Action movies frequently feature heroes who massacre an entire army of henchmen to save the day. While some protagonists, such as Batman and other superheroes, usually refrain from killing, often these characters are dispatching goons with guns and blades. John Wick for example is an action movie where the bad guys stood no chance, showing no mercy in his completely justified rampage to avenge his murdered dog.
With the MCU absolutely dominating the action genre these days, action movies have become sterile, missing the old ultra-violence from the 1980s when Schwarzenegger and Stallone would shred foes like wrapping paper. Fight scenes just hit so much harder when limbs are being broken, and gun battles elicit more reactions from viewers when the odd head explodes. According to Reddit, the below action films are some of the most violent movies in the genre and are a nice remedy to the Marvelization of the medium.
Updated on May 13, 2023, by Ty Weinert:
While the action genre is currently dominated by superhero movies that cater to the entire family, there is a branch of action movies that are full of extreme violence. These movies feature henchmen being torn apart by bullets, blades, and fists, and leave realism at the door to instead strive to be crowd-pleasers by piling on the gore. Redditors were asked to name the most violent action movies ever, and the films named are famous for making audiences wince at the carnage on-screen.
14 'Tokyo Gore Police' (2008)
It should come as no surprise that a movie called Tokyo Gore Police is full of the red stuff, but the film is one of the most violent movies of all time. Centered on Ruka (Eihi Shiina), a katana-wielding police officer, the movie follows her as she dismembers a city full of grotesque monsters while searching for her father's killer.
Venturing into body horror territory, Tokyo Gore Police is not for the faint-hearted as it throws a constant barrage of deformed monsters at the viewer, each more disgusting than the last. None last long, however, as they are swiftly sliced to pieces, creating "an ungodly amount of blood and gore" according to CasyD.
13 'Punisher: War Zone' (2008)
While Punisher: War Zone was disregarded by critics and mainstream audiences, it remains the best adaptation of the iconic Marvel character on the big screen. Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) is an absolute machine as he massacres criminals and leaves them in literal pieces in one of the best R-rated superhero movies.
Punisher: War Zone is not the deepest superhero movie, but it makes up for that with a constant barrage of violence. One Redditor says it "is incredibly violent, and just as entertaining" and it is hard to argue, as viewers with strong stomachs will find themselves laughing as Castle destroys parkour bandits with a rocket launcher.
12 'VFW' (2019)
Set in a rundown city rife with violence and drugs, teenager Lizard (Sierra McCormick) steals the supply of the drug kingpin who killed her sister. As Lizard seeks shelter in a bar occupied by elderly war veterans, she finds herself with new protectors as the drug dealer sends his army of addicted followers into the building to retrieve his drugs.
A throwback to the violent movies of the 70s and 80s, VFW is stacked with badass actors from that era like Stephen Lang, Fred Williamson, and William Sadler. Canadianmicrowave describes it as "super gory and fun" and it is hard to argue as the senior citizens mutilate their attackers with axes, spears, and other sharp objects.
11 'Mandy' (2018)
Lumberjack Red's (Nicolas Cage) peaceful life with his beloved wife Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) is shattered after a bizarre cult arrives at their home and murders her in front of him. With his sense of purpose ripped away from him, Red finds a new one as he hunts down those responsible in this recent cult classic.
Mandy is a trippy, neon-colored revenge tale anchored by Cage, who delivers one of his best performances. That-Ad-430 describes it as "what is/looks like b-movie slasher fest but is also a strange acid/art film" and that is an appropriate description as Mandy is one of the most visually distinct movies of the 21st century.
10 'The Night Comes for Us' (2018)
One of the most brutal action movies, The Night Comes for Us is filled with non-stop violence as Ito (Joe Taslim) fights to protect a young girl from a vicious Triad gang. As gang members swarm Ito and his allies, they use anything they can find to beat down the never-ending army of henchmen.
Limbs are broken, heads are caved in, and guts are disemboweled as The Night Comes for Us explodes into an onslaught of violence and masterfully choreographed fight scenes. Bluecannon1 says it is "definitely one of my favorite movies" and any action fan will share in their enthusiasm for this modern classic from Indonesia.
9 'Rambo' (2008)
Beginning as a contemplative look at the mistreatment of war veterans, the Rambo series swiftly became a showcase for Sylvester Stallone to mow down an army of goons. The violence peaks with the fourth Rambo film, where a retired John Rambo is paid to escort well-meaning Christian missionaries through Burma.
After the missionaries are captured by the brutal Burmese army, Rambo is called back into action as he decimates the soldiers with guns, arrows, and his trusty knife. One Redditor labels it "easily the most violent mainstream Hollywood film ever produced" as people are literally turned to mush by machine gun fire.
8 'Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky' (1991)
Combining martial arts action with splatter films, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is set in a brutal, futuristic prison. As the prisoners are routinely tortured and killed by the warden's corrupt lieutenants, new arrival Ricky (Louis Fan) fights back the only way he knows how: by dismembering, disemboweling, and decapitating them with his fists.
Riki-Oh leaves realism at the door as its characters are capable of destroying the human body with each blow. DoctorDank says you "gotta love people's heads exploding from a punch" and the film is filled with these moments as it all ends with a final battle placed next to a spinning meat grinder that is just begging to be used.
7 'Dredd' (2012)
An adaptation of the beloved comic book series, Dredd stars Karl Urban as the titular law enforcement officer. Working in a futuristic city that is overrun with crime, Judge Dredd is partnered with rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) as the pair find themselves trapped in a high-rise brimming with violent criminals who want their heads.
One of the best action movies of the 21st century, Dredd combines thrilling action with captivating visuals as characters take a drug called Slo-mo, which does exactly what you would expect. Despite failing at the box office, Dredd has garnered a cult following since release, with fatty-fletcher saying "I absolutely love this film."
6 'Upgrade' (2018)
When Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) is left paralyzed after a mugging that also results in his wife's death, he is implanted with a computer chip that allows him to walk again. As the AI in the chip begins to talk to Grey and allows him to accomplish almost super-human feats, he sets out to get revenge on those who destroyed his life.
Directed by genre king Leigh Whannell, Upgrade feels like a throwback to the revenge movies of the 1980s as it combines gory action with dark comedy. TROPHYEARNER appreciates the "sheer brutality" of the movie as the AI-enhanced Grey decimates his foes.
5 'RoboCop' (1987)
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One of the best violent movies, RoboCop stars Peter Weller as the titular law enforcement machine. When police officer Alex Murphy is brutally murdered, he is brought back as RoboCop, a corporation funded robot designed to police the violence-ridden streets and strike fear in the hearts of criminals.
RoboCop starts graphically as Murphy is literally shot apart by his tormentors, before he turns the tables on the city's scum by blowing them away in brutal gun battles. Ok-Associate-1942 says the film features "amazing gore and action" while one of the most famous scenes involves RoboCop shooting a creep in the genitals.
4 'The Raid' (2011)
One of the best martial arts movies of all time, The Raid is a modern-day martial arts masterpiece. When a squad of Indonesian police raids the hideout of an infamous crime boss, they find themselves trapped inside an apartment building. With countless goons out for their blood, the officers must fight through the onslaught as they make their way to the boss waiting at the top.
While The Raid features shootouts, it excels when its characters are forced to fight hand-to-hand, engaging in brutal encounters that will have you wincing more than once. PhantomKitten73 claims the film and its equally great sequel, The Raid 2, are some "of the fastest, most brutal, high octane martial arts movies you will ever see."
3 'Battle Royale' (2000)
Any movie that follows 42 schoolchildren forced to kill each other is bound to be violent, and Battle Royale lives up to the hype. While the excellent film certainly asks questions about government overreach and youth violence, it also offers plenty of memorable kills as its well-developed characters are whittled down.
Forced to compete with a randomly assigned weapon, students are killed by guns, knives, scythes, poison, exploding collars, and grenades, while the highlight for tech9179 was when "this dude gets his balls stabbed." If that does not sell you on this beloved Japanese cult classic, then nothing will.
2 'Hard Boiled' (1992)
John Woo is one of the most influential directors in the action genre, and Hard Boiled is his masterpiece. Chow Yun-fat stars as Inspector Tequila, a renegade police officer out to avenge the death of his partner. Favoring bullets over handcuffs, Tequila takes the law into his own hands as he executes those responsible.
The action in Hard Boiled rarely relents, as RodanMurkharr observes that "the body count goes to the hundreds." While the violence does not go too over-the-top (no dismemberment here), the sheer number of henchmen that Tequila and friends kill earns it a place on the list of films with the highest body count.
1 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' (2003)
Quentin Tarantino has always featured extreme violence in his movies, and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 sees the legendary director at his goriest. Left for dead by her old crew on her wedding day, the Bride (Uma Thurman) awakens from a coma and swears revenge, utilizing her skills as a former assassin to hunt them down.
The highlight of the movie comes when the Bride reaches the clubhouse of O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), forced to face off with the Yakuza boss's Crazy 88. As the Bride and her katana slice through each new foe, it creates one of the goriest non-horror scenes ever, causing psadler to claim "the Kill Bill movies are some of the bloodiest and goriest I've seen."
NEXT: The Best Action Movies of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb
