5. Enter the Fat Dragon (Hong Kong)
Few of the films to make the list this year are all about the fun, but happily, Donnie Yen is here to blend terrific action with a bountiful sense of humor. His latest takes the title from Sammo Hung’s late 70s classic but it’s no remake. Instead, Enter the Fat Dragon (my full review) is a straight-up action/comedy about a supercop who loses his will and gains hundreds of pounds in the proces. Yen in a fat suit is hard to ignore, and that’s especially the case as he continues kicking butt despite his increased mass. It’s good fun with action and laughs that’ll have you smiling. Available to rent.
4. Rogue City (France)
French filmmakers have delivered more than a few solid action/thrillers in recent years, and while they typically eschew the Hollywood style “one man against an army” tales they typically find darker thrills in stories about bad cops, gangsters, and questionable morals. This terrific thriller is another such gem with tough cops, merciless criminals, and a twisted story of ambition, morality, greed, and madness woven throughout. The action comes in the form of quick, intense gunfights that hit their mark for fans of rising adrenaline and thrilling violence. It’s hardly a fun movie as the violence and consequences mount with cruel frequency, but it’s an intensely captivating and well crafted ride. (Do yourself a favor, though, and skip the first three minutes as an in medias res opening drains the power from what would have been some fairly intense action later on.) Available to stream on Netflix.
3. Birds of Prey
2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains top dog when it comes to action in a comic book movie, but six years later Marvel’s competitor, DC, lands strong in second place. Birds of Prey (my full review) delivers big laughs, colorful characters, and plenty of personality, but it also manages some supremely entertaining action. Director Cathy Yan, along with cinematographer Matthew Libatique and 2nd AD Chad Stahelski, fills the screen with exciting fights that blend creativity with a visual flourish absent from far too many comic book movies. Regardless of where you land on the rest of DC’s cinematic universe, this is a definite highlight. Available to stream on HBO Max and to rent.
2. Bad Boys for Life
Late arriving sequels rarely capture the magic of their predecessors, and they almost never match or exceed of the original — so imagine our surprise when this absolute blast of a movie arrived sixteen years after the last sequel to kick all kinds of ass. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence jump smoothly back into their characters with fast-moving banter designed to match Bad Boys for Life‘s (my full review) energy and action. On that last beat, and the reason why it’s on this particular list, the action sequences and set-pieces here are stellar stuff and find life through minimal CG. We get practical action and big stunts, and it’s all shot and edited with an eye towards appreciating the kinetic joy of it all. Available to stream on Starz and to rent.
1. Wira (Malaysia)
There are some pretty stellar flicks above, but few (if any) of them really leave you saying “now that’s a fucking action movie!” once the end credits roll. This terrifically entertaining Malaysian release arrives as the genre’s savior in 2020 and does just that. Hairul Azreen and Fify Azmi play siblings who’ve grown apart over the years brought back together against the man ruining their home town. The brother and sister make for a bad-ass pair of protagonists, and both deliver the action goods whether it be in the ring, on the streets, on a moving bus, or elsewhere. Give this one a spin, and you can thank me later. Available to stream on Netflix.
Follow all of our 2020 Rewind coverage here.
Related Topics: 2020 Rewind, Action
