Top 10 Action Movies of the 2000s

The act of choosing the top ten action movies of the last decade is by no means an easy task. The rate at which high quality films are being produced creates a difficult environment in which to draw out only ten. Thankfully though many of these action films are nothing more than ninety minutes or so of white-knuckle violence. To make this top ten list, there has to be more than an hour long battle scene. Story is key to memorable action movies and thus is my list of the top ten action movies of the past decade.

Band of Brothers
No motion picture production before or since captured the drama, emotions, violence and action of World War II better than Band of Brothers. If watched on a large enough screen and immersed in surround sound, when the end credits roll, viewers may check their coats and hats for bullet holes. The characters are more than characters; they become your own brothers. There isn't one of these men, boys really, that you want to see go down in a fight. The fact that this came out after VHS is a huge plus for viewers as such tapes would be replaced quite often due to repeated replay.

We Were Soldiers
What Band of Brothers did in nearly a full day of viewing, We Were Soldiers almost completed in a fraction of the time. Bombs and bullets made for great action, but the story carries the viewer from scene to scene with riveting dialogue and sympathetic drama. We Were Soldiers probably made a few people anxious when a taxi pulled up outside their own home.

National Treasure
This was a Disney movie? Those who love history, whether stretched or not, would love National Treasure. Most kids dream of finding the treasure under the X mark on some dusty, burnt page of a map and National Treasure gives us this dream, if even for a very short while.

Transporter (Trilogy)
Few action movies have as much action AND riveting, compelling drama as the Transporter series. And those cars, who wouldn't want one of those magnificent machines? Most action movies draw a distinct line between good-guy and bad-guy, but in Transporter, we're just not really ever sure what side this guy is on. Perhaps that is what makes his character so real.

The Bourne Series
Jason Bourne, poor guy, has been through it and come out again through this terriffic series. Full of mystery and intrigue the Bourne series is always entertaining.

Enemy at the Gates
Most war movies are chock full of white-knuckle action from frame-to-frame, but in Enemy at the Gates we get a rare glimpse into what war is like for that intrepid slueth, the sniper. No fancy machine gun here, just a single-shot, bolt-action rifle; one shot, one kill; hopefully. Now it would be a shame to ruin the movie for those who have not yet been fortunate enough to watch it, but word of warning, guard your heart, and your helmet!

Transformers
There were quite a few doubts that what started as a Saturday morning cartoon could be "transformed" into a popular, modern movie. Transformers pulled it off in brilliant style by creating eye-popping graphics. Computer graphics were by no means new when Transformers was created, but the detail in transforming planes, helicopters and vehicles into believable robots is most impressive. The drama and storytelling unfold before the audience's eyes and the captivating effects keep even the most wandering of attentions.

Iron Man
Bringing comic book characters back to life on the big screen is no novel idea, but Iron Man does more than bring it on! Few comic book remakes leave the moviegoer wanting to run to the nearest shop for backcopies, but Iron Man does just that.

Constantine
When the opening scene of Constantine opens, the audience isn't quite sure what they are in for. As the story unfolds, the viewer is treated to a spiritual thriller that is both impressive and scares the daylights out of their preconceptions.

3:10 to Yuma
Yeah, its a western, and a remake, but a darn good one, partner! While the production of westerns is on a hiatus, it is always fun to watch a good old-fashioned shoot-em-up caballero flick.