Action movies with heart-stopping finales (SPOILER WARNING)
by dvc5159 | created - 07 Oct 2011 | updated - 08 Oct 2011 | PublicThe action movies where the ending/climax is so incredible/over-the-top, thrilling, exciting, and heart-stopping that it makes you out of breath before really blasting you out of your seat and closes in an ultimately satisfactory way. (In alphabetical order, and CONTAINS SPOILERS)
More on the way...
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
PG | 95 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Jim Varney, Corey Burton, Claudia Christian
Votes: 134,177 | Gross: $84.05M
The battle inside the dormant volcano; the saving of Atlantis.
2. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,579,483 | Gross: $206.85M
The final train sequence; Batman vs Ducard/Ra's al Ghul
3. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
When Jason Bourne is framed for a CIA operation gone awry, he is forced to resume his former life as a trained assassin to survive.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
Votes: 487,076 | Gross: $176.24M
The Moscow car chase.
4. Breakdown (I) (1997)
R | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.
Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey
Votes: 61,800 | Gross: $50.13M
Multi-vehicular chase up to the very end where the villain bites the big one, quite literally too.
5. Broken Arrow (1996)
R | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Terrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U.S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 105,271 | Gross: $70.77M
The final train sequence; the villain's ridiculously awesome death.
6. Fist of Fury (1972)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi
Votes: 33,906 | Gross: $1.29M
Bruce Lee vs. an entire dojo. Enough said.
7. Con Air (1997)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Newly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney
Votes: 319,444 | Gross: $101.12M
The plane landing on the Las Vegas Strip; the firetruck chase; the villain's lengthy death.
8. Cliffhanger (1993)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
Votes: 140,021 | Gross: $84.05M
Upside down helicopter.
9. Death Wish 3 (1985)
R | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam
Votes: 17,412 | Gross: $16.12M
Attack on the streets; Kersey's dispatching of the big boss.
10. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 946,093 | Gross: $83.01M
The roof; McClane's dispatching of Gruber.
11. Die Hard 2 (1990)
R | 124 min | Action, Thriller
John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 383,237 | Gross: $117.54M
McClane's dispatching of the bad guys and their plane.
12. Executive Decision (1996)
R | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
When terrorists seize control of an airliner, an intelligence analyst accompanies a commando unit for a midair boarding operation.
Director: Stuart Baird | Stars: Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo
Votes: 61,608 | Gross: $56.57M
Dispatching of terrorists; troubled landing of the plane.
13. Face/Off (1997)
R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 401,099 | Gross: $112.23M
The awesome boat chase.
14. Fast Five (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster
Votes: 407,345 | Gross: $209.84M
Final chase on the streets of Rio. I know safes aren't supposed to move that fast, but never mind.
15. GoldenEye (1995)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen
Votes: 270,312 | Gross: $106.60M
Satellite/base destruction; the bad boss' death.
16. Hard Boiled (1992)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
Votes: 54,049
The famous 30-minute shootout in a hospital.
17. Hard Target (1993)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her missing father. In the process, they discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Chuck Pfarrer
Votes: 56,308 | Gross: $32.59M
Shootout at the mardi-gras graveyard; the villain's death.
18. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure
In 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
Votes: 535,503 | Gross: $179.87M
Mine-cart roller coaster up to the villain's death.
19. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,194,892 | Gross: $70.10M
The Bride vs Gogo, the Crazy 88 & Cottonmouth
20. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,098
Shootout in the church.
21. Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
R | 127 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
With personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads that are trying to free their former leaders out of prison and onto American soil.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo
Votes: 172,302 | Gross: $130.44M
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover's brutal fight against Jet Li.
22. Licence to Kill (1989)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A vengeful James Bond goes rogue to infiltrate and take down the organization of a drug lord who has murdered his friend's new wife and left him near death.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto
Votes: 112,135 | Gross: $34.67M
Spectacular truck chase and Bond's dispatching of the villain.
23. The Living Daylights (1987)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker
Votes: 105,894 | Gross: $51.19M
The raid on the Afghan Soviet Base; Bond vs Necros in mid-air.
24. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko
Votes: 85,700 | Gross: $33.33M
The Niagara Falls/chemical truck climax.
25. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Max Phipps
Votes: 193,878 | Gross: $12.47M
Show-stopping multi-vehicular chase that lasts for 20 minutes
26. The Mechanic (1972)
PG | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland
Votes: 15,761 | Gross: $7.30M
The very end.
27. Mission: Impossible (1996)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny
Votes: 470,527 | Gross: $180.98M
Train/tunnel/helicopter sequence. Absurd but still exhilarating.
28. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
British agent James Bond goes undercover to pursue the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is planning to hold the world to ransom.
Director: Peter R. Hunt | Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 99,496 | Gross: $22.80M
Bond's raid on Blofeld's base; bobsled chase.
29. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Arriving by train in Guangzhou, 1895, the trio fight off White Lotus followers, who want to kill all foreigners and the cute, European dressed 13th Aunt. It's not kung fu master Dr. Wong's (Jet Li) last fight.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Siu Chung Mok, David Chiang
Votes: 10,638
Jet Li vs Donnie Yen. Enough said.
30. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 455,221 | Gross: $59.74M
Arnie vs the Predator
31. The Protector (2005)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: Tony Jaa, Nathan Jones, Xing Jin, Phetthai Vongkumlao
Votes: 39,007 | Gross: $11.91M
Tony Jaa vs. everyone in his way.
32. Rambo (2008)
R | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish
Votes: 244,645 | Gross: $42.75M
Rambo's dispatching of the Burmese military; saves the best kill for the Major.
33. Speed (1994)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
Votes: 392,157 | Gross: $121.25M
Bus explosion; death of villain.
34. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads, with the help of a K.G.B. agent whose lover he killed.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel
Votes: 116,308 | Gross: $46.80M
The battle onboard the Liparus; destruction of Atlantis.
35. Sudden Death (1995)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A former fireman takes on a group of terrorists holding the Vice President and others hostage during the seventh game of the NHL Stanley Cup finals.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Boothe, Raymond J. Barry, Whittni Wright
Votes: 37,038 | Gross: $20.35M
JCVD's raid on the VIP box; the helicopter climax in the stadium. Absurd, and yes I am aware that the helicopter falls ass-first, but I didn't care. I found it exciting.
36. Taken (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser
Votes: 634,773 | Gross: $145.00M
"The chase and subsequent fight on the boat; brutally direct dispatch of the villains."
37. Terminal Velocity (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Mystery, Romance
A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold.
Director: Deran Sarafian | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Nastassja Kinski, James Gandolfini, Christopher McDonald
Votes: 14,658 | Gross: $16.48M
The Cadillac freefall.
38. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,174,835 | Gross: $204.84M
The entire climax - from Cyberdine to the highway chase - and finally the final confrontation at the steel mill. Among my favourite endings.
39. Thunderball (1965)
PG | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi
Votes: 127,156 | Gross: $63.60M
The underwater battle.
40. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond sets out to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher
Votes: 204,745 | Gross: $125.33M
The battle onboard the stealth ship.
41. True Lies (1994)
R | 141 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton
Votes: 281,138 | Gross: $146.28M
The Florida Keys; Harrier jet sequences.
42. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
R | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Casey Ryback hops on a Colorado to LA train to start a vacation with his niece. Early into the trip, terrorists board the train and use it as a mobile HQ to hijack a top secret destructive US satellite.
Director: Geoff Murphy | Stars: Steven Seagal, Eric Bogosian, Everett McGill, Katherine Heigl
Votes: 50,167 | Gross: $50.02M
The train crash and explosion. Absurd and I am aware that Seagal outruns a train and the special effects are dodgy during this sequence but I still enjoyed the heck out of it.
43. Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
R | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Terrorists kidnap the Russian Prime Minister's 2 kids, take Chernobyl nuclear power plant and threaten to blow up a reactor. 4 Universal Soldiers go in but are no match to a Next Gen. UniSol Luc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) goes in but faces 2 NGUs.
Director: John Hyams | Stars: Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andrei Arlovski, Mike Pyle
Votes: 26,544
JCVD's raid on Chernobyl and his brutal fights with Dolph Lundgren and Andre Arlovski.
44. The Way of the Dragon (1972)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
Director: Bruce Lee | Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao, Ping-Ou Wei
Votes: 41,075 | Gross: $4.06M
Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris. Enough said.
45. The Wild Bunch (1969)
R | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien
Votes: 90,411 | Gross: $12.06M
Legendary climax where the heroes make their bloody final stand against the Mexican army.
Tell Your Friends