20 Operatic Action Movies to Watch Before ‘John Wick 4’

Movies from Hong Kong-based filmmakers have been treating action as art for decades, and martial arts movies have always big business in China, South Korea, and Indonesia, even as directors have begun blending liberal doses of gunplay and maybe even a car chase or two into the action. American action movies used to favour fistfights over heavily choreographed battles, but that all started to change in the ‘90s as balletic actioner like John Woo’s Hard Boiled were imported, inspiring “groundbreaking” Hollywood movies like The Matrix.

As evidenced by the enthusiastic internet reception to the release of the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4, that series crystalized a market for movies that are nearly non-stop violence, but also so elevated and carefully choreographed and directed as to feel…operatic.

Like the 20 films collected here, the best of this genre — affectionally labelled “gun-fu” — often have a lot in common: they’ve got martial arts (or at least well-choreographed street fighting), firearms, tons of adversaries, and the plots nearly always involve a nearly primal need for revenge on the part of the protagonist. Those similarities are a feature, rather than a bug — the plot is just the canvass on which the filmmakers paint (usually in bright red).

Headshot (2016)

Imo Awais, star of The Raid and a couple of other movies we’ll get back to, leads this slightly lesser-known (at least stateside) action extravaganza that’s centered on revenge (naturally). There are elements of John Wick here, but also Jason Bourne in the story of an amnesiac assassin who wakes up from a coma only to find himself immediately set upon by a bunch of other assassins, all of whom want to kill him, we learn, because of a falling out with his old trainer. Indonesian filmmakers the Mo Brothers were best known for horror movies prior to this, and bring that intense atmosphere to the resulting ultraviolence.

Blade (1998)

Though the series doesn’t stick the landing (going out with the half-assed and forgettable Trinity) the first two Blades were Marvel-based action movies that seemed to be setting the stage for a more interesting superhero cinematic universe than the one we’ve found ourselves in (at least until very recently). Antihero Blade (Wesley Snipes) is a human-vampire hybrid who battles vampires with an array of impressive gear — sometimes using guns loaded with wooden stakes, sunlight bombs, or his unsurprising sets of bladed weapons, no less deadly in his hands. The second film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, ups the gore and action for the better. The first two movies, at least, were successes, so it’s…interesting…that it took two decades before we again saw a Black Marvel character headline a movie.

The Raid (2011)

Deliciously simple, The Raid remains an excellent reminder that a movie doesn’t require a complex plot to be a work of art. Iko Uwais stars as rookie cop Rama, forced to jump into the fray when the arrest of a crime lord goes sideways — the boss engaging every criminal in his high-rise apartment building to stand between him and the cops. Rama has to shoot, punch, and kick his way to the top of the building where his prey waits.

Dredd (2012)

There’s less of a martial-arts vibe here, though there is plenty of hand-to-hand combat amid all the gunfire. Here, Karl Urban’s Judge Dredd is forced to battle his way to the top of a high-rise in order to capture a drug kingpin played by Lena Headey. It’s an American riff on The Raid, no question, but surprisingly effective nonetheless, with a dystopian sci-fi spin.

Hard Boiled (1992)

Stepping back for a moment to the movie that crystalized gun fu as a vibe. Director John Woo realised that gun fights could be every bit as balletic and well-choreographed as any other martial arts sequence, and gave birth to modern action. The scene in which Chow Yun-Fat fights off hordes of enemies while holding an infant is justifiably legendary.

Kate (2021)

Though it’s lead by a French director and an American actor (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Kate stands apart in its anime-inspired, neon-lit, new-Tokyo aesthetic. There’s nothing new here, plot-wise…but that’s beside the point. Assigned to kill a yakuza assassin by her handler (Woody Harrelson), the titular assassin discovers that she’s been poisoned and has only 24 hours to live (i.e. 24 hours to get violent revenge). Like if D.O.A. were a martial arts action movie.

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix didn’t invent wire-fu-style action — Hong Kong filmmakers, in particular, had been working in that style for decades. It did bring American production values, high-concept sci-fi, and the Wachowskis’ heady storytelling into the mix. A couple of our most interesting and idiosyncratic filmmakers, the sisters made a smart and thrilling blockbuster with (admittedly borrowed) style to spare.

Blood and Bone (2009)

It’s a little on the low-rent side, budget-wise (it was a direct-to-video release), but the filmmakers behind Blood and Bone understand that you can make an exceptional action movie with not much more than talented fighters. Lead by actor and martial artist Michael Jai White, the movie boasts an impressive line-up of big-name veteran kickboxers, wrestlers, and MMA fighters in its story of an ex-marine (named Bone, naturally) who fights his way to the top of an organised crime ring, one street fight at a time.

Black Dynamite (2009)

A very different side of Michael Jai White, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Black Dynamite both celebrates and skewers blaxploitation movie tropes. Which would be fine, but that’s been tried before with mixed success, as the jokes quickly wear thin. Here, though, there’s plenty of genuinely kick-arse action around well-choreographed (if often funny) fight sequences to keep us entertained, and we’re never forced to choose between action and comedy.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Any movie with Michelle Yeoh is virtually guaranteed to have top-tier action (well, OK, maybe not Crazy Rich Asians), but this one gilds that gun-fu lily by adding in Lena Headey, Karen Gillan, Carla Gugino, and Angela Bassett(!) That cast aside, the film deals with not-one-but-two rival groups of assassins battling it out over the fate of a kidnapped child.

The Night Comes for Us (2018)

A sort-of successor to The Raid series (including many of the same actors), the story of a Triad member forced to fight his way out of the organisation is on the bloodier end of its genre; the action is brilliant and stylised, but there’s a bit more realism in terms of blood and gore. The concluding fight scene is an all-time great one, if you’ve got the stomach for it.

The Old Guard (2020)

Superhero action is typically a bit more family-friendly than it is here, in a movie that leans into action-movie style despite its comic-book origins. Charlize Theron leads a group of mercenaries, but with a twist: they’re all gifted with healing abilities that have kept them alive for centuries.

The Man from Nowhere (2010)

A group of opium smugglers discovers that quiet shop owner Cha Tae-sik (Won Bin) was once a secret agent, and that his affection for a neighbour’s child might be the leverage they need to get his help with a drug delivery. Big mistake. It’s tempting to say that the movie feels a lot like John Wick in its story of a group of criminals who mess with the wrong guy, except that this South Korean masterpiece got there first.

Equilibrium (2002)

Another dystopian sci-fi spin on gun fu, Equilibrium stars Christian Bale as plays a futuristic enforcer in an emotionless society who misses his daily injection of the suppressing drug that keeps the rest of the population in line. Though less well known than Hard Boiled or The Matrix, director Kurt Wimmer pioneered a style that came to be referred to as gun kata, which mostly means that he studied gunplay scientifically in order to bring a unique faux-verisimilitude to the gunplay — of which there is plenty, as Bale’s character racks up a body count of over 100.

Taken (2008)

It’s the movie that made Liam Neeson his own sub-genre, playing a man with a very particular skills who will find you. Another classic in the “they messed with the wrong person” genre, the movie involves some impressive gunplay but thrives on its gritty, brutal hand-to-hand fights.

Django Unchained (2012)

A period drama with a formerly enslaved American in the lead is not the place one would expect to find the type of high-energy, over-the-top gunplay and hand-to-hand combat…but, of course, once you’ve stepped into history as told by Quentin Tarantino, all bets are off.

Hardcore Henry (2015)

You’re an accident victim, waking up fro a coma only to discover that you’ve lost all your memories and the ability to speak, but also gained some cybernetic enhancements. The Russian/American movie is meant to play out like a video game, with that sort of first-person-shooter energy, but in live action. It’s better than it has any right to be, even if it can’s quite compete with the fun of a genuine FPS.

Safe (2012)

Jason Stratham could take up any number of slots on this list, if many of his action movies didn’t run to the more disposable end of the spectrum. Safe, though, is one of his best, and works in that many of the fights feel real, or at least like people are actually getting hurt. Stratham plays a hunted cage-fighter who comes out of hiding to help the young girl taken by the same gangsters who killed his own family.

Léon: The Professional (1994)

As is often the case, Luck Besson’s Léon (aka The Professional) deals with a loner (Jean Reno) — one who, in this case, happens to be a hired hitman. He’s brought out of his routine by Natalie Portman (in her debut), who seeks his help when her family is murdered by corrupt CIA agents. The instant classic is impressive for its action sequences, but also for the central relationship: Portman’s character isn’t secondary; she’s determined to get revenge and wants Léon to train her. (Though the less said about their creepy romantic vibes the better, especially after certain revelations about the director’s past.)

Atomic Blonde (2017)

In terms of action, Atomic Blonde is as close to John Wick as you’re likely to get — they share some behind-the-scenes talent, and there’s even been talk of a crossover. Charlize Theron, showing off her considerable action chops, plays a CIA agent in a twisty-turny set of circumstances just days prior to the fall of the Berlin wall. The heightened Cold War vibe and ‘80s feel/soundtrack set the movie apart. Though it has been 5 years now, a sequel is reportedly on the way.