1993)9.3

   No gadgets, no capes, just a doctor who won't get caught.

   Harrison Ford runs, Tommy Lee Jones chases, and the train crash early on still looks unreal. $183.9 million domestic, and it plays even better now.
7. 2
   Seven Samurai (1954)9.8

   Toshiro Mifune is the most chaotic hero in action history.

   207 minutes, and Akira Kurosawa uses the slow build so every fight counts. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, only 406,986 IMDb votes. Clear a Saturday.
8. 1
   North by Northwest (1959)9.6

   The best action movie ever is a Hitchcock movie. Yes, really.

   Cary Grant gets chased from New York to South Dakota by strangers, and Hitchcock stages every set piece like a blockbuster. A 98 on Metacritic, only 372,589 IMDb votes.

$798 says you see the runtime on number two and quietly move it to next week.

Share it: X | Facebook | Copy link

Current mood: ready to fight about it